Bachmann Trains & Accessories

N Scale Model Railroad Modules
N Scale Model Railroad Modules

The Hornby Railways company is a big manufacturer of the 00 gauge Hornby model trains. First created in the early 1900s, the Hornby Railways company is the innovator in steam train railway modeling for the country of the United Kingdom, designing the Meccano clockwork 0 gauge models; this company also produces the live steam 00 gauge model trains.

Looking At The Past Hornby Model Trains

During the early 1920’s until the 1930s, the company manufactured the high voltage 220 to 240 volt AC electric clockwork 0 gauge, a very popular brand for its time. Later versions of four and six-volts were made; however, because of the safety fears. The 00 gauge model was created in the late 1930’s to combine the now standard 12-volt DC model trains, which are sold in the United Kingdom.

Now the newer ones had a mixture of clockwork and electric and because of it, they gained in their recognition very fast. However, with the WWII in full force, production on these brands was suspended. The clockwork models were reintroduced at the end of the war but soon ceased production in 1950. There was just one other clockwork Hornby model train designed for its 70th-year anniversary commemoration. During the 1950, the two-rail track and molded plastic rolling stock was introduced but it was just too complex to manage when compared with its rival models.

A New Hornby Introduction That Failed To Materialize And Movie Replicas

During the 1970s, the Hornby Railways Company introduced another model; this was the George Stephenson’s Rocket train model. The Zero I was also introduced during the 1970s; it was a multiple engine controller program. However, this early DCC system Zero I failed to do well because the controller units and decoder modules were too expensive; on top of that, the engines didn’t run on other train systems. During the 1980s, the Hornby Railways train business chose to go public and in the late 1990s, the company made the decision to invest in movie train set replicas. For instance, they made a replica of the steam engine seen in Harry Potter movies. An additional Hornby model train was designed in the early 2000s; this was the Mallard, which was the first steam-powered 00 gauge model engine.

Two Key Model Railroading Systems From Hornby Railways

There are two main railroading models of the Hornby Railways. They are the Lyddle End and Skaledale. The Lyddle End and the Skaledale are similar in their accessories but the Lyddle End models have a bigger scale of 1:76. These accessories include platforms, tracks, shops, station buildings, etc. This model is based off the fictitious Lyddle End village setting in England. These models are similar with the 00 gauge models and very similar to one another, despite the scale size differences. Model builders tend to like this range much better than other models.

Since the majority of model manufacturers have a scale difference, it’s highly important that the companies produce their own tracks and rolling stock to support the scale they use. With no standard 0-gauge track width, the majority of tracks may not be compatible with others.

The Hornby model trains is, no doubt, one of the more popular steam powered engines that work for both as toys and enthusiasts. Still, the company list includes the N and H0 scale models, which came when the business overtook the Italian model railway manufacturer called Lima; these are named the Arnold and Rivarossi. The Hornby model trains also has high detailed steam and diesel engines; these are:

- BR 9F

- Class 08

- Class 31

- Class 50

- Class 60

- SR Merchant Navy

George T. is a model train builder and enthusiast. For more information and advice on hornby model trains then visit http://www.modeltrainsutopia.com.

N Scale Module Layout at Greenberg Train Show – Wilmington, Massachusetts