Maker record
Lytax
Lytax-Werke was a German maker of model railways based in Freiburg im Breisgau. In 1946 it offered the Comet-Bahn, a 12 mm railway system with locomotives, rolling stock, points, overhead wires and electric control. The trains used overhead power, with a circuit that allowed two trains to run independently. Lytax’s small range belongs to the early postwar development of TT-scale railways in Germany, when several makers introduced compact systems amid supply shortages at established railway companies.
- Founded
- 1920
- Locations
- Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany · 1920
- Founders
- Unknown
The story of Lytax
Lytax-Werke, based in Freiburg im Breisgau since the 1920s, entered model railways in the first postwar years. In 1946 the company offered the Comet-Bahn, an early German 12 mm railway system. Its range included locomotives and carriages, track points, overhead wires and electric control, making it a complete system rather than a stand-alone train. The line ran on overhead power. By splitting alternating current into two pulsating direct currents, its control system permitted two trains to operate independently.
The Comet-Bahn appeared during a period when German manufacturers were bringing out compact toy railways as established companies faced supply difficulties. Lytax’s 12 mm system predated broader German adoption of TT modelling and was one of several separate early postwar developments. The compact scale limited fine detail on locomotives and carriages, while the system’s design emphasized overall form and technical operation. The specialist account reports that Lytax made only 40 train sets and that production ended in 1948; it describes the output as apparently intended for Switzerland. No founder or later ownership change is documented in this account.