F W Strong (Bonnie Toys) 0 Gauge

(Australia)

For more information, and illustrations, of Australian 0 gauge models, including live steam, please see the book Spring, Spark & Steam by Bruce Macdonald.

For Australian live steam models on the web, including 0 gauge railway models, see Tony Muir's truly wonderful site Australian Toy Steam

Frederick W Strauss was born in Stuttgart, Germany in 1910, from where he emigrated to Melbourne Australia (date unknown), established his business in 1946 as a toolmaker and die caster manufacturing handbag fittings and toys under the name F W Strong. Working from his home with business partner Rudolph Hersch, Strong produced a range of traffic lights, signs and railway signals for O gauge and HO scale, in both die cast metal and plastic. From 1949, Strong’s products appeared in boxes with the title ‘Bonnie Toys’ and an image of a black Scottish terrier, believed to represent the family’s pet dog on whom the trade name and mark were based. Strong later produced die cast parts for the automotive industry, until his death in 1966.