A Short History of Meccano Ltd and Hornby Trains
Frank Hornby
Born on May 15th, 1863, Frank Hornby originally worked as a bookkeeper for a meat importing firm in Liverpool, England. Married with two boys of his own, he spent much of his free time in his workshop making toys for his sons using parts he made out of sheet metal. Gradually, Hornby developed the idea of using perforated metal strips to make a wide variety of toys, strips which could be bolted together and used in various different ways.
He laboriously cut out copper strips and punched holes at regular intervals to make parts for a constructional toy. The size of the strips and the hole spacing has stayed much the same to the present day.
The success of this idea with his own boys led him into a commercial venture, and in 1901 the first patent for "Mechanics Made Easy" was lodged. Early sets were supplied in tin boxes, with an assortment of nickel plated strips, steel axle rods, brass wheels, nuts and bolts.
Sales were initially slow, but by 1907, Hornby was no longer able to meet demand and moved to larger premises. Later that same year, Hornby first coined the famous "Meccano" trademark.
In 1914, Hornby opened a modern, state of the art factory on Binns Road, Liverpool. This factory would serve the company until its eventual closure in 1979.
Over the next 60 years, Meccano Ltd. would also establish or operate factories in France, Spain & Argentina to meet local demand.
It was in 1920 that the first Hornby Train was produced. Hornby initially envisaged the Hornby Train as a constructional toy, with the engine and wagons held together with Meccano nuts and bolts, but this was soon changed to the more conventional tab and slot construction. Over the next two decades, the range would expand significantly, reaching its zenith in 1939.
Initially, all locomotives were clockwork, but over time this gave way to electric power. The first Hornby electric locomotives ran on 240V AC, the current being regulated by means of a rheostat, but, recognising the inherent danger posed by the high voltage, 4-volt and 6-volt alternatives were quickly offered. Eventually, in 1932, Hornby would introduce a 20-volt AC system which they continued with until production of electric O gauge trains was discontinued shortly after the war.
A range of lineside accessories followed including stations, signals, level crossings, signal boxes, engine sheds, good sheds, water cranes, tunnels & footbridges. Nearly all were made of tinplate with a tinprinted or enamelled finish.
In 1927, Meccano sets saw the introduction of coloured parts in dark green and red. A new colour scheme with blue cross hatched with yellow stipes was tried later on, but after the war, parts returned to their red and green appearance. Overseas sales were strong, and during the 1920s, Meccano had representation in nearly every corner of the empire.
This was followed in 1931 by the introduction of Diecast toys under the name Modelled Miniatures. These were shortly renamed to the more familiar Dinky Toys, with the range seeing significant expansion over the coming years.
Meccano Ltd introduced Hornby Dublo (OO) in 1938, in an attempt to compete with OO/HO Gauge products made by the German firms Marklin and Trix. Locomotives were of diecast construction, and ran on 12V DC, with rails and wagons built primarily of tinplate.
During the war, all production of toys ceased, with the Meccano factory being turned over to the war effort. Toy production slowly resumed beginning in 1946, but material shortages curtailed production significantly initially.
The O Gauge range never regained its prewar status, with the large bogie engines not reentering production after the war. Instead, production was focused on the cheaper clockwork engines, and the new Hornby Dublo range.
In the post World War II period, an updated range of super detailed Dublo rolling stock made its appearance. The company made use of new injection plastic moulding techniques.
The range of locomotives expanded to include diesels, an electric multiple unit and finally an overhead electric 3000 class locomotive.
Meccano Ltd produced a number of other toys over the course of the years, including "Dinky Builder", Kemex chemistry sets and "Electron" electrical experimental sets. Additionally, Meccano motor car and aeroplane constructional kits were produced, as were a range of Hornby clockwork speedboats.
Meccano Ltd ran into financial difficulties in the 1960s, and eventually sold the model railway business off to Tri-ang, a long-time rival firm.
Meccano Ltd struggled on for some time producing Meccano sets and Dinky toys, but eventually the Liverpool factory was closed in 1979, and all production moved to France.