Between 1963 and 1966 Tri-ang introduced a 10¼” gauge miniature railway entitled the “Tri-ang Minic Narrowgauge Railway (TMNR)” produced at the Minic factory in Canterbury, Kent, England.

Originally the brainchild of Anthony Edmondson, the Managing Director of the factory at the time, the idea was to produce a ‘ride-in’ railway that could be run in an average suburban sized garden and aimed at working/middle class families.

The locomotive was inspired by the newly introduced Southern E5001 (Class 71) locomotives that ran the prestigious ‘Golden Arrow’ London-Paris service which ran adjacent the Canterbury factory and was accompanied by Pullman carriages based on the East Coast Metro Cammell sets of the time and a ride on ‘toast-rack’ wagon.

The original designed locomotive (T.M.N.R.1) was powered by a single series wound 3/4hp GEC DC motor and capable of a maximum speed of 8mph hauling a sizeable train and is stated to be able to run up a gradient of 1 in 25 with a light load.

Sectional track manufactured from 16 gauge folded galvanised steel was screwed to Keruing hardwood sleepers with straight panels available in a 6ft length and curves in two radii – twelve feet and eighteen feet. The product line was developed to include points and a right angled crossing and buffer stops.

Track power was supplied by a 35v 20amp trackside transformer and with attentions turning to the commercial market, the twin motored locomotive, with internal (T.M.N.R.3) and external (T.M.N.R.4) control was developed giving 1½ hp supplied by a 35v 40amp transformer.

The price for the TMNR system increased greatly during its production and is clearly evident when comparing the UK Retail Price Lists between 1963 and 1964. In addition to the purchase of individual items, ‘Sets’ were offered in 1963 to include “The Super Golden Arrow Pullman Express Garden Layout (T.M.N.R.202)” which included a single motored locomotive, two Pullman coaches, three plastic covers, twenty-four lengths of straight track, sixteen thirty-six foot diameter lengths of curved track, twenty feet of two core cable and one hundred feet of three core cable (note that no transformer was included) for £292 3s 6d.

Due to the size of the railway, many retailers were unable to accommodate the product in their shops and therefore reluctantly worked on a commission basis with the sets being delivered directly to the customer from the Minic factory in special containers.

This reluctance made the railway difficult to sell so attentions soon turned to the commercial market with the introduction of a twin motored locomotive (both internal and external controlled) and a number of the railways were brought and installed at the Butlins seaside holiday camps and commercial operators.

Production stopped soon afterwards in 1965, as once a railway had been installed there was limited scope for product expansion and therefore was not a continued source of revenue for the company and that last units were sold in 1966 with a total of 89 locomotives having been documented as being manufactured.