Tri-ang Lord of the Isles

[roythebus]

I've recently resurrected my son's loco fleet, bought for him many years ago, early 1980s. There's a Mainline "Joem", Airfix prairie tank, Mainline pannier tank, a couple of Hornby (Margate) blue A4's, a Mainline LNER green N2 (missing some condenser pipes and a buffer), a Mainline green royal Scot, and a Lord of the Isles. 

 

LotI is fitted with nickel silver wheels, so a 1970s product. It ran, but not on my handbuilt track! I took the driving and trailing wheels out at turned them down to fine-scale standards, fitted some Romford 12mm bogie wheels and a new set of tender wheels. Cleaned and oild the motor, an hey, it runs a dream through my handbuilt pointwork.

 

This afternoon I got the continuous run temporarily fitted so though I'd give LotI a run with a test train. I'd just been running a Hornby (China) Bullied thing with an 8 car train. I was amazed when LotI not only managed to start the load, but romped away round the circuit with 8 on! Performance died off a bit after a few circuits, maybe the driving wheels have picked up some oil. what surprised me more was that the Airfix Prairie wouldn't move the 8 coaches at all! This must say something for the design of the Triang product, having a single driver loco so well balanced. The only problem the front bogie keeps derailing despite being a casting. It doesn't look right with 12mm wheels, does anyone know what size they should be?

 

I've worked my way through the other loos except the A4's, and all work and have had Kadees fitted.

 

BTW, I'm using nickel silver rail, so no chance of the magnadhesion working.

 

[Golden Fleece 30]

I've recently resurrected my son's loco fleet, bought for him many years ago, early 1980s. There's a Mainline "Joem", Airfix prairie tank, Mainline pannier tank, a couple of Hornby (Margate) blue A4's, a Mainline LNER green N2 (missing some condenser pipes and a buffer), a Mainline green royal Scot, and a Lord of the Isles.

 

LotI is fitted with nickel silver wheels, so a 1970s product. It ran, but not on my handbuilt track! I took the driving and trailing wheels out at turned them down to fine-scale standards, fitted some Romford 12mm bogie wheels and a new set of tender wheels. Cleaned and oild the motor, an hey, it runs a dream through my handbuilt pointwork.

 

This afternoon I got the continuous run temporarily fitted so though I'd give LotI a run with a test train. I'd just been running a Hornby (China) Bullied thing with an 8 car train. I was amazed when LotI not only managed to start the load, but romped away round the circuit with 8 on! Performance died off a bit after a few circuits, maybe the driving wheels have picked up some oil. what surprised me more was that the Airfix Prairie wouldn't move the 8 coaches at all! This must say something for the design of the Triang product, having a single driver loco so well balanced. The only problem the front bogie keeps derailing despite being a casting. It doesn't look right with 12mm wheels, does anyone know what size they should be?

 

I've worked my way through the other loos except the A4's, and all work and have had Kadees fitted.

 

BTW, I'm using nickel silver rail, so no chance of the magnadhesion working.

Roy, if you look on you tube for 3-rail Lord of th Isles you will see mine pulling 9 Exley metal coaches with ease. I cannot put a link on via my phone.

 

Mine has the Iron tyred wheels fitted but turned down. What I found is the magnet used for magnedhesion actually holds back the wheels and as I use nickel track removed it and substituted with lead.

 

Yes, it is quite a strong puller.

 

Garry

[roythebus]

Roy, if you look on you tube for 3-rail Lord of th Isles you will see mine pulling 9 Exley metal coaches with ease. I cannot put a link on via my phone.

 

Mine has the Iron tyred wheels fitted but turned down. What I found is the magnet used for magnedhesion actually holds back the wheels and as I use nickel track removed it and substituted with lead.

 

Yes, it is quite a strong puller.

 

Garry

 

Ha, i'll give that a try, remove the magnet! Add lead weight under the chassis. As a matter of interest I tried the Oxford Models Adams Radial, that managed 8, just about.

[Il Grifone]

The leading wheels should be 16mm* but there isn't a lot of space. The real thing wasn't expected to around curves of Tri-ang's radius (13½" or about 1½ chains) and didn't need a large chunk out of the framing to clear an abrupt change in gradient from level to 1 in 20. The thick plastic doesn't help either. I suppose 8 of todays coaches is about equivalent to the 3 Tri-ang clerestories they could just about manage. No pin point axles just plain metal axles running in holes in the plastic bogies back then

 

My example rocks forward on the driving axle without Magnadesion (i.e on nickel silver track) and I have always intended to arrange the tender to bear down on the drawbar. It's another of those 'one day' jobs along with fitting coal rails in place of the fenders (do they have a proper name?). The latter job has got as far as cutting them off.... Possibly there is some modification of the chassis in the 70s version. Mine dates from the early days. She was bought second hand (for £3 in 1963 IIRC - it was a long time ago, but I can remember her sitting forlorn in a glass case in the shop - How could I resist?).

 

* IIRC 4' 1½"