Voltamp

Voltamp grew out of the Chloride of Silver Dry Cell Battery Company in Baltimore. The Train Collectors Association’s history says the Voltamp Electric Manufacturing Company was organized in 1904 to make electric motors, toys, and novelties; the Smithsonian dates the company to about 1904 and records batteries for medical use among its products. The specialist account describes an earlier turning point in toy production: Manes E. Fuld made a locomotive for his son in 1897, and the company’s first toy train product followed in 1903.

Voltamp’s trains used two-rail track. In 1907 it released an electric train that ran on ordinary household alternating current, rather than battery power. Its range grew to include locomotives, passenger and freight cars, and trolleys; a 1913 catalogue included trains, accessories, and hardware. The Train Collectors Association account notes construction details such as cast-iron locomotive frames, brass wheels, and automatic couplers, and says sprung truck frames were replaced by solid frames with simulated springs around 1914.

In 1923 Voltamp transferred its trademark, files, inventory, tooling, and train line to Horace Boucher. Boucher adapted the equipment from two-inch, two-rail operation to a wider three-rail system. Manes Fuld continued in the electrical business, while Voltamp trains entered a new phase under Boucher.