Was the Triang Giraffe Car Real?

[Andy Kirkham]

http://www.tri-ang.co.uk/giraffe1.html

 

I've been catching up on Michael Portillo's Great Railway Journeys and I've just watched S3, E21 (Bray to Dublin).

 

In the last segment, a lady from Dublin Zoo was interviewed and she recounted how in 1902 an irishman living in the Sudan had donated a giraffe. It had been transported by rail to Cairo and its car had been fitted with a sliding roof "and as it approached each bridge the sliding roof gently closed and the giraffe's head was dropped down, it went under the bridge and the roof was opened again and he had air once more."

 

A nice story, but I must say I find it difficult to visualise how this was achieved in practice. 

 

[Michael Hodgson]

I suppose if you did a cut and shut job on it and repainted it black &  white, you could convert it into for a load in a cattle wagon?

[Pacific231G]

29 minutes ago, Andy Kirkham said:

http://www.tri-ang.co.uk/giraffe1.html

 

I've been catching up on Michael Portillo's Great Railway Journeys and I've just watched S3, E21 (Bray to Dublin).

 

In the last segment, a lady from Dublin Zoo was interviewed and she recounted how in 1902 an irishman living in the Sudan had donated a giraffe. It had been transported by rail to Cairo and its car had been fitted with a sliding roof "and as it approached each bridge the sliding roof gently closed and the giraffe's head was dropped down, it went under the bridge and the roof was opened again and he had air once more."

 

A nice story, but I must say I find it difficult to visualise how this was achieved in practice. 

 

If true (a rather big if!)  it was probably a special working with the train stopping at the few overbridges so that the attendants could bring its head down. I doubt though if being in the locomotives exhaust would have done the animal's health much good.

I have found a couple of images showing how it was actually done in Europe .

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/giraffes-five-giraffes-arriving-by-train-at-berlin-anhalter-news-photo/542943503

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/87ahzl/giraffe_transport_from_train_station_to_zoo_dvůr/

 

 

Edited July 23, 2021 by Pacific231G

[brianusa]

Surely the poor animal was transported in ventilated car.  Check with Lionel!

   Brian.

[Nearholmer]

Sounds like a tall story to me.

[Johann Marsbar]

Transporting a stuffed one....

 

"The other extraordinary thing is about how a stuffed giraffe once went through Manningtree. It was on its way to Ipswich Museum, and it's still there. The plaque says 'lent by John Hall of Broughton.' I hope he doesn't want it back!”

It was some year, 1909. That's when the giraffe travelled from London to Ipswich - concealed under canvas, sadly. It wasn't an easy task.

There were fears that, even when loaded onto the lowest rail truck and tilted semi-horizontal, the ears of the 16ft 10ins cloven-hoofed, cud-chewing quadruped would poke up too high. The lowest bridge on its route stood only 13 feet from the ground.

Experts were consulted and trials conducted before they decided it would be all right - “ . . . but to guard against possibilities,” reported Great Eastern Magazine with levity, “the inspector was instructed to see the load through and the suggestion made that he should travel jockey fashion on the animal's neck.

“The inspector, however, successfully pleaded age, weight and non-training against that method, and was therefore allowed to enjoy the usual need of comfort obtainable in the brake of a goods train”.

[Bucoops]

5 hours ago, Johann Marsbar said:

Transporting a stuffed one....

 

"The other extraordinary thing is about how a stuffed giraffe once went through Manningtree. It was on its way to Ipswich Museum, and it's still there. The plaque says 'lent by John Hall of Broughton.' I hope he doesn't want it back!”

It was some year, 1909. That's when the giraffe travelled from London to Ipswich - concealed under canvas, sadly. It wasn't an easy task.

There were fears that, even when loaded onto the lowest rail truck and tilted semi-horizontal, the ears of the 16ft 10ins cloven-hoofed, cud-chewing quadruped would poke up too high. The lowest bridge on its route stood only 13 feet from the ground.

Experts were consulted and trials conducted before they decided it would be all right - “ . . . but to guard against possibilities,” reported Great Eastern Magazine with levity, “the inspector was instructed to see the load through and the suggestion made that he should travel jockey fashion on the animal's neck.

“The inspector, however, successfully pleaded age, weight and non-training against that method, and was therefore allowed to enjoy the usual need of comfort obtainable in the brake of a goods train”.

 

[Michael Hodgson]

It's even got a little plastic base glued to its feet like the old Airfix people.

[jonny777]

No, the Giraffe Car was a light hearted imaginary creation; unlike the Battlespace Turbo Car, and Turbo Launchers - which were based on real vehicles stored in Box Tunnel, but never mentioned due to high classification under the Official Secrets Act. 

 

For some reason, there seems to be a black helicopter hovering over my garden...... Sorry, but I have to go now.

[Wheatley]

I need a 1/76 scale giraffe now ...

[Phil Parker]

1 hour ago, Bucoops said:

 

 

I feel a BRM project coming on. 

[SamThomas]

9 minutes ago, Wheatley said:

I need a 1/76 scale giraffe now ...

Prieser do 1 : 86 scale ones - 20385.

[BernardTPM]

The Airfix giraffe was safely within loading gauge, as it was drinking...

[lanchester]

15 hours ago, Andy Kirkham said:

http://www.tri-ang.co.uk/giraffe1.html

 

I've been catching up on Michael Portillo's Great Railway Journeys and I've just watched S3, E21 (Bray to Dublin).

 

In the last segment, a lady from Dublin Zoo was interviewed and she recounted how in 1902 an irishman living in the Sudan had donated a giraffe. It had been transported by rail to Cairo and its car had been fitted with a sliding roof "and as it approached each bridge the sliding roof gently closed and the giraffe's head was dropped down, it went under the bridge and the roof was opened again and he had air once more."

 

A nice story, but I must say I find it difficult to visualise how this was achieved in practice. 

 

Seems improbable, if only because Cairo in 1902 wasn't the megalopolis it is today, and I don't think the benevolent British administration was particularly interested in building overbridges to facilitate the transit of  the fellahin's donkey-carts.

[KeithMacdonald]

Shouldn't we really be asking @Ducking Giraffe  ?

 

[kevinlms]

4 hours ago, Bucoops said:

 

But was it allowed to travel over the Caley?

[Nearholmer]

They consigned stuffed giraffes as “very large bagpipes”.

[Johann Marsbar]

The Corgi ones presumably didn't encounter any low bridges....

 

http://corgitoys.free.fr/English/CORGI_503_Giraffe_Transporter.htm

 

I had that vehicle once, but don't know what happened to it. I've still got the Chipperfields Land Rover though  (and a my Triang Giraffe Car...)

[Flymo749]

6 hours ago, lanchester said:

Seems improbable, if only because Cairo in 1902 wasn't the megalopolis it is today, and I don't think the benevolent British administration was particularly interested in building overbridges to facilitate the transit of  the fellahin's donkey-carts.

 

There is an article on the transportation of giraffes by the Great Eastern Railway in issue 172 of the GERS Journal.

 

If the GERS will forgive me a slight copying of material, this suggests that the tale on the Portillo programme does have an element of truth to it...

 

"Another occasion of the movement of a giraffe by the GER was when, in 1912, the Sirdar – Sir Francis Wingate – made a gift of a young member of the Kordofan species to The Zoological Society of London. This gentleman had succeeded to the position of Sirdar of the Egyptian army and governor general of Sudan in December 1899. By all accounts,  he made a habit of donating unusual animals to the zoo. One of the Society’s agents was sent out to board the ship at a Mediterranean port and to telegraph back the height of the animal so that, if necessary, arrangements could be made to send it  to its destination via a bridgeless route. The Times noted that: ‘…when the bridges over railway lines were constructed, the possibility that giraffes might be passengers had not been taken into account. …’

 

That newspaper further reported on 16 September 1912 that:

 

‘As one of Mr. Carl Hagenbeck’s agents was bringing home a consignment of Egyptian animals, including several young giraffes, it was arranged that the Sirdar’s gift should travel with these others. The animals were brought down to Suez, partly by rail and partly by steamer, and were then shipped on one of the Hamburg-Amerika liners, which took them to Antwerp. The chief difficulty was reshipping them for England, as on account of the regulations of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries no ruminating animals are at present permitted to come from Europe to this country. At Antwerp the giraffe was transferred without landing to one of the Great Eastern Railway Company’s vessels and brought direct to Harwich, where it was examined by a veterinary  inspector and passed as free from disease. It arrived in Regent’s Park late on Friday evening, where it was given a warm mash of milk and oatmeal gruel. … The giraffe is a sturdy young male, standing over 8ft. tall and probably about a year old. It is very tame and docile, much more so than the larger animals born in captivity …’ How the animal was transported from Harwich to Regent’s Park is not recorded, but perhaps a young 8ft animal could fit inside a van?"
 

See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reginald_Wingate for a history of Wingate's career.

 

Cheers

Paul

 

[Bucoops]

10 hours ago, Phil Parker said:

 

I feel a BRM project coming on. 

 

I think you and @AY Mod should both have a crack at it.

 

However, I suspect for the most part you'd be neck and neck.

[Phil Parker]

18 hours ago, SamThomas said:

Prieser do 1 : 86 scale ones - 20385.

 

Langley sell whitemetal 4mm scale versions. Probably easier to adjust the neck. 

[Ian Smeeton]

This;

 

 West with Giraffes, by Lynda Rutledge,

 

is not transport by rail, but a rather good read.

 

Recommended.

 

Regards

 

Ian

[SamThomas]

32 minutes ago, Phil Parker said:

 

Langley sell whitemetal 4mm scale versions. Probably easier to adjust the neck. 

I'd forgotton about Langley & definatly easier to adjust the neck - trcky to paint though.

[Wheatley]

If you Chuck a tarpaulin over it you only need paint the head :-)

 

[Joseph_Pestell]

On 23/07/2021 at 23:45, Andy Kirkham said:

http://www.tri-ang.co.uk/giraffe1.html

 

I've been catching up on Michael Portillo's Great Railway Journeys and I've just watched S3, E21 (Bray to Dublin).

 

In the last segment, a lady from Dublin Zoo was interviewed and she recounted how in 1902 an irishman living in the Sudan had donated a giraffe. It had been transported by rail to Cairo and its car had been fitted with a sliding roof "and as it approached each bridge the sliding roof gently closed and the giraffe's head was dropped down, it went under the bridge and the roof was opened again and he had air once more."

 

A nice story, but I must say I find it difficult to visualise how this was achieved in practice. 

 

 

Would there be any road-over-rail bridges on Egyptian and Sudanese Railways at that time?