In 1951 the company Electrotren was founded by Jaime Gonzalez Forellach, at a time of economic hardship in Spain due to the Civil War and subsequent European isolationism.

Jaime Gonzalez looked for a way to produce trains, but he did not have the necessary materials or the economic support to do it. This led him to look for empty tomato and olive tins, which once cleaned and processed, served as the material for his first models in stamped sheet metal.

In 1954 the business began to take off and he decided to move from Barcelona to Madrid. First, it was set up in a warehouse located in Antonio López Street.

In 2004 Hornby acquired the company from its founder, leaving his children and most of the staff behind. For three years the Spanish company became the headquarters for operations in Europe, developing all the models and carrying out export sales.