O Scale 1945-69 Model Trains
The years 1945 to 1969 proved to be the most difficult years for the O scale model. It was just after the Second World Ward and Great Depression and model train companies barely survived. Lionel and American Flyer are some of the survivors while the rest closed due to decreased in sale. The O scale was ignored for a while in favor of smaller N and HO scale model which will cost less in production and would be more affordable to hobbyists and children. UK, who has their own measurement for model scales didn’t gather enough supporters for the model scale which pushed large manufacturers to stop producing O scale models.
But even though these were “dark times” in terms of sales and demand, these were also the time for great improvement for the O scale model. Instead of being a mere toy, manufacturers focused on quality and because of the size of O scale model, detailing is never a problem and improving parts were easy. The O scale model during that time became a high end model scale because of its size as well as its price. Manufacturers around the world expanded their HO and N scale during these years while carefully improving their O scale model trains.