Frank Hornby

During the 1930s he was declared a millionaire and owned a huge mansion in Maghull, and travelled in a chauffeur-driven limousine to work.

He breathed his last on September 21, 1936 in Lancashire, England. His son Roland introduced the ‘Hornby Dublo Model’, a railway system, two years later in the honor of the great inventor.

Born on 15th May, 1863, in Liverpool, Frank Hornby was the son of Martha and John Oswald Hornby.

At the age of 16 he left school, and began working as a cashier in his father’s business. Later he disclosed that he did not believe in traditional education and was quite inspired after reading self-help by Samuel Smiles.

In 1899 after his father died, the family business was closed, and Hornby took a job as a bookkeeper with David Hugh Elliot in his meat importing business in Liverpool.

During his tenure with David, precisely in 1899, Hornby started making toys, especially for his two little boys in a workshop he had set up at home. The toys were made from simple materials often from a long sheet metal.

Initially, the pieces were not interchangeable, but he soon realized the potential of interchangeable components that can be bolted together in different fashion every time to make a new model.

By 1900, Hornby had simplified the designs, and instead of making permanent fixtures he created parts that could be joined in different manner using bolts and nuts. He knew that he was ready to market his products.

In 1901, by borrowing a small amount of money from David Elliot, Hornby bought a patent for his products. This invention later came to be known as ‘Improvements in Toy or Educational Devices for Children and Young People’. Elliot realized the immense potential in this business started to back him up financially, and a business partnership started.

Hornby revolutionized the concept of toy-making based on engineering principles. He devised the concept of creating different models with the same components which are not only interchangeable but flexible and can be bolted together without bolts and screws. He founded the toy manufacturing company ‘Meccano Ltd.’ and also introduced clockwork trains and Dinky toys.