| COMPANY HISTORY: The brothers George and Joseph Lines
made wooden toys in the Victorian age, their company being G & J
lines Ltd. Joseph was the active partner while George went into
farming. Joseph (or Joe) had four sons. Three of these formed Lines
Bros Ltd soon after World War One. These three were William, Walter
and Arthur Edwin Lines. Three Lines making a triangle - hence Tri-ang.
Arthur's son, Richard Lines, was largely responsible for the Tri-ang
Railways system. At the start of the Second World War, production of
childrens' toys was deemed non-essential by the British Government.
As a result, production facilities were converted to weapons
manufacture, specifically the Sten Mk III submachine gun. In 1933 Lines Brothers became a public
company when 200,000 shares were issued.During the period between
the First and Second World Wars, Lines Brothers acquired The Unique
and Unity Cycle Co. This company was based in Birmingham and had
been founded in 1888. They originally made bicycles for adults but
the market for children's tricycles and bicycles grew so much that
they later stopped production of full sized bikes.
At their peak they had 40 companies world-wide, but as a result of
losses overseas they were in financial trouble. In 1971 Lines Bros.
Ltd called in the Official Receiver. The Group was broken up and
sold off. (from Wikipedia.org) |
