All Aboard! Planes, Trains, Automobiles…and Picnic Coolers?

_{In July 2005, Wm. K. Walthers, Inc. acquired Life-Like Products' toy and hobby assets.}

For many model train enthusiasts, the obsession starts young and lasts long. And, the fascination seems to have no barriers—age or otherwise. Take, for example, one Seattle couple who devoted every square inch of their home and yard to their obsession with model trains, or the young boy in possession of several successful paper routes who became so obsessed with HO scale trains that he invested two months’ salary on a Burlington Northern diesel engine.

Model trains are a serious business…and a big business to boot. Maybe it’s because train buffs like to imagine themselves riding those tiny rails over trestles and mountain passes or through those miniature paper-mache tunnels. Whatever the reason, one company that can boast a contribution to the industry is Baltimore, Maryland-based Life-Like Products, Inc.

More than 50 years ago, Life-Like created a name for itself with the paper-mache tunnel. With this product, the company quickly established a reputation for high-quality and valued products. In fact, demand became so high at one point that the existing method of production was too slow to keep up with demand for the tunnel. As a result, the company started its hunt for a better and more efficient manufacturing process.

It didn’t have to look far. A new, light-weight material known for its strength, relatively low cost and ability to be molded into different configurations seemed the perfect solution. This new material was EPS (expanded polystyrene) or what we know today as foam, which is a mixture of about 5 percent polystyrene and 95 percent air. There was only one problem: There were no machines that were capable of molding this material into tunnels. Life-Like set its engineers to work designing and building the machines to do the job. Soon, the company was molding tunnels of all shapes and sizes as well as large contoured train platforms to build train layouts.

With EPS, business was good and the new machines worked well. But the new machines worked so well that an entire year’s worth of tunnels and platforms could be manufactured in only a few months time. This left workers with nothing to do and machines sitting idle. The company faced yet another hurdle. Something had to be done to maximize the use of the machines and keep workers employed.

With what Life-Like calls some good old-fashioned American ingenuity and a little determination, the company turned again to its new foam material for the answers. And, it found them. EPS had garnered a large amount of publicity in relation to its outstanding insulating properties — a factor that presented an excellent opportunity for Life-Like. Again, it set its engineers to work creating a new product and an entire new industry. The result? Life-Like engineers created the first ever foam cooler.

Today, the LIFOAM division of Life-Like remains the industry’s innovator and leader, holding more patents than anyone else. The company that pioneered the first ice chest continues to manufacture a variety of foam products — including everything from coolers, swim toys and gliders to beverage holders and protective packaging at six factories throughout the United States .

But the company hasn’t strayed from its roots. Now, half a century later, the Life-Like’s model railroad business is still going strong. Over the years, it catapulted the paper mache tunnel into a model train Mecca , launched a racing line and also offers a wide assortment of LIFOAM gliders. The company sells an extensive line of electric model trains, train sets, electric racecar sets and related accessories to retailers in two distinct markets: mass and hobby.

Found in warehouse clubs, discount stores, mass market toy stores and hobby shops across the U.S. , its mass market items sport fun, bright packaging and easy-to-understand features and instructions that appeal to a broad range of enthusiasts—ideally for children and beginners. Whereas, its hobby market items, says company spokesperson Beth Korolevich, are much more detailed and cater more to an adult audience.

With over 300 railroad products to choose from, including everything from train sets, locomotives, rolling stock and track to structures, scenery and figures, Life-Like’s designs cater to modelers and checkbooks of all sizes. Its train offerings, in the HO, N, O and G scales, include everything from hand-painted figures, chrome detailed vehicles and snap-together building kits to a patented Power-Loc track-in-molded-roadbed system.

“Because we have such a wide range of items, the prices range from as little as $9 for a card of HO scale people figures up to $500 for a steam locomotive with sound. Generally, people can buy a nice-sized train or race set for $50,” says Korolevich.

Using state-of-the-art technology to produce hobby quality products for racing, the company has teamed up with NASCAR for the best and newest licenses to create authentic replicas for its racing series. The newest and freshest offering from Life-Like racing series is Demolition Derby ($75.50). This race set has all the action, excitement and crashes of the real thing. The two cars take to the track, moving backwards, forwards, across lanes and through the intersection, trying to wreck the competition. A collision in just the right way can pop the trunk or bust up the hood. When the red engine light flashes, your car is wrecked! Cars snap back together instantly.

According to Korolevich, the company creates its designs in a number of ways. “Buyers can request certain features or have an entire set built around a concept or certain price point.” Consumers also send in suggestions for what they’d like to see, adds Korolevich. Other ideas are picked up at trade shows or by keeping tabs on what other manufacturers are doing.

“With respect to train and race sets,” says Korolevich, “We generally introduce three new sets in each line, each year. For train hobby items, there could be as many as 20 new products with scenery, locomotives and freight cars combined.”

Life-Like recently rolled out the PROTO 1000 Freight Cars featuring the famous Norman Rockwell “Freedom Series” ($40). Rockwell was inspired by President Franklin Roosevelt’s address to Congress and painted his interpretations of the Four Freedoms: Freedom of Speech, Freedom to Worship, Freedom from Want and Freedom from Fear. All of which were published in The Saturday Evening Post. Each car has one image of the series with title and publishing date. All are equipped with PROTO 2000 magnetic knuckle couplers, PROTO 2000 trucks and blackened metal wheels.

Life-Like also bought kid-friendly Darda Toys, named after German inventor Helmut Darda, famous for introducing an amazing pull-back motor for toy cars. Life-Like now has exclusive rights to design, produce and distribute the brand in the U.S. Darda sets typically consist of a track system and accessories and one or two cars. The motors do not require batteries or electricity and are easily hand-wound and can’t be over-wound.

What’s in store for the company in the future? Starting in 2003, says Korolevich, Life-Like invested a lot of time in researching a sound-system for its high-end locomotives. The first of these sound-equipped locomotives will be landing on shelves in October. The company also plans to continue its long-standing partnership with NASCAR and its drivers to bring the most current possible car deco to the market to keep NASCAR fans happy.