Wm. K. Walthers

Lore & Background

Wm. K. Walthers, Inc., was officially founded in Milwaukee in 1932, though its roots trace to when seven-year-old William K. Walthers received a wind-up toy train for Christmas. He built an attic layout of scratch-built creations and wrote articles on train control and signaling systems. Requests from other modelers led him to manufacture those items, and his first ad in the May issue of The Model Maker offered a 24-page, 15¢ catalog listing rail, couplers, and electrical supplies. First-year sales exceeded US$500.00, and by 1935 the catalog had grown to over 80 pages.

Within five years, Walthers moved to larger quarters on Erie Street, where everything from milled wood parts to metal castings to decals was made in-house. In 1937, a new line in HO Scale appeared in the catalog. Bill brought operating layouts to the 1939 World's Fair, boosting the hobby. After Bill retired in 1958, his son Bruce took over. In 1960, Walthers became a full-line distributor of other manufacturers' products while expanding its own lines. By the early 1970s, Bruce's son Phil had joined the company.

Under Phil, the company expanded and diversified, establishing the Walthers Importing Division and becoming exclusive North American distributor for several European brands. The manufacturing plant was modernized. Code 83 track was introduced in 1985, and the Cornerstone Series buildings debuted in 1990. The Train Line Deluxe Sets and locomotives launched in 1994. In 2005, Walthers purchased Life-Like from Lifoam Industries, acquiring the Proto lines that became the backbone of its locomotive and rolling stock segments. The Proto 2000 line enabled full passenger train subscription sets made entirely in-house.

Reader's Guide

Walthers is considered one of the largest manufacturers, distributors, and retailers of passenger cars from the 1930s to the present. Its product lines span multiple scales and price tiers: WalthersProto (highest quality, acquired with Life-Like), WalthersMainline (middle tier), WalthersTrainline (starter tier), WalthersTrack (HO Code 83 and Code 100), Walthers Cornerstone (buildings and accessories), Walthers SceneMaster (scenery and details), WalthersN (N scale), Walthers Controls (electrical supplies), and Walthers Tools & Screws. The company sells both its own products and those from over 200 other manufacturers.

In recent years, changes in American retailing have hit the hobby industry hard. Some blamed vertically integrated companies like Walthers for putting small suppliers and local hobby shops out of business, though the retail trends were more the result of mail-order evolving into online retailing. Walthers responded by creating online shopping sites and using MSRP on most products to help small retailers remain price competitive. The company participated in Milwaukee's 2010 National Train Show, presented by the NMRA, which was founded in Milwaukee in 1935.

Did You Know?

• William K. Walthers began the company after writing articles on train control and signaling systems led to requests from other modelers.
• The first Walthers catalog in 1932 was 24 pages and cost 15¢.
• Walthers purchased Life-Like from Lifoam Industries in 2005, acquiring the Proto 2000 line.
• The Cornerstone Series buildings, launched in 1990, combine a freight car with a related industry to enhance layout realism.