Forum

As I stressed to Mike when I sent the bits to him for the Journal, it is absolutely fantastic that we have the amount of interest in the Forum which we are currently enjoying. The important thing is that the discussions are really meaningful and it is not full of drivel like Facebook. I sincerely hope it adds another dimension to these discussions and gets more people involved. There is a huge amount of knowledge out there and if it is shared it becomes a much more beneficial association. Dave

Kudos Dave for getting this done and seeing it through.....long overdue, but so glad that the forum is at least getting some mention. Hopefully, others will see just how many interesting topics are covered here and the level of participation that exists. It is nice that the info flows so quickly, so if a query or question is posed, it gets attention very soon. On a related note, just curios how many members we actually have who are from the U.S.? I don't believe anyone currently posting here is from the states, other than me. That is also very sad, as I would expect more membership and participation from us. Thanks again! Regards, Terry

Well done Dave! When I got the Journal envelope through the door I thought straight away 'I wonder if there's any mention of the Forum?', then I saw the front cover and was really pleased. If we can get a double page every issue that will be great, and hopefully a few readers will be drawn over here to check out the responses. Chris Warr.

I do hope to get some response from this. As well as the DTCA, I am also a member of the Hornby Railway Collectors Association and have close links with the Bassett-Lowke Society. A number of people I know well from all three groups do not have a computer or an e-mail address, furthermore they do not want to go down that road. I am hoping that this link to the journal will bring them into our discussions and add to the knowledge base. ALL of the DTCA committee members have computers and I am very disappointed that they do not get involved from time to time. Dave

Rich Henderson wrote to the editor about spare parts for Dinky Toys found in Canada. (The Journal October 2014 page 16). I doubt that these were for repairs. The Canadian agent would certainly not have replaced a base plate or even a body. So why these spares. Were they left over from importations in CKD to avoid VAT or purchase tax on finished goods as was done in several other contries ? The only tool necessary to assemble these models was a stand drill to rivet the base plates. This may be the origin of coloured hubs found in the States and Canada. The Brinks armoured van may also have been assembled in Canada.

dinkyfan wrote: 'Kudos Dave for getting this done and seeing it through.....long overdue, but so glad that the forum is at least getting some mention. Hopefully, others will see just how many interesting topics are covered here and the level of participation that exists. It is nice that the info flows so quickly, so if a query or question is posed, it gets attention very soon. On a related note, just curios how many members we actually have who are from the U.S.? I don't believe anyone currently posting here is from the states, other than me. That is also very sad, as I would expect more membership and participation from us. Thanks again! Regards, Terry' Terry Here is an interesting response from a friend in the United States who asked a similar question a number of years ago. He was a very early member of the DTCA but resigned several years ago. This is what he wrote in an email to me recently: 'I think this club is oriented towards Europe mostly and not interested in overseas members. ...they do not allow us to meet other members by email or other means of communication, because of a 'privacy law' that exists in the UK. I argued as to how can we contact other members direct for sharing Dinky Toy information, etc.--for example if I wanted to organize a gathering in the United States--or to just learn how many are members in North America? They replied that to do this one has to go 'through the DTCA'...(!)' So Terry your query as to how many members are in the United States will most likely remain unanswered. As for your other point, 'It is nice that the info flows so quickly, so if a query or question is posed, it gets attention very soon.', I am afraid that is not completely correct, as I have posted a number of questions and these have become lost when further posts are made that are basically waffle and my question becomes swamped and forgotten!! Regards Bruce

For those who do not have the January 1948 Meccano Magazine, here is the enlarged six pence stamp with the Royal Air Mail service car. In these early post war days, the quality of printing was not as good as it is today.

Thanks for posting.....just wish it was a better image for such an iconic and unusual vehicle. Regards, Terry

Well, Terry, here are two better images (and I have more of this remarkable vehicle). Unfortunately my information about the source(s) is wanting, the original files are very big and crisp. I already mentioned it somewhere but I will repeat it here: for those who do not want to store loads of Meccano Magazines, they are fully and free accessible online. The link for the page Jacques mentions is: www.meccanoindex.co.uk/MMpage.php?MID=21684&id=1414039069 (Sorry to continue off-topic) Kind regards, Jan

Jan Thanks a lot for posting that.....I had seen those both some time ago, but had not saved them. It certainly was an unusual vehicle, and quite tall for its length. I would love to find the Dinky model, but in any kind of good condition, they are hard to find and expensive. Regards,Terry

dinkycollect wrote: For those who do not have the January 1948 Meccano Magazine, here is the enlarged six pence stamp with the Royal Air Mail service car. In these early post war days, the quality of printing was not as good as it is today.'[/i] Jacques Attached is an image of the actual stamp. It was issued on 16 August 1939, designed by Desmond J Berry. Kind regards Bruce

janwerner wrote: 'Well, Terry, here are two better images (and I have more of this remarkable vehicle). Unfortunately my information about the source(s) is wanting, the original files are very big and crisp. I already mentioned it somewhere but I will repeat it here: for those who do not want to store loads of Meccano Magazines, they are fully and free accessible online. The link for the page Jacques mentions is: www.meccanoindex.co.uk/MMpage.php?MID=21684&id=1414039069 (Sorry to continue off-topic) Kind regards, Jan' Thanks for the high quality images Jan as well as the link to the Meccano Magazines that now saves me having to dive into a very cluttered storage shed! Lovely seeing the great old lady the Handley-Page H.P.42. Imagine the noise of those four Bristol Jupiter engines, with the fellows at the front without ear muffs! By the way, the aircraft depicted crashed on 7 November 1939 on a flight from France. One of its four-bladed propellers can still be seen on display at the Croydon Airport Visitor Centre, situated in the former terminal building of Croydon Airport. Finally I do not think you were being off-topic as the thread is 'Forum', although I get the point you are making. If anything, I am off-topic as I have moved from the stamp to the aircraft shown behind the Air Mail Car. So we are even! :laugh: Kind regards, Bruce