Arnold & Hornby America

[spookshow]

Does anyone have any insider knowledge as to why Hornby elected to release their new U25C model under the "Arnold" label? Said model doesn't really have anything to do with the old Arnold-Rapido / Arnold-Rivarossi brands (acquired by Hornby circa 2004), but maybe they're banking on the fact that we N scalers are simply more familiar with the Arnold name than we are Hornby?

Thanks,
-Mark

[spookshow]

I see that Hornby is selling their North American HO scale models under the "Rivarossi" brand, so maybe that's just how they're differentiating the two scales? (IE Rivarossi=HO and Arnold=N?)

Cheers,
-Mark

[peteski]

I see that Hornby is selling their North American HO scale models under the "Rivarossi" brand, so maybe that's just how they're differentiating the two scales? (IE Rivarossi=HO and Arnold=N?)

Cheers,
-Mark

You might be onto something here.  Just a guess on my part too.  As with many other contemporary companies there might have been buyouts and mergers involved.

IIRC, Hornby now owns several brands: Arnold/Rapido, Rivarossi, Pocher (maker of museum-quality automotive models in 1:8 scale) and I think couple of others (like Jouef)

Um, I just went to their website and I see that they also own Humbrol (hobby paints), Airfix (plastic model kits), Corgi (die-cast models), and couple of slot-car brands.  Funny that they don't mention Arnold there.

They have also released lots of European prototype models in Europe: I won some locomotives and few Orient Express sets - all under the Arnold name.  If you go to reynaulds.com you can see a listing of the "new" (Hornby-owned) European Arnold models.

Hornby itself is based in UK and for some reaosn I thought that they were related to Bachmann.  Not sure though.

[rrjim1]

I was wondering about that also, the box has (ARNOLD) on top/sides/bottom, and on the bottom it also has Hornby Hobbies?

[spookshow]

Rivarossi acquired a number of brands back in the 90's (Arnold, Jouef, and Lima to name three), and Hornby acquired Rivarossi in 2004 (this all according to Wiki). I'm just trying to sort out how Hornby is now applying those old/defunct brand names to new models (particularly as it relates to North American N scale). Y'know, trivia for my website 

Cheers,
-Mark

[peteski]

Like I said, they have been using Arnold name for European N scale for few years now - probably the same will apply in USA.  Arnold/Rapido was always N scale manufacturer - seems that Hornby is continuing this specialization.

EDIT: speeling 

[spookshow]

That seems to make sense. And once I write it down, it will become official history 

Cheers,
-Mark

[Jamesn320]

Over here in the UK Hornby is a house hold name, when somebody says they have a Hornby locomotive there is no question as to what scale it is, it is OO.  If you look on their main website, for the UK, there is no mention of scales, it just goes right into the product range.  So I guess you are right, to avoid confusion they will use Arnold for N Scale.

-James

[Sokramiketes]

You've got it, they chose the Arnold name for their N scale line.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Pete, I think you are thinking of Farish. From what I understand, their models were made by Kader and the company was bought outright and reshuffled into Bachmann in the late 90's.

As for Arnold, there is a lot less separation in the Euro market. I am very sure they have re-run, updated and used previous Arnold tooling.

[Mark5]

Mark,

Hornby has been marketing Arnold (n) and Rivarossi (HO) all along like this in Europe (ever since they acquired the Rivarossi group some years back).

Mark

[spookshow]

Thanks, guys. Not nearly as mysterious as I first thought.

Cheers,
-Mark

[bbussey]

Rivarossi acquired a number of brands back in the 90's (Arnold, Jouef, and Lima to name three), and Hornby acquired Rivarossi in 2004 (this all according to Wiki). I'm just trying to sort out how Hornby is now applying those old/defunct brand names to new models (particularly as it relates to North American N scale). Y'know, trivia for my website 

It also could be that they have to use the names or lose the U.S. trademark rights, and they are doing so by using the "Arnold" name and marks on their N scale line and the "RivaRossi" name and marks on their HO scale line.

[Paradise275]

Could it be that they need to use the name for copyright protection?
I know automobile manufacturers will resurrect a model name to keep other manufacturers from using it, even if it was not originally used for the same make. ie a British Ford Zephyr was resurrected as a Lincoln Zephyr.

Rick

[N-Jineer]

Hornby, Frank - Inventor of Meccano in 1898 - 1901 (in the US you know it better as 'Erector Sets') - and the man who brought the train set to the masses in the form of OO gauge

When I was growing up in the 60's and 70's,every boy had a train set and it was a Tria-ang/Hornby OO gauge - we had never heard of N, T or Z - although we all drawled over the beautiful and very expensive O gauge steam engines if we were lucky enough (or was that if our behaviour was good enough  ) to go to a Model Railway Show.

Graham Farish in Dorest(?) was the UK N Gauge trailblazer who did indeed get swallowed up by Bachmann.