Hornby R8158

The Book of Trains - The Centenary Hard Back Edition by Pat Hammond

Manufacturer catalogue image - please note that pre-release images may be CAD renders or CGI/AI images rather than photographs

Manufacturer description

Frank Hornby, the founder of Meccano Ltd, situated inBinns Road, Liverpool, launched Hornby Trains as a brandin 1920. Since then the product and the company hasgone through many changes. The original scale of 7mm to the foot commonly known at '0' gauge was joinedand eventually superseded by the smaller and almost half sized '00' scale systembranded creatively as Hornby Dublo in 1938.

After the Second World War manufacturing of the Hornby Dublo systemrecommenced and soon became the dominant scale but new materials and cheaperprices quickly brought major competition to Hornby in the form of RovexIndustries, which eventually became Tri-ang Railways. Over time Tri-ang obtainedthe Meccano company and rebranded their railway system Tri-ang Hornby.

Eventually, after one more takeover the name Tri-ang was removed and the systemsimply became Hornby Railways. By the turn of the last century Hornby Railways had become just Hornby and withit a new evolution with manufacturing moving from the Margate factory where ithad been since 1954 to the Far East where modern manufacturing techniques liftedthe Hornby products from being pseudo toys to exquisite models demanded by today's selective modeller.

This Hornby Book of Trains - The First Hundred Years, has been researched and written by renowned author, editor and model railway historian, Pat Hammond who using his amazing archive traces the one hundred year history of Hornby with facts, features and an abundance of images, supported by historical information explaining the twists and turns of this much loved and respected model railway brand. With over 448 fact packed pages, plus in excess of 800 images this bookis an amazing historical adventure taking the reader on a 100 year model railway journey that is Hornby.

(Book dimensions: 245 x 170mm).

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Catalogue listing

Model details

Hornby The Book of Trains – The Centenary Hard Back Edition is written by Pat Hammond. It forms part of the 2020 range, is produced in OO gauge and carries the Hornby part number R8158.

The volume presents a factual history of the Hornby model railway brand from its launch by Frank Hornby in 1920 through the development of the original 0 gauge, the introduction of the smaller OO scale (branded Hornby Dublo in 1938), the post‑war resurgence, the competition from Rovex Industries and the later Tri‑ang acquisitions, to the modern era in which production moved from the Margate factory to Far‑East manufacturers. Hammond draws on his personal archive to provide a chronological narrative supplemented by over 800 photographs and detailed commentary.

The book is a hard‑back of 448 pages, measuring 245 mm by 170 mm. It offers more than 800 images and is aimed at collectors and historians of model railways interested in a comprehensive account of Hornby’s first hundred years.