Hornby Railway Collectors' Association
The Leading Society for Vintage Hornby Trains 1920 to 1965
Welcome to our world! HRCA members have been playing trains for 56 years: 1969-2025
HRCA celebrated 55th anniversary year with exhibitions at Newark and Gaydon!
The Hornby Railway Collectors Association (HRCA) was formed in 1969, and in 2024 celebrated its 55th Anniversary. We hosted a special two day exhibition in April 2024 with record attendance by HRCA members and public. (See our Gallery for images from the event). Our Autumn exhibition was once again held at the British Motor Museum with over 300 members and guests attending.
Our next HRCA exhibitions will be held on Saturday 26th April 2025 at Swindon, and on Saturday 4th October 2025 at Gaydon.
Back by popular demand, the event will once again be held in the Great Western Steam Museum, Swindon.
Over 20 traders selling a wide range of Hornby O Gauge, Dublo and Meccano products. Layouts and displays including Hornby O gauge electric and clockwork layouts, Dublo 2 and 3 rail as well as AcHO plus Bayko, Dinky and Meccano displays.
HRCA Members will have free admission to the event which starts at 10am. If you aren't yet an HRCA member, then do consider joining us to enjoy free entry to this and other exhibitions.
The venue has a café serving meals, drinks and snacks (parking is chargeable).
Benefits of Membership
If you'd like to attend future events, and aren't yet an HRCA member, you are very welcome to join us now.
Joining is quick and easy online, or you can send a cheque by post.
Click here to see our full membership fees and join online using our Subscription Wizard.
- 10 journals per year packed full of articles and information
- Spares and Repairs Directory containing over 100 suppliers of parts and services
- Auction sales of members and family's collections
- Access to the Members' area of this website, discussion Forum, Wiki, journal indexes and detailed events diary
- Local area groups, some with regular formal meetings, others organising specialist meetings, exhibitions and sales
- Archive drawings, copies of many original Meccano Ltd drawings available for research or reproduction of parts
- Model insurance, we are able to advise the names of two specialist model railway insurers. (We cannot however recommend an insurer due to financial law)
- Valuation service for Executors and Trustees of deceased member's collections
- Library service for copies from, or loans of, back issues of the Hornby Railway Collector
- Journal back issue service, sale of complete new or second-hand issues
- Association regalia, fleeces, embroidered pullovers, etc
Join as a Paper or Online Member
Paper Members receive hardcopy journals and other publications, Online Members access journals via this website.
For just £20 you can become an Online HRCA member and gain access to all Journals, events and auctions. This class of membership applies to UK and World Wide applications. You will be emailed each journal or can access it via our website. With this type of 'eco-friendly' membership no paper copies of The Journal would be sent by post. Our Spares and Repairs Directory is also accessable online.
If you prefer to be sent a paper copy of our Journal and Spares Directory, then UK Paper Membership is priced at £28 and Overseas Paper Membership at £48. This includes a £3 joining fee to cover postage of the welcome pack. The £3 joining fee is waved if you take out a Direct Debit Mandate with the HRCA.
Enjoy free entry to all events as part of your HRCA Membership!
HRCA In the Media!
British Railway Modelling magazine has published an article and FOUR videos about the HRCA! The article appeared in the January 2023 issue, with accompanying YouTube videos. We're also pleased to announce that we will feature in Collectors' Gazette later in Spring 2023. The HRCA will feature in the Gazette's popular series 'Meet The Model Club'.
Click here to view the media articles and videos
Perhaps you'll recognise your childhood toys via a video reminder?
Click here to view some videos featuring Hornby Trains
Let us introduce ourselves and outline what the association does.....
Did you ever play with Hornby 0-gauge or Dublo? Then you'll enjoy this website. Society members organise many area meetings throughout the country. The HRCA produces a monthly journal ('the Collector'), and has links with a number of sister organisations abroad. There are thousands of us across the country and round the world - join us! Certain parts of this website are for members only including a Forum and Wiki.
The HRCA is a non-profit-making organisation, founded to stimulate interest and facilitate communication among collectors and operators of Hornby Trains and accessories, specifically the '0' Gauge, Dublo & Acho ranges, as manufactured by Meccano Ltd. in their British factories up to 1965 and overseas up to 1973. Feel free to browse the website to get more information about the society and its functions, and be sure to consider applying for membership.
The HRCA has around 2,000 members world wide interested in Vintage Hornby trains manufactured by Meccano Ltd:
- Hornby O-gauge clockwork and electric (1920 to 1965)
- Hornby Dublo 3-rail clockwork and electric (1938 to 1965)
- Hornby Dublo 2-rail electric (1959 to 1965)
- Hornby Acho 2-rail electric (1960 to 1973)
Membership of the HRCA affords many benefits:
- Monthly 40+ page colour journal the 'Hornby Railway Collector' (excluding January & July) Click here to view Sample Journals
- Directory of Replacement and Repair Services lists around 100 suppliers (both on-line and in hardcopy)
- Details of local area groups
- Auction sales for members only (online catalogue with photos of each lot)
- Annual Model Railway Exhibition and AGM
- Library and back issue services for the journal
- Association Regalia (badges, embroidered pullovers, etc.)
- Access to the members' area of this website
- Lively on-line discussion Forum
- On-line access to all Journals (right back to issue 1 in 1969 when the HRCA was formed!)
- Detail diary of events and local area group meetings
- On-line access to a growing list of original Catalogues and Publication
You are welcome to browse this website and visit the Photo Gallery. Click here to see the full list of membership rates and application forms.
The HRCA now has a presence on Facebook! Whilst our Forum, Wiki, Auction Catalogues, On-line Journals (and more) remain in the 'members only' arena, you are very welcome to post your pictures and comments on our Facebook pages. If you like what you see then please do consider becoming an HRCA member. Our membership rates are very reasonable and we even take Direct Debits and PayPal these days!
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<-- Click here to visit the HRCA's main Facebook Page |
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<-- Click here to visit the 'Hornby 0 Gauge Trains - HRCA' Facebook Page (Facebook login required to join this 'closed group') |
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<-- Click here to visit the 'Hornby Dublo Trains - HRCA' Facebook Page (Facebook login required to join this 'closed group') |
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H.R.C.A. Ltd is a company limited by guarantee, incorporated in England and Wales with registered number 11146345, whose registered office is at 6 Manchester Road, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 6SB