This is the second of four articles about the history of Kohrs Meat Packing Company, Red Ball Ltd HO scale model railroad kits, Bachmann Trains and a replica of a Kohrs Meat Packing Company reefer inspired from a Red Ball kit.
Many HO scale model railroad manufacturers created and offered scale model kits for hobbyists. Red Ball Ltd was one company that did so and offered a lot of detail in their kits.
1930's: Hobby companies were successfully issueing railcar or rolling stock kits with printed cardboard sides. This was idela for hobbyists who did not have the time, inclination or skills to scratch build their own.
1939: M. Dale Newton launched Red Ball Ltd in Los Angelas, CA. The company called M. Dale Newton Company listed Red Ball HO Trains as the brand name of the kits he manufactured.
1941: The Red Ball catalog confirms the production of numerous train kits, custom decals, mailing envelopes, letterhead stationary and calling cards for model builders. There was a diverse line of products with super details in three short years of production.
While Newton did not invent HO scale he was among a group of pioneering manufacturers who brought great detail to the model kits offered at the time. Red Ball's kits included: cast metal roof ribs, brake platform, doors, ends, roof end platforms, icing hatches and brake cylinders as required, accurately detailed three-plank roof walks and scribed floors. The doors in all box car kits have guides at the top and bottom to fit Red Ball's No. FTB15 door track. All rivets, braces and bolts are embossed into the side so the external detail on car sides was complete. The kits were so detailed there was nothing to build up or paste on after the sides are on. The castings and details were among thebest in the industry.
Red Ball also offered highly details structure kits.
July 1941 - 1945: It is unknown of exactly when, but sometime during World War II M. Dale Newton moved the manufacturing of Red Ball to Medford, OR. It is also unknown if Red Ball engage in defense production during the war. The manufacturing of HO scale kits was certainly affected due to th ematerials necessary for the war effort. After WWII Red Ball was ready to turn out high quality HO scale kits.
Mid 1940's - 1954: This was a boom time for HO and O scale kits. Hobbyists were demanding kits with better details. Red Ball responded to this demand and expanded quickly. Newton advertised in a 1954 edition of Model Railroader that if you sent him a clear photograph and information about any older box car or reefer with eye catching lettering and detail he would produce a kit of it.
As a result there were many kits to choose from with improved details that set high standards. Two people that helped contribute to the high standards and improved details during the post ware years were John Anderson, founder of Cal Scale, milled hundreds of the crisply detailed metal molds for Red Ball and Bill Pirie, of Albany, Oregon drew car sides for Red Ball. Bill and also worked for Southern Pacific and was a model railroader himself, so most of his designs were genuine prototypes but he invented others such as ‘Elwood’s Root Beer.’
1955: M. Dale Newton sold Red Ball to Howell Day of Dunellen, New Jersey. Day briefly moved the business to Elkhart, Indiana, but returned to Medford very shortly. He was an avid model railroader. an early model rail shop proprietor in Dunellen/Piscataway, NJ. He opened the famous”Model Railroad Shop” in 1933, and also advertised in the first issue of “Model Railroader” in 1954. He manufactured O scale kits under the “H Owen” brand and had introduced an HO PRR K4 kit prior to World War Two.
1955 - 1975: Howell Day continued of the Red Ball printed side car kits. Day continued the expansion of the Red Ball line to include dozens of unique prototype kits, well over 200 billboard refrigerator cars and over a hundred wood-style boxcars. He was an early importer of Japanese brass models that were also marketed under the Red Ball brand.
In 1956 he sold the very first HO styrene car kits, Kurtz Kraft’s PS1 boxcars and steel reefers, under the Red Ball brand for a period of time. By this time, the huge boom in plastic model aircraft was underway and had become clear that plastic was the wave of the future. ‘Ready to Run’ trains sets and cars were just around the corner, and the age of the craftsman railroad kit was ending. Although many manufacturers faded away, Red Ball continued.
1975: Howell Day retired. The Red Ball parts and kit line was aquired by Wabash Valley Lines, Inc. which is operated by Merle Rice’s Model Railroad Warehouse, MRRW. Rice managed Red Ball production and kit/tooling design for Wabash Valley since that time. Wabash Valley, a well known name to craftsman and collectors, produced the car sides on scribed wood by silk screening and pad printing.
Merle Rice added dozens of additional prototype specific kits and engineered the use of most Red Ball molds to produce injection molded styrene parts and kits. In this new “Age of Plastic”, MRRW differentiated the original wood and metal Red Ball line by using the name “Cannonball Car Shop” for the styrene kits.
December 7, 1989: M. Dale Newton passed away in Medrofd, OR.
December 19, 2005: Howell Day passed away in Florida.
2009: Red Ball turned 70 years old.
Over the last 70 years M. Dale Newton, Howell Day and Merle Rice continually added kits to the line. This resulted in Red Ball line has had well over a thousand different prototype cars issued, not just different paint schemes. Unlike some manufacturers that simply used a template, Red Ball issued different sides, trucks and detail parts each time they were required. This was unique in that very few printed side panels were identical in size, doors or ends. Red Ball has featured about 300 unique prototypes, each requiring their own crisply die cast metal parts. This has made these kits desirable to builders and collectors to this day.
2010 to Present Day: Production of Red Ball has been transfered to Rick Steele of LaBelle Wodworking Company in Cheyenne, WY. LaBelle is well equipped to continue the legacy of the Red Ball HO scale model kit line.
Bibliography:
Alan Bussie, "Red Ball Ltd – Pioneer HO Kit Manufacturer Since 1939", last modified October 11, 2010, https://www.oldmodelkits.com/blog/plastic-model-kit-history/red-ball-ltd-pioneer-ho-kit-manufacture-since-1939/
Related articles:
Kohrs Meat Packing Company, 40' Reefer Railcars, A Brief History
Bachmann Trains, A Brief History
HO Scale Model Railroad Railcars, Inspired Replica of a Kohrs Meat Packing Company Reefer
