| Hornby Railways' roots date back to 1901, when Frank | | | | plastic. The company released a two-rail track and |
| Hornby, a clerk from Liverpool, invented and patented | | | | moulded plastic rolling rock in 1959, but the system was |
| his Meccano line of construction toys. He had | | | | too complicated to use compared to its rivals, and it |
| previously created model toys for his sons using sheet | | | | kept on producing 0 gauge model trains, which were |
| metal, and came to the realisation that regular | | | | by now considered old hat. |
| perforations in structural pieces could be used to join | | | | Hornby then went through changes in corporate |
| them together with nuts and bolts and also to journal | | | | ownership. In 1964, it was bought by rival Tri-Ang |
| shafts and axles. By 1908, Meccano Ltd was formed, | | | | Railways' parent company and merged into Tri-Ang |
| and by 1920, trading under the name Hornby Railways, | | | | Hornby, which discontinued Hornby designs for the less |
| the company produced the first Hornby train sets. | | | | costly Tri-Ang's and sold off the Hornby Dublo tooling |
| Initially, the Liverpool-produced trains were clockwork | | | | to G&R Wrenn. Tri-Ang Hornby was then sold on |
| powered and sized at a 1:48 scale, or 0 gauge, named | | | | to Dunbee-Combex-Marx, becoming Hornby Railways |
| so because it was at the time thought impossible to | | | | in 1972, increasing detail on the product line to compete |
| make train models any smaller. Electric trains were | | | | with newer companies like Airfix. |
| introduced shortly thereafter, but were comparatively | | | | In the late 1970s, Hornby introduced the Zero 1 control |
| unsuccessful due in part to their design, and were | | | | system. Though an important milestone, it was not |
| discontinued. In 1925, a more successful electric train | | | | successful for several reasons - the controller units |
| set was introduced, operating on high voltage | | | | and modules required for the trains were expensive, |
| (220-240V) AC power, but due to safety concerns | | | | the system didn't run smoothly, and once Hornby trains |
| this was changed to 4V, then 6V, and finally a reliable | | | | were equipped with Zero 1 modules they could not run |
| 20V system in the early 1930s. | | | | on conventional systems. |
| Production also began in France, where a local range | | | | By 1980 the market was extremely tough and while its |
| of outline trains were developed, but in other markets, | | | | parent company folded, Hornby Hobbies was formed |
| British-produced trains became successful exports, | | | | after a management buyout, going public in 1986. In the |
| with large numbers of trains sold in New Zealand, | | | | 1990s Hornby moved its production to the Guangdong |
| Australia, Argentina and Scandinavia. These Hornby | | | | province in China, cutting costs and improving quality in |
| locomotives were often painted in the local liveries, but | | | | response to an increasingly competitive market place. |
| still had a distinctly British look to them. | | | | Hornby has in recent years bought several of its |
| Hornby's attempt to enter the American market was | | | | competitors, including Corgi Classics, Rivarossi, Arnold, |
| less successful. Setting up a factory in New Jersey in | | | | Lima, Airfix and Humbrol paints, with its main |
| 1927, Hornby found its trains were undercut on price | | | | competition coming from Bachman and Dapol. It is |
| by local established competitors, and despite the | | | | generally accepted amongst modellers that Hornby |
| American-made trains being colourful and attractive, | | | | train sets are better quality and more detailed than |
| they were not quite sophisticated enough to aim at the | | | | Bachmann models, which is somewhat ironic as it was |
| high-end market. The Wall Street crash of 1929 didn't | | | | the competition of Bachmann and others that lead to |
| help matters, and by 1930, Hornby had all but | | | | Hornby's production move to China. |
| disappeared from the US market. | | | | Hornby currently produce a large range of highly |
| In 1938, Hornby introduced a range of 00 gauge (1:76 | | | | detailed steam and diesel model trains, including digital |
| scale) trains, named Hornby Dublo, which were very | | | | and steam powered trains, called the Hornby Live |
| successful. These locomotives were die-cast, with | | | | Steam range, as well as ranges of resin and track |
| wagons and carriages mainly made of tinplate. The | | | | accessories, named Skaledale and Lyddle End, for the |
| range set 12 V DC adaptors and the 00 gauge as the | | | | 00 gauge and N gauge (1:148 scale) ranges of trains, |
| de facto standard for model trains in the UK, but | | | | respectively. |
| production halted during World War II. | | | | In addition to these, licensed products, such as the |
| After the war, Hornby initially thrived, but met with | | | | Hornby Thomas the Tank Engine and Hogwarts |
| difficulty by the late 1950s. The company was slow to | | | | Express lines have been particularly profitable for the |
| recognise the threat posed by rival manufacturers, in | | | | company and firmly cementing Hornby's place as the |
| particular Triang-Rovex and to realise the potential of | | | | UK's leading brand of model trains. |