Roundhouse HO Trains

By on Sunday, June 27th, 2010 | No Comments

Roundhouse began as a hobby store in Hollywood, California in 1938. It's founders were 2 musicians named Perry Botkin and Gerald Joyce, who also happened to be members of Bing Crosby's band.

C.H. Menteer and C.A. Voelckel, 2 employees of the store bought the store about 1 year later and launched the company's first kit in 1939. World War II forced the closing of the original store, and after the war the company re-emerged as Model Die Casting, Inc. The new company retained the Roundhouse name for their new line of products.

Model Die Casting became a success and the company was forced to expand 3 times over the years, eventually obtaining a location in Hawthorne, California, where it remained for nearly 40 years.

MDC moved to Carson City, Nevada in 1993. The company remained there until 2004, when it was purchased by Horizon Hobby, Inc.and relocated to Carson, California, where it remains today.