Jerry Williams

[Bachmann Industries, Inc.]

We are sad to inform everyone of the passing of Jerry Williams.  

Jerry was a major contributor to the growth of the O Gauge industry.  He recently was elected to the Model Railroad Hall of Fame by the Hobby Manufacturers Association.  Staring from humble beginnings, Jerry established Williams Reproductions limited in 1971. Initially focusing on reproductions of hard to find tinplate trains, Jerry later introduced some iconic scale model steam locomotives to the O Gauge market for the first time.  Although Williams Reproductions Limited was never the biggest company in O Gauge, Jerry's vision and competition forced other companies to raise their standards.  Additionally, many of today's train manufacturers have benefited from the experience that they learned while working with Jerry.  These include Mike Wolf and Andy Edleman of MTH, Ken Silvestri of Broadway Limited, and Larry Harrington of Bachmann Industries. He should be credited with the birth of Hi-Rail and recognized as a major reason for the size of the O Gauge market today.

Jerome Malone Williams   •   March 1, 1937 - November 1, 2016

[NSthoroughbred]

Jerry Williams created a lot of great trains and as written so eloquently above, had impacts on the hobby well beyond Williams itself.  I have been a loyal customer of Williams for many decades and all of these trains run flawlessly whether 20+ years old or the newest 4-6-2 I just bought this week.  Williams was first to offer the Amtrak Genesis.  I now own three different versions of these and the very first ones produced still run like day one and look brand new decades later.  Jerry Williams allowed all of us to enjoy collecting and operating with value, reliability, and most of all great fun.   Thanks Jerry Williams for bringing joy to so many people.