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Hornby trains were the most famous of all British-made toy trains,
in Britain and the European continent, in the early 1900s, despite
the pre-eminence of Bassett-Lowke, with its German-made trains.
So well-recognized, in the 1920s and 1930s, it was quite common
for any tinplate toy train to be described as a "Hornby",
whatever its origin.
Frank Hornby (1863-1936) born in Liverpool had, fabricated what
he called, "Mechanics Made Easy and in 1901, obtained a British
patent. The "Meccano" trade name adopted a few years later,
produced a construction system of metal strips with perforations
for easy nut-and-bolt assembly. Odd as it may seem, the date of
the first appearance of Hornby trains is uncertain. Some creditable
authorities believe that Hornby trains were available before 1914,
or in limited numbers in 1915, in Gauge "O" clockwork,
and were available during World War I, though these claims have
never been adequately verified. Nonetheless, it is certain, by 1920,
Hornby clockwork trains were catalogued under the name "Hornby
Trains"; and electric-powered Hornby trains first appeared
in 1925.
The first Hornby trains set consisted of a small Gauge "O"
0-4-0 clockwork locomotive, numbered "2710", with a tender
and an open wagon. In 1938, "Hornby Dublo" (i.e., Double
"O", Gauge "OO") range of toy trains, both clockwork
and electric, set a higher standard of truth-to-prototype with a
relatively accurate Gauge "O" model of the Southern Railway
"Schools Class" locomotive "Eton" and shortly
followed by Hornby¯s most celebrated model, "Princess Elizabeth".
Hornby trademark appeared up until 1940, this is when all construction
of Hornby trains was halted with the onset of World War II. Production
of the toy trains resumed in 1946, though in the immediate post-War
years, a general shortage of raw materials interfered with the high
demand of Hornby Dublo. Hence, new toy trains items were not introduced
until the early 1950s. "In 1953 the old railway company colors
were discontinued, and all models thereafter appeared in British
Railways livery."
By the late 1950s, when construction of plastic toys begun, sales
began to decline, and in 1965, Hornby was taken over by Triang (Lines
Brothers), who incorporated some items from the Dublo line into
its catalogue.
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