Top Home Bottom

Parts 25-26c: Pinions

25	Pinion, 25t ¾'' x ¼'' face	02	-	5	5	4	N°9
25a	Pinion, 25t ¾'' x ½'' face	27	-	0	1	1	N°10
25b	Pinion, 25t ¾'' x ¾'' face	29	-	n/a	0	0
26	Pinion, 19t ½'' x ¼'' face	02	-	9	9	8	N°5	20 teeth until 1921
26a	Pinion, 19t ½'' x ½'' face	27	-	2	2	1	N°10
26b	Pinion, 19t ½'' x ¾'' face	29	-	n/a	0	1	N°10
26c	Pinion, 15 tooth x ¼'' face	54	-	n/a	n/a	1	N°10

The parts

Technically, these are all spur gears, as they have the teeth perpendicular to the face of the gear. However, when two spur gears are used together the smaller one is known as the pinion. So, we think of these gears as pinions, generally.

The picture to the right shows the two main sizes of pinion, half-inch and three-quarter inch diameter, each in three difference face depths. The later 15-tooth pinion is shown on its own, and was only available with a quarter-inch face.

Chronological variations

The most surprising issue that has come up when compiling this page is the very late change to double-tapped bosses on Meccano pinions. Although many common parts such as 1'' pulleys, sprocket wheels, and bush wheels were double-tapped by the end of 1927, gears and pinions were still single-tapped and stamped Meccano Fabrique en Angleterre. Obviously, there was a stock of single-tapped parts coming from a different production line (particularly pinions, which didn't use the same bosses).

However, examples of parts 25b and 26c have been found single-tapped. These parts were only announced in Meccano Magazine of March 1929 and presumably were launched around that time. This is very late indeed for single-tapped parts of any description.

There are many differences in the stamping of pinions. Pre-war examples are often stamped, just Meccano or Fabrique en Angleterre. Post-war, very few of the smaller 19-tooth pinions are stamped, and not all the larger ones. There are many reproduction parts in circulation.

In the late 70's, the 19-tooth pinion was modified to have plastic teeth. The first attempt of this, in the pale canary-yellow plastic, was something of a failure as the plastic proved too brittle for such a small part. See the broken example of part 26.ye in the table below. At a later date, a less brittle plastic was used with a different mould (and a slightly different colour, see 26.ye1 below), which appears to have solved the problem.

In line with the spur gears, part 27, the boss in the plastic gears starts off slightly longer (14mm or 0.55'') and later versions are shorter, (12.7mm or 0.5'' exactly), the same size as the brass pinions.

The picture to the right shows both types of pinion. It is thought that the longer-boss ones are principally UK production, and the shorter boss versions (including the later black pinions) are French.

Variations and oddities

In 1979, there was an attempt to make a plastic version of the 15-tooth pinion part 26c. The plastic part proved too small and would break round the brass boss. The part was abandoned, and part 26 was instead supplied in the Meccanoids outfits. However, a few did make their way out of Binns Road. This example to the right is of course split, as most of them are likely to be.

Spare parts boxes

Pinion gears were usually supplied packed into boxes of three of each type. You can see from this photo the early post-war white box with yellow label and a black border, followed by the late 50's yellow box with yellow label and a product code number on the label. The plastic bag with white sticker is 1970's.

Individual part numbers

Part numbers for the parts on this page are as follows:    Unique part numbers
For identification, each variation has been given a suffix to the main Meccano part number. These suffixes consist of a two-character code for the colour, and if there are many variations, a further number and sometimes letter code to identify each variation. See the bottom of the 'Parts' page for further details.

You don't need to worry what the codes are, just click on any one for a photograph.

The button above turns on and off the display of DMS numbers (where they are known). The DMS (Development of the Meccano System, Hauton and Hindemarsh) published in 1972 and added to in 75 and 82, suggested part numbers for every variation of every Meccano part. These numbers aren't perfect, but they are recognised and also referenced in the EMP (Encyclopedia of Meccano Parts, Don Blakeborough).

Description	from	25	25a	25b	26	26a	26b	26c
Feather key fixing, 25t x ¼'' & 20t x 7/32''	02	.mm			.mm
Feather & tongue key, otherwise as above	07	.mm1			.mm1
Tongue key fixing, 25t x ¼'' & 20t x 7/32''	??	.mm2			.mm2
Tongue key fixing, now ¼'' wide	12	.mm3			.mm3
Single-tapped boss, 25 and 20 teeth	12	.br1			.br3
Tongue key fixing, cast mazac †¹	12?				.xx
Single-tapped boss, 3/16'' face †	??	.br1a			.br1a
Single-tapped boss, 3/16'' face 19t †	??				.br1b
Single-tapped, pre-war 25 and 19 teeth	21	.br1	.br1	.br1	.br1	.br1	.br1
Double-tapped, pre-war 25 and 19 teeth	27	.br2	.br2	.br2	.br2	.br2	.br2
Double-tapped, 1/8'' face 19t †	??				.br4
Double-tapped, post-war markings	45	.br	.br	.br	.br	.br	.br	.br
Canary yellow plastic, brass pummel	79				.ye
Orangey yellow plastic, brass pummel	??				.ye1
Black plastic, brass pummel	??				.bk
		ALL	ALL	ALL	ALL	ALL	ALL	ALL

Note:  ¹ The date and reason for this is completely unknown. Cast parts are usually wartime economy measures, but the tongue key dates this from 1907 to 1912 without much doubt. Where does this fit?

Please send us pictures of missing parts! Hints and tips for pictures
Take a picture of the part in very good light, preferably on a plain yellow background, without a flash but with a tripod.
Ideally, trim the picture to about 150 pixels per inch of the Meccano part (unless the part is particularly big or small), save it as a reasonably good quality jpg file with a filename of exactly the part number, for example 19b.ni1.jpg, and email it to us by clicking on 'Contact us' at the top of the page. Thanks!

• A greyed-out box shows that no part exists for that colour combination.
• Part number codes with a green background have an attached picture of the part, just click once on the code to show a photograph of that part in a separate window.
• Parts marked "†" were temporary or economy parts, or existed only within specific themed outfits. The previous part continued throughout or afterwards.

Further information

Total number of messages on this page: 10.  This is page 1 of 2.   

NP      (at 5:35pm, Wed 23rd Mar, 22)

I've never found 25b to be a particularly useful part. Makes a nice weight and that's about it. So I don't think the 10 was any poorer for its absence.

N McBurney Uk      (at 2:31pm, Mon 21st Mar, 22)

I have never understood why the no 10 set did not include the 3/4 x 3/4 in pinion.

kbisset      (at 3:28pm, Fri 15th May, 20)

Per NP's comment, a picture of a 1915 US dealers cabinet is in my gallery; search for image 144978. The No. 97 clockwork pinion is visible.

NP      (at 2:43pm, Fri 15th May, 20)

...well, the pre-war (12 tooth, I think) c/w motor pinion was part no. 97 in the late 'teens. I think it only featured in a few spare parts lists - only the Book of Prize models springs (!) to mind; and it was on the parts display card of at least one version of the early dealer cabinets in the US.

Richard      (at 8:39am, Wed 13th May, 20)

The clockwork motor pinion didn’t have an official part number. MW Models had 65/13 and 66/11 gear pairs manufactured some years ago. This is where part numbers like 26r came into being.

Peter Winter      (at 9:19pm, Tue 12th May, 20)

The 13 tooth pinion is part 26r? I know this came with the N01 Clockworkmotor.

Your name:
Your message:
Security check:	(Please type in the text to prove you're a person!)