Category:Novelty wagons (Triang Railways)

1963: Catalogue double-page spread for Tri-ang Railways novelty wagons [image info]

Bomb Transporter R.239 [image info]

Exploding Car R.249 [image info]

Four-Rocket Launcher R.343 [image info]

Giraffe Car R.348 [image info]

Operating Helicopter Car R.128 [image info]

Triang Railways produced a range of novelty action toys in the late 1950s and early 1960s, some of which became the 1966 "Battle Space" range, which lasted until about 1971. Most of these pieces underwent a few changes in colours and markings during their production runs (most notably when they became part of the Battle Space "military" range.

There was not a military version of the giraffe car (although the mechanism was probably reused in the Battle Space Sniper Wagon).

R.216 Rocket Launching Wagon

The 1957 "Rocket Launching Wagon" was a modified bolster bogie wagon fitted with a single spring-powered rocket laucher with rocket that was borrowed from the Triang Minic M328 roadgoing rocket launcher model. The launcher arm was raisable, with a handwheel on the left side.

R.239 Bomb Transporter

The Bomb Transporter Wagon was a low-bed wagon fitted with a single improbably-large-looking "exploding cap" bomb with a thin waist and large fins. The bomb was borrowed from the Triang Minic range.

R.341 Searchlight Wagon

The 1963 Searchlight Wagon' was a low-loader bolster wagon with a cab at one end, and a searchlight station in the middle. The searchlight was powered from the track and didn't have an off switch, so it was on when the track was powered, and off when it wasn't. This meant that it couldn't normally be "parked" with the light on while coupled to a working loco.

The idea of searchlight wagons wasn't new, with the best-known earlier models in the UK probably having been those produced by Astra Pharos, in gauge 0.

R.343 Four Rocket Launcher

The 1963 Four Rocket Launcher' was similar to the searchlight wagon, a low-loader bolster wagon with a cab at the back, and a swiveling tank-style rocket battery with four rockets in the middle.

The front of the wagon could hold two additional rockets, for storage.

R.348 Giraffe Car

The Giraffe Car was a somewhat specialised closed wagon for the transportation of ... a giraffe.

The wagon had an open hatch in the top with a giraffe head poking out, and by putting a special track section underneath bridges crossing the track, a magnet mechanism would make the the giraffe head would pop safely inside the wagon before it hit the bridge, and pop out again at the other side.

R.249 Exploding Car

The 1963 Exploding Car was based on a 1961 Lionel model, and was a box car with a spring mechanism whose side walls sprang apart when the roof was knocked off. The wagon also included an exploding cap to make a loud noise and emphasise the idea that the wagon was exploding rather than just falling apart.

The basic idea of the exploding wagon is an old one, with similar "Catastrophe wagons" appearing in some of the old early C20th German manufacturers' catalogues.

R.128 Operating Helicopter Car

The 1960 Helicopter Car was a flatbed wagon, wind-up circular platform and tailclip and helicopter. The piece came with a trackside clip, so that when the wagon passed a particular point on the track, a catch would release and the helicopter would spin its rotors and rise up unto the air.

The flatbed wagon had heavy metal wheels for additional stability to reduce the risk of the helicopter launch derailing the train.