TIMS at Blists Hill Victorian Town 2015: Second Weekend!

By Chris Shute • Published on Wednesday 19 August 2015, 7:04pm

Giant Display Of Meccano Railway Models

On Saturday 22-Sunday 23 August at Blists Hill Victorian Town, the Telford and Ironbridge Meccano Society will hold their second summer exhibition. This weekend, the theme is Great Railway Engineering. The Blists Hill Railway Goods Shed will be home to one of the largest-ever gatherings of Meccano Railway models. Amazingly, over eighty feet of tables are required to accommodate the work of Wolverhampton-born Greg Worwood. Greg is one of the rare Meccano
enthusiasts who not only build giant models, but also keep them assembled.

Several van journeys will be needed to bring Greg's collection of diverse locomotives. Among them, Stephenson's Rocket will be joined by Brunel's Atmospheric Railway and the curious American Boynton Bicycle Railway. Largest of all, a 12-foot Beyer Garratt locomotive and a 20-foot long railway breakdown train will be on display.

Rising up into the rafters of the Railway Goods Shed will be an Eiffel Tower over 15 feet-high. Like Mr. Worwood, monsieur Gustave Eiffel was no stranger to large metal structures, and went on to design elegant viaducts for the French railway network.

Other members of the Telford and Ironbridge Meccano Society will be bringing their own mechanical creations. Tim Martin bears an uncanny resemblance to Meccano's inventor Frank Hornby, and has devised numerous gadgets which
the Victorians never quite got around to, but would have no doubt, admired, including a coin-flipping machine and a device to monitor toilet-roll usage.

Frank Hornby applied for his patent just before Queen Victoria died. Meccano was first marketed as 'Mechanic Made Easy' and is widely considered to be the last great Victorian invention.

Would-be engineers, inventors and tinkerers are welcome to test their skills at the hands-on Meccano building tables.

Normal museum admission charges apply. See the Events page for full details.