Toy Model Trains After WWII  

Toy Model Trains After WWII  , Toy Models, http://goarticles.com/article/Toy-Model-Trains-After-WWII/3346814/,

Article by Charlotte Mathes

Students of US history know that following World War II, the economy was poised to take off. Battles had not been fought on our shores and men were returning home ready to start careers and families. To model life like trains after the troop carriers was a natural, and the children loved them. The manufacturers cranked out electric train sets right and left. To entice the children with toy model trains, manufacturers and designers added more features, live steam and action cars. This was the time the HO scale trains made their successful move for market share.

When production restarted in Europe the HO scale won out with the exception of Britain where the OO continued to reign. New players arose in Europe: Fleishman in Germany, Rovex-Triang in England and Rivarossi in Italy. Each grew to have a large place in the European market and the new ranges used 12v DC two rail standards from the beginning.

In the 1950s, the toy train was recognized as a major toy. They were manufactured in the tens of thousands. While the toy gained prominence the real railways were slowly sinking in popularity with the advance of the plane and auto. The fifties became a transitional time for the toy train business. The imagination and desires of children was changing and the whole market was shrinking. The WWII baby boom was growing up and they were fewer children to replace them. As in any market correction, companies are closed and brands lost.

The sixties were dismal. For the companies that survived the shrinking market, there were two lessons learned. One was the realization that toy trains were actually sold to adults, the other, the cost of production. For the scale modeler the trains were made more accurate and detailed. For the collector the trains became objects in their own right to be collected.

To contain cost, a cheapening of the product was needed. New sources for production were found in Hong Kong, China and Eastern Europe. Something worked for in Britain new manufacturers arose in the 1970 and established a sizeable market. New gauges have emerged, the N and Z for small scales and the G for the large scale group. In the US where "Bigger is better" the large scales have a strong market, even the old toy three rail gauge O standards.

Germany settled on two major two makers, so the toy train remains with a wider range than ever before. The model train industry of today has clearly made items for the adult enthusiast modeler, the collector and thankfully still for children.
About the Author

Charlotte Mathes and Max Mathes-Redd make up The Mathes Group, an educational family business. For Max's newest ebook visit: http://www.lovingmodeltrains.com/trains and for more on model trains visit:
http://www.LovingModelTrains.com

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