The April 2023 Secretary’s Challenge at the South East London Meccano Club was to build any model appearing on page 15 of a Meccano set manual, so I chose the ‘tug or fire-fighting boat’ from the № 8 set.
The fire-fighting tugboat
The original model from the № 8 set manual
I made some modifications to avoid bending parts where possible, such as re-working the lifeboat, and have added a few enhancements including a ladder to the wheelhouse roof, cleats and tyre fenders.
A close-up of the lifeboat
For the club’s display at the Eltham Centre in September 2023 I mounted the boat on frame with a motorised mechanism beneath so that it would gently rock back and forth.
The fire-fighting tugboat in the Eltham Centre display case