Monday, 15 January 2018

Micro Engineering: Over Half A Century Of Model Railroading

By Donna Turner


In 1964, Robert Rands decided to take his love and passion for building model trains to the next level. He saw a business opportunity, and that was what got Rail Craft Products going, which was the original name of the company. While starting small and at first only offering a few different products, the demand of their customers continued to grow, and so they offered more and more different products, and the company was renamed Micro Engineering to be a better reflection of this.

The first product that the Rail Craft company offered to its customers was a very special narrow gauge track that Robert Rands designed himself and was the first ever to manufacture. This was a new prototype that he specifically made to fit the HOn3 trains better than the existing tracks. All this was done so that the model tracks could better represent the real tracks that they are modeled after.

The Code 55 rail was a popular product that this company designed and manufactured. This led to them offering many other types and sizes of track, eventually leading to the highly popular Flex-Trak. It became necessary for the business to change its name since they were offering a more and more diverse range of products.

Bob's son Ron brought his own passion and enthusiasm to the company in 1972. Later came Ron's brother Richard, who joined in 1981. Although Richard had other business plans and decided to leave the company in 1997, the products that he developed are still available today, so he has left a lasting mark on the company.

This company moved into a bigger building in 1984. This was so they could develop new products and offer the wide range that they do today. Their new tool and die shop contains equipment like CNC milling machines, tooling, and injection molding machines.

It is always a great bringer of confidence when trying to decide which company to go with to buy these kinds of products from when they have been around for a long time and clearly have a passion for model trains. This particular company celebrated their 50-year anniversary in 2014. Bob Rands and his company is still just as enthusiastic about model railroading as he ever was.

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.




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