Maker record
La belle
LaBelle Woodworking Company is an American maker of wooden model railroad kits in O and HO scales. Its range includes passenger and freight cars, narrow-gauge equipment, and traction cars. The kits represent rail equipment from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, including coaches, combines, cabooses, box cars, and interurban cars. LaBelle also offered cast pewter window and detail parts for some kits. The company originated in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, and its 2016 catalogue listed an address in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
- Founded
- 1947
- Locations
- United States · Oconomowoc, Wisconsin · 1947 · Cheyenne, Wyoming
The story of La belle
LaBelle Woodworking Company dates to 1947 and originated in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. It makes wooden model railroad kits, a specialty that continued after the company relocated to Cheyenne, Wyoming. A 2016 LaBelle catalogue lists a Cheyenne address and describes its products as wooden car kits for O and HO scale.
The catalogue shows a broad range of passenger cars, including coaches, combines, baggage cars, sleepers, diners, and observation cars. It also lists freight cars, cabooses, interurban passenger and freight equipment, and narrow-gauge cars. Many kits depict equipment associated with specific railways, including the Soo Line, Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul, and Denver & Rio Grande Western. The 2016 catalogue also offered cast pewter windows and other detail parts, and included Red Ball Heritage Model Kits alongside LaBelle products.
