Author Archives: Paul

3D Printing Model Railroad Buildings: Marklin Villa Edition

The Marklin Villa has always been a “dream item” for Marklin collectors. For those that don’t know the legend of this wonderful piece, it’s worth first reading the wonderful article on Tischbahn (in the German language). As a quick summary, the Marklin Villa was never a full-production model or shown for sale in any catalog. Legend goes that it was made by Marklin employees for training in how to work with tinplate. But if you look at the incredible construction of these pieces, you might think otherwise.

The Villa is characteristic of other tin stations and buildings that Marklin made during the 1930s and even earlier. Everything is formed, stamped, shaped, and hand-soldered together. Edges that need reinforcing such as along the roof edges are “hemmed” wherein about 4mm of tin is folded over to double up the thickness and provide extra strength and makes the edge smooth.

The Villa has shown up several times in the past few decades on the auction block and also in the private market. It is believe that in addition to being featured on show layouts and displays, it was an item for export to England. It’s not surprising a few have shown up in England and the style of the Villa is rather characteristic of English architecture, but equally could be modeled after a German Villa too.

Can we reproduce the Marklin Villa?

Several noble hobbyists have made reproductions of the villa and done incredible work. Windows are cut and filed by hand and even after the parts are made, the soldering can take hours. The intricate details and geometric design of the roof is very difficult to model and recreate perfectly.

No doubt such a rare and sought after item deserves to be replicated and enjoyed by those who cannot afford to buy an original. And even for those that can afford it, one cannot simply just buy one any day of the week!

3D printing the Villa

After seeing the success of some modern 3D printers we thought it would be fun to try and tastefully recreate the model in plastic. Yes, it’s not made out of the original 0.35mm tinplate – but after all isn’t it the charming design and fine hand-painting that makes this item special and not the fact that it’s made out of metal? 3D printing offers a wonderful trade-off of quicker production time and also being able to accurately recreate the model over and over. Click here if you are interested to see other 3d models based off of Marklin toys.

The first step when producing a new item is finding an accurate example to get measurements from and build a 3D CAD model. Luckily several photos online with known measurements helped immensely. A fellow collector in Germany with an original example also shared the exact dimensions of his model for mm accuracy in the final build. Because our reproduction is made out of plastic and could never be confused with metal, we are building to the exact specifications. If we were building it out of metal, we would likely add some “signatures” to the model so that it could never be passed off as an “original.”

Many many hours of CAD modeling later we have a fairly accurate 3D model of the Villa. Some detail parts like the chimney tops, roofs, and door overhangs are left off and will be added as metal detail parts later.

Find the 3D printer we used on eBay:

3D Model of the Villa in Fusion360

Next we separate the model into printable components. Naturally we will print the roof separately. The first print split each wall into a separate piece to be printed flat. This required adding “supports” to the model to account for the two front arched windows. This print design was later found to be not as optimal and the second print was done as all one piece and completely vertical with no supports! The fine .02mm resolution of the printing and careful adjustment of print settings allowed the print to turn out very well despite not having an support structure printed.

3D print of Villa with no supports – print time about 2hrs at fine detail resolution

Construction and painting

While the initial printing setup, which included supports that had to be removed after printing, had many drawbacks in terms of print quality and post-processing time, the later vertical printing design was much faster and higher quality. In this version, the back wall is also not printed and instead a tinplate sheet was cut and bent to fit and glued to the plastic. This both added weight and some more realism with the metal.

The roof was also printed as a separate part and the chimney top detail pieces were also made to fit and glued. After full assembly, some weights were added to the inside of the roof to again give the feeling of metal instead of plastic. After full assembly, the building is primed with several coats of primer in order to cover the print lines as much as possible and build up a smooth layer of paint.

Painting was done with a mix of acrylic and oil paints. Acrylic paint provides fast drying times while oil provides superior blending and color mixing capabilities. In most cases the final coat of paint is always oil because it has a better overall finish that acrylic.

The last step is shellacing the entire piece with a thick coat in order to seal all the paint and provide a nice gloss coat. At this step as well some weathering and aging is done to give the appearance of almost 100 years of age.

Version 1 of the painted Villa next to Version 2 on the right with higher resolution and finer lines. In the background some future English Marklin projects!

Marklin Villa variations

Over the years we’ve identified several different variations of the villa – in both construction and painting. The one we have reproduced here is the “symmetric” version with two chimneys in the back. The more commonly seen version has one chimney on the side and one in the front in the center.

The version that we modeled this Villa after was symmetric, and had an interesting beige color seem and so we reproduced that painting schema as seen in the photo below. The model for this was sold once at a Christie’s toy auction.

Marklin Villa symmetric beige variation sold at Christie’s lot 197
Both of the main color schemes of the Marklin Villa. With an R 700 LMS on the sidetrack to complete the British scene.
Two assembled, unpainted kits on the left and the two finished versions on the right.

Marklin War Toys: Submarines and Battleships (Part 1)

Marklin toys and trains are not only pieces of art, with their fine hand-painting and craftsmanship, but also reflect the rich history during which they were created. Unfortunately, since Marklin was a German toy maker, war plagued its history. The golden age of tin toys took shape simultaneously with the events leading up to World War 1. Shortly following, and as some historians would argue was merely an extension of the previous war, World War 2 broke out under the Nazi regime of the Third Reich. While we are not so much interested in the wars themselves when discussing toys its important to remember the context and history as they shape the toys that Marklin produced during this time. We will recall from our article about the history of Marklin, that the firm started out producing toys primarily for girls: dolls, accessories, and kitchen setups among other hand-crafted tin toys.

The addition of “war toys” likely expanded with the acquisition of the firm Ludwig Lutz by Marklin in 1891. Certainly Lutz was already producing an array of sailboats, small ships, castles, and other more elaborate (for the time) tin toys. In the catalog 1895 (the earliest one we have discovered), we can see some of the first Kriegsdampfer or “war steamers” and Kreigschiffe or “war ships.” The first one we will examine is ship number 1092 which is listed as a Schraubendampfer which literally translates to “screw steamer” likely describing the propulsion by screws or propellers, as opposed to side or stern wheel ship. The description states the boat is 76cm long, has turning shell turrets, 13 canons, an attack crew, and two life boats. The catalog description also states that each boat comes with a ship stand with wheels so children could realistically glide the boats along the floor when not in the water.

Marklin “War Ship” 1092 from 1895 catalog

Though we could not find the exact prototype this model was based on, we did find a ship from the same era that closely resembles some of the features seen on this ship. The SMS Hertha was a cruiser of the Victoria Louise class, built for Kaiserliche Marine, or German Imperial Navy, in the 1890s.  The SMS Hertha was launched by the AG Vulcan shipyard in April 1897, and later commissioned into the Kaiserliche Marine in July 1898. The ship was primarily used for coastal defense. With a top speed of 19 knots and a battery of two 21 cm guns and eight 15 cm guns, the vessel was both quick in the water and carried enough firepower to defend German coastlines.

SMS Hertha of the German Imperial Navy, 1890s

The 1895 catalog featured approximately 10 different war ships, the longest of which was 105cm. The war ships were slightly outnumbered by other non-military ships including wheel-steamers, salon ships, and yachts. No submarines could be found in the catalog yet, likely because they were not yet used in wartime. Submarines were certainly around during the time. The Brandtaucher, arguably the first German submarine, sank to the bottom of Kiel harbor on 1 February 1851 during a test dive lead by its 3-man crew.

By the next major catalog in 1905, several advancements came to the range of Marklin war ships. First, the range of Torpedo Boats was introduced – for both clockwork and steam propulsion. Most models were fitted with a slide valve cylinder, a steam whistle, safety valve, a torpedo tube, search light, and air-pressure-steering system which the catalog states is fitted for every boat.

 

The air-pressure steering was certainly an innovation for Marklin. The steering system came with a hand pump and a connecting rubber hose. Additional hoses and union fittings could extend the hose up to 20 meters to allow for remote steering of the boats. The catalog states that this system allows for not only better imitation of the real boats, but also convenience in that the boats no longer get lost in the water because they can be remotely steered back to shore. Surely setting a steam boat off in a straight line across a large lake could be disastrous without this steering system!

Marklin air-steering system with hand pump and rubber hose

Germany was the first country to employ submarines in war for the purpose of disrupting shipping supply lines and merchant ships. Its strategy was highly effective during WW1 and WW2.

Wittelsbach-Klasse Large Dreadnought Battleships

Starting with the 1907 additional catalog we can see a very large pre-dreadnought battleship appear in the product offering. Additionally electric operation came onto the market via dry-cell battery operation. These electric operation boats (which also include electric lighting) are very sought after today and fetch much higher prices than their steam and clockwork counterparts. The largest of these dreadnoughts is 117cm long.

The clockwork version of the largest ship has a reported runtime of 1.25 hrs while the electric version boats a total runtime of around 6 hours – and that includes the two headlights burning during operation!

U-Boat Submarines Glide onto the Market

It’s not until after WW1 that we see the classic fully submersible submarine enter into the product range. Prior submarine-style boats were actually torpedo boats and only partially submerged.

Related to submarines – the U Boat 139 sank the Lusitania, a British liner, on May 7, 1915 off the southern coast of Ireland. About 1,150 men, women and children, perished – 114 of which were Americans.

Somewhat ironically Marklin also produced a variation of a passenger ship with the ship name Lusitania. Ships of all kinds could be requested with special names – we’ve seen boats in America with ship names like America, New Jersey, Boston, etc. and so a special-order name is not out of the ordinary. However, the name Lusitania carries extra significance because of its history and the fact that it was made by a German firm like Marklin, whose motherland was responsible for sinking the British ship. One can wonder who ordered the ship – was it a German naval officer who wanted the ship as a war prize? or a British or American family wishing to remember this tragic memory? Unfortunately the provenance of the piece is unknown – other than that it was sold twice by Sotheby’s over the past few decades. The possibility that the ship name was added later is certainly not out of the question and could have been performed by a highly skilled restoration artist.

Marklin passenger ship Lusitania electric (dry cell) powered. Source.

Sadly as the 1920s came to a close so did Marklin’s production of boats, submarines and ships of all kinds. As Marklin’s offering catered toward a more broad base of toy enthusiasts and not just the rich or royalty, their product offering needed to become more accessible in terms of both space and budget. The introduction of 00 scale in 1935 also shifted focus back heavily on toys. The production of boats ended much sooner than the large gauges trains did, which were last produced in 1954 with O Gauge trains.

Marklin ST 800 Electric Railcar Locomotive 1948 – 1954

The Marklin ST 800 locomotive was produced for a total of 6 years from 1948 to 1954.  The locomotive is based on an American style outline – perhaps loosely modeled after the American Alco DL 103 diesel locomotive.  It is similar to the DL 800 locomotive, but has middle cars, numbered ST 800 MT (Mitteltiel – middle piece), and an end car. The ST 800 electric locomotive has front headlines in the locomotive, and each middle car has a light, which is powered by center-rail pickup shoes and a pin and socket that carries current through the cars.

Over the course of its history, the ST 800 came in three different colors – red, green, and blue.  Earlier versions of the ST 800 are a dark red, called Karminrot, and later versions were a lighter red.  Generally the different versions can be identified by color, type of pantograph, and the flat or round driveshafts in the locomotive – all of which changed over the years for each version.

Geprüft Tags: Marklin’s Seal of Approval

Collectors are sometimes pleasantly surprised to open a Marklin box and see a bright, shiny silver seal attached to their loco or loose inside the box.  What are these special tags?

Marklin has always been known for quality, but one way that they insure quality before locomotives leave the factory floor is by testing each one.  This practice is still done today with digital locomotives that travel through a special test layout with all possible curves, turnouts, cross-over tracks and more.  And after they’re fully tested they are packed carefully into their boxes and ship off to their final destination to a Marklin enthusiast’s layout or display case.

Early Geprüft Tags for O Scale

The earliest Geprüft or “checked” / “tested” tags were first seen on O scale locomotives from the 1930s.  These tags were red/white and made out of a paper material instead of a silver foil like the later tags for 00/HO.  They are extremely rare, and as such it’s difficult to form any patterns on how these tags were used at the factory.  Certainly they were not applied to all O Scale locomotives because many mint-in-box locomotives have come up without these tags.  We have seen large “Super-Model” locomotives of the 1930s with these tags such as the SLH and ME and so perhaps only the larger, more expensive locomotives were given these special tags.

Red/White Seal for Marklin O Gauge Locomotive. Source: Selzer Toy Auction

The First Geprüft Tag for 00

During the beginning of the 00 range in 1935, Marklin did not tag their locomotives after testing.  The first possible tag surprisingly comes from around 1949, if the tag is indeed original.  The tag has an “SK” stamp on the back and was sold as part of an auction for an empty SK 800 N box with date stamp from 1949.  As always, we have to be careful with assessing the originality of such scarce pieces like this tag.  The auction came up in Germany where many items are faked, including boxes and tags.  However, here it seems the seller did not know what they had and so possibly the tag truly was just found with the box.  Another example of this round paper tag is seen in Christie’s Fine Marklin book on a DL 800 which also dates from the 1948-1949 period roughly.

Possible Gepruft tag from 1949 for the SK 800. Archive ID: 75513

Update: after posting this article, several collectors wrote in confirming the originality of this style of paper circular tag.  The tags appeared in 1948/49, even during times when silver tags existed and were perhaps used when silver tags were not in stock. 

Silver and Colorful Geprüft Tags for 00

The earliest shiny, silver tags that are more commonly seen today were a dark red color.  Over the years there were several different colors and variations in the font and script.  The colors do seem to coordinate with the year that the locomotive was produced.  As always when doing our research we focus on finding examples that we know are 100% original.  As such, in this review we do not include any examples from auctions, especially those in Germany where the wrong tags are added with replica boxes and instruction sheets.  Instead, all examples shown here were sourced from collections in the United States and come directly from the original owners.  Because Marklin is not as popular in the US and many Marklin trains were brought over from Europe and never used, they are the best source for studying Marklin trains in their original condition as they left the factory.

Comparison of two red tags with different “ft” at the end.  The tag on the right with the separate “f t” is later.

Tags from 1950-1955

This is the earliest style, and featured on the RSM, RET, and G in the pictures below.  On the RSM tag, for instance, you will notice a wider letter-form “geprüft” font and barely separate “F” and “T.” Also, the circle and stem feature a larger “fillet” – the round concave blend curve in the outline shape.

1951-1952Dark blue
1952-1953Green-blue
1953-1954Black
1955Gold

The back of the tags were commonly stamped with model numbers and we’ve seen serif (vestige of paper circle stamps) and sans serif stamp (similar to early box labels) fonts.  Beware that replica tags can have these model stamps too. 

Marklin RET tag source


Marklin G 800 tag blue from 1953 (?) source


Orange tag for RSM from 1955 source

Orange colored tag for DL 800 source

Tags from 1956-1963

This is the second design of the tags, featuring joined “F” and “T” letters.

1956Orange
1957-1958Violet
1958-1959Blue
1959-1960Brown
1960-1961Pink
1963Orange

Marklin 3015 with blue tag dating from 1959 source

The final design

In 1962, and then from 64-73 is the third and last tag design. It is the most commonly found, and features a narrower font with a (more) open “F” and “T.” There is a shift from a more rich metallic foil to a later, cheaper foil that has some grey-black color to the surface – a “splotching.” The best color sequence reported puts in 1962 a Purple/Red, (recall 1963 reprises 1956 “Orange with closed “FT”), and from 1964-67 a Red/orange.  In 1966-68 a Red, in 1969 Purple, then 69-73 a red with splotchy foil.

Seeing the tags in action!

A short Marklin video shows the tags as they are waiting to be added to the tested locomotives!

Marklin Gepruft tags sitting on factory testing bench – 1960s? source

Beware of Reproduction Tags

Example of 2 green reproduction tags

An example lot came up at auction with some obscure tags.  Seemingly one is marked with “SLR” which was a model only produced in the pre-war years when such tags have never previously been seen.  Although they look old – worn and yellowed – we doubt the authenticity of these tags.

Marklin Gepruft tags of dubious origin

Credits

A special thanks to collector Xavier for investigating how different colors have shown up over the years.  Also John for his help with some corrections and analysis of the fonts.  And the forum post on the German FAM. 

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