Hello everyone-
My 9 yr old son is doing a project for school involving model railroads. He has created a layout of his own and has done a great job. However, he should have some information on the history of model railroading, like when did it start, by whom, where, etc. Would someone be able to answer these questions, or be able to point me somewhere that could help out?
Thank you so much-
Cindy
Good question. Probably mots of us know some “facts” from word of mouth. I don’t know of any books that document “model railroading” history and I don’t know how much of the project requires him to do the digging for information. I think your topic is a little large considering all the various scales and forms but you may wi***o do some research into Lionel or Joshua Cowen Lionel - the founder. Also try American Flyer or A. C. Gilbert. In Europe try some research into Marklin or Hornby. Early evidence suggest the turn of the century for the first models and the 30’s as the start of a serious scale model hobby if that helps.
Maybe the classic toy trains forum might have a history.
Toy trains go back to the middle 19th Century as pull toys, alcohol-burning live steam or wind-up toys–electric trains (originally battery powered) appeared in the 1890’s. Model railroading (the adult hobby as opposed to those intended primarily for kids) made its appearance in the 1930’s.
There is a good chapter on early toy trains (and early model railroading) in THE COMPLETE BOOK OF MODEL RAILROADING by David Sutton (Castle Books), which shouldn’t be too hard to find in public libraries.
Hornby were making Gauge O tinplate trains between 1920 and 1962 - production stopped as many people didn’t have the space for an O scale layout due to smaller post-war houses. Hornby-Dublo (OO scale trains) production started in 1938 and finished in 1964, when Hornby were taken over by Lines Brothers LTD. who already owned the Tri-ang railway system (This company later became the modern-day Hornby, though they only used one or two of the original Hornby models in their new range). Most of the Dublo tooling passed to Wrenn Railways and later to Dapol, who now produce wagons from original Dublo moulds dating back to the 1950s. As I understand it, there is now a new company which has bought the Wrenn name and some of the moulds, and intends to restart production on a small scale, though I’m unsure of the name.
Model Railroader magazine covered “Our Tinplate Heritage” in August 1977. You might be able to find a copy at the library, or a local hobby shop (mine has a “back issue bin” with copies for 50 cents).
Andrew
EDIT - Found the exact month - August.
Follow this link for a timeline of model railroad developments and glossary of terms, courtesy of Absolute Scale Models:
http://www.asmodels.com/ASM-resources.htm#Scale
Regards,
Bruce J.
Hello Cindy,
You can find a model train timeline on the World’s Greatest Hobby web site at www.greatesthobby.com, also accessible by going to the MODEL RAILROADER home page and clicking on the world’s Greatest Hobby logo. When you get to that site, click on “Press Room,” which provides information for media stories about the hobby. That’s where you’ll find the timeline. Good luck to your son on his project, and if I can answer any questions for him, feel free to contact me offline at asperandeo@mrmag.com.
So long,
Andy
Wow!! Thank you so much everyone for all your responses! This will help my son out a lot. I appreciate your help, and so does he!
Cindy
There is a column in Railroad Model Craftsman that, over the years, could provide the basis for a history of model railroading.
It is often pointed out that the earliest (early to mid 19th century) scale models were samples made by the prototype locomotive builders to demonstrate or test available designs.
It is indeed a curious thing that nobody seems to have ever attempted to write a comprehensive history of model railroading. One finds a bit from retospectives in the magazines, or histories incidental to collecting, or histories of manufacturers and suppliers, but nobody seems to have pulled the whole story together.