Alessandro Rossi was the founder of Rivarossi. It all started with a passion
for trains. When he was a small child, growing up in Italy, he was given a Meccano (Hornby) tin plated
clockwork toy train, and his mother built a railway station for him with old matchboxes. From that time forward
every year for Christmas Alessandro asked for more toy trains. His father bought him a subscription to the
Meccano magazine in English and in French when he was growing up. This is where Alessandro learned technical
terms related to trains.
In 1945, thanks to a small inheritance, Rossi bought a part of a factory that made electric commutators.
Riva was already an associate there, but quickly left the company, when he realized the new plans, and change
of product that Rossi had in mind. In Italy at that time, there were no producers of model trains.
Lima and Conti started shortly there after. The only makers of reference were
Märklin and Trix. Initial production was in 'OO' gauge,
used three rail track, alternating current, and was targeted at children. However, the first trains ran at speeds
in ratio to scale prototypes, thus were more realistic. Later production was for two rail track and used DC current.
Production for American markets was in HO gauge and began around 1950.
The American Streamliner Milwaukee Road Hiawatha Locomotive and tender was one of the first
locomotives produced by Rivarossi, and production ran from 1948 to 1954. The ones that have survived corrosion
and metal fatigue, have now reached high prices amongst collectors. The Rivarossi model showed a notable
resemblance to the actual Locomotive prototype, both in the paint scheme, and in it’s construction.
Rossi realized that the use of plastic (bakelite) would allow much more detailing than was possible with
metal, sheeting, or in metal fusion, and Rivarossi became the first train manufacturer to use it in
this sector.
Rivarossi is most famous for the manufacture of HO trains starting in 1957 that were licensed, packaged and
sold by Lionel as Lionel HO. In 1965 Pocher, a maker of high-end die cast collectable
kits was aquired by Rivarossi.
Rivarossi came out with an 'O' scale line in 1968. By 1970 Rivarossi had a workforce of 300.
In 1985 the US importer of Rivarossi products, AHM, went bankrupt, owing Rivarossi about the same amount
as the capital value of the firm.
Around 1998, Lima and Arnold were in bankruptcy and the tooling was sold
to Rivarossi. The Italian government landed the sorry mess on Rivarossi - they gained the dies etc
but at the cost of keeping the Italian factories open. Lima S.p.A. was established on December 27th 2001
from the merging of all previous companies belonging to the Rivarossi Group (Rivarossi, Arnold, Lima,
Jouef and Pocher). Starting from 27/03/2002 the head offices were moved to the new building in Via della Musia,
58 - 25135 Brescia.
Rivarossi itself has been bankrupt a number of times. Rivarossi's main manufacturing plant was located
in Como, Italy.
In 2002 the US importer folded leaving debts greater than the capital value of Rivarossi.
On December 16, 2004, Hornby announced the acquisition of the well known
European model train manufacturer Lima S.p.a, along with certain assets of the Rivarossi,
Jouef, Arnold and Pocher ranges.
The famous Italian brand, synonymous in the world of the finest quality railway modelling, is again in
the market with products for the Italian, German and American market. Many of the Rivarossi range of
Italian outline locomotives now made under the Hornby family feature NEM couplings and sprung buffers,
as well as are pre-fitted with a socket for a DCC decoder.
Link to Rivarossi products on the
Hornby web site.
