Penn Line History 4

In many ways Penn Line is Boyertown's lost company. If you come to town today you will see no trace of the company. There is no welcoming sign that says "Boyertown, Pennsylvania home of Penn Line Model Trains." In a town where century old companies were common Penn Line's 17 years was a mere blip.
    Normally a company history would begin by researching the records of the company itself. But these were lost in the very rapid bankruptcy of Penn Line in 1963. Bob Faust the company president might have kept some of his own personal records. However Bob lost his home because of the bankruptcy. He along with his wife and two children were forced to move into a second floor apartment above a dentist office. There was little extra room to keep memorabilia.
    In other circumstances, Penn Line might have donated records and memorabilia to the local historical society. But Boyertown had no historical society during Penn Line's lifetime. Ironically the Boyertown Historical Society was founded just a few years after the company's demise. One of the moving forces of the new society was Albert M. (Abe) Mercer, one of Penn Line's three original founders.
    If you know where to look there are some Penn Line traces left. One is the building pictured below. It is Penn Line's first real factory. When I speak of Penn Line's middle years I mean basically the 1950's. Several important events took place. The first event was moving to this building which had originally been a cigar factory and then used by Abe Mercer's father's sheet metal business.

It was in this building that Penn Line spent most of its life. The offices were on the second floor and production below. When the factory closed I thought that it would be very appropriate if the building were made into a Penn Line museum. That did not happen. The building still stands and has been converted into three very small town houses. Penn Line achieved a widespread reputation that has already lasted four decades after the company closed. That reputation was achieved while operating out of this small building.