Tri-ang Railways Canadian Sets
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For many years very little had been known about the early electric train sets which were manufactured in the UK specifically for the Canadian market.
Very little documentary evidence has been discovered. The sets themselves were produced in very limited numbers and only a very few of these original sets have survived intact from this period of production. Surviving examples of some known sets are still to be documented. However, some previously unknown sets are still being discovered; which begs the question as to how many more are there still to be discovered? |
The Early Years |
Lines Bros. (Canada) Ltd. was originally incorporated on the 24th March 1947. The trade mark used in Canada was that of the thistle which had first been registered by Joseph Lines, the co-founder of G. & J. Lines Ltd., in 1910. |
The main factory and warehouse facility was located at 4000 St. Patrick Street, Montreal, Quebec.
The Canadian company struggled to make acceptable profits and it was thought that profits could be increased with a wider range of toys to market.
The Canadian company struggled to make acceptable profits and it was thought that profits could be increased with a wider range of toys to market.
The Tri-ang Railways Transcontinental range of models was devised specifically with this in mind and by Christmas 1954 the first sets began to appear in the shops.
However, the models were produced too quickly, without sufficient attention to detail and lacked realism. Without proper consideration to what the Canadian market demanded, the models were not popular although they sold well enough in the UK.
However, the models were produced too quickly, without sufficient attention to detail and lacked realism. Without proper consideration to what the Canadian market demanded, the models were not popular although they sold well enough in the UK.
Historically, standard train sets were imported into Canada from the UK; initially only the Transcontinental range of models. However, a number of special sets were produced exclusively for the general Canadian market as well as some special sets for the department store chains and / or mail order companies.
No models were made in Canada but the Canadian company assembled a wide range of sets from both boxed and unboxed models sent out to them from the Margate factory. |