For children and adults alike model railway sets provide a fascinating hobby. Here we celebrate a company that has produced scale models for more than a hundred years. To celebrate the anniversary Great Britain’s Royal Mail has issued 12 stamps featuring models produced by the company, Hornby.
The eight-stamp set seen here shows: (from top left to right) No.1 locomotive, GNR (1920); 4MT tank locomotive, BR (1954); InterCity 125 High Speed Train, BR (1977); Bournemouth Belle Pullman cars, BR (2009); and then (bottom l-r) Princess Elizabeth, LMS (1937); AL1 electric locomotive, BR (1963); Merchant Navy class locomotive, BR (2000); and the Experimental ‘Hush-Hush’ locomotive, LNER (2021).
An additional four stamps presented in a miniature sheet celebrate the heritage of Hornby through nostalgic designs, each featuring classic packaging, catalogue covers and promotional artwork from different eras. In 2017 the stamp below was part of an 8-stamp ‘Classic Toys” issue by Royal Mail.
Founded in 1920 by Frank Hornby, Hornby is a premier British model railway brand that evolved from his successful Meccano toy company. Known for pioneering O gauge clockwork trains and later the iconic OO gauge Hornby Dublo in 1938, the brand moved from tinplate to plastic models in the 1960s. Following a period under Tri-ang, it became independent again in the 1980s. Hornby became an independent company again, later named Hornby Hobbies Limited. Now called Hornby, the company has acquired other famous brands like Scalextric and Corgi, and today focuses on highly detailed models.
