Märklin

Theodor Friedrich Wilhelm Märklin and Caroline Märklin founded the company in Germany in 1859. It began with dollhouse accessories and tin toys. The company’s railway specialism developed later: in 1891 it introduced a clockwork train system with track and models in different gauges. That year, Märklin also acquired the tin-toy manufacturer Ludwig Lutz of Ellwangen, expanding its toy-making business.

Märklin’s early railway range included a steam locomotive with a box truck and covered carriage, made in 1895. The Dutch Railway Museum identifies this set as the oldest 0-gauge model in its collection. The Science Museum Group records Märklin’s 1891 wind-up train and notes its later role in establishing several model railway gauges. The company developed from a tin-toy maker into a manufacturer known chiefly for model trains and technical toys.