PECO is a UK-based manufacturer of

model railway Railway modelling (UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland) or model railroading (US and Canada) is a hobby in which rail transport systems are modelled at a reduced scale. The scale models include locomotives, rolling stock, streetcars, t ...

accessories, especially trackwork, based at

Pecorama Pecorama (or Pecorama Pleasure Gardens) is a tourist attraction on the hillside above the village of Beer, Devon, in southwest England, that includes a display of many model railways, gardens, a shop, and the Beer Heights Light Railway. The att ...

Beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

South Devon South Devon is the southern part of Devon, England. Because Devon has its major population centres on its two coasts, the county is divided informally into North Devon and South Devon.For exampleNorth DevonanSouth Devonnews sites. In a narrower se ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. PECO is the collective name for the Pritchard Patent Product Company Ltd, Peco Publications and Publicity Ltd, and

. Founded in 1946 by Sydney Pritchard in a small cottage, PECO now distributes its products globally.

Products

The company supplies products for

Z gauge Z (or z) is the 26th and last letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its usual names in English are ''zed'' () and ''zee'' (), with an occasi ...

, TT:120 scale,

N gauge N scale is a popular model railway scale. Depending upon the manufacturer (or country), the scale ranges from 1:148 to 1:160. In all cases, the ''gauge'' (the distance between the rails) is . The term N ''gauge'' refers to the track dimensions, ...

, 00 gauge,

H0 gauge HO or H0 is a rail transport modelling scale using a 1:87 scale (3.5 mm to 1 foot). It is the most popular scale of model railway in the world. The rails are spaced apart for modelling standard gauge tracks and trains in HO. NMRA"Mo ...

0 gauge O scale (or O gauge) is a scale commonly used for toy trains and rail transport modelling. Introduced by German toy manufacturer Märklin around 1900, by the 1930s three-rail alternating current O gauge was the most common model railroad sca ...

Gauge 1 1 gauge, gauge 1 or gauge one is a model railway and toy train standard that was popular in the early 20th century, particularly with European manufacturers. Its track measures , making it larger than 0 gauge but slightly smaller than wide gauge, ...

, and

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

products for N6.5/Nn3, OO9,

H0m H, or h, is the eighth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''aitch'' (pronounced , plural ''aitches''), or regio ...

, O16.5,

SM32 16 mm to 1 foot or 1:19.05 is a popular scale of model railway in the UK which represents narrow gauge prototypes. The most common gauge for such railways is , representing gauge prototypes. This scale/gauge combination is sometimes re ...

and

G scale Large scale or G scale (, G gauge) is a track gauge for model railways which is often used for outdoor garden railways because of its size and durability. G scale trains use a fixed track gauge of to accommodate a range of rail transport m ...

. The primary product ranges are its track systems. Other product lines include ''PECO Trackside'' – building kits and scenic items in gauges O, OO, TT and N – and a small range of

rolling stock The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles can ...

and locomotives, both kits and ready-to-run, for gauges N and OO9.

Track systems

There are two main types of PECO track system: PECO Set-track and PECO Streamline. Set-track consists of a range of rigid curves, straights, crossings and points (turnouts), made to the standard British

geometry Geometry (; ) is, with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. It is concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. A mathematician who works in the field of geometry is ...

. It is similar to the track components supplied with train-sets, and is designed for the needs of less-experienced modellers, or those experienced modellers who do not want to spend a lot of time building trackwork. However, where part of a desired layout cannot be built using Set-track parts, Streamline components can be utilised as required. PECO Streamline is for the more experienced modeller. The range includes a wider variety of points and crossings, at different

radii In classical geometry, a radius ( : radii) of a circle or sphere is any of the line segments from its center to its perimeter, and in more modern usage, it is also their length. The name comes from the latin ''radius'', meaning ray but also the ...

. In 00 gauge it is available with a standard flat bottom rail profile and, since 2019 bullhead profile. Historically points and crossings have been available in the ''Electrofrog'' range, with live

frogs A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" '' Triadobatrachus'' is ...

, and their ''Insulfrog'' range, with plastic insulated frogs. Since 2019 ''Electrofrog'' and ''Insulfrog'' are being phased out and replaced with their ''Unifrog'' range. ''Unifrog'' points have an electrically isolated metal frog, with the option to energise it via a wire connection. Plain track is supplied in 3 foot (914 mm) lengths (2 foot for Z gauge), to be cut to length as required. The track flexes allowing the modeller to use it for straight track or any radius curve, to suit the needs of the model. The Streamline range is supplied with different types of rail, identified by code numbers indicating the height of the rail in thousands-of-an-inch. For 00/ H0 track, 'Code 100' rail is the original type, and is designed for older ready-to-run models. 'Code 83' is designed to be compatible with North American track systems. 'Code 75' is designed for 'fine-scale' models, with smaller wheel flanges, to give a more-scale appearance. TT:120 PECO Streamline track is produced with code 55 rail.

Streamline track comes in code 80 and code 55. The 00/H0 track is scaled for H0; this is commercially understandable as the product range is supplied to the smaller UK market (mainly 00) and larger European / US markets (mainly H0). The sleeper length, sleeper spacing and set-track '6 foot way' is not correct for modeling UK track in 00 gauge and this can exaggerate the error in the gauge when running 00 models. To support the track systems, "PECO''lectrics''" is the company

brand name A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

for PECO's range of electronic control systems, point motors and switches.

Wholly owned subsidiaries

PECO as a company owns several other well-known model companies: * Ratio * Wills * Modelscene (formerly 'Merit') * Parkside by PECO (formerly 'Parkside & Dundas')

Publications

Peco Publications & Publicity Ltd publishes the monthly magazines ''

Railway Modeller ''Railway Modeller'' is a monthly British magazine about model railways now published by Peco Publications in Beer, Devon. It has been in publication since 1949 with Vol. 1 No. 1 published as The Railway Modeller, being an Ian Allan Production ...

'' and '' Continental Modeller'', as well as a large range of booklets explaining wiring, scenics, baseboard construction, outdoor railways, and similar topics.

Pecorama

Pecorama is a

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural ...

, and includes a display of many model railways, a shop, and the Beer Heights Light Railway. It is located in the village of

Beer, Devon Beer is a village and civil parish in the East Devon district of Devon, England. The village faces Lyme Bay and is a little over west of the town of Seaton. It is situated on the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site and its picturesque clif ...

References

{{reflist

External links

*PEC
website
1946 establishments in England Toy companies established in 1946 Companies based in Devon Model railroad manufacturers British brands Model manufacturers of the United Kingdom