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Part 108: Corner Gusset

108	Corner Gusset	1918	-	8	6	4	N°8	'Architrave' pre-war

The parts

Chronological variations

As can be seen from the picture at the top, the corner gusset didn't change in design at all from the first nickel version to the last French one in the 1990's.  It was originally called an Architrave, and the picture to the right is one of many in the early manuals and parts lists that shows a version with a circular hole in the middle.  This part is even visible in some models of the era, but it is almost certain that this version was never produced.

The old photograph (presumably of a prototype part) continued in price lists and parts lists until at least 1920, which is a good example of how careful you have to be with Meccano literature.

Variations and oddities

Here's a common one – something that looks surprisingly like the original style of Architrave announced in the Meccano Magazine and shown in the early price lists.  In fact, this part is Primus Engineering, and predates Meccano's introduction of the Architrave.  It's fairly common in early Meccano collections, and often confused for the early Meccano part.

Personally, I wonder whether Meccano copied this part fairly closely from Primus, and made prototypes for their early models and manuals.  Did they modify the production design to avoid trouble from Primus?

Dealer spare parts boxes

The photo to the right shows a dealer pack of six corner gussets, in medium green.  The label doesn't have the newer five-digit product code, which dates it before 1954.  It is thought that the sharp-cornered diamond dates from 1950 or before – later ones have rounded corners. 

Outfit 8 (the first to include the corner gusset) was available in 1947, and so the parts are most likely from between these two dates.

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	108
Nickel plated	18	.ni
Early red (pea-red)	26	.re
Dark red	27	.dr
Dark green ¹	30?	.dg
Medium green	33	.mg1
Gold	34	.go
Medium green (post-war)	48	.mg
Light green	58	.lg
Silver painted	64	.si
Zinc plated	66	.zn
Dark blue	78	.db
Zinc plated (French)	18	.zn1
		ALL

Note:¹   This part changed from dark red to dark green at some point in the dark red/green period, in the same way as the small triangular plate part 77. Some dark red parts are found stamped MFEA, dating them from early in this period.  Dark green ones appear to be found only stamped Meccano, taking them to the end of the period. 

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

Richard Payn      (at 1:10pm, Fri 9th Jul, 21)

I have recently acquired a good quantity of 1978 Dark Yellow Corner Gussets so a new finish is needed for the table.

Nick Smith      (at 11:54am, Mon 17th Mar, 14)

I assume 18, in the from column of Individual Part Nos, for French zinc is a typo - Calais wasn't open, 81 perhaps?

Thomas Lawry      (at 9:32pm, Mon 5th Oct, 09)

Charles. Did this part form the basis for the "Flanged brackets, RH & LH";- p/nos. 139 & 139a? Reply: I believe you're right -- the parts are identical but with a fold in them. We shall find out when we get to part 139!

Rick Moore      (at 1:26pm, Fri 23rd May, 08)

Have a look at these corner gussets on sale with ebay now. Item number: 200224827845 Reply: A good spot -- these are in fact Primus Engineering parts. An example of a part copied by Meccano, since Primus had this part from around 1913 in this form. Trunnions too were copied from Primus. Interesting to see that Meccano's picture looks very like the Primus part, but the actual production part was changed. Was Meccano threatened with legal action? Or was it just being careful?

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