Peter the Pedaller and Lazy Larry
by Bob Prescott
Your Editor Bruce Neilson gave me some photographs of this model from the Canadian MeccaNotes and asked me to build, photograph and “write-up” for our magazine. The model was originally built by Jean-Max Estève for the 2002 CAM exhibition in Bouffément, France. At about the same time Constructor Quarterly 62, the December 2003 edition, was published and guess what, Bernard Périer has built his version. Apparently many Meccanomen have built their own version of this model so why not me? My model contains what I like best of all the photographs.
I must admit I prefer the Canadian MeccaNotes version with
its more interesting curved tower and drive chain using eleven P/N 27f
Multi-purpose Gears - if you don’t have enough P/N 27fs most dealers sell
second hand ones for about 20 pence (NZ 65c).
Base
The base is made with a P/N 236, 131/2“
x 41/2”
Flanged Plate and two P/N 52 51/2” x 21/2”
Flanged Plates arranged as shown. If you do not have a P/N 236 you could use
more P/N 52s to create a similar size base - it does require a substantial
platform.
Tower
The two sides of the base of the tower are formed by 51/2”
Angle Girder uprights and 21/2” Angle Girder bases braced by P/N
139/139a Flanged Brackets. The rest of the curved tower is built from eight P/N
89 5” Curved Strips, four each side overlapping three holes at the base and
two holes on the upper parts which includes P/N 51 21/2”
x 11/2”
Flanged Plates. The curved tower is supported by 121/2”
and 51/2” Perforated Strips overlapping four holes
connected to a 121/2” Angle Bracket placed on the base and
Corner Angle Brackets to the tower. I in fact, doubled up on the supporting
Perforated Strips to make firmer supports for the tower.
The Drive
The motor housing is formed from 21/2”
x 11/2”
and 21/2”
x 31/2”
Flanged Plates and the P/N 700 6V motor is anchored in the housing facing
upwards. This drives a
P/N 26 19 tooth Pinion meshing with a P/N 2, a 57 tooth gear wheel which drives another 19 tooth Pinion meshing with another 57 tooth gear wheel giving a 9:1 reduction. This Axle drives the first P/N 27f Multi-purpose Gear Wheel. The drive continues up the curved tower with Trunnions mounted on the 21/2” x 11/2”
Flanged Plates supporting the axles and
Multi-purpose Gear Wheels. The final driving Axle is mounted through a P/N 51f
Flanged Plate and its Multi-purpose Gear Wheel drives two free wheeling
Multi-purpose Gear Wheels mounted with Pivot Bolts and these Gear Wheels turn
the P/N 167b 97/8”
Flanged Ring which is placed on them.
Peter the Pedaller
Peter’s body is formed by a P/N 51f Flanged Plate. A Double Bracket anchored
at the centre hole one from the bottom supports a 21/2”
Perforated Strip on one
side and two sandwiched 51/2” Perforated Strips on the other. The driving Axle is placed in the bottom hole of the 21/2” Perforated Strip and the corresponding
hole on the other side. I used a 3 flat Axle turning a 11/2” 3 flat Pulley to drive the cyclist’s legs made from 11/2” Narrow Strips. His arms are 2” Narrow Strips bent outwards swinging freely. Arm and leg joints are all mounted with 1/2” and 3/4” Bolts and P/N 37h Locknuts. The counterweight is made from P/N 137 Wheel
Flanges loaded with Wheel Discs. The head is a 11/2”
Pulley mounted on the body via 1 x 1/2” Angle Bracket through a 2”
Perforated Strip onto an Angle Bracket. Peter is completed with a 21/2”
x 11/2”
Flexible Plate forming his back.
Lazy Larry
Bernard Périer introduced another “rider” laying on his back with his hands
behind his head. His framework is constructed with a 51/2”
Perforated Strip base, two 11/2” x 1/2”
Double Angle Strips, four 3_” Perforated Strips and two Stepped Curved Strips.
His body uses a P/N 51b 11/2” x 11/2”
Flanged Plate and two P/N 51c Flanged Plates supporting his legs. Arms and legs
as before are Narrow Strips with his legs mounted with 3/4“
Bolts and Locknuts and his head is a 1/2“ Pulley. Larry is driven by a 3 flat
Axle, a 11/2” 3 flat Pulley driving a 3/4”
Sprocket which drives a further 3/4” Sprocket via Sprocket Chain driving
his legs. The main driving ring, which is placed on the tower free wheeling
Multi-purpose Gear Wheels, is a P/N 145 71/2”
Circular Strip. Some weight is added by loading the Pivot Bolt securing Larry to
the base Perforated Strip with Washers.
I powered my model via a Hornby Control Centre but any transformer around 6v 400ma should suffice. All in all an interesting model to build but if you intend using it at an exhibition (with a circus music background of course), keep the youngsters at a safe distance as there are plenty of exposed moving gears and remember, you’ve got both Peter and Larry to keep them amused.
