Scale-Craft & Co. (originally known in OO as Scale-Models, Inc. and sometimes listed as Scale Craft or Scalecraft) was without a doubt the most important OO scale model railroad manufacturer, certainly eclipsing Lionel in variety and very likely also in overall volume of sales. The image below is from their 1939 catalog.

Founded in 1933 in Chicago as an O gauge manufacturer (originally known as American Model Engineers, Inc. — an overview of their early years may be found here), Scale-Craft introduced its OO scale line in 1937 under the leadership of Elliott Donnelley. Donnelley was also involved with the family printing firm, R.R. Donnelley and Sons, one of the largest printers in the world. It was a quality line that utilized the same construction techniques as the best O gauge models of the time with many die cast parts.

They chose OO over the slightly smaller HO scale to allow for larger motors and better operation. Highlights of their pre-war offerings include:

Locomotives

• 4-6-0 based on a Maine Central prototype, die cast. The most common Scale-Craft locomotive, it is marked as “Scale Models Chicago” on the boiler which has confused many collectors.
• 4-4-2 variation of above model
• 4-6-4t variation of above model
• C&NW 4-8-4, die cast
• Heavy 0-6-0, brass and die cast of Chicago, West Pullman, and Southern prototype
• 4-6-2, sand cast bronze; of Southern Pacific prototype (this model had first been marketed by H. L. “Red” Adams)

Passenger

• Coach, die cast
• Baggage, die cast
• Pullman sleeper, stamped steel sides
• Observation, stamped steel sides
• Diner, stamped steel sides
• Gas electric cars, two types, steel sides

Freight

• Caboose, die cast
• Hopper, two bay, die cast
• Box car, die cast
• Tank car, die cast
• Stock car, die cast
• Flat car, die cast frame/brass sides
• Reefer, wood with cast bronze details

This photo is of three of their early models, the cast boxcar (with original decals), a tank car I rebuilt, and a baggage car that I also rebuilt.

Of these models it should be noted clearly that at a glance the caboose, hopper, and tank are all very similar to the comparable Lionel models (introduced to the market a year later, in 1938) but may be recognized easily by the differing trucks and other markings. .

Train sets? Built up models?

These were all marketed as kits but were available built up. There is no known way to differentiate a factory built model from one built nicely by a hobbyist.

More importantly, initially, Scale-Craft marketed two very rare boxed train sets with track, a complete passenger train (4-6-0, baggage, two coaches) or a complete freight train (4-6-0, box car, tank car, hopper, and caboose). The locomotive and cars were all supplied as kits. The track is two-rail, sectional on a steel base. Typically it has held up better than Lionel track and is a product to keep your eyes peeled for.

WWII, and further developments in the OO line after the war

Production of this line was temporarily halted in 1942, with Scale-Craft contributing to the war effort. Production of model trains resumed in a brand new factory after the war, but in late 1946 the line was sold to Doug Douglass who moved operations to California. He had been the west coast sales manager. Douglass made a go of it, tried to promote OO to be sure, but it was a tough sell with popularity on the decline. He seems to have mostly shipped out products that were put together from old stock, as only the “loose leaf” catalog, price list, and order form are known to have the Hollywood address printed on them. Soon Donnelley purchased the line back.

One accomplishment of this time frame was an updated version of the 4-8-4. New offerings from post-war Scale-Craft included:

• Revised standard 40′ reefers with stamped brass parts instead of bronze
• A 50-foot single door boxcar, stamped brass introduced in 1946; also, three other variations of this car with stamped brass sides (50-foot double door and 40-foot single or double door) a 50-foot steel reefer were cataloged but never produced
• Die cast MU cars which were based on the die cast passenger cars
• And a new four-wheel passenger truck (friction bearing) associated with the updated drive for the gas-electric car but well suited for an express reefer model.

The 4-6-2 was dropped from the line before WWII, and one gets the sense that OO sales must have been slow in spite of the effort made to launch a few new items (in particular the 50′ steel box) and serve the market.

Eventually the residual of the line was purchased and marketed by Kemtron starting in 1954; by the 1960s they only stocked a few OO parts. Kemtron also produced a great OO GP-7 in brass (introduced in 1953) and passenger trucks.

Decals

S-C had their own line of decals in the prewar era. After the war they were made as packaged above by Walthers (and they are actually HO decals), and finally they sold the kits with Champion HO-OO decals. The prewar decals have a distinctive look and add value today. More on those here.

A very important firm

To close, while Scale-Craft was not the first OO firm — the first major firm was Nason Railways — certainly they were the firm that made things really happen in OO beyond the New York City area when they introduced their OO line in 1937. To learn more about these models and their historical context explore the links in American OO Today.
 
Updated 2021-22, and please see my book for much more detail on these models.