- Whittle Shortline
Whittle Shortline is a
toy company owned and operated in theUnited States .Products
*
Wooden toy train s are their specialty. These are non-motorized, and suitable for children. The cars and engines connect with magnets, and are easy to manipulate. Whittle Shortline differ from their peers in that most of their trains are patterned fromprototype North America nrailroad equipment. The company proudly state their products as being 'Made in the USA '.The high quality woods used make Whittle Shortline toys more expensive than many other brands that use the same type of track. However, they are compatible with brands such as
BRIO .As of recent, the company has introduced a wooden toy train line based upon
The Little Engine That Could , as a domestic alternative toThomas the Tank Engine .History
During the mid-1990s, former
US Air Force pilot Mike Whitworth received a compoundmitre saw as a gift from his wife, ostensibly for doing home improvement projects.The saw sat unused for almost two years, when Whitworth got the inspiration to produce toy trains for friends and family. By 1997, word of his craftsmanship had reached local retailers, who in turn asked that he make the wooden trains on a professional basis.
In 1999 the production moved from the family home some miles to the historic building of the
Frisco Hotel in Valley Park, a suburb of St. Louis. By 2005 most of the production was moved north to the city ofLouisiana, Missouri .In the recent wake of the recalls of many Chinese-made products (including toys), Whittle Shortline have seen a heightening of interest in their products, resulting in increased sales.
External links
* [http://www.woodentrain.com Official Website]
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