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50-518: The company today is one of the world's largest manufacturers of toy and hobby railways , and also has wider manufacturing interests as well as substantial investments in property. The vision of Mr. Ting Hsiung Chao is shared by the Ting family, which continues to lead the Kader Group. Kader's initial focus product was to manufacture plastic flashlights , which at the time were a novelty. Today

100-511: A German firm that specialized in doll house accessories, sought to create an equivalent toy for boys where a constant revenue stream could be ensured by selling add-on accessories for years after the initial purchase. In addition to boxed sets containing a train and track, Märklin offered extra track, rolling stock, and buildings sold separately, creating the predecessor to the modern model train layout featuring buildings and scenery in addition to an operating train. Electric trains followed, with

150-574: A 96-foot-tall "Mountain Adventure Camp" featuring a year-round indoor waterpark. According to the environmental review for the project, new development is projected to add 3,300 new car trips to local roads on peak days, and the project would have twenty "significant but unavoidable" impacts". Sierra Watch created a grassroots campaign to " Keep Squaw True ", holding public events and circulating an online petition in opposition to KSL Capital Partners' proposed expansion plan. In November 2016,

200-548: A European division was set up initially reusing the moulds previously used for the Palitoy 'Mainline' UK model railway products to create the Bachmann Branchline models. 1992 it bought Liliput of Austria and in 2000 it bought Graham Farish . In 2007 it acquired the assets of Williams models and launched "Williams by Bachmann". Kader's business model for each take over, from its original purchase of Bachmann to

250-555: A cable which sheared through the car; four were killed and 31 injured. Squaw Valley was purchased by private equity group KSL Capital Partners in November 2010. In September 2011, Alpine Meadows Ski Resort and Squaw Valley Ski Resort announced their intention to merge ownership. The merger united the two popular ski destinations under common management by Squaw's Valley's parent company, KSL Capital Partners, LLC. A year later, Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows Ski Resort merged under

300-581: A record snowpack at Palisades Tahoe; and over eight feet (2.4 m) of new snow cancelled the downhills . After an absence of 48 years, women's technical races returned in March 2017 and overall leader Mikaela Shiffrin of Colorado won both events. In 1971, following several years of financial losses, the state announced it would seek bids to buy Squaw Valley. After a bid by John Fell Stevenson failed, Dick Baker and his Australian company Mainline Corporation successfully bid $ 25 million plus 1,500 acres from

350-470: A skiable 3,600 acres (1,500 hectares) across six peaks, employing 23 chairlifts , four carpet lifts , a tramway , a gondola connecting it to Alpine Meadows, and the only funitel in the United States. It tops out at 9,010 ft (2,750 m) at Granite Chief , and averages 400 inches (33.3 feet; 10.2 meters) of annual snowfall . The resort attracts approximately 600,000 skiers a year, and

400-424: A takeover by J.P. Morgan private equity. The merger was hailed by one producer as "a marriage made in heaven", although it is not yet clear what long-term effects the concentration of the ownership of production will have. Kader announced that Sanda Kan would continue as a distinct entity, and that Sanda Kan's original owner W.S. Ting had agreed to come back to lead the company. Hornby's managing director pronounced

450-535: A train with a TV camera in the front of the engine and hooked up to a screen, such as computer monitor. This will show an image, similar to that of a real (smaller size) railroad. Squaw Valley Ski Resort Palisades Tahoe is a ski resort in the western United States , located in Olympic Valley, California , northwest of Tahoe City in the Sierra Nevada range. From its founding in 1949,

500-473: Is a very minor issue with such systems that focus rather on sturdiness, avoiding sharp edges and avoiding parts that could be a choking hazard. Although the words "scale" and "gauge" are often used interchangeably, many toy train manufacturers historically had little concern with depicting accurate scale. American Flyer tended to boast its closer accuracy compared to other manufacturers. The terms "O scale" and "S scale" tend to imply serious scale modeling, while

550-410: Is also home to several annual summer events. The spotlight of the 1960 Olympics raised the resort's profile, and it went through several ownership changes beginning in the 1970s. In 2012, it merged with nearby Alpine Meadows, and became Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows , to offer joint access to 6,000 acres (2,400 ha), 43 lifts, and over 270 runs. However, a constructed gondola connection between

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600-470: Is designed such that it can also be used outside much like a garden train . The other system is designed for preschool children or even toddlers. An example of a system aimed at the very young is offered among others by the company "Wader Toys". This includes tracks for road and rail as well as waterways. The elements are very simple in design, sturdy and washable as they are thought for play including such environments as sandboxes, mud and water. To scale detail

650-480: Is now considered offensive by many Native Americans, and the Washoe tribe, which is native to the region, has criticized its use in the name of the resort. As a result, the resort announced on August 25, 2020, that the name would be changed. President Ron Cohen said in a statement, "While we love our local history and the memories we all associate with this place as it has been named for so long, we are confronted with

700-402: Is seven millimeters to the foot. U.S. manufacturers rounded it down to 1:48, which is a quarter-inch to the foot. However, most engaged in a practice of selective compression in order to make the trains fit in a smaller space, causing the actual scale to vary, and numerous manufacturers produced 1:64 scale trains—the proper size for S gauge—in O gauge, especially for cost-conscious lines. Some of

750-487: Is the owner of the Resort at Squaw Creek, located at Squaw Valley Ski Resort in Olympic Valley , California. Toy train A toy train is a toy that represents a train . It is distinguished from a model train by an emphasis on low cost and durability, rather than scale modeling . A toy train can be as simple as a toy that can run on a track, or it might be operated by electricity, clockwork or live steam . It

800-760: Is typically constructed from wood, plastic or metal. Many of today's steam trains might be considered as real ones as well, providing they are not strictly scale or not enough detailed ones in favor of a robustness appropriate for children or an inexpensive production. "Toy train" usually refers to a reduced-scale model of a train for children to play with. Some similar but larger vehicles are made for children to ride in, typically in parks and playgrounds; often they run on tires and not tracks. If they are meant to resemble trains then these too are called toy trains. Small trains are sometimes also called toy trains. In India, many trains that run on meter-gauge tracks and that are meant for adults are called toy trains. The trains that run on

850-626: The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway are an example. For highly accurate train models made for serious hobbyists and collectors, the term "model train" is preferred. The first widely adopted standards for toy trains running on track were introduced in Leipzig , Germany in 1891 by Märklin . See also List of rail transport modelling scales . Z Gauge [1:220] N Gauge [1:160] HO Gauge [1:87] S Gauge [1:64] O Gauge [1:43 to 1:48, varies] G Gauge [1:20] Märklin measured

900-623: The Placer County Board of Supervisors approved KSL's controversial development proposal in spite of opposition from local conservation organizations, including Sierra Watch. Sierra Watch filed suit to overturn those approvals for violating the California Environmental Quality Act in December 2016. In 2017, resort owners added a roller coaster to their development proposal. The term "squaw"

950-527: The Hong-Kong based ODM contract manufacturing business. Sanda Kan's biggest client had been Bachmann's dominant rival in the UK market Hornby Railways , which had concentrated production there since 1997–2001. The company also manufactured for Lionel , Atlas, Life-Like , Brawa , Märklin , and of the order of 50 other model train companies. However it had been experiencing severe production and debt problems after

1000-517: The Poulsens. In August 1974 the Australian company Mainline Corporation collapsed and Squaw Valley was again back on the market for sale. In 1978, Squaw Valley experienced one of the worst cable car accidents in history. On a stormy afternoon late in the season on Saturday, 15 April, the tram came off of one of its cables, dropped 75 feet (23 m) and then bounced back up, colliding with

1050-466: The Sierra Nevada, particularly Whiskey Diggs, Poker Flat, Port Wine, Onion Valley, La Porte , and Johnsville ". Palisades Tahoe hosted World Cup races in 1969 with four technical events: slalom and giant slalom for both men and women. American Billy Kidd won the men's slalom, followed by U.S. teammates Rick Chaffee (4th) and Spider Sabich (10th) of Kyburz . The 1969 season saw

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1100-455: The acquisition "a welcome outcome [that] removes the uncertainty over the future of Sanda Kan". Most Hornby production remained with Sanda Kan until 2015 when Hornby paid £0.5m to end its relationship with the Chinese supplier, and secure the return of tooling and moulds. Hornby had experienced supply chain problems, with as little as 60% of goods being delivered on time. On May 10, 1993, there

1150-522: The approved Squaw Alpine proposed gondola, Squaw Alpine has also proposed a large development in the existing Squaw Valley parking lot area. In 2016, Squaw Valley Ski Holdings submitted a final application for entitlements for its proposed Village at Squaw Valley Specific Plan, a $ 1-billion plan that prompted the Attorney General of California to write a letter of concern to Placer County. The plan would include 850 hotel and condominium units and

1200-633: The companies main facilities are located in Dongguan , PRC . Manufacturing operations are divided into two categories Original Design Manufacturer (the contract manufacturing of goods for the brand/design owner); and manufacturing of precision model railroads designed and marketed by Kader group companies. ODM customers have included toys for Disney , Hasbro and Mattel ; and electrical goods housings for National Panasonic . In 1984 Kader acquired its customer 'Bachmann Bros.', which had suffered from falling profits and financial difficulties. Kader changed

1250-473: The company Eichhorn, refers to a variant of the connecting system used by some modern wooden track producers. The tracks don't use rails as such but rather grooves set apart a certain distance. The same "gauge" is used by the "Lionel Great American Adventure series" produced by Learning Curve, the Plarail system from Tomy and Trackmaster . Although the rolling stock of each system may be used to some extent on

1300-536: The earliest O gauge trains made of tinplate weren't scale at all, made to unrealistic, whimsical proportions similar in length to modern HO scale, but anywhere from one and a half to two times as wide and tall. Some adult fans of toy trains operate their trains, while others only collect. Some toy train layouts are accessorized with scale models in an attempt to be as realistic as possible, while others are accessorized with toy buildings, cars, and figures. Some hobbyists will only buy accessories that were manufactured by

1350-435: The first appearing in 1897, produced by the U.S. firm Carlisle & Finch . As residential use of electricity became more common in the early 20th century, electric trains gained popularity and as time went on, these electric trains grew in sophistication, gaining lighting, the ability to change direction, to emit a whistling sound, to smoke, to remotely couple and uncouple cars and even load and unload cargo. Toy trains from

1400-407: The first half of the 20th century were often made of lithographed tin ; later trains were often made mostly of plastic . Prior to the 1950s, there was little distinction between toy trains and model railroads—model railroads were toys by definition. Pull toys and wind-up trains were marketed towards children, while electric trains were marketed towards teenagers , particularly teenaged boys. It

1450-424: The gauge as the distance between the centers of the two outer rails, rather than the distance between the outer rails themselves. Lionel's standard gauge is allegedly the result of Lionel's misreading these standards, as are the variances in O gauge between the United States and Europe. Most of these standards never really caught on, due to their large size, which made them impractical to use indoors, as well as

1500-529: The high price of manufacturing. Wide gauge trains, which are close in size to 2 gauge, are produced in limited quantities today, as are 1 gauge and O gauge trains. Of these, O gauge is the most popular. The modern standards for toy trains also include S gauge , HO scale , N scale , and Z scale , in descending order of size. HO and N scale are the most popular model railway standards of today; inexpensive sets sold in toy stores and catalogs are less realistic than those sold to hobbyists. O gauge arguably remains

1550-589: The impact towards the Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog . The approved gondola was planned to cross the private ski area White Wolf Mountain , which is owned by Troy Caldwell, who supported the gondola's construction. Construction of the gondola commenced in Summer 2021, and in 2022 the base-to-base gondola finally opened, connecting the Palisades Tahoe resort with Alpine Meadows , while crossing through neighboring resort White Wolf Mountain. Separate from

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1600-426: The most popular toy train standard. Another size that is attracting interest among hobbyists is building and operating trains from Lego , or L gauge , which is roughly 1/38 scale. A "de facto" standard is used by some companies making wooden toy trains that run on wooden tracks. This is usually referred to as " Brio " or " Thomas " compatible in reference to two major companies. The term "Vario System" introduced by

1650-405: The mountain instead of at the base. His designs also brought advanced lift technology to the U.S. for the first time. When Palisades Tahoe opened, its Squaw One lift was deemed the longest double chairlift in the world. Palisades Tahoe's success can be largely attributed to the visibility that came from hosting the 1960 Winter Olympics, a direct result of Cushing's effort and determination. During

1700-563: The name to Bachmann Industries and used the brand to draw in North American customers. As well as introducing its own brands to North America, Kader under the Bachmann brand built itself up as the largest volume seller of model railways by purchasing other failing companies, using the Bachmann name to front a series of purchases in the rest of the world to combat the then poor perceptions of Hong Kong-based production quality. In 1989

1750-508: The new umbrella leadership of Squaw Valley Ski Holdings, LLC. The new company started to operate as one, under the combined name Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, with joint lift tickets and single season passes for visitors and free shuttles between its locations, but preserves the individuality of the two resorts. In 2017, KSL Capital, in partnership with Aspen/Snowmass (Henry Crown and Company), formed Alterra Mountain Company , which then became

1800-468: The overwhelming evidence that the term 'squaw' is considered offensive." The new name, Palisades Tahoe, was formally announced on September 13, 2021. Later that day, the Washoe tribe sent out a press release stating that the tribe "commends and fully supports the resort management and others who contributed to this milestone decision." After coming to an agreement regarding the name change, the ski resort and

1850-608: The planning stages of the 1960 Olympics, Innsbruck , Austria , was the leading choice for the Olympic site. In 1955, however, Cushing secured the bid after winning over the International Olympic Committee in Paris with a scale model of his planned Olympic site. The Winter Olympics in 1960 were the first to be televised live, making the games accessible to millions of viewers in real-time. The event signaled

1900-640: The present day, is to buy a perceived quality brand in the target market or country. The company then closes local in-country production facilities, and then improves quality by re-engineering the models in Hong Kong, and reduces cost by producing the models in mainland China . Presently Bachmann offers trains in H0 scale , N scale , On30 , and G scale around the world, in addition to buildings and accessories: In November 2008, Kader also took over Sanda Kan, its nearest competitor for precision model railway items in

1950-622: The primary owner of Squaw Valley. Squaw Valley Ski Holdings, LLC sought to connect to the Alpine Meadows resort with a "Base-to-Base" gondola. Resort owners needed permission from local land managers, including Placer County and the Tahoe National Forest, which had to study the proposed project's environmental impacts. A number of conservation organizations, including Sierra Watch and the Sierra Club, considered

2000-456: The project. Cushing had fallen in love with Lake Tahoe after a visit to the Sierra Nevada in 1946. After a disagreement over the resort's future, Cushing gained control of the project and became the chairman of Squaw Valley Ski Corporation. The resort opened in 1949, and Cushing remained its chairman until his death. Cushing modeled the resort after European ski destinations by locating a swimming pool, ice rink, roller disco, and restaurants on

2050-562: The proposed gondola a threat to Granite Chief Wilderness. In July 2019 Sierra Watch and Granite Chief Wilderness Protection League filed a lawsuit against Squaw Valley challenging Placer County's approval of the gondola project. In January 2020 the United States Forest Service issued its Record of Decision approving a route crossing federal lands. In February 2020, the litigants dropped the suit in exchange for Squaw Valley's commitment to implement measures to mitigate

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2100-482: The resort was known as Squaw Valley , but it changed its name in 2021 due to the derogatory connotations of the word " squaw ". It was the host site for the 1960 Winter Olympics . The Palisades Tahoe resort is the largest skiing complex in the Lake Tahoe region, and is known for its challenging terrain. Palisades Tahoe (not including Alpine Meadows ) has a base elevation of 6,200 feet (1,890 meters) and

2150-690: The resorts, as well as a proposed development at its base, has met with controversy from environmentalists. Former University of Nevada star skier, Wayne Poulsen, purchased the first 2,000 acres (810 ha) of Squaw Valley Ski Resort from the Southern Pacific Railroad . Poulsen already had a history in the area: in 1931, he had placed third at an Olympic trials at Granlibakken in Tahoe City . Shortly after, Poulsen met Harvard alumnus and trained lawyer Alex Cushing, who brought capital, political connections, and increased access to

2200-556: The rights to the Plasticville-like buildings produced by Marx from the 1950s to the 1970s). However, due to their high cost, one is more likely to find an HO scale or N scale train set in a toy store than an O scale set. Many modern electric toy trains contain sophisticated electronics that emit digitized sound effects and allow the operator to safely and easily run multiple remote control trains on one loop of track. In recent years, many toy train operators will operate

2250-546: The rise of United States skiing to the level of world-famous European skiing, and Squaw Valley's preparedness for the games showed the international community that United States ski resorts offered world-class facilities. During the Olympics, Palisades Tahoe was designated as California Historical Landmark Number 724. A marker was placed identifying Palisades Tahoe as a Pioneer Ski Area of America. The marker's plaque commemorated 100 years of organized skiing in "mining towns in

2300-647: The same company who made their trains. This practice is most common among fans of Marx and Lionel. The earliest toy trains were made of lead and had no moving parts. Some had wheels that turned, but these had to be pushed or pulled. A few of the early 19th-century push toy trains were made of tinplate, like the large, durable, stylized locomotive toys in the U.S., which were painted red and gold and decorated with hearts and flowers. Around 1875, technological advancements in materials and manufacturing allowed tin to be stamped, cut, rolled, and lithographed faster than ever before. Toy trains were revolutionized when Märklin ,

2350-502: The terms "O gauge" and "S gauge" tend to imply toy trains manufactured by Lionel and American Flyer , respectively. While S gauge is fairly consistent at 1:64 scale, O gauge trains represent a variety of sizes. O gauge track happens to be 1/45 the size of real-world standard gauge track, so manufacturers in Continental Europe have traditionally used 1:45 for O gauge trains. British manufacturers rounded this up to 1:43, which

2400-423: The tracks of other systems the compatibility beyond simple straight track and large radius curves may be rather limited. Playmobil is an example of a company that offers a complete play world system based on its small plastic dolls and has later extended its play world to railways. It has developed two train systems to date. One is aimed at larger children using electric trains and remote control. This track system

2450-658: Was a major fire at the Kader Toy Factory, a joint venture, in Thailand . 188 people were killed, and over 500 were seriously injured. Most of the victims were young female workers from rural families. More people were killed in this industrial accident than in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire ; making it one of the worst industrial disasters in history. Kader also owns real estate in the US, and

2500-539: Was during the 1950s that the modern emphasis on realism in model railroading started to catch on. Consumer interest in trains as toys waned in the late 1950s, but has experienced resurgence since the late 1990s due in large part to the popularity of Thomas the Tank Engine . Today, S gauge and O gauge railroads are still considered toy trains even by their adherents and are often accessorized with semi-scale model buildings by Plasticville or K-Line (who owns

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