Lima (models)

Lore & Background

Lima (Lavorazione Italiana Metalli e Affini) was founded in 1946 as a parts supplier for the Italian state railway. In 1948, it switched its aluminium casting capability to producing toy boats, trains, and cars. By 1953, it began manufacturing a low-budget model range, and by 1962 it was producing French, Belgian, Dutch, and German models. Less than ten years later, Lima was one of the largest model manufacturers in the world, serving markets in the United States, Australia, Britain, and South Africa. In 1977, the British model range switched from H0 to 00 gauge. Starting in 1982, Lima gradually moved into the higher-quality market in mainland Europe with better mechanisms such as central can motors, flywheels, and all-bogie power.

In the United Kingdom, Lima focused heavily on the British range in the late 1980s, expanding due to British Rail's Sectorisation strategy. Its capability to do small production runs of around 500 units—compared to Hornby's minimum of 4,000—allowed its UK distributor, Riko International, to provide models within weeks of a prototype's rollout. By the mid-1990s, Lima had a swollen UK product range of over 300 models, some of questionable quality, producing five or more new schemes a month. A clearance campaign in 1993 stimulated sales but shifted demand to the second-hand market. Riko International went into receivership in 1999, and replacement distributor The Hobby Company commissioned further repaints and a new model, the Class 66. Lima's last completely new model was the Class 67, delivered in early 2000.

For the North American market, Lima produced H0 models that initially matched competitors' quality but later fell behind in detail and running characteristics. It also entered N scale early, selling some fancifully decorated stock under the A.H.M. brand. In Europe, Lima's catalogue concentrated on French, German, Italian, and Swiss equipment, and it was among the first to produce scale models from Scandinavian countries. In Australia, Lima entered in 1970 with models for New South Wales and Victoria, though some were not true representations—the XPT was a repaint of the British HST. Lima's limited-edition capability allowed production runs of 550 to 850 units, and it took commissions from shops that purchased entire runs, producing over 100 different models this way.

Reader's Guide

Lima's significance lies in its role as a mass-market manufacturer that made model railways accessible to a wide audience through affordable pricing and broad geographic distribution. Its flexibility in small production runs allowed it to quickly respond to prototype introductions, particularly in the UK during the Sectorisation era, and to produce limited editions and commissioned models that catered to niche markets. However, market pressures from superior Far Eastern products in the mid-1990s led to Lima merging with Rivarossi, Arnold, and Jouef; these consolidations failed, and operations ceased in 2004. Hornby Railways acquired Lima's assets—including tooling, inventory, and brand names—for €8 million, later re-releasing many Lima models under the Hornby International brand with NEM couplings, sprung buffers, and DCC decoder sockets. The demise of Lima left a supply gap for key British diesel and electric locomotive classes, but Hornby's re-releases and updated models have preserved many of Lima's toolings. In Australia, Lima's cheap models remained popular with beginners and were often super-detailed by experienced modellers. The company's legacy is that of a prolific producer whose output, while variable in quality, filled a crucial niche in the global model railway market.

Did You Know?

• Lima's UK distributor Riko International could provide models within weeks of a prototype's rollout due to small production runs of around 500 units.
• Lima produced over 100 different limited-edition models commissioned by shops that purchased entire production runs.
• Hornby Railways acquired Lima's assets for €8 million in 2004 and later re-released many models under the Hornby International brand.