The Journal.

So far, there is no thread for matters concerning the journal. Here you can post anything concerning our magazine, for past and future issues. This thread can also be used as a way to communicate with Mike our editor hoping that he visits the forum sometime. With the latest issue you have all received the re-print of a Russian Meccano catalogue. Although my russian is limited to tovaritch and vodka, I have tried to date this catalogue and found that it is either 1960, 61 or 62. Can you narrow this to a single year ?

Good idea Jacques. First subject : I did not find in the journal any photo of the Triumph Dolomite for sale for the 100th Binns road anniversary ! Did I miss it and in which Journal issue ? Cheers Richard

You are right Richard there is no picture, only a flyer included in the July 2014 issue with a description of the model and conditions. A similar model has been issued by ODGI some years ago. Jacques.

It is great reading all about the October 2014 issue of The Journal, as we out here in the Antipodes have not received ours as yet! Hopefully my post office box will hold my copy next week, so will have to drive there each day and check it! I suppose Terry will get his before us anyhow! Aren't you EU folk lucky where you live! (Except winter of course!) Thanks Jacques for creating the new thread dealing with The Journal.

Eureka! :woohoo: :woohoo: The October Journal was collected from our post office box this morning - at least twelve days after those in Europe have received their copy! But it is good to read finally read it - nice to see the item on the forum. Hope this continues. Bruce

Dinkinius wrote: 'Eureka! :woohoo: :woohoo: The October Journal was collected from our post office box this morning - at least twelve days after those in Europe have received their copy! But it is good to finally read the October issue - nice to see the item on the Forum in this website. Hope this continues as a regular feature in The Journal. Bruce' Tried to make a correction/edit to my last post, but each time the link brought me back to the list of threads. I could edit, if i wanted to, my previous post, but not this one for some obscure reason. At least I have corrected the quote now in this post!

Bruce, When the next Journal is issued, make me remember to email you a copy. I always scan every issue that I keep on a CD for the new members. This CD contains all the Journals from issue one. Jacques.

dinkycollect wrote: 'So far, there is no thread for matters concerning the journal. Here you can post anything concerning our magazine, for past and future issues. This thread can also be used as a way to communicate with Mike our editor hoping that he visits the forum sometime. With the latest issue you have all received the re-print of a Russian Meccano catalogue. Although my russian is limited to tovaritch and vodka, I have tried to date this catalogue and found that it is either 1960, 61 or 62. Can you narrow this to a single year ?' Jacques The year would be 1961 when Meccano had a stand at the British Trade Fair 'recently held' in Moscow. I have an announcement to this effect in the Bulletin to Meccano Dealers dated 26 June 1961. I will get around to scanning the Bulletin and sharing it with the readership if interested. The Healey Boat and trailer included in the brochure would indicate the commencement of the preparation of the leaflet after September 1960. The British Trade Fair was mentioned in the August 1961 issue of Meccano Magazine with the fair having opened on 19 May 1961. So, the Russian leaflet was one of a couple that was distributed during the Fair, with limitations being introduced due to the leaflets' popularity. Bruce

It would be appreciated indeed if an inserted bonus like this is accompanied by an article or at least a short explanation of a few lines in The Journal, including the year of publication for instance. Certainly if it's an unusual item like this. Or did I overlook? (I did not read every letter yet) It appears to me that there is no real hurry with including a nice leaflet like this, so the editor might better wait for a next Journal to have it explained, in this case perhaps by someone of the HRCA involved. I wonder if it was explained in their journal. A reference to that or just copying it would have sufficed. May be next time? Kind regards, Jan

Dear Jan, Many thanks for finding this informatiion in the Meccano Magazine. There must still be some things to find in the M.M. but who would have cared about this article if we did not have the Russian leaflet and if Jan would not have mentioned it ? The exhibition was probably part of an anti-comunist scheme part of the cold war like the French exhibition held in Moscow a few weeks before. On this exhibition, there was a book case full of books and by the first evening, all the books has been stolen. The people responsible for that display realised that the russians wanted to find information about the western free world. A special flight was ordered from Paris to bring a load of books to Moscow overnight. The book case was refilled constantly and left without attention on purpose. Distribution of thousands of Meccano leaflets may have had the same purpose, to inform the young russians about what was available on this side of the iron curtain. The article in the M.M. ends with : 'but if outside reasons should prevent the full commercial developement which would satisfy the Russian demand, some satisfaction at least will be felt in the fact that an improved understanding, and better human relations, will certainly result from this adventure in far away places.' This was not the case, as a few days after this article was written, I could witness the wall of shame been erected in Berlin. Have Meccano products ever been sold in the Soviet Union ? This leaflet does not prove it.

dinkycollect wrote: 'Dear Jan, Many thanks for finding this informatiion in the Meccano Magazine. There must still be some things to find in the M.M. but who would have cared about this article if we did not have the Russian leaflet and if Jan would not have mentioned it ? The exhibition was probably part of an anti-comunist scheme part of the cold war like the French exhibition held in Moscow a few weeks before. On this exhibition, there was a book case full of books and by the first evening, all the books has been stolen. The people responsible for that display realised that the russians wanted to find information about the western free world. A special flight was ordered from Paris to bring a load of books to Moscow overnight. The book case was refilled constantly and left without attention on purpose. Distribution of thousands of Meccano leaflets may have had the same purpose, to inform the young russians about what was available on this side of the iron curtain. The article in the M.M. ends with : 'but if outside reasons should prevent the full commercial developement which would satisfy the Russian demand, some satisfaction at least will be felt in the fact that an improved understanding, and better human relations, will certainly result from this adventure in far away places.' This was not the case, as a few days after this article was written, I could witness the wall of shame been erected in Berlin. Have Meccano products ever been sold in the Soviet Union ? This leaflet does not prove it.' Jacques I thought Jan would have responded to this post from you, but it was ME, who found the Meccano article, as well as provided you with an initial answer to your question as to what year the leaflet would have been produced. This is what I wrote in my previous post Jacques The year would be 1961 when Meccano had a stand at the British Trade Fair 'recently held' in Moscow. I have an announcement to this effect in the Bulletin to Meccano Dealers dated 26 June 1961. I will get around to scanning the Bulletin and sharing it with the readership if interested. The Healey Boat and trailer included in the brochure would indicate the commencement of the preparation of the leaflet after September 1960. The British Trade Fair was mentioned in the August 1961 issue of Meccano Magazine with the fair having opened on 19 May 1961. So, the Russian leaflet was one of a couple that was distributed during the Fair, with limitations being introduced due to the leaflets' popularity. Bruce

janwerner wrote: 'It would be appreciated indeed if an inserted bonus like this is accompanied by an article or at least a short explanation of a few lines in The Journal, including the year of publication for instance. Certainly if it's an unusual item like this. Or did I overlook? (I did not read every letter yet) It appears to me that there is no real hurry with including a nice leaflet like this, so the editor might better wait for a next Journal to have it explained, in this case perhaps by someone of the HRCA involved. I wonder if it was explained in their journal. A reference to that or just copying it would have sufficed. May be next time? Kind regards, Jan' Jan I presume your comments are to be directed to Jacques as all I did was provide an answer to a question from Jacques and to carry out further investigations into the British Trade Fair, based on a Meccano Dealer Bulletin in my collection that mentions this event and attached the result of my investigation being a copies from the August 1961 Meccano Magazine. On reading your post I felt as if 'someone was shooting the messenger'!! :laugh: :laugh: Kind regards Bruce