Peco
UK manufacturer of model railway track and accessories.
PECO is a UK-based manufacturer of model railway accessories, particularly trackwork, based at Pecorama, Beer in South Devon, England. The company supplies products for a wide range of gauges including Z, TT:120, N, 00, H0, 0, Gauge 1, and various narrow gauges. Its primary product lines are track systems, with two main types: PECO Set-track for less-experienced modellers and PECO Streamline for more experienced modellers.
Quick Facts
- Founded
- 1946
- Founder
- Sydney Pritchard
- Hq Location City
- Beer, Seaton, Devon
- Hq Location Country
- United Kingdom
- Area Served
- Worldwide
- Industry
- Hobbies
- Products
- Model railway products / Setrack, Streamline and Individualay modular track components / Model scenery
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
PECO was founded in 1946 by Sydney Pritchard in a small cottage. The company now distributes its products globally. PECO is the collective name for the Pritchard Patent Product Company Ltd, Peco Publications and Publicity Ltd, and Pecorama. The company owns several well-known model companies including Ratio, Wills, Modelscene (formerly 'Merit'), Parkside by PECO (formerly 'Parkside & Dundas'), and Harburn Hobbies in Edinburgh. Peco Publications & Publicity Ltd publishes the monthly magazines Railway Modeller and Continental Modeller, as well as a large range of booklets on wiring, scenics, baseboard construction, and outdoor railways.
Reader's Guide
PECO's significance lies in its comprehensive track systems that serve modellers of all skill levels. The Set-track system provides rigid curves, straights, crossings and points in standard British geometry, designed for less-experienced modellers or those who prefer not to build trackwork from scratch. The Streamline system offers a wider variety of points and crossings at different radii, with options for flat bottom rail (Code 100, Code 83, Code 75) and bullhead rail since 2019. The company's track systems have evolved from Electrofrog and Insulfrog ranges to the Unifrog range introduced in 2019, which features an electrically isolated metal frog that can be energised via a wire connection. PECO's 00/H0 track is scaled for H0, which is commercially understandable given the company serves both the smaller UK market (mainly 00) and larger European/US markets (mainly H0). The company also produces PECO Trackside building kits and scenic items, a small range of rolling stock and locomotives, and the PECOlectrics brand for electronic control systems, point motors and switches. Pecorama, the tourist attraction that included model railway displays and the Beer Heights Light Railway, closed in November 2025.
Did You Know?
- Peco Publications & Publicity Ltd publishes Railway Modeller and Continental Modeller magazines.
- Pecorama, the tourist attraction in Beer, Devon, closed in November 2025.
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