Model Railroad Information

 

 

 

 

I guess you could say that model railroading got its start soon after the birth of the real trains, as people began to make models of them as toys. The birth of model railroading however counts it's origins as 1891, when the German company Marklin came out with a railway system, featuring standard gauges, sections of track, locomotives and rolling stock, as well as matching accessories.

Now it was possible to have an entire set, and even expand it when you desired. This caught on, and by 1900 Marklin was producing four different gauges, 0, I, II, and III. That early number of scales was destined to grow, however, and now we have #1 (1:29), O (1:48), S (1:64), HO (1:87), N (1:160), and the smallest, Z (1:220).

The original Marklin trains were powered by clockwork mechanisms or steam propulsion, and it wasn't until 1914 that electricity became a viable means of powering these model trains. These Marklin trains, and those made by a German competitor Bing, were at first primitive pieces made from soldered tinplate.

The competition made for advances, however, and it wasn't long before things like a 20-volt system making it safe for children, and the creation of the HO scale in 1935 bringing model railroading to anyone's tabletop as well as the successes of these two companies brought this burgeoning hobby to worldwide attention. (In fact Marklin was responsible for a great many of the early technological advances in model trains).

The World Wars had a dramatic effect on the state of the model railroading industry, as Germany had a hard time exporting their products after 1914 as you might imagine, and though they were still making advances as mentioned above, the rest of the world was catching up. American companies such as Lionel, Ives, Marx and American Flyer, as well as Hornby in Britain and JEP in France began to dominate worldwide markets.

Between the world wars Marklin and Bing continued to have access to other European markets outside of France and Britain, but the rest of the world was largely closed to them. Scale underwent a change too, as HO and S scales answered market calls for smaller gauge trains than the O scale. Trains also became more realistic, with better markings and authentic features, as model manufacturers realized that while the children were the target audience, the parents were doing the buying and this could be an even more lucrative market!

The Second World War put the industry largely out of commission in Europe, and the US, untouched by home soil bombing was able to get moving more quickly than the rest of the world after the war, and the model railroading hobby took off there. When Europe did get back on it's feet there were some new players in the game, such as Fleischmann in Germany, Rivarossi in Italy and Rovex-Triang in Britain.

These new companies challenged right from the start. The Fifties were the golden decade of model trains, as fathers and sons alike took to the hobby. Model trains were on the list of every boy in the fifties and they were produced by the tens of thousands. There were many, many Christmas trees that had model railways running around them on Christmas morning!

It was a short boom however, as the Sixties were not nearly so kind to the model railroading hobby. The advent of slot cars, the fascination with the car and the airplane were tough competitors for the model trains, the children of the forties and fifties were growing up in a world less dependent on rail travel, and appeal began to decline, putting many long-standing companies out of business. Those that were left had to come up with new strategies for competing in this new environment. Many companies (very shrewdly) took a long hard look at the adult collectors and decided they were indeed a market for their wares. They also sought cheaper sources of production, and so it came to pass that model trains began being produced in places like Hong Kong, China and Eastern Europe.

The model train industry rebounded in the Seventies, however, and continues to be a strong business to this day. New scales emerged, such as the N and Z for small scale and G for the larger set. In the US there was a resurgence in the demand for the old three-rail O-gauge standards.

Today could possibly be considered another golden age, as technological advances have made many more things possible and affordable. And interestingly, since the model trains have entered into more of a collectible phase, prices have risen. Things like better plastics allow for more realism and extra durability. Command and control systems developed in the last twenty years or so, have made it possible for enthusiasts to run multiple trains on the same layout, thus recreating the real environment of the trains they represent.

It's come to where one person can handle a whole rail yard and several trains all from one handheld remote control. The detail of the models themselves are so advanced now that many of the safety information, bar coding and other realistic details too small to see without magnification are now standard on today's models.

The space concerns of retired hobbyists has also played a part in today's markets, as many people are downsizing their living spaces upon retirement, living little space for large layouts in bigger scale, thus fueling a demand for smaller scale product.

The model railroading industry is perhaps healthier than ever at this point, as you might discern if you were to travel to any of the national conventions and try and elbow your way through the tens of thousands of attendees. Whatever your pleasure, there is a model train that will suit your fancy, and provide us with an ever-more important link to our historical heritage as well.