Its roots date back to 1901, when founder Frank Hornby received a patent for his Meccano construction toy. The first clockwork train was produced in 1920. From 1938, Hornby’s genius was to launch its first 00 gauge known as ‘Hornby Dublo’, which allowed for complex layouts to be built on a smaller budget and in a smaller space, taking into account the modest size of the average British living room.