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Frank Hornby Facts & Worksheets

Frank Hornby is a British inventor known to be the founder of popular toy brands, namely Meccano, Dinky Toys, and Hornby Model Railways.

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Frank Hornby is a British inventor known to be the founder of popular toy brands, namely Meccano, Dinky Toys, and Hornby Model Railways. He used engineering principles in making toys even though he had no formal training in engineering.

See the fact file below for more information on the Frank Hornby or alternatively, you can download our 25-page Frank Hornby worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY YEARS AND THE DISCOVERY

  • Frank Hornby was born on May 15, 1863, and was the only son among the three children of John Oswald Hornby and Martha Thomlinson.
  • At 16, Hornby stopped schooling to work as a cashier in his father’s business; his father at the time was a provisions merchant.
  • In 1887, he married a schoolteacher named Clara Walker Godefroy with whom he had three children.
  • Frank worked as a bookkeeper for David Hugh Elliot’s meat importing business after his father’s business closed in 1899.
  • Making toys was Frank’s pastime. In 1899, he made toys out of sheet metal and other simple materials, for his two sons.
  • At first, his toy inventions weren’t interchangeable but Frank realized and thought of the possibility that different models could be built from the same components made out of several pieces.
  • He made the interchangeability possible by boring holes through the pieces to allow them to be bolted together and used for bearings.
  • Realizing the worth of his discovery in the market, Frank took out a patent for this and borrowed five pounds from Elliot, his employer, for the costs.

IN THE TOY INDUSTRY

  • As Frank pursued his toy discovery, he caught the attention of the head of the Engineering Department of Liverpool University, Henry Hele-Shaw.
  • This gave Frank the opportunity to be provided with supplies he needed to complete his invention.
  • In 1902, products of “Mechanics Made Easy”, the name Frank gave his venture, were made available. This was with the help of Elliot, who financed the project.
  • He started selling toy sets of 16 varied pieces together with a leaflet providing a guide on how to make different models, but this made no profit, even though he sold 1,500 toy sets until 1903.
  • In 1906, he and his colleagues made their first profits after introducing new sets.
  • In 1907, Hornby resigned as Elliot’s bookkeeper and began manufacturing his own parts, becoming known not just in Liverpool but also in other places.
  • Despite all the hardships, Frank Hornby founded his first toy company, Meccano Limited or Meccano Ltd., in 1908.
  • Frank Hornby did not limit himself to Meccano Ltd. and proceeded with Dinky toys.

MECCANO LTD. AND DINKY TOYS

  • Hornby had his products known with the brand “Meccano” and later established Meccano Ltd. which he solely owned because David Hugh Elliot pulled out his shares.
  • Shortly after founding, Hornby was able to open a branch in Paris, then later manufacturing bases in Berlin, Barcelona, and Elizabeth in New Jersey.
  • Eight years after establishing Meccano Ltd., Hornby released a monthly publication which he entitled Meccano Magazine, mainly to advertise the toy products.
  • The first train models appeared in 1920 and got much attention for being a “perfect” miniature of a true train, except they didn’t move.
  • In 1925, low-voltage electricity power was used in the train miniatures, allowing them to move.
  • Small train models gave an idea of miniature of vehicles and thus gave way to vehicle toys mainly made from alloy in 1933. These were known as “Dinky Toys”, from the British English word “dinky” which means “attractively small”.
  • In 1938, the Hornby Dublo model railways were introduced.

DEATH AND LEGACY

  • Frank Hornby died in 1936 due to heart failure.
  • Roland, one of Frank’s two sons, took over the company after his father’s death.
  • Frank made his name in the toy industry because of his ability to apply engineering principles in making toys. His legacy reached McReavy who wrote a book about him.

Frank Hornby Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Frank Hornby across 25 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Frank Hornby worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Frank Hornby who is a British inventor known to be the founder of popular toy brands, namely Meccano, Dinky Toys, and Hornby Model Railways. He used engineering principles in making toys even though he had no formal training in engineering.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Frank Hornby Facts
  • Timeline Train
  • Story Link
  • Jumbled Letters
  • Word Hunt
  • Match the Pic
  • Liverpool Wordscapes
  • Dinky Toys
  • Logo Quiz
  • Fun Time
  • Your Own Invention

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Link will appear as Frank Hornby Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, August 18, 2020

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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