TMNR Times - Edition 26

A PUBLICATION OF THE TRI-ANG MINIC NARROWGAUGE RAILWAY SOCIETY

ISSUE 26 WINTER 2023 ONLINE EDITION

CONTENTS 4

News All of the latest TMNR news

5

Running The Pier Railway Chris Salmon recalls his first job operating the TMNR railway on the Shanklin Pier

6

The Boy in the Photograph Simon Marshall recalls his first holiday to Shanklin on the Isle of Wight and riding in a TMNR

8

Adventures with a TMNR Fred Stillwell documents the acquisition and collection of the former Connecticut Trolley Bus Museum TMNR set

10

The End of the Line Having owned the Butlins Pwllheli TMNR for over fifty years, Bob Vickery reminiscences about his Glenthorne Railway

12

Trains & Toraktors Mike Slatter documents a miniature garden tractor that was also produced in the early 1960s

by Trojan

15

Off the Shelf Barry Nixon documents some of the current 10¼” products that are available “off the shelf” today

18

The Jubilee Journey Megan Slatter provides an update on the construction of the Blackmoor River Jubilee Railway

19

Classified Adverts The latest TMNR classified adverts FRONT COVER PHOTOGRAPH: The Tri-ang Minic Narrowgauge Railway at Shanklin, Isle of Wight, 1972. ELAINE DEUCHARS OPPOSITE: Barry Green gives his grandchildren a ride on the newly completed oval at his Fast Waters Railway. Having contemplated several options for laying the track cross the main entrance gate, the solution was to have two removable track sections laid on the existing gravel that can be lifted for car access. BARRY GREEN

£5 when sold

www.tmnr.co.uk

2 TMNR TIMES

www.facebook.com/triangminicnarrowgaugerailways

EDITION TWENTY-SIX Welcome to Edition Twenty-Six of TMNR Times.

It brings me a great amount of joy to see that photographs of TMNR are still being found and shared after all of these years.

Originally posted on Facebook, the front cover photograph was kindly shared by Elaine Deuchars who recalls “The Image was taken during our family holiday at Shanklin in 1972. My main memory from the holiday was going to the play area next to the beach which had an array of toys, bikes, space hoppers, scooters and our most favourite thing 'the little train'. I remember sitting opposite my brother in the carriage and insisting he held my hand because I was a tad nervous (this photo is that first ride).

We went back every day and the train ride was my favourite. The operators would change the tracks around and towards the end of the day would extend it for a longer ride. I have never seen anything like it since our holiday back in 1972”.

Following Elaine's posting, other people also then recalled the Shanklin TMNR and both Chris Salmon and Simon Marshall have also kindly documented their memories for this edition of the magazine which appears to have become the ‘Isle of Wight Shanklin TMNR Special!’

In addition to thanking Elaine, Chris and Simon, I’d also like to extend my gratitude to Fred Stillwell, Barry Nixon, Bob Vickery, Barry Green, Stefan Wells, David Hambleton and of course Megan for their help creating this bumper edition of the publication.

I hope that you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed putting it together.

Mike

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NEWS Glenthorne TMNR Railway Offered For Sale After over fifty years of ownership, Bob Vickery has decided to offer his complete Glenthorne TMNR Railway for sale.

Bob has written a reflection on his ownership of the railway on page 10 and further details of the sale can be found on page 19 of this magazine.

Butlins TMNR Film Clip Spotted on YouTube Ivan Hewlett kindly sent a link to a video that he had found on YouTube showing a TMNR at Butlins in the 1970s. The TMNR can be seen 11 minutes into the film and the clip lasts 48 seconds and shows the train running in an oval travelling past several plastic animals making the location likely to be Butlins Pwllheli.

A link to the film is here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPm590L9PB0

British Hen Welfare Trust Magazine A TMNR Pullman featured in a short article written for the British Hen Welfare Trusts 'Chicken & Egg' magazine issue number 33, documenting the construction of a 10¼” gauge railway station for a flock of rescue chickens.

The British Hen Welfare Trust was founded in 2005 and has worked to rehome over 900,000 ex-commerical hens to date.

The magazine and article can be found online here: www.bhwt.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/magazines/chicken-egg-33/

King Harold of Hastings Hastings Miniature Railway 7¼”gauge petrol converted TMNR has received a new livery and name plaques. Now painted deep red, from its previous blue livery and carrying a 'King Harold of Hastings' plaque, the locomotive regularly runs at the Alexandra Park Woodland Railway.

For further information see: facebook.com/groups/1204366376259746/ ‘King Harold’ resplendent in his new livery.

DAN RADCLIFFE

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RUNNING THE PIER RAILWAY CHRIS SALMON recalls his first job operating the TMNR railway on the Shanklin Pier...

RAN the railway on Shanklin pier during the school holidays in the 1970s. It was my first little job and I felt very privileged to be doing it back in the day.

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I don't think I would have been able to do the job these days what with health and safety. The railway ran from the toll booths at the front of the pier up an incline to the amusement arcade at the other end. The transformer was at the bottom by the booths and I controlled the train from the engine.

It consisted of the engine and two carriages which could take 6 children. When coming down the incline from the amusement arcade the only brake was to turn the motor switch into reverse which worked most of the time, but s o m e t im e s t h e p o w e r w o uld t r ip t h e transformer and you would have to get your legs out of the train to slow it down otherwise you would crash into buffers at the bottom which did not happen that often thankfully!

It was a great starter job and when I left school I started to work full time on the pier in various roles. In the winter I would work with the maintenance team and in the summer I had various jobs - during the day time in the amusement arcade, and in the evening at the pier theatre on the lighting. I saw many famous stars of the day.

I spent ten years working on the pier and those years are a very special moment in my life.

Chris Salmon Left: Stills taken from a cinefilm showing the Shanklin pier TMNR in the early 1970s.

COURTESY ISLE OF WIGHT ARCHIVE

TMNR TIMES 5

The Boy in the Photograph SIMON MARSHALL recalls his first holiday to Shanklin on the Isle of Wight and riding in a TMNR…

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HAT’S me aged 5 in the blue cardigan, sat in the engine, its June 1971 and I'm on my very first holiday.

The location is Shanklin, Isle of Wight, next to Small Hope Beach on a raised, railed area that formed part of the sea defences and which still exists today as a car park next to the beach and amenities off Hope Hill.

One of my parents has hold of Dad's 35mm camera and even allowing for the age of the print, it's not in focus or correctly exposed!

Back then I guess you would call this a play park, which presumably you paid a fee to enter and 6 TMNR TIMES

enjoyed time on the various toys and rides.

There are other pictures from this set showing me on various ride-on toys - a scoot-along racing car, a go-kart, a two wheeled pedal motorc ycle and then on a small batter y powered dodgem with a coin slot on the side.

I'm wearing different sets of clothes, so I must have enjoyed it and been back more than once!

I'm also pictured, looking a bit scared, riding a donkey on the beach just below the play park.

Looking at the pictures the area seems to be divided up using wire fencing and a couple of

garden shed style buildings mark what must be the entrance or storage. The train ran in an area nearest to, and bordering the drop to the beach, the other attractions being closer to the road.

I wish I could tell you more about the train but my own memories beyond certain highlights and the background to the holiday are blurred in time just like the picture and with my parents both gone and no brothers or sisters this is a solitar y, deeply personal and emotional memory that I'm delighted to share with you.

We would have travelled overnight from Nottingham via Derby and London and I'm a w ar e f r o m s ub s e qu e nt di s c u s s i o n s that we stayed at a guest house on Littlestairs Road, Shanklin, which was owned by a Mr Keatley. I do remember there was a little golden gong that was rung to indic ate mealtimes, but the cooked breakfasts and timings were not what I was used to, so I think it was a challenge for my parents - no family friendly stuff back then!

transport and particularly in the social history as seen through photography. I grew up close to a main railway line and we never had a car, so train, bus or cycling was our main transport.

Whilst I never got to drive a train in real life, spending most of my career in the creative industries, it was a strange coincidence given w hat I learned about the TMNR after commenting on an Isle Wight Facebook post that I found out that my first train set was actually a Tri-ang Big Big Train. I have a picture of me with the engine in my parents' garden as it snowed on the Christmas day that I received it.

Simon Marshall

My parents hired a beach hut further towards Lake, on a site now occupied by Tradewinds Café. The owners back then, Mr & Mrs Murrey, also owned a self-catering property on the cliff path closer to Lake and we would subsequently return over many years staying there and I have nothing but very happy memories of these holidays until I took my last one age 16.

I still have an interest in all things Left: Riding in the Shanklin TMNR when it was not sited on the pier in 1971.

Right: Getting my first train set - A Tri-ang Big Big Train for Christmas. SIMON MARSHALL

TMNR TIMES 7

Adventures with a

TMNR

FRED STILLWELL documents the acquisition and collection of the former Connecticut Trolley Bus Museum TMNR set...

VER since I was very small I wanted trains that I could ride-in in my yard. My first experience with large miniature trains was in 1957 on a pier at the New Jersey shore and I have written about my adventures with Miniature Train Company (MTC) products in a previous issue of the TMNR Times.

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When I was around twelve years old I was also very much into slot cars and had a subscription to the Model Builder magazine from the UK. It was here that I first saw a mention of TMNR - an easier to manage size but still big enough to ride in (at least when I was 12, not so much today). Miniature Train Company (MTC) G16's were all over but I never saw any Tri-ang equipment in the USA. Fast forward to 2020 - By this time I had acquired my second MTC G16 and was disassembling it

8 TMNR TIMES

when covid locked down all outside train activities. One night while surfing the internet I came across the TMNR homepage. I acquired all of the available back issues and corresponded with Mike about finding one of these trains. It turns out that only one (as far as we know) ever made it to the US and had gone to a museum.

This was a complete set including track.

Apparently they were interested in selling it but the price was not where it needed to be.

However, in 2022 Mike contacted me and said that the train had a new owner that might want to sell. We spent several months haggling via email and eventually struck a deal. Originally I was to pick this train up in Connecticut in early March while I was already in Pennsylvania (about 11 hours' drive from my home in Georgia) but the day before we were due to head out a blizzard rolled into the northeast. It

was quickly decided that we would wait for warmer weather and finally in April 2023 a friend and I drove to Connecticut to load everything up.

As you can see this equipment filled the inside of my van. On the way home from Pennsylvania I was scheduled to stop in North Carolina to pick up three small 7½” gauge locomotives so I ended up renting a trailer and transferred the track and crates into that. These crates had been stored out of the weather but on a dirt floor and had provided all sorts of small creatures with their first taste of British wood.

Much of the wood was full of tunnels and clouds of dust would stream out upon any slight impact.

My TMNR set loaded in the van ready for the long drive home. FRED STILLWELL

Everything made it home safely and into a storage building. There is an oval of track that is mostly complete and appearing unused! The locomotive has been tested and does operate whereas the coach needs some TLC but has all of the parts to rebuild it.

Right now I am leaning towards a battery conversion with a change of gauge to 7½” in order to run it on my existing track, but it might be worthwhile to keep it gauged at 10¼” and take it to shows as a demo. We will see.

Fred Stillwell

the end of the line Having owned the Butlins Pwllheli TMNR for over fifty years, BOB VICKERY reminiscences about his Glenthorne Railway…

HERE do I start? In the seventies my boys wanted a railway! As mine was O gauge we decided on a 10¼” gauge Tri-ang Minic Narrowgauge Railway in the garden.

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extra weight I upgraded the original motor to two 24 volt Bosch units with electronic controls kept in a purpose made box van (see TMNR Times Issue 4) and this worked successfully for many years.

A friend in the Manchester Model Railway Club put me in touch with the Reverend Bob Jackson of St Oswald's Church at Knott End on Sea in Lancashire who had purchased the remains of the TMNR at Butlins Pwllheli. He agreed to sell me a locomotive and coach for £90 (that was in the 1970's!)

A l a s t h e b o y s h a v e s in c e l e ft h o m e .

Grandchildren came along and helped and then they left. Then great-grandchildren came along and now they have left too. Sadly nobody is now interested in the railway.

We went and collected the items and started building the railway as a 90 x 30 foot loop of track using aluminium rail purchased from Cromar White.

Because of the poor pick up running from the live rail a friend made some phosphor bronze discs that were attached onto the face of the wheels and I made new brush collectors.

Despite assurances from Cromar White that there would be little voltage drop there still was so I cross bonded the track to stop the problem and the railway ran well for many years.

I later purchased a toast-rack coach and second Pullman from Drummond Randall who owned a large amount of TMNR. Due to the poor performance of the locomotive pulling the

Things came to a crunch this summer when I got stuck in the loco! Therefore I have decided to call it a day and sell up. We have had over fifty years of fun and met many like-minded people so thank you all.

Bob Vickery

Main Photo: My wife driving the loco around the garden in 1979.

Above Left: Me, Max, Phil and twins Harry and Jack August 2001.

Above Right: Running with the newly acquired second Pullman and toast-rack coach 2008.

BOB VICKERY COLLECTION

TRAINS & ORAK ORS MIKE SLATTER documents a miniature garden tractor that was also produced in the early 1960s by Trojan ...

EING passionate about the TMNR has also led me to develop interests in other products built around the time. Several years ago, I learnt about another, dare I say, 'slightly eccentric' British product called the Trojan Toraktor.

B

Developed and built around the same time as the TMNR during the early 1960s, Trojan Limited manufactured a small, ride on tractor aimed at the middle-class gardener / small holder at its Croydon factory in Surrey.

The Trojan company is one of the oldest firms in the British motor industry and was founded by

12 TMNR TIMES

Leslie Hounsfield and has a long history dating back to its first car in 1913. The company was latterly brought in 1959 by Peter Agg and is better known for producing the Lambretta scooter and Heinkel bubble car under licence.

The company even tried to enter the railway market by building a narrow gauge locomotive although it is thought only one was made.

Designed by Bill Evans the Trojan Toraktor was said to be developed following an over delivery of the American Clinton engines used in their popular Trokart (go kart) product.

Above: A promotional photograph of the Mark I Toraktor.

We were fortunate, after many years of searching to purchase a Mark III Toraktor in July 2022, complete with a non-original trailer and home-made roller. It had been fitted with a modern Honda GX200 petrol engine although came with its old, and no longer working 3½ HP Clinton engine.

It was marketed by saying “The Toraktor System has been brought into being for the express purpose of bringing to gardeners and growers a NEW ERA of advancement in Power Usage in almost all operations.”

Four versions of the Toraktor were built, with the Mark IV being the rarest and implements for the Toraktor included a small trailer, a roller, front mower attachment, dumper truck, dozer blade and tanker wagon.

The Toraktors utilised many parts available at the factory at the time - The front wheels were made from the metal that was punched out of the centre of the Lambretta wheels and rear arches on the Mark II and III models are the inside arches of the Trojan bubble car.

Similar to the TMNR the price for the product saw a steep increase. The Mark I model was initially marketed for sale for £47,10 shillings, 0 pence whereas with the introduction of the larger Mark II model, the price lis t in May 1963 advertises the basic power unit at £87, 10 shillings and 0 pence - a similar price to the TMNR which was priced at £93,0,0 in January 1963.

Top: A promotional photograph of the Trojan narrow gauge locomotive.

Right: The advert for the new Mark I Toraktor.

We immediately put the tractor to use as the roller was the exact s ame w idth as our intended track bed, so used it for compressing the MOT 1 sub base prior to building our raised track walls that will seperate the track bed from the grass in the garden and contain the land drains.

A year later another Trojan was found, this one being more of a proje ct and is being sympathetically restored back to its original condition. Like the TMNR, parts are very hard to find, however there is a small community of owners and a Facebook group where everyone helps each other with advice and photographs.

It seems that the early 1960s was a wonderful time for British innovation and it is exciting to be able to preserve another item from this era to enjoy in the garden.

A link to the promotional video showing the Toraktor and its designer Bill Evans at home in Horsham, West Sussex can be found at: www.britishpathe.com/asset/37680 Further information about Trojan can be found on the Trojan Museum Trust website at: www.trojanmuseumtrust.org

Mike Slatter Top Right: Mark I Toraktors being manufactured.

Right: A publicity stand showing Mark II or III Toraktors including one unit (far right) with the Stoic Landmaster mower fitted.

Below: The Mark III brochure showing the rotary cultivator, trailer, dozer blade and flexi-drive attachment with heli-strand hedge cutter.

ALL PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY TROJAN MUSEUM TRUST

OFF THE SHELF The SCAMP locomotive. BARRY NIXON

BARRY NIXON documents some of the current 10¼” products that are available “off the shelf” today...

HE T MNR s y s t e m w a s inn o v at i v e , although not without it s flaws. The 10¼" gauge made it very stable and using short-wheelbase bogie stock meant it could negotiate sharp curves. The loco and carriage bodies were a clever construction, being made from two symmetrical halves.

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Today I tend to hear of people opting for 5" gauge for their garden railways in order to fit the available space but similar sized track plans are possible with the TMNR system.

The main issue now appears to be availability and affordability of 10¼" gauge equipment.

We should remember that the TMNR system was not cheap when launched in 1963, so I have taken a brief look at what is available "off the shelf" today.

Colin Edmondson has been at the forefront of recent developments for affordable ride in/on

designs in 7¼" gauge. His "Sc amp" battery/petrol design is a four-wheeled shortwheelbase design using modern laser cutting and bolt together assembly. The kit of parts (and completed locos) are produced by CMD Engineering. Of particular interest is that Colin has adapted "Scamp" with just a wider footplate and buffer beams so that the loco can be built for 10¼" gauge too.

The set of laser-cut parts plus wheels for "Scamp" start at £835.00, and the overall cost (once you've bought the motors etc.) is estimated at around £1500. Contact CMD Engineering for details specific to the 10¼" version.

If you look at the Facebook pages featuring the "Scamp" locomotive you will see that it will operate on very tight radius curves and there is a portable railway built to demonstrate this capability.

TMNR TIMES 15

Phoenix Locos offer a 10¼" gauge version of their "Tug" locomotive, another fourwheel ride-on design. The steel construction, powder coated (choice of colour s) "quick build" kit is currently listed at £2,450. A recent update to the design now offers it with a forward facing seat (as shown in the photo) rather than being seated sideways.

Keith McDonald of Phoenix Locos has advised me that their “Hefty” design is also available for 10¼" gauge. “Hefty” is b a s i c all y a l o n g e r , b o gi e version of the “Tug” loco.

Above: The Phoenix Locomotives “Tug” loco. KEITH MCDONALD Left: An example of Penrhyn Points. COLIN EDMONDSON

Colin Edmondson has written a booklet on building points from bar section steel, which is

applicable to all gauges. If you don't fancy building track and points yourself, then Daniel Mason at the Miniature Railway Workshop (MRW) does a large range of box section and bar section track which suits portable or permanent setups. Colin advises that Daniel could design a joiner to connect to original TMNR track if required.

For a siding to a storage shed or similar area (which doesn't require the point s being continually switched) then the simple Penrhyn point design is cheap and effective. The point blades and frog are replaced by fabricated plates with a short, moveable rail section.

These are available to order from MRW and will be added to their catalogue in due course.

In addition, Colin Edmondson has designed a portable turntable which can be supplied in 10¼" by MRW.

The portable turntable. COLIN EDMONDSON

16 TMNR TIMES

If you are aware of any more product s or suppliers of affordable 10¼” gauge equipment then do contact t h e e di to r s o t h at t h e information can be shared.

Track and a loco are of little use without rolling stock and again there are a few options.

The "Gentleman's Coach" from MRW can be offered with 10¼" instead of 7¼" bogies.

Thanks to Colin Edmondson, who helped provide details of his designs that are suited to 10¼” gauge and their suppliers. Also to Keith McDonald of Phoenix Locos for information and photos of the Tug and Hefty locomotives.

Barry Nixon

Colin Edmondson's "Shed" ride-in brake van complete with stove, is available from CMD Engineering, while the drawings are available from Colin himself. CMD can also supply 5 inch diameter wheels (over flanges) in 10¼" gauge profile.

MRW offer other 7¼” items designed by Colin Edmondson and a number of them are either suitable for 10 ¼” (such as the point levers) or can be made to order (such as the sit-astride bogie coaches).

Many 7¼" gauge parts can be used for a light-weight 10¼” garden railway, particularly if you are not looking to match any published standards for wheel-profiles etc.

The TMNR system itself was nonstandard with the narrow tread on the wheels, so this is unlikely to be an issue for most people in a garden railway setting. For example, flat bottom rail for 7¼" gauge may be used.

Above: The Gentleman’s Coach.

Right: The ‘Shed’ complete with stove.

COLIN EDMONDSON

TMNR TIMES 17

RUNNING THE PIER RAILWAY CHRIS SALMON recalls his first job operating the TMNR railway on the Shanklin Pier...

the

I JUBILEE journey

MEGAN SLATTER provides an update on the construction of the Blackmoor River Jubilee Railway...

O the untrained eye our garden may look like a muddy building site. We may have taken a ver y lovely, if not slightly overgrown, well established garden and bit by bit removed the bushes and shrubs. Although, currently, it isn't going to win any garden of the year awards, there is a plan!

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It started with the seed of an idea, that it would be nice to have chickens, so instead of starting work on the railway we spent the best part of the year either constructing their little empire or distracted by them while they free ranged.

Eventually, with a cup of tea and a tape measure, we decided the first phase of the railway should be to the left hand side of the garden, along the new fence and beside the chickens. Just a straight piece of track to start us off. The spades came out and we dug down to create the foundations.

Our garden is somewhat boggy, so the construction of the railway is two parallel block walls, just over track width apart, with a channel down the middle to house a drain running away from the house. This has then been filled with ballast and the track on top.

When I say the width is just over track width

apart, it is also, coincidently a tractor and roller width apart, making the compression of the MOT 1 sub base a lot less manual, although I did object when I was asked to sit on the roller to act as the weight!

With the first phase of the railway complete, we were itching to crack on with phase two, although there was quite a lot of deliberation on what phase two would be, either the construction of a cur ved bridge over the stream or the building of retaining walls to house a nice square lawn. By the time we had decided, the weather had started to change.

We now have some very nice half built walls and some trenches prepped, but with the autumn and winter weather setting in, they have turned into very nice rectangular ponds and progress has somewhat halted.

So yes, to the untrained eye, it does look like a muddy building site, but there is one nice bit of track in, with a bulb border and there is still a plan. Just need sunshine and time (and maybe a few volunteers ..?)

Megan Slatter Above: Progress of the railway so far.

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CLASSIFIED ADVERTS COMPLETE TMNR RAILWAY - £OFFERS A very rare opportunity to purchase a complete, working and upgraded 10¼" TMNR railway (as featured in this edition of TMNR Times) consisting of: 1 x TMNR Twin motored locomotive (ex-Butlins Pwllheli) upgraded with two Bosch 1hp motors; 2 x TMNR11 Pullman coaches; 1 x TMNR13 Open Three-Seater ‘Toast-rack’ coach; 1 x TMNR12 Replica 4-Wheeled box van for batteries, electrics and charger; 90 x 30' (approx) oval of Cromar White aluminium rail on plastic sleepers; 2 x Left hand points; 1 x 20' (approx) siding; 1 x 30' (approx) siding; Large collection of spares to include: 10 x Lengths of Cromar White rail; 3 x Replica flat bases; 6 x Replica bogie frames; Original 40v DC GEC motor, rheostat speed controller and switches; 1 x Milk float charger upgraded to 50v off load, 40v on load; Box of spare chains, sprockets, chain splitter, bearings etc; Archive letters, adverts, bills and documents plus all replica signs in and on shed; Price: Sensible offers invited. Location: Folkestone, Kent.

Contact Bob Vickery at: robertvickery539@btinternet.com

10¼" GAUGE OVAL OF TRACK & SPARES - £FREE An oval of 10¼" steel bar track designed to fit into a 30 x 50 foot area. Joints rusted will need cutting to remove.

Includes three further 9 foot lengths of track, wooden sleepers and gauging bars. £FREE. Location Harrow, North West London.

Contact John Lawes at: jlbelmont1948@gmail.com

TMNR STYLE 3' METAL BASES - £30 5' METAL BASES - £40 Steel ‘Tri-ang style’ bases measuring either 3 or 5 foot long by 18 inches wide, 4mm thick with folded sides and square ends. Several available £30 for 3' and £40 for 5'.

Location Harrow, North West London.

Contact John Lawes at: jlbelmont1948@gmail.com

TMNR TIMES BACK EDITIONS - £5 A limited number of back editions of TMNR Times Editions 16, 17, 19 and 20.

Priced at £5 each + P&P. Contact Mike Slatter via the TMNR Society at: mike@tmnr.co.uk TMNR TIMES 19