Tri-ang Railways Standard Track Incline and High Level piers, and the Girder Bridge.

[Ruffnut Thorston]

Incline piers. R.79. Set of 6.

 

This set of piers is designed to raise a track sufficiently to clear another track and train.

 

The tops of the piers is angled, so they only go one way around.

 

There are angled side retaining strips, to locate the base of  Tri-ang Railways “Universal“, after 1958 known as “Standard”, Track.

 

Each pier has its number moulded into it.

 

R.79/1, etc.

 

 

High Level piers. R.74.

 

These piers are the same height as the Girder Bridge.

 

There are two designs. The original design is the same as for the incline piers, that is solid plastic.

 

Later High Level piers have an open “girder” construction, with solid sides.
 

 

Side walls. R.89 Straight. R.90 Curved (First Radius). R.179 Curved (Large radius).

These sidewalls, when used with Standard Track, produce a good solid elevated track, as the base of the track is solid, with no gaps between the sleepers.

 

The sides have a recessed panelled effect.

 

Originally the panels were smooth, later versions have a “concrete” grain effect to the panels, with the edging remaining smooth.

 

As can be seen from the R. Number, the large radius curved sidewalls were a later addition.

 

The sidewalls came in trade boxes of 6 walls, three pairs.

 

They were usually sold loose, in pairs.

 

 

It is worth noting that Tri-ang Railways never made any piers or sidewalls designed for Series 3 track.

 

Though Series 3 track can be used with the piers, the track is not located properly on the piers, and can move about. 
 

The sidewalls do fit Series 3 track, but there is no infill for between the rails, so it doesn’t look right.
 

It was expected that any elevated  track would make use of the existing Standard track, with the piers and sidewalls.
 

 

The Tri-ang Railways R.78 Girder Bridge.

 

This is a large single track truss girder bridge.

 

It came as a kit of parts, two sides, a wooden base, and two clip on cross girders.

 

The two sides were slotted onto the base, and attached by four screws each side.

 

They are plated wood screws.
 

The two cross girders clip onto the sides and go across the bridge keeping the two sides apart.

 

Usually moulded in grey plastic, there are also less common  brown plastic versions.

 

The girder bridge Sides were also used as part of the base of a signal gantry, RV.308, for the Tri-ang “Big Big Train” O Gauge range.
These are moulded in blue coloured plastic.

 

 

The supports for each end are R.77. Sold as a set of two. These have recesses in the side retaining strips to clear the rivets moulded on the bridge sides.

 

 

This eBay listing is for the R.78 girder bridge, R.77 bridge supports, and two sets of the R.79 incline piers for Standard Track, all in separate boxes.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/c/22003646669

 

That bridge on eBay is 3 screws short!

 

There should be eight screws...4 on each side.

 

 

There was also the R.260 “presentation set”, a BIG box set, which also included straight sidewalls.

 

This was also made after 1962, as R.432, using the Super 4 track piers R.457 and R.456 Straight sidewalls, with the centre infill strips.

 

 

 

From the 1962 Price List. (From Il grifone)

 

R.77 Bridge supports (2)               4/1
R.78 Girder bridge                       12/5
R.89 Straight side walls (2)           2/6
R.90 Curved Side Walls (2)           2/6
R.179 Curved Side Walls LR (2)   2/11

 

 

Dimensions of the base timber for the Tri-ang Railways Girder Bridge.

 

The Tri-ang girder bridges in our collection have proper wooden bases, not plywood.
 

Length 13 inches (380 mm)

 

Width 3 inches (75-76 mm)

 

Thickness 1/4 inch (6 mm)

 

Red Cedar type stain.

 

(Tri-ang found out that Creosote attacks polystyrene plastic, after trying that out on the first production bridges! 
So, a reddish brown stain was used instead...)
 

Planed smooth Softwood.

 

I took these measurements from an unassembled bridge in our collection some  time ago now.

 

At some point I need to source a base timber for the set of sides in our collection. 
 

I haven’t done it yet! 

 

The “cross girders”.
 

The clip part of the cross girders does snap off pretty easily when disassembling the bridge, or if something drops onto the top...or the complete bridge is dropped upside down...

 

The top cross girders do crop up in amongst various bits and bobs on eBay, and at fairs, when they are running....

 

The cross girders were illustrated on the General Spares - 1 Service Sheet (Number 7, issued November 1955) as Part number R.78/2.
 

 

A lot of early spare parts had reference numbers based on the R. Number of the complete model.

 

This seems to pre date the more general use of “X” numbers for OO Gauge sub assemblies, and “S” numbers for OO Gauge parts.

XT and ST were used for TT gauge assemblies and parts. Some OO parts, such as screws, were also used in TT models, these retained just the S number. 
 

Where a part was first used in a TT gauge model, and had been issued a ST number, was later used on a OO Gauge model, it usually retained the ST part number. 

 

 

 

Hornby Dublo inclines and bridge...

 

Though Hornby Dublo never made incline or high level piers For 3- rail track, they did make a Die cast metal girder bridge. 
 

The last of the Hornby Dublo Girder bridges were made from plastic.

 

Some were sold with a “Tri-ang Hornby“ label over the Hornby Dublo name on the box.
 

I wonder if there were any of the metal versions sold in rebadged, Tri-ang Hornby labelled, boxes?

 

The original Tri-ang Railways piers for Standard track should work with Hornby Dublo 3-Rail track, as they have retaining strips to suit the Standard track base, which should also hold the Hornby Dublo 3-Rail track base.

 

Hornby Dublo inclines were only introduced late on, and they were the Hornby Acho ones from France, for two rail track.

 

 

 

Edited September 12, 2020 by Sarahagain
More added...

[Il Grifone]

I must try the piers with Dublo 3 rail track. Possibly it will need some packing as the Dublo base is (I think) a bit smaller than the Tri-ang base. At present in I'm Italy and my piers are in the UK. Possibly I have the track however

 

I would imagine that the 'Tri-ang Hornby'  branded bridges were all plastic. Moulding them in plastic would suggest that stocks of the die-cast one had run out. Swopping them over in the boxes to make a rarity would not be a problem however.

[5050]

I've got a bridge (dating from the late 50's) complete but one of the 'cross girders' R78/2 has lost an 'end'.  I used to use these as loads on a flat wagon.  I never had a layout big enough to use it as a bridge with all the associated bits but it is an impressive item on its own.  I also had the box for a long time but I think it gradually decomposed over the years and was jettisoned some time ago.  No idea what happened to the small screws!

[GoingUnderground]

As has been said already, the old Standard track gradient set had 6 piers, whilst the Super 4 version R.457 had 7. Whilst the Super 4 track straights were shorter the difference wasn't enough to compensate for the extra pier, So if you put a pier at each track join the gradient was slightly shallower with Super 4 because of the extra pier.

 

In all their pictures of layouts in the Triang catalogue with elevated track in Standard/Series 3 days, the raised track is always Standard track even when the rest of the layout is Series 3.. And it does look good as they always have the grey sidewalls in place, which I still think look better than the red/brown Super 4 sidewalls.

Edited September 18, 2020 by GoingUnderground

[Silverfox17]

I had always preferred the grey sidewalls for standard track as they did have proper side walls. The "pink" super 4 sets were flat. The super 4 ones did however have protrusions for the catenary masts to clip into and there is something in my mind saying a clip was brought out to fit masts to the grey ones to the wall sides, can anyone confirm or is it old age and memory that is making me think that? 

 

Garry 

[Silverfox17]

I have answered my own question finding these on Ebay. 

 

Garry 

[Il Grifone]

£10 a pair is going to make catenary rather expensive. It never was cheap IIRC. I did get as far as making some masts in my youth. I had ideas of acquiring the steeple cab locomotive. I couldn't raise the 36/- required, so was spared the disappointment of the inevitable failure of my flimsy efforts.

[russ p]

How things have changed,  I remember buying a big box of triang catenary at Harrogate show many years ago for a fiver