Tri-ang Australian

 

Moldex Short TC Coaches

R26 Coach & R27 Vista Dome Coach

R420 & R421 Buffet Cars

1958 - 1967

 

The short TC coaches were based on the UK made R24 & R25 TC cars, but were shorter by one window. The R24/25 cars were based on Pullman Standard designs from North America and had little resemblance to most modern Australian passenger carriages, which were usually smooth sided. Vista Dome carriages were not used by any Australian railway.  

 

1964 Australian catalogue illustration.

 

Moldex shared the tooling for these coaches with New Zealand. During the Tri-ang and Tri-ang/Hornby period between 1958 and 1967 they were produced in three body types and eight known livery variations. All were used in various sets during this period, but only some were available separately.

Buffet Cars were fitted with UK made Pullman car interiors. Early Southern Aurora coaches were fitted with seat units from the Series 2 TC coaches.

All models were fitted with Australian diecast metal bogies with sleeved wheels and open axleboxes. The MkII coupler was used in 1958 and 1959. The tool was then modified and used the Australian versions of the MkIII coupler from 1960 to 1967.

Early coaches had ‘Made in Australia’, but this was changed to ‘Made in Aust & NZ’ at about the time the ‘TransAustralia’ lettering was introduced in 1962. The two versions are shown in the Photo below.  

 

The models produced by Moldex are summarized in the table below.

Lettering codes 

TR (Tri-ang Railways)

TA (TransAustralia)  
VR (Victorian Railways)
SA (Southern Aurora)  
BC (Buffet Car)

 

The coach numbers quoted are the ones usually used, but it is not unusual to find the Vista Dome number on a coach, and vice-versa.

Cat. No.

Type

Lettering

No.

Colour(s)

Lining

Coupler

Years

R26

Coach

TR - white

10724

Blue

-

MkII

58-59

R27

Vista-dome

TR - white

20425

Blue

-

MkII

58-59

R26B

Coach

VR - yellow

20711

Blue

Yellow

MkII

58-59

R27B

Vista-dome

VR - yellow

30711

Blue

Yellow

MkII

58-59

R26-

Coach

TR - white

10724

Red/cream

-

MkII

59

R27-

Vista-dome

TR - white

20425

Red/cream

-

MkII

59

R26

Coach

TR - yellow

10724

Blue

Yellow

MkIII

60-61

R27

Vista-dome

TR - yellow

20425

Blue

Yellow

MkIII

60-61

R420

Buffet Car

BC - yellow

20711

Blue

Yellow

MkIII

60-61

R26A

Coach

TR - black

10724

Silver/red

-

MkIII

60-62

R27A

Vista-dome

TR - black

20425

Silver/red

-

MkIII

60-62

R421

Buffet Car

BC - black

20711

Silver/red

-

MkIII

60-61

R26

Coach

TA - yellow

20711

Blue

Yellow

MkIII

62-67

R27

Vista-dome

TA - yellow

20711

Blue

Yellow

MkIII

62-67

R26

Coach

TA - yellow

20711

Red/yellow

-

MkIII

64-67

R27

Vista-dome

TA - yellow

20711

Red/yellow

-

MkIII

64-67

R26

Coach

SA - red

-

Silver

-

MkIII

66-67

R--

Buffet Car

SA - red

-

Silver

-

MkIII

66-67

 

Information and photographs Graeme Brown