About ABR Model Works

 

At ABR Model Works, we believe the difference between a good model railroad and a great one is often found in the details. A building should look like someone actually works there. A loading dock should look like it is being used. A street should have the everyday objects that make it feel like a real place. We create laser-cut building kits and 3D printed details in HO & N Scale to help modelers build scenes that tell a story.

How It Started

ABR Model Works was founded by Chris Percival in 2020, growing from his longtime interest in model railroading into a business. The company officially launched in July 2021 with 25 building kits and more than 160 3D printed detail parts.

I (Alex Hoffner) first discovered ABR as a customer through Ken Patterson's What's Neat This Week Video Podcast, and quickly became an avid reader of the company's newsletter. When Chris later announced that he was looking for a US distributor, I saw an opportunity. 3D printing was rapidly becoming a bigger part of model railroading, particularly in the United States, and I believed ABR had a lot of room to grow. I applied, Chris brought me on, and I began helping expand the business into the US.

Not long after, I stopped hearing from Chris and eventually learned that he had suffered a stroke and was dealing with serious health issues. As the future of ABR became uncertain, Chris made the difficult decision to sell the business. He offered it to me first, and I jumped at the opportunity.

I was only 22 years old.

Buying an established model railroad business at that age was intimidating. There was a lot I didn't know about running a business, but I knew there was something special about ABR and I was willing to learn along the way.

The sale was finalized in June 2024, and on July 17, 2024, ABR Model Works was officially established in the United States.

55 Boxes and a Fresh Start

One of my first experiences as the new owner was receiving everything Chris was sending from Australia. Fifty-five boxes arrived, containing 3D printed inventory, future releases, building kit inventory, and kits that had already been cut and were waiting to be assembled.

I remember standing in my living room looking at that mountain of boxes and thinking, "What the hell did I get myself into?"

It took about two weeks to work through the inventory and figure out exactly what I had. The bigger challenge was everything behind the scenes. The website was already running, but nearly every part of the business needed attention. We changed our product organization, pricing, inventory systems, packaging, manufacturing, website, customer service, and more.

It felt less like simply taking over a company and more like rebuilding one.

Chris originally named the company (ABR) to stand for A Better Retirement, reflecting his plan to build a business for his retirement. I changed the name to A Better Railroad because it better represented the direction I wanted to take the company.

Chris built the foundation. I wanted to build on it.

Built by a Modeler

One of the biggest changes has been the way we approach product development. Our 3D printed details were already some of ABR's best-selling products, but they were originally sold individually, sometimes for only a few cents per piece. That made them difficult to produce profitably and limited the potential of the product line.

I changed the 3D printed range to useful sets at fixed prices, making them easier for customers to shop while giving us room to continue expanding the catalog. Since then, we've released numerous standalone detail products rather than treating 3D printing simply as an addition to our building kits.

But growing the catalog isn't enough. The products have to be good.

Every 3D printed part we release is test-cut and evaluated by me, and we have HO and N Scale product testers who use our products on their own layouts and provide feedback before new designs are released. Being involved with the Hawkeye Model Railroad Club also gives me the opportunity to get real-time feedback from a wide variety of modelers.

The ABR standard is simple: if I wouldn't be excited to receive it as a customer, it isn't ready to sell.

Why the Details Matter

I'm a scenery nut, and when I build a scene, I want it to tell a story. I'll look at an empty loading dock and wonder where the pallets should go, what equipment would actually be sitting there, and what someone working in that building would have left behind. Those little decisions are what make a scene feel lived-in.

That approach has always been part of my own modeling. In 2021, I built a late-1980s grain elevator scene for the Walther's National Model Railroad Build-Off, researching how grain was loaded into boxcars, finding era-appropriate rolling stock and motive power, and even sourcing period-specific posters for the feed store in the scene. In 2022, I built a farm module that included a scratch-built barn interior, lighting, and a bridge crossing a creek.

I placed 3rd in the 2021 competition and 5th in 2022, but the biggest takeaway from those projects wasn't the placement. It was how much the small details contributed to making the scenes believable.

That's the same philosophy I bring to ABR. We want our products to help you create buildings that look like they're being used, industries that look like they're operating, and scenes that feel like real places.

What's Next

ABR Model Works is still growing. We're currently focused on HO and N Scale, with new 3D printed details, building kits, and modeling accessories being developed regularly. We're also continuing to explore ways to combine 3D printing and laser cutting to create unique building kits and modeling products.

My goal is for ABR Model Works to become the leading US manufacturer of 3D printed model railroad details while continuing to innovate in the way 3D printing and laser cutting can be used together.

ABR began as one modeler's retirement project in Australia. Today, it is a US-based company being built around a simple idea: modelers deserve products designed by people who understand why the little things matter.

A Better Railroad. That's what we're building, together.