Manufacturers/Importers alive and kicking in 1959, but gone now.
June, 1959, Model Railroader
Inside front cover ad: Mantua (Some items available from Model Power)
Page 6:
Hobbytown of Boston (HO scale diesel locomotives), Lloyd's (HO circus car kits), Rex (S scale cars and locomotives), Howell Day (HO car kits)
Page 7:
Main Line Models (O and HO car kits), Baldwin Model Locomotive Works (O scale locomotives)
Page 8:
Max Gray (importer of O and HO brass), M.B. Austin (early brass importer), Warren Locomotive (lost wax castings) -
Page 9:
Model Railroad Products (HO, S and O rail), Lobaugh (O scale locomotive kits).
Page 11:
Gnome Models (track, originally Midlin), Model Engineering Works (various items, including brass locomotives toward the end).
Page 12
Binkley Models (car kits and other items), E. Suydam & Co (HO building kits and importer of brass traction items - buildings now made by Alpine)
page 14:
Arden Scale Models (advertises a flywheel for the Athearn ruuber band drive F-7).
Page 15:
Dyna-Model Products (HO buildings and accessories), Selley (detail castings, now produced by Bowser unless they've dropped that too).
Page 18:
Permacraft Products (scenery colors), Clover Custom Decals
Page 42:
Scintilla (Model railroad power supplies).
Page 49: Pennsylvania Scale Models (Bowser took them over, IIRC). Interestingly enough, Special Shapes ( a supplier of brass structural shapes for modelers) is still in business: http://www.specialshapes.com/
Page 50:
J-C Models (HO passenger car kits), Modelmaster Car Works (O & HO scale spikes), Universal Model Products Co. (electrical items mostly) , Rail Line (horn hook couplers and associated bits, IIRC they may have made other items, but I don't remember what they were).
Page 51:
Sims Laboratories Limited (pwer chassis for the Hobbyline plastic NKP Berkshire), Electronic Controls Co. (power supplies and electrical items)
Page 57:
Kemtron (brass detail parts). I probably shouldn't count this as essentially its entire line is produced by PSC.
Page 59:
Tru-Scale (track supplies, building kits, rolling stock, etc, the Silver Streak part of its business is now put out by Ye Olde Huff N Puff).
Page 60:
Milled Shapes Inc (brass structural shapes)
Page 62:
Pacific Fast Mail (brass engines), HP Products (TT scale trains)
Pafe 67:
Penn Line (HO scale trains with the emphasis on Pennsylvania steam - Bowser took over the line and produced the steam kits until recently)
Page 69:
Authenticast (HO coal loader), Alexander Scale Models (building kits and parts - now produced by Tomar)
Outside rear cover:
Varney (locos, cars, train sets, detail parts - Varney was one of the big boys)
As for hobby shops, pp 70- 73 list hobby shops at the time. The (Original) Whistle Stop in Pasadena is listed as being at 3745 E. Colorado Blvd. Current address is 2490 E Colorado Blvd. Allied Models is in Culver City whereas in 1959, it was in LA. Franciscan Hobbies in SF is also still in business on the same street but at a different address. As for the rest, who knows?
There were 216 hobby shops in the listings in June, 1959 and 282 (6 in Europe) listed in June 2010. How many total shops there are (or were) in the country is indeterminate as not all hobby shops listed themselves in 2010 (or 1959 for that matter).
As for the big mail order houses (the one's the bricks and mortars guys complained about back then),
America's Hobby Center, E&H Model Hobbies, Madison Hardware, Allied Hobbies (in Philly), Polk's Model Craft Hobbies (there is a Polk's spinoff, but it does R/C planes, cars, etc). All gone
I have to admit to being a bit surprised of the 50 year old stuff still available even if not from original sources. I just wonder how sell it's selling
Andre
andrechapelon Page 6: Hobbytown of Boston (HO scale diesel locomotives), Lloyd's (HO circus car kits), Rex (S scale cars and locomotives), Howell Day (HO car kits)
Hey Andre,
Not entirely surprising. Mind you I always find it interesting how many manufacturers put out the same product.When you look at Vollmer,and Faller and Heljan,you find many of the building kits have been produced by all of them and then they seem to make them for Model Power and a few of the others.
Also the last time I checked the Howell Day and Red Ball line kits are still being produced ( albeit in small runs ) by the Model railroad Warehouse.
I wonder what thigns will look like in another 50 years.
Rob