Micro Engineering Over The Years

By Donna Turner


In 1964, Robert Rands decided to take his love and passion for building model trains to the next level. He saw a business opportunity, and that was what got Rail Craft Products going, which was the original name of the company. While starting small and at first only offering a few different products, the demand of their customers continued to grow, and so they offered more and more different products, and the company was renamed Micro Engineering to be a better reflection of this.

The narrow gauge track that this company first offered was something that was specially designed by Bob Rands himself. He started to notice that HOn3 trains needed a different prototype of track both so that the trains could run better and so the track was a better representation of the actual track that it is modeled after. This company was the first one ever to manufacture this product, and this was also the first product that the company offered.

The Code 55 rail was a popular product that this company designed and manufactured. This led to them offering many other types and sizes of track, eventually leading to the highly popular Flex-Trak. It became necessary for the business to change its name since they were offering a more and more diverse range of products.

This is a company that has the spirit of family to back it up. Bob was soon joined by one of his sons, Ron, in 1972 because he too shared the same love that his father had for model trains. Another son of his, Richard, also joined the company in 1981. Although he later left in 1997 so he could pursue other aspirations, he left a lasting mark on the company with many of the product he helped to develop, which are still available.

In order to create all of the amazing products that this company makes, plenty of specialized equipment is required. This can include everything from injection molding machines, various types of tooling, to CNC milling machines. That is why in order to be able to deliver all of these products and develop new ones, the company moved into a bigger building for their tool and die shop.

It is always a great bringer of confidence when trying to decide which company to go with to buy these kinds of products from when they have been around for a long time and clearly have a passion for model trains. This particular company celebrated their 50-year anniversary in 2014. Bob Rands and his company is still just as enthusiastic about model railroading as he ever was.

People build models for all kinds of reasons, but one of the great benefits of partaking in this kind of hobby is that it can cause fine motor skills to improve. This is great for those who tend to be uncoordinated or clumsy and find themselves knocking things over left and right. Designing and setting up these tiny models can also improve handwriting over time.

No matter how much a person adds to their model railroad, there is no limit to the possibilities that a person has. There are so many accessories such as businesses both big and small, modern and rustic, that can give a railroad any kind of theme or feel that the creator wants it to have. Nothing is more fun than building on an old model design to see what it slowly becomes, much like Bob Rand's business itself.




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