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The "Meccano-Mania" exhibit at the Museum of American Heritage in Palo Alto opened a few minutes ago, but Charlie Pack is still making adjustments.

Armed with his screwdrivers, he tightens the last of the bolts into place on one metal model. "Well, it looks like it's gonna be OK and the belt's gonna stay on," he says as he puts his tools away.

The exhibit features miniature models by Pack that move mechanically, producing a crackling clatter of metallic clicks and electrical whirs. There's a revolving rocket ride; a train set entitled "Little Joey" complete with drawbridges; a mechanical cyclist; a merry-go-round; a riverboat called the "Delta Queen"; and a 1/20 model of San Francisco's California Street cable car.

"The riverboat consists of 5,409 pieces," says Pack in an interview at the museum, adding proudly, "I counted." The train set and cable car have more than 7,000 pieces each: bolts, axle rods, girders, bearings, washers.

Pack also keeps track of the labor hours for each model. They range from 100 hours for the smaller pre-designed kit models to over 400 hours for the most complex sets. All of the models have moving parts and activate at the push of a button or the flick of a switch. Pack says, "I can't stand to just see it stand there. ... I want to see it move!"

Gwenyth Claughton, the museum's executive director, says the metal models illustrate one of MOAH's main goals of showcasing mechanical and technical innovations, while also providing an educational connection to children. As the construction toys were particularly popular in the early 20th century, they fit in with the museum's home appliances and other artifacts of that period.

Besides housing special exhibits, the Homer Avenue museum also includes a restored kitchen of the 1920s-'30s, a general store and a children's room where kids today can play with the toys of the past. Like the metal models, the toys are simpler but require kids to use their imagination and build something themselves.

Pack builds his models in his 300-square-foot Los Altos Hills garage, and keeps an inventory of tens of thousands of parts in dedicated rooms in the house. His wife, Kim, is strict about limiting the pieces to those chambers -- the hobby is definitely not allowed into the living room.

Originally from New Mexico and Arizona, Pack moved to Silicon Valley in the 1980s and worked in a variety of software companies. At 71, Charlie refuses to classify himself as retired. "Golf, sunny beaches and bingo doesn't appeal to me," he says. Pack is on MOAH's board of directors and serves as the organization's treasurer. An active member of the Pennsylvania-based Train Collectors Association, he has had works featured at train shows in many places, including conventions in Seattle, Toronto and San Francisco's Exploratorium.

After a model starts to take shape, Kim Pack comes by the workshop bringing tea and aesthetic recommendations. A textile and jewelry designer, she has an artistic eye that Charlie appreciates, saying, "I'm not an artist -- I'm an engineer." She also had a say in the placement in some of the artifacts around the museum. Charlie placed a toy truck model right in the center of a shelf. Kim nudged it slightly off center and tilted it diagonally, adding a sense of depth.

Pack has been building Erector and Meccano sets since childhood, but was pressured by his parents and peers to "grow up." He chose to decline that particular bit of advice, and points out that the hobby has informed his career. "Today's toys don't teach you anything, except hand-eye coordination and shooting bad guys, but it's like autopilot," he says. "Building these sets teaches you to think and solve engineering problems. ... You need to have patience; you learn about gears, pulleys, motors, wiring and imperfect parts."

Pack occasionally has to bend and cut metal when the pieces don't fit exactly in his designs. He also points out little improvements and adjustments that he has made to kit sets. Pack often builds multiple versions of the same model. "By the time the second version works, I realize I can make it a whole lot better in the next version."

The exhibit also features the marketing that was used for the original model toys. Boxes depict tidy fathers and sons working on a set together with phrases such as "Meccano turns a boy's world into a man's world."

According to the Meccano website, Frank Hornby invented the models' "bolts and nuts system" in his Liverpool workshop in 1898. The first Meccano plant opened in 1907, and Meccano sets are still made today. Erector sets were made by inventor A.C. Gilbert's now-defunct Connecticut company from 1913 until 1967; another company bought the name and made the toys for a few more decades, according to Wikipedia.

Pack says that models that once sold for $75 in the '30s can now fetch more than $3,000 on eBay if the box is closed and in pristine condition.

"I mix and match Meccano and Gilbert Erector parts, which serious collectors frown upon," he says. "I'm not a purist."

These days, the "Meccano-Mania" exhibit is open through March 28 at MOAH, where the museum's many volunteer docents are introducing a new generation to the metal toys. One is Barbara Lawson, who has been volunteering at MOAH since 1997, and has seen a variety of exhibits ranging from cameras to music boxes.

She said she's delighted by Pack's models. "They have a personality of their own."


What: The "Meccano-Mania" exhibit at the Museum of American Heritage showcases metal construction toys.

Where: 351 Homer Ave., Palo Alto

When: Through March 28, open Friday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Cost: Free

Info: Go to www.moah.org or call 650-321-1004.

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