In The Cradle of Industry and Liberty

BACHMANN
INDUSTRIES, INC.
@
Right: Cover of Bachmann’s
1955 Plasticville ® U.S.A. catalog.
Below: Back of Bachmann’s Solarex ®
Sunglasses 1965 catalog.
Opposite, top: Bachmann’s Birds of the
World collection from their Paint by
Number 1965 brochure.
Opposite, bottom: Bachmann is the only
model train company to offer HO, N, O,
On30 and G scale lines.
Bachmann Industries began in Philadelphia
in 1833 as a manufacturer of Spanish combs
for ladies of the Southern
aristocracy. One hundred
eighty-two years later, the
company is the world’s
largest supplier of model
railroad equipment.
The firm has survived
and grown over the decades
by adapting to changing
times and reconfiguring its
product lines in response to
popular demand.
The company was founded
by Henry Carlisle who
fashioned horn, ivory and
tortoise shell into the
beautiful Spanish combs so
desired by elegant Southern
ladies. Following the Civil
War, the company diversified
into other hair ornaments
as well as umbrella
handles. In 1899, Carlisle
merged with a competing
company operated by master carver Henry G.
Bachmann and his son, Walter J. Bachmann.
In 1912 the company adapted to changing
times and began using a new material called
celluloid to manufacture eyeglass frames.
After Henry Bachmann’s death in 1914, the
company changed its name to Bachmann
Brothers. In 1929, Bachmann Brothers moved
to more spacious headquarters at 1400 East
Erie Avenue in Philadelphia, where it remains
today. The company continued to specialize in
injection molding and was the first American
company to manufacture sunglasses.
During World War II, the company manufactured
products to support the war effort,
including sunglasses for the U.S. Army and
U.S. Army Air Force, along with protective
eye devices and submarine battery caps.
During this era, the company came under the
control of J. C. and B. H. Crowther, nephews
of the Bachmanns.
In the post-war years, the company’s
product line included Birds of the World
model kits, shooting glasses, and ski goggles.
Its popular Solarex ® sunglasses were worn
worldwide. Bachmann used its expertise in
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