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...in the beginning...
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| TRAMALAN, the UK's
No.1 manufacturer of Model
Tram Kits and Components, has been established
for 20 years. |
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| The firm was founded in 1982
by proprietor Alan Williams, the first items
sold being books and tea towels on the 1st floor above
the tea bar at the Tramways Cafe on Lower Union
Street in Torquay. Shortly after other items
such as overhead parts, cast ears etc, appeared in the
range along with retailing BEC mechanisms and
Anbrico kits |
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| on the move.... |
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| In 1984 TRAMALAN moved to Seaton
and operated from a mobile tea bar at Colyton Station
before building a shop in the old waiting room at Colyton
Station complete with large tramway layout |
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 In
1985 a white metal casting machine was obtained
and a mail order service, operating from a home address,
was established. The first kit produced was the Blackpool
No.4 which was soon followed by the single-deck
Demi-Car Cat No. TA2, and TA3 London/LCC works cars,
the latter two which are still produced today
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| The TRAMALAN Shops |
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| More kits soon followed and a requirement
for bigger premises neccesitated in a move to Coventry
Road Birmingham in 1986, where the first of the
TRAMALAN shops was opened |
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 With
the opening of the shop, allowing the product range
sold to be increased to accomodate many more items
by other manufacturers and an introduction of many
more kits and components into the TRAMALAN
product range, the need for a Mail-Order business
grew and one was established
Better retail premises were aquired a short distance
from the shop and TRAMALAN was on the move
again in 1988
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New Products....
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 In
1988 the 'Gold Line' range was established with
the introduction of a kit of the Manchester 'California'
Combination car. These 'Gold Line' kits were
complete white metal parts and motor mechanisms as well
as detailing accessories and proved to be very popular
Also during this period new product categories were
introduced to accomodate the ever increasing demands
of the Model Tramway enthusiasts, these included Under-Floor
bogie mechanisms and a range of conversion kits
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| The demands of the mail-order business
became such that, with more and more time being required
for casting and the development of new products, coupled
with the introduction of supplying other retail outlets
with TRAMALAN products, it was decided that the
firm should become 100% mail-order and a move
to the current location in Blackpool was carried out
in 1990 |
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Since when many new items and kits have
been introduced, including kits of grooved trackwork
of point configurations. In 1999 a internet web site
was developed and has grown year by year to included
new features and info
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 2001
saw the introduction of the first of a range of more
'unusual' trams, culminating in 2003 of the
release of a 4mm scale 2ft gauge Seaton Tramways
car and a full kit of the famous Blackpool 'Rocket'.
The same year also saw the introduction of a range
of E-Books, a new and easy way to both produce
and view infomation, including text and video clips
TRAMALAN constantly strive to develop and
introduce new models and kits to maintain the firm's
position of the UK's leading 4mm scale model tramway
manufacturer
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