TFNY: Hornby Hobbies Celebrates 100th Anniversary

Hornby Hobbies is kicking off a yearlong celebration of its 100th anniversary.

The company is set to release a full range of commemorative products that honor the legacy established with the debut of Frank Hornby’s first model train in 1920. The limited-edition products will celebrate each decade over the last century and will be shipped in vintage style packaging to reflect the era. Items will include tinplate locomotives, die-cast vehicles, complete train sets, gold-plated locomotives, and more.

The campaign begins with A Lifetime’s Journey, a narrative short film that follows the life of a model railway enthusiast with a passion for Hornby Trains.

Throughout the year, Hornby will roll out additional initiatives, including a golden ticket promotion, and a series of retrospectives from Hornby customers and staff members.

Hornby Hobbies produces a wide array of products beyond its Hornby trains, including Corgi die-cast vehicles, Scalextric slot car racing sets, Airfix plastic model kits, and Humbrol paints and craft products.

See a preview of Hornby’s full railway range for the year in the video below.

Hornby America will exhibit its new collection in booth No. 5535 at Toy Fair New York, taking place from Feb. 22-25 at the Jacob K. Javits Center.

Click here to view the Toy Book‘s full coverage of Toy Fair New York.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.