Gear Box

A design for a constant mesh 3 speed and reverse gear box appeared in the 1930 edition of the Meccano Book of New Models. The same design was published in the Suggestions Section of MM as model (162). I do not have the date of the magazine. The gear box is rather bulky for a vehicle but is OK for a stationary application. It has an unusual (for Meccano) H configured gear lever (shift), however this configuration was widely used for many years in automobiles. I converted the gearbox to a 4 speed and no reverse with the thought that visitors to the CMAMAS display might like to drive a Meccano 4-on-the-floor. If it could drive the Jet Planes, that might provide the momentum for smooth gear shifts. It turned out that the momentum is not quite enough to keep the model turning during a gear shift. I may add a secondary drive under the rotating element to provide some simulated momentum. The modified model gear box is shown above.