Vintage Tri-Ang TT Gauge

[Journeyman]

I've long been fascinated by Tri-Ang's TT Gauge models, produced in the 50s and 60s. I know it was never very accurate, and the range was very limited, but I do like it, and wondered if it's easy or practical to acquire and run this stuff these days.

I know that the locos were built like little tanks and are pretty robust and simple, so it's easy enough to keep them going - I had a couple of vintage OO locos from a similar period when I was a kid. The big questions are...

Is TT stuff easy to obtain, and does it go for sensible prices?
Is it worth the hassle of dealing with VERY old kit?
Does anyone else out there run any vintage TT, and do they have any hints and tips?
Possibly insane, but...vintage TT and DCC? Can it be done?!?

 

[Mark Enderby]

Your best port of call is the 3mm Society. They resell 2nd hand Triang. I sold my collection to them a few years ago. Their website will point you to other dealers. You see a few vanilla Triang layouts on the circuit but proper 3mm modelling requires a lot of kit/scratch skills.

I guess N scale decoders should do the job but suspect some of the older mechanisms take a fair bit of current.

Cheers

Mark

 

[plarailfan]

I joined the 3mm society about thirty years ago. The Tri-ang blue / grey coaches and Pullman cars were available for about £5 each in those days and the DMU could be had for around £30.
The Tri-ang track system was the biggest problem I had, as it was hard to find items in good condition (no ebay in those days)
Hornby were quite recently involved with the 3mm society, as they were looking to produce some ready to run models, but the idea seems to have been shelved for the time being.
The 3mm society sometimes have some nice finescale models, as well as Tri-ang items, needless to say, they look a bit odd side by side as the, modern finescale items, are a world apart the original 1960's TT gauge.

 

[trainmania100]

I have a coach for sale on eBay , no one has attempted to buy it or make any offers. If you want it please make me an offer.
Bought it thinking it was OO as I didn't realise TT existed lol
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/113730262385

 

[Cowley]

It’s a shame in a way that 3mm scale didn’t properly take off, as in many ways it’s an ideal scale - being not too small, and not too big either.
I was looking at a finescale 3mm handbuilt layout in a magazine recently and thinking that I’d have probably modelled in it if it was easier to do so.
Unfortunately I just don’t have the skill or time to give it a proper go, and the way N gauge has moved forward over the last ten years has made it an easy decision for me.