Its roots date back to 1901 in Liverpool, when founder Frank Hornby received a patent for his Meccano construction toy.

Hornby Railways became independent again in the 1980s, and became listed on the London Stock Exchange, but due to financial troubles reported in June 2017,[5][6] became majority owned by British turnaround specialist Phoenix Asset Management.

Safety concerns saw low voltage 4V and then 6V motors introduced, followed by a reliable 20V AC system, which was developed in the early 1930s.

Hornby attempted to break into the American market by setting up a factory in 1927 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, to make American-style trains.

They probably would have failed in the marketplace because several established U.S. firms could undercut them and Hornby offered no better-class goods or electric models, but the Wall Street Crash precipitated matters.

This was a very well planned range of electric and clockwork models, successfully consolidating 12 V DC as the standard for OO scale.

The range expanded quickly, but was curtailed from 1940 due to World War II, production being completely suspended in 1942.

In 2008, a special commemorative model of LNER Class A4 4498 Sir Nigel Gresley was produced, in period packaging, to celebrate the 70th anniversary of this introduction.

The company was slow to recognise the threat posed by rival manufacturers (particularly Triang-Rovex)[4] and to realise the potential of plastic.

In 1959, far too late, Hornby introduced two-rail track and moulded plastic rolling stock (the Super Detail series), but even then the system was complicated and difficult to use in comparison to its rivals.

With the benefit of hindsight, the policy of keeping the faith with its existing three-rail users whilst bringing the two-rail system to the market was a mistake that cost the company dearly.

The Hornby Dublo tooling was sold to G & R Wrenn, which continued to make most of the loco range and 'superdetail' rolling stock.

Despite being on the market for a short time, Zero 1 had the largest installed base among command control systems in the early 1980s in North America, according to a reader survey done by Model Railroader magazine.

The boiler was considerably smaller than the external diameter, surrounded by a thick insulating jacket to prevent burns.

Train sets based on Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends and Harry Potter[13] (the "Hogwarts Express") have been particularly profitable ventures.

After the PLC shares dropped by more than 50% in a year, at the 2016 results, Hornby declared that it planned to cut more than half of the toys it made, after discovering that it generated 90% of its profits from only 50% of its range.

[24] The trio proposed a turnaround plan to reengage with the market, make products which were more appealing to customers, clamp down on rising overheads and recover first sales and then move the company back into profitability.

The end of year Annual Report for March 2018 revealed how serious the position was for the company, showing further slumps in revenue (down to £35.7m) and a widening pre-tax loss (up to £7.6m).

[25] The March 2019 end of year report showed progress, having stabilised the business, closed unnecessary offices and returned to their historic home in Margate.

[26] In August 2021, it was announced that Hornby had acquired the remaining 51% of LCD Enterprises (who owned Oxford Diecast) for £1.3 million.

In 1969 the Hornby Railway Collector's Association was founded to cater for this and currently enjoys a membership approaching 3000, producing 10 journals a year, as well as other literature.

As of mid 2006, a range of these products has been made available under the Hornby International brand, refitted with NEM couplings and sprung buffers and sockets for DCC decoders.

The Skaledale range comprises station buildings, platforms, trackside accessories, shops, houses, churches, monuments and street furniture.

Forbes Outfitters and St. Andrews Church for example, provided the inspiration for their scaled down models, although others are adapted to suit a particular price point or subject.

The station and trackside buildings are inspired by actual structures but again in some cases adapted to suit manufacturing constraints.

The buildings are created from high quality die cast resin and are made to represent the fictional village of Lyddle End, somewhere in England.

In July 2023 Hornby acquired a 25% share in Warlord Games, a company that produces historical tabletop wargames.

[31] An attempt to build the world's longest model railway formed the final episode of James May's Toy Stories.

[33][34] Hornby was heavily involved, providing the track and the prototype of their OO gauge British Rail Class 395 Javelin train.

[35] In 2019 the mini-series James May's Big Trouble in Model Britain was broadcast on BBC Four, which the channel described as, 'A year inside Hornby Hobbies – an iconic British toymaker on the brink of collapse.