Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Hornby Train Signs

I like the vintage look of Hornby train signs. Hornby is not a railway though, they are the leading brand of train model in the UK. Their tin signs are varied in shape and size. One design is the locomotive steaming toward us to the left side over tracks. Instead of steel and tie tracks though, the track is actually the large word "HORNBY" in 3 dimensional yellow print with orange shadowed print. The ground is blue and the sky is a lighter blue with patches of white clouds. On the bottom right of the tin sign are the words "Made in England by Meccano Limited" in white lettering. The size of the sign is 16" x 12" (410 x 300mm) and is made of high quality steel. This design is made for advertising purposes for the Hornby train brand and is priced fair.

English inventor Frank Hornby invented and produced Meccano which is a toy kit that enables creation of model trains. The kits are comprised of wheels, axles, gears, plates, nuts, bolts, and other pieces. Hornby received the patent in 1901 and built the clockwork train in 1920. Hornby produced his first OO gauge train in 1938. Hornby and Meccano were bought in 1964 by Tri-Ang and was sold. Hornby Railways went on its own again in the 1980s. One of the reasons Hornby train signs may be so popular even in the U.S. is because Hornby created a factory in Elizabeth, New Jersey in 1927. It later closed in 1929 and the remaining inventory went to Canada.

Another Hornby design I like is the hanging blue metal wall sign. In an overall orange tint is a sleek Hornby locomotive travelling fast towards us to the left over the large words "Fabrique Par Meccano-Paris" (translated to English "Plant By Meccano-Paris") and in smaller black lettering underneath "Made in France". Beside both phrases on both sides are the black letters 0-1E inside a black circle. This is a tin sign that has four holes punched into it to hang. The sign measures 16" by 11" and also made for advertising purposes for Hornby. You can pick up this sign as well for about $20. Another good design is the Hornby Train Steel Wall Sign T78. This sign measures 16" by 11 1/2" (400mm x 290mm) and comes predrilled and ready to hang. Litho printed and has an overall yellow-orangish tint. A Horby locomotive is traveling slowly towards us and to the left through a railroad yard. Steam is coming from the stack and wheels. Printed in red lettering on the upper-right part of the sign is "Hornby Train" while underneath in smaller text (also red) is "British and Guaranteed". On the bottom of the sign in black lettering is "Made in England by Meccano Ltd. Liverpool". There is another very similar design but with a different locomotive and slightly different view of the RR yard. It is called the Hornby Royal Scot Steam Train. There is an engineer or crewman in the foreground approaching the incoming train. Otherwise the colors and lettering are similar but not exact to the T78. This sign also hangs and has four holes punched in the corners.

This post is getting too long so I'll describe only one more, the A5 Hornby Steel Sign. The A5 measures 150mm x 210mm. This sign hangs lengthwise and is a much simpler sign. A Hornby locotive travels fast towards us from the left. The ground is orange and the sky is light blue with patchy clouds with a small view of some trees. Blue lettering in the top left of sign reads simply "Hornby Trains". The red locomotive is a 2-8-0. This is a hanging sign as well with small holes in the corners and this tin sign (steel) can be had for cheap.

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