So this will be a briefly relevant post – Mr Greco pointed out an Ebay auction for a museum quality meccano model of a steam powered excavator. From the description:

“This large Meccano super model was expertly built with Meccano vintage nickeled and brass parts (Prewar) using the 1929 Meccano Steam Engine and the 1929 Meccano Digger Bucket and Pulley Block (Double Sheave – First Design), even the cord is Meccano.”

Amazing to think that just over seventy years ago, such things were considered toys – and now we’d happily go and see them in a museum, or ogle them for their patina and parts. Admittedly, they were probably expensive toys, but it’s a far cry from the profusion of plastic and day bright colours in many toys today. laughs Good grief – I sound so old, and I’m most certainly not. I wish all the best to whomever should end up the proud owner – and I hope that they take good care of such a monsterous and ingenious old ‘toy’ contraption.