loading...

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Micro Engineering: Over Half A Century Of Model Railroading

By Donna Turner


This was a company that first got started in 1964, and its original name was Rail Craft Products. Robert Rands started off with a lifelong passion for model trains, but in the beginning, it was nothing more than a hobby for him. As he continued with this hobby, it soon became his passion, and from that passion sprang a business called Micro Engineering Company that brings the joy of model railroading to people all over the world.

The narrow gauge track that this company first offered was something that was specially designed by Bob Rands himself. He started to notice that HOn3 trains needed a different prototype of track both so that the trains could run better and so the track was a better representation of the actual track that it is modeled after. This company was the first one ever to manufacture this product, and this was also the first product that the company offered.

In the early days of Rail Craft Products, there were only a few products to choose from. However, their product range quickly grew and grew, starting off with the creation and manufacturing of the popular Code 55 rail. This led to many other sizes of tracks being offered, finally coming to the Flex-Trak, a very popular line, and eventually led to the company changing its name to represent a more diverse range of products.

It is clear that Bob passed his love of model trains on down to his children. Ron Rands, one of his sons, brought his own passion to the company in 1972. In 1981, Richard, another of Bob's sons, also decided to join, but he would later leave in 1997 to pursue other business ventures. Many of the products he developed can still be bought.

In 1984, it became necessary for this company to move their operations into a large building for a sufficient tool and die shop to design and create all of the products that they wanted to provide for their customers. The kinds of equipment that are necessary for this kind of shop includes things like tooling, injection molding machines, and CNC milling machines. This helped the company grow and become so successful.

Companies that have been around for longer have the advantage of being able to know exactly what their customers want and knowing the best way to deliver quality products that are exactly what their customers want. Having been in business for over 50 years, this company has plenty of experience. With that experience, they bring the same enthusiasm that they've always had.

People build models for all kinds of reasons, but one of the great benefits of partaking in this kind of hobby is that it can cause fine motor skills to improve. This is great for those who tend to be uncoordinated or clumsy and find themselves knocking things over left and right. Designing and setting up these tiny models can also improve handwriting over time.

The fun thing about these model setups is that they don't ever have to be finished. There are all kinds of accessories such as businesses, bridges, and foliage that can make any model railroad highly unique. The possibilities are limited only to the modeler's creativity.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment