The Little World

I have just been doing my extensive professional research…that’s code for surfing the internet…and studied the 2018 catalogue for a firm that makes model trains. They are a historic firm that entered into the plastic toy trade at least 50 years ago from a long association with the tinware business. I had the privilege of meeting one of the founders in Germany some 23 year ago and was very impressed with their factory. Time has changed that – fortunes and lives passed away – but it would appear that the firm is back in business and making superb models again.

At least I hope they are. Unfortunately a great deal of the catalogue seems to be taken up with what could only be described as toy offerings rather than serious models. Perhaps that’s too hasty a judgement – they have used items that go back a very long way but have changed the liveries and presentation to make toy train sets for Christmas trees.

Of course, this may be what the market wants – what is cheerier than a Little World around a Christmas tree? But is is really what will cause the kids who get it to lust for more engines, cars, and trackwork? Or is it just a decorative novelty that goes back in a box for 12 months?

The real models – the big diesels, the big steam engine, etc, are glorious in a semiscale way, and would make any garden railroader proud. I tried to be just such a modeller decades ago and failed, but it wasn’t the fault of the models – I cannot garden or landscape for the life of me. The real problem now with them is the cost – they take serious old-guy superannuation money. And their European stock, which is more detailed and more to scale, is even more expensive.

I’m not sad. I have my own Little World a’building and a small collection of classic catalogues from the firm that are almost as good as owning the real stock. As they came considerably cheaper…they are better.