Maker record
Biller
Biller was a German toy maker based in Nuremberg, active from 1935 to 1977. Its products included clockwork tin toys, railway sets and accessories, model cars, cranes, helicopters and aircraft. The Billerbahn, introduced in 1948, was a metal railway in 0e scale, offered with clockwork and battery-powered locomotives. The firm also made finished play landscapes and racing tracks, and began using plastic alongside metal in the early 1960s. Its range extended from prewar mechanical toys to postwar functional models.
- Founded
- 1935
- Final year
- 1977
- Locations
- Nuremberg, Germany
- Founders
- Johann (Hans) Biller
The story of Biller
Johann Biller, known as Hans, registered a metal toy business in Nuremberg in 1935. A former Bing employee, he obtained machinery from the recently bankrupt Johann Philipp Meier firm. Before the Second World War, Biller specialized in mechanical toys, including clockwork railway sets and a model racing car. The factory was destroyed during the war. After rebuilding, the firm changed its product range and introduced its toy railway in 1948. Biller received a patent that October for a covering for the running gear of toys, particularly toy vehicles. The railway was shown at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in 1950.
The Billerbahn was made in 0e scale and offered with clockwork or battery-powered locomotives. The firm also produced railway accessories, cars and finished play landscapes, including slalom and racing tracks. Its other functional toys included cranes, friction-powered trucks, racing cars, helicopters, aircraft and an Apollo capsule. In 1952, the business moved to Praterstrasse 9; from 1960 it operated there as Johann Biller, Patentspielwarenfabrik. In the early 1960s, it began using plastic alongside metal. The firm moved to Neumeyerstrasse in 1976, then filed for bankruptcy in April 1977. It was deregistered in January 1978. The Billerbahn name later appeared on products by another manufacturer, distinct from the original firm.
