About the Model:

This ball roller is a Meccano version of the 'Action Contraption' from the well known 'Mousetrap' game but with a few twists and additions. Prior to the start of the sequence, two marbles are loaded automatically. One is balanced on the 'Thingy-ma-jig' just above the 'Bath' and can be seen just to the right of the '12' position on the clock. The other can be seen in the 'Bucket' at the top of the 'Wibbly-Wobbly-Stairs' to the right edge of the picture.

The action is as follows:

The Mechanical Man just seen on the left turns the handle of the Windlass which causes a spring loaded trip lever to pull back which is then released allowing the 'Stop Sign' to strike the 'Heel' of the 'Boot' which hangs from the 'Lamp Post' which swings up and knocks over the Bucket. The marble now runs down the stairs in a zig-zag manner, continues around the guttering and trips a lever by the bath 'Pipe Work'.

Having done its work, this marble drops into the 'Drain' and returns to the marble magazine. Meanwhile, the lever that was tripped pushes up one end of the 'Thingy-ma-jig' causing the second marble to drop into the 'Bath' and down its 'Plug Hole'. This marble then drops on to one end of the 'See-saw', on the other end of which is a 'Diver' (complete with divers helmet). The 'Diver', who has a set of heavy dumb-bells in his hands, then does a forward flip over the retaining rails and finishes by compressing a set of levers. These levers cause the mousetrap 'Cage' to descend to the deck thus trapping a mouse waiting patiently underneath!

To signal that the mouse has been caught, an electric 'Bell' now rings for about 7 or 8 seconds. The whole model then resets itself!

First the 'Bucket' and 'Thingy-ma-jig' are turned upright and locked. Then the 'Cage' ascends and the 'Diver' does a back-flip back on to the 'See-saw'. Next a pair of 'Swinging arms' come down and position themselves over the 'Bucket' and 'Thingy-ma-jig'. Two fresh marbles are then fed from a central dispenser, run down the arms, and are placed in the appropriate positions. The arms are then retracted and the bucket and thingy unlocked. The whole process then starts again!