Hawera Meccano Museum NZ

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Hawera Meccano Museum NZ Step into the past in Taranaki New Zealand. 2000 square feet of Meccano since 1901, Hornby Trains 1920, Dinky Toys 1934 and other construction toys.

Visitors are very welcome, open by appointment only and donation. Enjoy-Educate-Preserve! A private Museum in Taranaki, New Zealand showing the products of Meccano Ltd, Liverpool, England; at one time the largest toy manufacturers in the UK. After starting with Meccano in 1901, the company made Hornby Trains in 1920 then in 1934 Dinky Toys. Visitors welcome, open by appointment.

At the MWT Meccano Club meeting today, museum curator Daryl Anderson showed a recent acquisition, a ‘Prestacon’ tool. Th...
10/10/2026

At the MWT Meccano Club meeting today, museum curator Daryl Anderson showed a recent acquisition, a ‘Prestacon’ tool. These make your own Meccano parts tools were popular before and after WWII with many different types available. The museum displays Junero, Manufax and Mechanicus, all different ideas. Prestacon has round and square punches and a press brake. Very solidly made from 1947 until 1950 when the remaining stocks were liquidated by Gamages. The sale was advertised in the September 1950 Meccano Magazine. It comes with the original box and a selection of alloy materials, much unused with original price still on. note the 2 postion stops compensate for material thickness for internal folds. The holes are 1/4" spacing. Enjoy – Educate – Preserve

07/10/2026

Here is another video of the Binns Road Model Railway being developed. I’m proud of the latest work and the period look is what was planned. The track seems to be behaving now with irregularities being fixed when noticed, so derailments are diminishing. Everyday there are more items on the new layout taken from the old. Perspex is in place where the trains could fall to the floor so increasingly they are being left to run alone. Note Bulgy Bus from 1995, one day I will get a 3D printer and after learning how it works make 1950’s car bodies for the chassis like a Morris Minor would be perfect. How hard can it be unless there are volunteers out there? Also the Meccano animations are wired in with more to be added. Enjoy – Educate - Preserve

Architector contains ceramic bricks held together with glue just like the English sets, Brickplayer and Lotts Bricks etc...
06/10/2026

Architector contains ceramic bricks held together with glue just like the English sets, Brickplayer and Lotts Bricks etc. Wooden sections provided to make windows and card tiles for the roof. Made in USA dated 1944 on the manual that is pinned to the wall. These real brick sets are usually the same scale for 0 gauge train layouts, 1:43. On display in room 9. Enjoy – Educate – Preserve

Dinky toys have been neglected at the museum in the 6 months the Binns Road model railway has been under construction, b...
05/10/2026

Dinky toys have been neglected at the museum in the 6 months the Binns Road model railway has been under construction, but not forgotten. In that time the lot in the photo have found their way here, the best ones will go into cabinets when the old train room (room 8) is redeveloped, the others and duplicates will go on the train layout. The worst ones will be repainted, these didn’t make the photo. Enjoy – Educate - Preserve

The first ever Thomas the Tank Engine merchandise was sold in 1965, a Meccano clockwork plastic model of Percy in O gaug...
03/10/2026

The first ever Thomas the Tank Engine merchandise was sold in 1965, a Meccano clockwork plastic model of Percy in O gauge with plastic track. This set was the first commercial product based on the original Railway Series books by the Rev. W. Awdry. The O gauge model of Percy was clockwork powered and included track and two wagons. Percy was chosen because his 0-4-0 wheel configuration could utilise an existing Hornby mechanism, rather than the more desirable Thomas, an 0-6-0. The set was advertised in Meccano Magazine and in Railway magazines, it was not commercially successful and was produced for a limited time, making it hard to find today. To sell the remaining stock, the model was rebranded as the Play-Train with Percy's face removed and some parts repainted. This model was the last O-gauge train set made at Binns Road factory in Liverpool and both sets are on display in the museum in room 8. Poor sales meant that a planned Thomas model was not produced. Hornby later created a successful range of Thomas & Friends models in OO gauge starting in the 1980s. Enjoy – Educate – Preserve

With school holidays in New Zealand museum visitors increase. It is awesome the parents and grandparents who show an int...
01/10/2026

With school holidays in New Zealand museum visitors increase. It is awesome the parents and grandparents who show an interest in what has gone before especially Meccano being now 125 years old, a fact most younger guests have trouble understanding when I say there was no electricity, cars or radios. Yesterday we had the local Dwyer family and their cousins from Auckland, Canterbury and New Plymouth. Later in the day Graeme and Stuart Coleman from Victoria Australia visited. Graeme mentioned he has been following the page for over a year, has Meccano and N gauge trains and while here made a special trip from Marton to come. Both great visits. Enjoy – Educate – Preserve.

30/09/2026

One of the models that can be seen at the museum is my old marble machine. This was made in 1990 by Daryl the curator and first displayed at the NZ Meccano Convention in 1991 at Wanganui. Since then it has moved millions of marbles at displays at about 2500 per hour. The marbles, caterpillar track and motor are all original and the counter was added in 2014. Children between knee and waist height seem to be mesmerised as the marbles cross in the center. Like other models at the museum visitors can press the button to make it work. On display in room 3. Enjoy – Educate - Preserve

28/09/2026

Following on from yesterdays video, here is the double head train going under the mountain then slows on the incline. It may noted the curator appreciates LMS! I think it drops a realistic scale speed, what do you think? Coupled with the tightest 2’ radius on the layout as there was not enough space in the alcove for broader radius with the 6 tracks in that area. 3 up and 3 down. Enjoy – Educate – Preserve.

27/09/2026

The three main lines on the Binns Road Model railway are complete, 40.4m measured from the centre track. There is still work to do on the track where notice dips etc. In making the duck under bridge as high as possible (as we are all getting older!) the track is a little steeper than the rest of the layout. One of my favourite locos, the ACE Celebration class 4-4-0 will haul only around 9 standard No. 1 coaches (with plastic wheels) on line 1. Running the much heavier Bassett-Lowke BL99004 Maunsell N Class Mogul 2-6-0 solved the problem, hauling 19 and only slowing a little on the steepest section in realistic way. I also tried double heading the celebration class which did the same thing. Enjoy – Educate - Preserve

Address

25 Hunter Street (next Door To The Hospital) Open Only By Appointment. Please Telephone, Email Or Message To Arrange A Suitable Time To Visit
Hawera
4610

Telephone

+64274392383

Website

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