Hornby O Gauge Trains Through the Ages

Model railroading is a hobby that can take up a few hours at the holidays or be more like a second occupation with an entire room displaying the elaborate setups. Hornby was the first name for the production of trains and was based in Liverpool. The first release was the Hornby O gauge which did not prove to be very successful. The small amount that were manufactured were sold in France in 1920.

The earliest of the many model railroads came about in the 1840's. Electric renditions made their way into homes in the early 20th century. Although somewhat crude in appearance, their popularity continued to grow and eventually evolved into the ornate setups that are available today.

The original Hornby O gauge was unsuccessful primarily because it required a high voltage operating system which many thought to be too dangerous. The safety factor led to the development of 4V and 6V models of motors. Eventually a 20V AC system was developed in the '30s. The clockwork model of the Hornby O gauge trains remained their most produced model until the mid 1930's. 20V was the only power that was available in Liverpool at that time.

A branch of Hornby built a factory in France. There they built primarily French style trains. Liverpool however, did dominate the export activity in other countries. They exported to New Zealand, Argentina, Australia and Scandinavia. While trains were labeled with foreign names, the trains maintained their familiar British look.

Hornby tried to break into the American marketplace with their Hornby O gauge by building a factory in Elizabeth, NJ. There they were planning to make American style trains. The competition within the United States made competition fierce for the Hornby O gauge. The US manufacturers prices were lower and the products offered by Hornby were not better than what was already available. The stock market crash put an end to the American branch and the factory sold the location to A.C. Gilbert Co. By 1930, Hornby trains were a memory in the United States.

Hornby remains in business today, but after the Hornby O gauge models faded from popularity, the created their OO gauge. In the meantime, hobbyists around the world took on the project of outdoing each other with model railroads that would impress anyone that was fortunate enough to look at them. There are railroaders that will set up their displays with exact replicas of favorite scenes, or complete cities on the boards. The fantastic displays can only be outdone by someone with a greater imagination.

Today there are buildings, track signals, roads lights and features that can only be outdone by the real thing. Today's model railroads are very realistic and there those who recreate events or specific periods in history. Far from the creation of the Hornby O gauge, there are model railroaders today who have recreated actual railroads that can be ridden. The opportunities are virtually endless. Museums are established that can be enjoyed by individuals who have been taken by the hobby or families that may be entertaining the idea of recreating these masterpieces of years gone by.