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Tri-ang 00 standard track


Silverfox17
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I want to create a small period layout to go with my original TT one so I thought I would go back to the standard grey track introduced by Tri-ang. This as most will know had a grey raised base similar to the TT type A brown ones. After buying a few pieces on Ebay "in good condition" I discovered these were made from cellulose acetate as were the loco and stock bodies of the time. Therefore as with the bodies, the base's had shrunk and distorted. As can be sen in the photos the joints have a gap as only the base shrank and the rails kept the same length. This is easy to rectify by cutting a few mm off the rail ends. The bases also shrunk in width which meant the curves were not as they should be (series 3 overlaid) and the steel rail had been reshaped leaving the width narrow. I have managed to rectify 2 curves by thinning the inside faces of the rails and now a Britannia runs nicely through them. The straights are not too bad gauge wise so just need the rail ends trimming. I have only got 4 large radius curves and not checked them yet but told most large radius curves were from the later polystyrene and did not suffer. The same goes for most of the points, again of which I need a few more with the slide lever mechanism as opposed to the roll over lever which was prone to breaking off. 

 

Garry 

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Edited by Silverfox17
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1 hour ago, sandwich station said:

Only the early standard track is cellulose acetate, the later is polystyrene.

I know but the majority out there is cellulose acetate as soon after they changed the material series 3 was brought out. 

Edited by Silverfox17
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Having seen some standard straights for sale which included a power one I bought them thinking it was unusual to just have the power one without an uncoupler then after they arrived I realised that this section of track, and one other piece, were longer than any others so must be the very early ones used to match the original Rovex lengths which I have never seen before, I assume that is so?

 

Garry

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Hi Garry,

Yes the earliest Tri-ang track had straights the same length as the Rovex ones. I have an idea it also had brass rail?

I would imagine that the bulk of surviving standard track is polystyrene.  As soon as it was found to be warped, it would have been junked.

I have a box of this stuff somewhere. I'll have to dig it out - sorting it is one of those 'round to it' jobs....

David

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I've found that a lot of the surviving stuff is the cellulose acetate stuff, but hardly anyone uses it so kudos for giving it a go. It tends to turn up in boxes and crates that people have cleared out from lofts/garages, and most is frankly junk but people think 'ooh, model railways, they're expensive, let's sell this'. I have a small selection of the best pieces I have been able to find over the years as part of my personal archive - including the Rovex length pieces and the converter tracks for joining original Rovex pieces (which had male/female connectors at opposite ends so would only join one way round) to the later Triang made stuff with reversable connectors. I'm not sure early if the rail is brass (if so it is pretty pale) but the early pieces have silver-grey bases and seem a bit more stable than the grey pieces. 

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I’m pretty sure that all Tri-ang Standard Track, including the earlier silver grey Rovex length straights, and the Rovex to Tri-ang Universal adaptors have coated steel rails.

 

I think that it was only the earlier Rovex track that had brass rails, and that later Rovex track went over to steel rails.  
 

The silver grey plastic had aluminium powder added into the mix.

 

It was found to wear the moulds, and so the aluminium powder was removed from the recipe, leaving the track bases grey.

In general, it seems that the switch from Cellulose Acetate plastic to Poystyrene plastic took place around 1956.
 

Series 3 track was introduced from 1958.

 

Standard (Universal) track carried on in production for some time, alongside Series 3.

 

Very late Standard Track points use the same switch rails as the Series 3 track points.

 

Some track sections, such as the R.100 crossing, seem to be mainly CA plastic.

 

Its probably something to do with the stock levels in the warehouse at the time..

 

Its not so easy to tell what the material is from photos though...it’s easier when you can handle the stuff...

 

 

 

Edited by Sarahagain
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It is all intetesting about the standard track having so many variations. 

 

The two long lengths I have are steel rails the same as all the others.  

 

I have found, and heard, the majority of standard track around is cellulose acetate but that could be because most are in homes for use already. 

 

So far I have about 15 possible polystyrene straights as there bases are the same length as the rail, and, the tongue clips are "filled" in where they are moulded to the main base and was told this is a good indicator, so far not wrong. 

 

There are quite a few variations with the point design and I have just got one that Sarah mentions has the series 3 blades. So far it is the best of what I have. 

 

I wondered why I have some bases in a silver "metallic" finish.  There is no way I will be able to have all track the same colour though. 

 

Hopefully by Sunday night I might have a full oval to test. 

 

Garry 

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So just early Rovex is brass. It could well have been in short supply as well as more expensive (Korean war).

My idea was to just have a 'one of each' collection of Tri-ang track, as I will never use it. I have done the same with variations in Dublo 3 rail - just half straights however. There are quite a large number of variations in printing, rail material etc. I've lost count just how many! (I haven't got a pre-war clockwork rail, but I can say the collection is just electric....)

 

I'll see if I can find the track tomorrow. I know it's at the bottom of a pile of boxes, together with some Trix Twin/Express Bakelite (more stuff I'll never use!).

Edited by Il Grifone
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When I tried to use my triang track the gauge had reduce to 13.5mm in places. It would need widening for TT-fine scale!

 

I am loathe to put something so old in the skip that gave me a lot of enjoyment many years ago, but I think that is where it belongs.

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45 minutes ago, Suzie said:

When I tried to use my triang track the gauge had reduce to 13.5mm in places. It would need widening for TT-fine scale!

 

I am loathe to put something so old in the skip that gave me a lot of enjoyment many years ago, but I think that is where it belongs.

I have not come across the gauge being that small yet. So far all the straights should work without modification, about 30, 5 curves from 26 were okay all the rest need looking at as does the crossing and one point from 8.

 

Garry 

Edited by Silverfox17
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6 hours ago, Suzie said:

When I tried to use my triang track the gauge had reduce to 13.5mm in places. It would need widening for TT-fine scale!

 

I am loathe to put something so old in the skip that gave me a lot of enjoyment many years ago, but I think that is where it belongs.

Can you return it to the manufacturer as 'unfit for the purpose'?

 

When it gets that bad, it's time to select the best bits as a museum and toss the rest.

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I finally dug the box out. As expected it's all really junk. Most of the rail is tarnished or rusty and most of the joining tags are broken. The mixture does consist of large and small radius curves, straights , quarter straights. a terminal rail plus 470pF mica capacitor and uncoupling ramp and a straight with a suppressor capacitor built in.

Luckily there appears to be only four pieces with acetate bases - a diamond crossing, two points (LH and RH) and a very short rail 2 sleeper spacings long (about 1"). This latter is possibly intended to match the later straights to  the earlier ones. It is slightly twisted, but would be usable. The 3 items of pointwork are twisted beyond use.

There appear to be four kinds of points. The two acetate ones had a lever (broken off in both cases probably due to excessive force being applied to try and operate the jammed mechanism) and a cast unit  comprising blades, closure rails and crossing nose and wing rails all in one (quite ingenious). one is rather finer than the other.

The next attempt has a cast blade/closure rail assembly and stub rails (rather like the Hornby 0 gauge points) operated by a slide switch at the side. These have moulded check and wing rails - unnecessary as the design is 'universal'.

Lastly comes a conventional point with plastic crossing nose, wing rails and check rails and conventional blade/closure rails, still with the lateral slider switch.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I think I have found a polystyrene diamond crossing, this one has the replacement clip mountings and is dead flat, unlike the other 3 that came in different lots which due to their shape were all cellulose acetate versions.  The gauge is still correct and works fine.  I have started making up some different lengths to fit specific locations, Tri-ang used their 1/4 and 1/8 straights but these are very difficult to 1) obtain, and 2) most likely expensive for what they are so I have cut down standard straights with a few more to do.

 

The layout is about the size of the main tracks although the outer will be large radius when I get some.  The small ones here are all cellulose acetate which I have had to gauge widen but runs fine.  The crossing is a "better" cellulose acetate one I gauge widened the running line only but will replace it with the new one now.

 

Garry

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Yes, I think that crossing is a poly one....the replaceable tongues I believe are only found on poly track.

 

One reason was that the replaceable tongues were introduced was because they were more likely to break off on the more rigid poly track bases...

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15 minutes ago, Sarahagain said:

Yes, I think that crossing is a poly one....the replaceable tongues I believe are only found on poly track.

 

One reason was that the replaceable tongues were introduced was because they were more likely to break off on the more rigid poly track bases...

I read that all the sliding switch lever points were polystyrene and had the replacement clips as well as the later crossings, but, only a few crossings made it to poly as there was quite a stockpile of acetate ones to pass on. As far as I know no other track items had the clips but had a strengthening ridge moulded in. 

 

Garry 

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4 minutes ago, Michael Hodgson said:

Dreadful stuff.  The rails were coated steel and rusted severely.

I had a load of it but it went out.

I do the best I can to clean it and hopefully it will not be too bad when used. My TT ones are still okay to run after doing the same about 5 years ago. 

 

Garry 

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Other items with replaceable tongues are the electric level crossings, and the gravity unloading bridge.

 

Plain track, curves and straights did have the tongues strengthened.

 

In general, it was the more expensive items that had replaceable tongues.

 

 

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There's no doubt as to the material of my diamond crossing. It has a pronounce lateral arc and is completely useless - not that i ever planned to use it. The Super4 I have is used for display. It is at least 4mm scale (as long you don't look at the rail section).

I must confess to not liking steel rail*. I bought a quantity of steel Streamline (well it was a very Grifone friendly price), thinking I could replace it with new nickel silver rail. Then I found out what Peco charge for rail... :o .

 

* My Trix fibre test track always needs cleaning. Unfortunately it is not all accessible (don't ask - display shelves and Grifone clutter). Guess where derailments and stalls prefer to take place!

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