The Marklin factory is located in Göppingen, Germany as has been there since 1911 when the company moved from its previous location. Another official Marklin factory is located in Gyor, Hungary and produces large gauge items from the LGB product line and special edition items like the Viktoria reproduction steam ship. The Marklin factory in Germany is certainly a sight to see and the Marklin Museum is located nearby.
THE BEGINNING, 1859 The founder of Märklin (also “Marklin” and “Maerklin” more commonly in the US) was Theodor Friedrich Wilhelm Märklin (1817-1866), a master tinsmith. He moved to the small southern German town of Göppingen with his second wife Caroline (his first wife had died) in 1856, where he purchased the “Resident-rights” from the city and was henceforth registered officially
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Märklin has survived several generations of ownership, three factory relocations, eight gauges of toy trains, and two world wars, but the most crucial and undoubtedly pivotal time was during World War II. With its introduction of 00 Scale in 1935, Märklin faced huge potential; the smaller scale required fewer raw materials and the dream of creating an expansive model railroad
Read moreThe Marklin boxes changed frequently over the years, from being wooden crates in the early 1900s to the boxes of the 1960s with colorful graphic drawings and cardboard inserts. The boxes of the 1940s – 1950s, however, are the most interesting because the effects of the war often changed production runs and the materials available. Here we examine the box
Read moreIn 1956, Märklin was still feeling the effects of the Second World War as they had to adapt to the changing environment in Europe. The following letter below was sent from the Märklin factory to a collector in Illinois in the year 1956. What brings particular interest to this letter and especially its historical resonance, is the following quotation: “We
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