| The hobby of model railroading has been around for | | | | twice as many cars as would be practical on an O |
| almost 100 years. Every Christmas, no matter where | | | | gauge |
| in the country we live, Santa would bring a train set | | | | HO gauge is still a scale large enough to incorporate a |
| and tracks, and it would run round and round the | | | | reasonable amount of detail in your layout. Your |
| Christmas Tree. | | | | hobby shop dealer can give you a comparison |
| Then, as soon as the Christmas tree would be taken | | | | between all model railroad gauges. The thing that |
| down, the train set was stowed away in its packing | | | | should be uppermost in your mind is your space |
| box. It would sit in the family closet until next | | | | limitations in your home or apartment. |
| Christmas. Many times, another train set would join | | | | There is an enormous amount of ready to roll stock |
| the older train set. Then, the two train sets would | | | | available in HO gauge, more so than in any other |
| run around the tree. Oh what fun! | | | | scale. This makes the construction of a proprietary |
| Just before World War II, a number of very | | | | layout where all of the rolling stock is off the shelf a |
| interesting things happened. First and foremost was | | | | relatively easy matter. The similarly wide range of |
| the emergence of the Lionel Corporation. About the | | | | kits and scratch building components also makes it |
| same time, a man named A.C. Gilbert was launching | | | | suitable for the beginners layout where it is intended |
| his own company to be known as American Flyer. | | | | to move on to kit building and scratch building as |
| Suddenly, toy trains became real. | | | | soon as the you feel that you are ready. |
| Lionel modeled a train set in the exact likeness of the | | | | This brings up the most endearing feature of model |
| New York Central. It sold in 1940 for over $200, a | | | | railroading. Because of the wealth of equipment |
| stupendous price in that day for a train set. American | | | | offered by Walthers, Athearn, and other suppliers, |
| Flyer produced a number of very accurate models of | | | | you are totally free to model anything you wish. The |
| both the New York Central and the New Haven | | | | only limitations are (1) your imagination, (2) your |
| railroads, which also sold for a very heavy price tag. | | | | available space where you live, (3) your finances, and |
| Soon thereafter, a number of authors wrote books | | | | (4) an understanding spouse. |
| showing how to design various track layouts. These | | | | HO models offer brass replicas imported from Japan |
| showed how to install switches, build railway stations | | | | and Korea of some of the greatest steam engines |
| and houses, trees, and model factories. All at once, | | | | ever built. You can build a model railroad depicting |
| toy trains were evolving into model railroads. After | | | | steam, early diesel, or current diesel engines. You can |
| WW II, model railroading took off and has not | | | | build a model railroad representing railroads that have |
| stopped since. A new industry and hobby was born. | | | | since gone out of business or else have been |
| What made it all happen? I believe it was the | | | | acquired via merger. |
| emergence of HO Scale as the model size of choice. | | | | Some of the most notable but extinct passenger |
| The very first toy trains were scaled at a half inch to | | | | trains like the Empire Builder or New York Central |
| the actual foot. Lionel produced its toy trains at a | | | | 20th Century Limited are running once again. You can |
| quarter inch to the actual foot. This was known as O | | | | check your model railroad supply catalog to see |
| Gauge. | | | | what's available. |
| However, it was HO Scale that really launched the | | | | The other popular scale today is N gauge. It is called |
| hobby. While Lionel and American Flyer produced | | | | N gauge because the track gauge is nine millimeters |
| excellent replicas of the New York Central and other | | | | and N is the first letter of the word "nine" in most |
| railroads, they were just too big to fit inside a house | | | | countries where N gauge is used. |
| or apartment. | | | | The advantage of N gauge is that because it is so |
| In June of 1948, Gordon Varney, founder of Varney | | | | small, there is room to run long trains. A four-coach |
| Model Railroads, issued the second of his | | | | passenger train in N gauge may be only slightly longer |
| "Commemorative Cars". This was the Hollywood And | | | | than an O gauge locomotive. Also with N gauge it is |
| Western. The H&W was a refrigerator car from the | | | | possible to fit it into a reasonable amount of the |
| famous pioneering model railroad layout belonging to | | | | surrounding countryside and still have enough space |
| Jim Trout, Sam Raymond, and Dick Sutphen. Varney | | | | for the trains. With N gauge you can achieve the |
| came up with the name and made the sides for the | | | | effect of full length trains running through open |
| reefer car when he visited the layout at Trout's | | | | countryside without requiring an aircraft hanger to |
| home prior to World War II. At the end of the war, | | | | house the layout. |
| Varney decided there was a market for private | | | | The disadvantage of N gauge is that because it is so |
| owner car sides, and began producing HO scale | | | | small, it is very difficult to include many of the minute |
| refrigerator cars with Hollywood and Western | | | | details available in the larger scales. Even when you |
| markings. This car kit, along with the Firewater & | | | | find a way to include the small detail you are very |
| Kicking Horse boxcar (Heritage Collection Issue No. 8), | | | | likely wasting your effort, because it will be so small |
| were the first recorded mass-produced private | | | | that many people will not be aware that it is there |
| owner cars ever made available to the public in HO | | | | (except for you of course). |
| scale. | | | | Therefore the aim with N gauge should be to |
| Varney soon had very good competition. In the late | | | | present the broad picture rather than the smaller |
| 1940s, the Athearn Corporation entered the HO | | | | details. N gauge can be used for small shunting |
| Scale market. Athearn is an American manufacturer | | | | layouts but does not appear as realistic as can be |
| of model railroad equipment, produced and distributed | | | | achieved with a larger scale. N gauge works best |
| by American hobby manufacturer Horizon Hobby of | | | | with long trains and plenty of open countryside. Thus |
| Champaign, Illinois, USA. | | | | it (paradoxically) really needs more room than layouts |
| The story of Athearn really began in 1938, when its | | | | built in the larger scales. |
| founder, Irv Athearn, started an elaborate O-scale | | | | There is a reasonable amount of ready to run stock |
| layout in his mother's house. After placing an ad selling | | | | available in N gauge, especially for those who model |
| the layout and receiving much response to it, Irv | | | | American railroads. Kits and scratch building |
| decided that selling model railroads would be a good | | | | components also exist although constructing models |
| living. He sold train products out of his mother's house | | | | is made more difficult by the smaller size of the |
| through most of the 1940s. | | | | models. |
| After becoming a full-time retailer in 1946, Irv | | | | Today, almost a half million model railroading |
| Athearn opened a separate facility in Hawthorne, Ca | | | | enthusiasts are out there. They range in age from |
| in 1948, In that same year, he branched into HO for | | | | their early teens to very gray senior citizens. They |
| the first time. | | | | flock to model railroading hobby shops located in |
| Irv Athearn died in 1991. New owners took control in | | | | every town and hamlet. They build model railroads as |
| 1994, but Irv's commitment to offer high-quality | | | | small as N Gauge to as large as G Scale garden |
| products at reasonable prices remained. Athearn was | | | | railroads. They model all types of locomotives, cars, |
| bought in 2004 by Horizon Hobby Inc. Athearn was | | | | buildings, bridges, rivers and waterfalls, factories, coal |
| then moved from its facility in Compton to a new | | | | yards, and everything in between. Their model |
| state-of-the-art facility in Carson, California. | | | | railroads represent all of the principal rail lines that |
| Another company, Wm. K. Walthers, Inc., is dedicated | | | | presently operate to a thousand or more fictitious rail |
| to manufacturing and distributing high quality model | | | | lines that exist only in model form. |
| railroad equipment worldwide. Walthers carries over | | | | Model railroads represent every time era of American |
| 85,000 different items for model layouts from over | | | | and world history. The time spent by these modelers |
| three hundred manufacturers. The company supplies | | | | is endless, where the model railroad may get more |
| model railroading products to thousands of hobby | | | | attention than the newborn baby. The quest for |
| shops around the globe! | | | | realism is equally endless, where models emit |
| Under the leadership of Bruce Walthers, the company | | | | authentic sound effects, go through signaling |
| became the largest distributor of model railroad | | | | systems, and even have video cameras mounted in |
| products in the world. Mr. Walthers successfully | | | | the locomotives to perform a railroad video of the |
| transferred the family business to the third | | | | model itself. |
| generation in 1984, remaining active as Chairman of | | | | I would begin your quest for your greatest model |
| the Board of Wm. K. Walthers, Inc. to the present. | | | | railroad by visiting the local hobby store. Spend a few |
| He was a Board member and served as President of | | | | hours browsing through the various displays and |
| both the Model Railroad Industry Association and the | | | | seeing what is out there. Do not be afraid to ask |
| Hobby Industry Association of America (HIAA). On | | | | questions because these guys are just as anxious to |
| January 28 of this year, Mr. Walthers passed away. | | | | have you as a new customer as you are to have a |
| Undoubtedly, thanks to the work of Walthers and | | | | model railroad with endless fun. Do a search on the |
| other firms, the most popular scale today is HO | | | | web for all related topics, and above all, subscribe to |
| gauge (or OO gauge in Britain). The name HO came | | | | the leading model railroading publications. |
| about because the scale is half that of O gauge. | | | | Also, please do not get lost in your basement, and |
| Because HO is only half the size of O gauge, this | | | | above all, keep the family cat away from your |
| enables four times as much railway to be built in the | | | | layout. |
| same space as would be in O gauge. Trains can have | | | | |