Junior Meccano Windmill

This windmill is much simpler than the post windmill. It is constructed mainly from the new style Junior Meccano with motorisation provided by a few traditional metal pieces. The sails rotate thanks to the clockwork motor and the noise and motion held the interest of my seven month old daughter and our cats.

Construction of this simple windmill is easy and should be straight forward from the illustrations. It should be noted that the sails and their mounting plate are not fixed to the drive shaft. The four strips that support the arms grip the driving axle and provide a simple friction clutch assembly. It sounds horrible, but it works remarkably well giving a nice smooth speed up when power is applied.


This is the front view of the windmill. Some of the mechanics around the motor are visible.

Front view of windmill

Here is the rear view of the windmill. The belt drive to the sails is visible here.

Rear view

Finally, a side view of the mill. All three pictures together should provide enough information for somebody to rebuild the majority of this model.

Side view


Parts used in the construction of the mill:

Part Qty Description Part Qty Description
J2 4 Flat Strip 2 holes J822 1 Plate
J4 4 Flat Strip 4 holes J922 6 Triangle
J5 4 Flat Strip 5 holes 9a 1 Angle Girder 9 holes
J6 4 Flat Strip 6 holes 17 1 Axle 50mm
J7 4 Flat Strip 7 holes 21 1 Pulley 38mm
J9 4 Flat Strip 9 holes 26c 1 Pinion 15 teeth
J40 1 Base Plate 27d 1 Gear 60 teeth
J51 56 Nut + Bolt 37a 4 Square Nut
J53 10 Washer 37b 2 Bolt 5mm
J55 2 Spacer 38 6 Washer 10mm
J56 3 Locking Pin 59 1 Collar
J57 2 Locking Clip/Pulley 111c 2 Bolt 9.5mm
J131 2 Triple Cube 186d 1 Heavy Driving Band 375mm
J263 2 Large Curver Block - 1 No.1 Reversing Clockwork Motor
J316 1 Axle Rod 6.25"

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