This is a very intriguing mystery, for us at least. Perhaps it will also be compelling to other vintage Trillium owners out there. When we wrote about Miss Trilly’s unique pink-colored ironwork on her Attributes page, we were under the impression that Trillium didn’t have supports between the galley countertop and cabinets or between the countertop and the ceiling. We had never seen even one photo of a Trillium with a support between cabinets. In truth, we felt that the thin, twirly iron supports in Scamps were rather unattractive. Our reaction to the gargantuan structure possessed by Miss Trilly, when we first saw it, was one of distaste.

The existence of iron braces, we believed, was unique to Boler fiberglass eggs, among Canadian-built trailers, and to Scamps. When we visited the Trillium RV factory in Florence, AZ, in January, we asked Tom Young about the ironwork in our 4500 w/AC. Without seeing our Trillium, he immediately responded, “You have a Boler!” He told us that Trillium “never” put supports in their trailers. “They don’t need them because of how they are constructed.” Subsequently, it was our theory that this prominent piece of metal (painted PINK! omg!) had been added by an owner somewhere along the line, perhaps because they’d been concerned about the 82 extra pounds of AC on the roof.

Like everyone who acquires a vintage trailer, fiberglass or not, one begins to seek out other examples of said trailers. So, unable to sleep one night, I lit up our iPad and began cruising through Google® images under the search “Trillium 4500”. To my great surprise, what should appear but another “very rare” 1979 Trillium 4500 with factory installed roof top air on Fiberglass RV Classified Archives. Two years ago, this Trillium was located in Missouri and the seller was asking $7500. As I scrolled down the page, I was amazed to see, revealed in the photos of the interior, a twin (!) of our heavy-duty ironwork, except this one was painted white. Wow. Our theory (and Tom’s assertion?) was derailed. I almost woke Clark to tell him, but restrained myself and decided to wait until he was enjoying morning coffee.

Where does this new revelation leave us? Were these twin supports installed by Trillium as the campers with AC were being manufactured in Ontario, Canada? Or were both of these structures installed by a Trillium dealer? The same dealer would have had to sell both trailers, don’t you think? We inherited a binder containing the paperwork and history kept by various owners of our 4500. The original Owners Manual and Warranty Card (in French), is dated 30 November 1979. The dealer on the card is Camping On Wheels in Irvine, California. We wonder if the 4500 in Missouri with matching ironwork (wondering, too, where the trailer may currently be) was also sold through this particular dealer. All very interesting questions, which serve only to deepen the mystery of the ironwork.

As of yesterday, however, our Miss Trilly has lost some weight. We removed the rooftop AC unit AND her pink ironwork. Yippee! She looks so much sleeker on the outside and roomier on the inside. (The paper towel holder went away, too. Neat.)

Should you be able to provide a clue to help solve this mystery, please let us know.

Happy travels!
9ah & Clark