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Meccano Factory 1916, |
Frank Hornby was born
on 15 May 1863 in Liverpool, Hornby was the son of John Oswald Hornby, a
provision merchant and his wife Martha Hornby (née Thomlinson). He is mentioned
elsewhere on this site in the 'Meccano' story. He was an English inventor,
businessman and politician. He was a visionary in toy development and
manufacture and produced three of the most popular lines of toys in the
twentieth century: Meccano, Hornby Model Railways and Dinky Toys. He also
founded the British toy company Meccano Ltd in 1908. This article takes a
closer look at the development of ‘Hornby Train sets’
Let’s just remind ourselves of Frank Hornby’s history.

In September 1907, Hornby registered his famous
"Meccano" trade mark and used this name on all new sets. In order to
raise more capital to invest in a larger factory and plant, a company had to be
created. This lead to the formation of Meccano Ltd on 30 May 1908. His former
employer David HughElliot, lent him the five ponds he needed to start the
company but decided not to join the new company, leaving Hornby as the sole
proprietor. The Meccano factory was located in West Derby Road in Liverpool,
and in 1910 the famous "MECCANO" logo was commissioned. Meccano Ltd's turnover for the 1910 financial
year was 12,000 pounds.
Meccano was exported to many countries and in 1912, Hornby
and his son, Roland, formed Meccano (France) Ltd in Paris to manufacture
Meccano. An office was also opened in Berlin, Germany and Märklin began to
manufacture Meccano under licence. Hornby also started importing clockwork
motors from Märklin.
In order to keep pace with demand, a new factory was built
in Binns Road, Liverpool. By September 1914 the Binns Road Factory was in full
production and became the company headquarters for over 60 years.
By the 1930s, Hornby had become a millionaire. He owned a
mansion and was chauffeured to Binns Road every day by limousine. Hornby died
of a chronic heart condition complicated by diabetes in Liverpool on 21
September 1936. His elder son Roland took over as Chairman of Meccano Ltd.
Early history: 1920–1938
Hornby was at first a tradename for the railway productions
of Meccano Ltd , Liverpool, which released its first train, a clockwork 0 gauge
(1:48) model, in 1920. An electric train soon followed but was under-designed
and the few that were made were sold out in France. In 1925, a much more
successful electric model was introduced, operating on the high voltage of 110
volts AC power. Safety concerns saw low voltage 4V and then 6V motors
introduced, followed by a reliable 20V AC system, which was developed in the
early 1930s. However, clockwork remained the mainstay of the Hornby 0 gauge
trains until 1937 and became the only power available in Liverpool-made 0 gauge
trains from 1949. Competitors in the UK were Leeds Model Company and
Bassett-Lowke
Clockwork 0 gauge model |
Hornby Dublo era: 1938–1963
Meccano introduced its 00 scale trains in 1938 under the
name 'Hornby Dublo'. The locomotives were diecast, and the carriages and wagons
were generally made of tinplate. The range expanded quickly, but was curtailed
from 1940 due to World War II, production being completely suspended in 1942.
Production resumed after the war but did not reach full capacity until 1948.
Clockwork models were not produced in 00 scale after the war. Like its
counterparts Bassett-Lowke and Exley in the UK and Lionel and American Flyer in
the US, Hornby thrived in the first half of the decade but struggled in the
late 1950s. The company was slow to recognise the threat posed by rival
manufacturers (particularly Triang-Rovex) and to realise the potential of
plastic. In 1959, far too late, Hornby introduced two-rail track and moulded
plastic rolling stock (the Super Detail series), but even then the system was
complicated and difficult to use in comparison to its rivals. Meanwhile the
company plugged on producing a range of very old-fashioned 0 gauge models, in
1957 completely retooling much of the range instead of taking the opportunity
to discontinue it, indicative of major failings at management level.
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Hornby Dublo 80054 locomotive 00 gauge |
Tri-ang Hornby: 1964–1972
In 1964, Lines Bros Ltd., the parent company of rival
Tri-ang Railways, purchased Meccano Ltd., and merged Hornby and Tri-ang into
Tri-ang Hornby. The former Hornby line was discontinued in favour of Tri-ang's
less costly plastic designs. The Hornby Dublo tooling was sold to G & R
Wrenn, which continued to make most of the loco range and 'superdetail' rolling
stock. Remaining stocks of 0 gauge were either scrapped or sold to the local
retailer Norman Hatton.
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Triang Hornby freightmaster set |
Hornby Railways: 1972–1980
The Tri-ang group was disbanded in 1971 when Meccano Ltd's
owner Lines Bros. filed for bankruptcy. The former Tri-ang Hornby was sold to
Dunbee-Combex-Marx, becoming Hornby Railways in 1972. By 1976 Hornby was facing
challenges from Palitoy and Airfix, both of which were producing high quality
detailed models. Detail on the models was upgraded to make the product line
more attractive to adult hobbyists. By 1980 the market was extremely tough and
Dunbee-Combex-Marx was liquidated, placing Hornby in receivership.
Hornby Hobbies: 1980–2008
In 1980 Hornby became Hornby Hobbies and in 1981 a
management buyout saw the company back on a sound footing. It went public in
1986.
By the early 1990s Hornby again faced competition from
newcomers like Dapol and established foreign manufacturers, including Lima and
Bachmann Industries. Manufacturing was moved to Guangdong province in China in
1995, completed by 1999, cutting costs and improving quality. As part of the
process Hornby also bought in some of Dapol's products and also some of the old
Airfix moulds (by then owned by Dapol). Train sets based on Thomas the Tank
Engine and Friends and Harry Potter (the "Hogwarts Express") have been
particularly profitable ventures. In September 2003 Hornby released its first
steam-powered 00 gauge locomotive, a model of the record-breaking Mallard.
Several other "Live Steam" locomotives have since been produced. In
May 2008, Hornby announced the acquisition of Corgi Classics Limited, one of
the world's oldest makers of collectable die-cast models of trucks, buses, cars
and aeroplanes, from Corgi International Limited for £7.5million. In 2009, the
Hornby Shop and Visitor Centre was in development. Christmas 2009 saw the
launch of the new Hornby Shop at Margate in Kent, with the visitor centre still
in production. July 2010 saw the opening of the Hornby Shop And Visitor Centre,
which has proved increasingly popular since the opening day.
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Frank
Hornby`s grave in St Andrew`s church, Maghull
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Hornby's legacy lives on today with thousands of enthusiasts
all over the world still building Meccano models and running Hornby Train sets.
Links
By Robert F Edwards