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On November 1, 2016, Jerome (Jerry) M. Williams, founder of Williams Reproductions and a pioneer in creating product for the 3-rail "hi-rail" market, passed away. Jerry was born on March 1, 1937, and like many of us, his interest in electric trains dated back to his boyhood years.

In the mid- to late-1960s Jerry's interest in model trains was renewed, and he visited estate and yard sales to look for collectable Lionel and Ives trains. In 1968, after joining  the Train Collectors Association (TCA), he soon recognized that many desirable models were nearly impossible to find in “like-new” condition, with most being in need of repair or restoration. Jerry felt there might very well be a market for new trains similar to those made in the pre-World War II years, in particular.

In 1969 Jerry and a friend, Fred Mill, founded Classic Models Corporation and produced several new Standard Gauge Trains. Just a few years later, Jerry and Fred parted ways and Jerry founded Williams Reproductions Limited. Initially, he concentrated on desirable tinplate models like the 1694 Ives locomotive, the Lionel 9E, Lionel 381E, Lionel 408, and others, but around 1975 he began to shift attention to the O gauge market, first with kits and then with completed models. Replicas of the Lionel Madison cars, FM TrainMaster, and Classic GG1 were among the first postwar reproductions and marked the beginning of the firm's "Golden Memories Series."

 

In the mid- to late-1980s, Jerry explored making scale-size locomotives for 3-rail track. They started out as simple models of common steam locomotives, but in the late 1980s he introduced new 3-rail models of the Big Boy, Challenger, N&W 611, Camelback, and Cab Forward. This marked the birth of “hi-rail” manufacturing, meaning scale-size items for 3-rail O gauge track.

 

From 1990 to 2007, Jerry concentrated on the development of models of diesels, passenger cars, and rolling stock, and expansion of the Golden Memories line. In 2007, Williams Reproductions Limited was sold to Bachmann Industries, where the train line today is known as Williams by Bachmann.

 

Although Williams Reproductions Limited was never the largest manufacturer in O Gauge, Jerry’s vision and competition forced other companies to raise their standards. Additionally, many of today’s train manufacturers have benefited from experience they gleaned while working with Jerry. These include Mike Wolf and Andy Edleman of MTH, Ken Silvestri of Broadway Limited, and Larry Harrington of Bachmann Industries.

 

In 2016, Jerry was inducted into the Hobby Manufacturers Association Hall of Fame.

 

Our sincere condolences to Jerry's family and to his many friends. And our sincere thanks for his contributions to our great hobby.

 

 

Last edited by Allan Miller
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I do believe that Jerry Williams was as instrumental in breathing life into a moribund hobby as was Mike Wolf. Williams brass steam was actually more influential in my case than MTH (no criticism of MTH products).

3 primary influences got me here and kept me here: Williams, MTH and Lionel TMCC/Odyssey.  

Last edited by D500

My sincere condolences to Mr. William's family.

It was Williams Electric Trains that started me off buying trains in the 1980's with their scale sized offerings.  Up until then I only had a few Lionel post war sets from my early childhood that I ran at Christmas.  Tired of running the same old trains and high prices of good post war trains, I even dabbled in HO for a short time.  That's when I discovered the value and quality that was Williams Electric Trains.  My first set was a four car Amtrak Metroliner set that I purchased at York from a young man working their booth that eventually started his own O gauge company of some renown.  

Last edited by Traindiesel

My first introduction to Williams Trains was when we were just getting into adding trains to our Hobby Shop. I knew very little about the hobby and had just became a Lionel Service Station at the behest of a new friend. My regular hobby distributors (mostly RC) didn't handle O gauge trains so I was following leads and calling around looking for product. Don't remember exactly who it was but may have been Frank's Roundhouse who encouraged me to buy several of the new scale brass Daylights that were just about to be released. I did so along with a couple of the Southern Crescent Pacifics and a few others.

Those Daylights were beautiful and 3 of the 4 that I received went quickly. I held back one for display and eventually ended up trading it for a nice Lot of Postwar items.

Mr Williams was definitely influential to me when I was new to modern trains!

RIP Jerry.  Sometime in 1998 I went to a train store at lunch time and was introduced to Williams trains for the first time.  Bought a Santa Fe SD 45 powered and dummy. This was the start of my return to the hobby as an adult.  Thanks Jerry for making some really cool engines that I could afford on my back then small salary.  BigRail

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OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Ste 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

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