Category: Historical Articles

Interesting articles on Marklin collecting, operating, and the general history of Marklin.

220 Volts to the Present: From life threatening danger to safety

  During 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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ENGINE PROPULSION SYSTEMS AND REVERSING UNITS FOR MÄRKLIN GAUGE 1 AND 0

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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Josef Danilowatz: Painting Märklin by Lid and Cover

What do Marklin players see first?  Young enthusiasts might first see Marklin at a friend’s house running around the tracks.  Displays in store windows present a colorful moving orchestra of windup and electric toys working in harmony.  The bright lights and realistic sounds would draw in those walking by.  If you were lucky, your dealer might give you a catalog to bring home and look

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History of the Faller Company

Shortly after the war, two brothers, Edwin and Hermann Faller, started making plans for the future; they wanted to make wooden toys. In 1946 in Stuttgart the brothers founded the ‘Hermann Faller company’. Soon after, the brothers relocated their company to their hometown, Gütenbach, in the Black Forest (‘Schwarzwald’).  They renamed their company to ‘Faller Brothers’ (‘Gebrüder Faller’) and began making

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