Interesting articles on Marklin collecting, operating, and the general history of Marklin.
A common sight to any Marklin 00 collector: broken trucks and missing roof vents on a beautiful 350-series coach. Over the years, Zinc diecast parts suffer from “Zincpest” making them brittle and prone to breakage. The thin supports of the roof vents and two posts that secure the side trucks to the stamped metal frame are extremely vulnerable to breaking. In
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As discussed in previous articles, the Marklin factory continued production during WWII. American soldiers operating in the area are said to have visited the factory specifically. Not only were they there to collect intelligence, but also indulge in some toy shopping for those back home. The Marklin factory had an in-house showroom with all the latest models running and many
Read moreDuring the late 19th century and into the early 20th century, Märklin toy trains used one of three power sources – clockwork motors, live steam and electricity. In time, the first two methods with their inherent limitations were displaced, but not entirely replaced, by electric motors. So it was that in 1895 Märklin offered its first electric motor driven
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Occasionally readers of the MarklinStop blog send me emails about trains which they would like to learn more information about. Many are modern digital trains, some are vintage trains from the 50s and 60s, and rarely I am treated with something very special. Upon opening the pictures (shown below), I gazed at my screen in disbelief. Before me was a
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INTRODUCTION When Wilhelm Märklin established the firm Märklin in 1859, the main products included doll kitchens and other general metal toys. It was not until 1891 that the first trains appeared in the assortment of their products. Engine power was still in its infancy with floor-runners. Soon however, Märklin started to produce powered locomotives for their trains. Clock-work, steam, and
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