Category:Hornby ACHO

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Toy Brands and Manufacturers

Hornby ACHO

1960 - 1973


Goods Train set 6137, box lid

Goods Train set 6137, box lid [image info]

Meccano Paris introduced HOrnby acHO, their own tabletop railway format, in 1960.

Delay to market

Although Hornby Dublo had been launched (with a small number of models) just before World War Two, and the range had blosssomed when production eventually restarted in earnest after the war, the Dublo range was not well suited for the French market, as it seemed to consist entirely of very British-looking trains and rolling stock.

As with Dinky Toys, the French tabletop railway range needed to be optimised for the French and Continental market, and with model railways there was also the complication of exact scale: while Britain and continental Europe had both standardised on track that was half the size of Gauge 0 (which was 7mm/foot), the British market, encouraged by Henry Greenly, had decided to standardise on slightly over-scale superstructure and accessories (4mm/foot), whereas the continental market, was tending towards having the superstructure to the same scale as the track, at 3.5mm/foot. We therefore ended up with two different scales, "00" gauge in the UK, and "H0" (half O) on the Continent. While the two standards were not hugely different, HO was seven-eighths of the size of 00-gauge, which was just enough to be annoying, and to spoil the line of a run of locos and rolling stock.

Since localising Dublo wasn't really an option, Meccano France had to wait until it was really sure that it could get away with creating an entirely independent and self-sufficient range just for the French and European market, without being able to pad it out with Dublo items, or gain much extra income from selling French items into the UK as additions to the Dublo range.

The one product that they were able to sell into the UK market was their elevated track, system, as the 00 and H0 track was physically the same size.

1963: HO Elevated Track system, in the UK catalogue


Meccano Paris finally took the plunge in 1960, and rapidly produced a decent range of model railways, earning a significant market share.

Branding

The French range continued the phonetic theme established by "Hornby Dublo". Where Dublo used the "Double-Oh" format, the French counterpart, using "H-Oh" format was called ACHO (or HOrnby acHO)

Mid-Sixties

Around ~1964-ish, the collapse of Meccano Ltd. in the UK and the company's takeover by Lines Brothers (Tri-ang) killed off Hornby Dublo, and in France, the ACHO range found itself supplemented by some of Triang's model railway range that had been aimed at the US and Canadian market, and whose scale was therefore already fairly HO-ish. Sensibly, the catalogues distinguished between the Triang and ACHO models (although the Tri-ang range appeared at the the front of the catalogue).

1966-1967 range:

model numbers prefixed with an "R" are imported products from the Tri-ang range

LOCOMOTIVES

  • 6370 – Railcar 425 CV complete
  • 6372 – Loco CC 7107 Price to be determined
  • 6392 – Loco BB 12.061 detailed, front and rear lights pantograph current collectors with inverter
  • 6386 – Detailed BB Loco, with lights
  • 6340 – Diesel Loco 060 DB
  • 6350 – Shunting diesel locomotive C 61006
  • 6380 – Loco BB 16009
  • 6360 – Steam Loco 131
  • 6382 – Loco BB 8144 (4 windows)
  • 6390 – Loco BB 12061 (with central cab)

MECCANO-HORNBY TRAINS

"Ille de France" freight train
  • 6120 – with transformer B 110 V
  • 6122 – with transformer B 220 V
  • 6130 – with battery box
Passenger train "European"
  • 6124 – with transformer B 110 V
  • 6126 – with transformer B 220 V
  • 6132 – with battery box

HORNBY-ACHO TRAINS

  • 6100 – "L'Aquilon" passenger train (without transformer)
  • 6150 – "Le Vendéen" passenger train (without transformer)
  • 6200 – "Le Picard" freight train (without transformer)

TRI-ANG TRAINS

  • R 640 – Victorian Train with "Lord of the Isles" loco
  • R 354 – "Lord of the Isles" Loco
  • R 37 – Tender for "Lord 0f the Isles" loco
  • R 521 – Smoke capsules (box of 6) each
  • R 332 – Victoria Wagon
  • R 641 – Western train with "Davy Crockett" loco
  • R 448 – "Old Time" wagon
  • R 358S – Loco "Davy Crockett"
  • R 233 – Tender for "Davy Crockett" loco
  • R 346 – Stephenson Rocket Train
  • R 621 – Stephenson "Rocket" train car
  • RS 50 – Military train
  • RS 34 – "Transcontinental" train set
  • RS 52 – Pullman Blue Train Set
  • R 150S – Steam locomotive type 4-6-0 with tender
  • R 259S – Steam locomotive type 4-6-2 with tender
  • R 348 – "Giraffe" wagon
  • R 249 – "Explosive" Wagon
  • R 128 – "Helicopter launcher" wagon
  • R 216 – "Rocket launcher" wagon
  • R 342 – Car transport wagon

THE RHEINGOLD, CARS

  • 7444 – Saloon Car (Central Aisle)
  • 7446 – Dining Car
  • 7448 – Panoramic Wagon
  • 7450 – Compartment car (side corridor)

CARS AND WAGONS

  • 7310 – Bogie caboose
  • 7330 – 2nd Class Passenger Car
  • 7340 – First Class Passenger Car
  • 7360 – 1st class commuter car
  • 7350 – 2nd Class Commuter Car
  • 7370 – Stainless Bogie Car
  • 7390 – Dining Car with bogies
  • 7420 – Bogie Postal Car
  • 7999 – HOrnby-acHO Layouts Manual

FREIGHT CARS

  • 7000 – Caboose
  • 7010 – Skeleton gondola
  • 7020 – "Primagaz" tank car
  • 7030 – Cement wagon
  • 7040 – Covered Wagon
  • 7050 – Refrigerator wagon
  • 7060 – "CTC" grain wagon
  • 7070 – Chemical Wagon
  • 7080 – Gondola
  • 7082 – Gondola with coal load
  • 7090 – "Simotra" ore transport wagon
  • 7100 – "Esso" Tank Car
  • 7120 – Insulated milk wagon
  • 7130 – "Evian" covered wagon
  • 7160 – Axle carrier wagon
  • 7170 – Stake Flat Car
  • 7172 – Flatbed car with load of wood
  • 7180 – Low Side Car
  • 7240 – Covered bogie wagon
  • 7250 – "BP" tank wagon with bogies
  • 7260 – "Arbel" wagon with bogies
  • 7262 – "Arbel" wagon with ore load
  • 7270 – Bogie Dropside Car
  • 7280 – Bogie Gondola
  • 7282 – Bogie gondola with sand load
  • 7290 – Coal wagon with bogies

STATIONS

  • 6948 – Railway crossing
  • 6902 – Freight station
  • 6920 – Removable signal box
  • 6910 – Plastic station platform
  • 6580 – Lighting for accessories
  • 6900 – Removable plastic station

SLOPE ELEMENTS

  • 6750 – Box of slope elements n° 1
  • 6800 – Box of slope elements n° 2

THE SUSPENSION BRIDGE

  • R 269 – Extension of the suspension bridge
  • R 264 – Suspension bridge

External links

Media in category ‘Hornby ACHO’

The following 2 files are in this category, out of 2 total.

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