Marklin - The Toy Giants


image by ec2808

One of the oldest giants in the toy producing market is the Germany based company Marklin. It is known world wide for its high tech toys and also for model railroads. The company was established in 1859 and since then it has become like a synonym for model railways. Marklin produces almost every famous model railroad. It was because of them that the gauges for toy trains were later adopted by the international standards. They made the O gauge, HO gauge and Z scale. The only gauges not made by Marklin are wide gauge and the N gauge.

Trix is yet another brand name for Marklin. They are together the leading manufacturers of the HO scale model operated on DC. However the earlier models of the company are also widely accepted by many, the latest invention has gained a tremendous favour by the people.

With the beginning of the new millennium this company made a step forward. Apart from manufacturing model trains, the company took an initiative to produce sets for mechanical constructions. They also produced many lithographed toys. The company is very well known for the Marklin system as well which basically refers to the techniques used by them. The system uses a rail that is hidden in the roadbed of small studs while the outer rails are electrically connected. Hence, just the two outer trains are visible having simple wiring and one train is invisible. So it is actually a three train system.

Marklin had collaboration with Motorola in 80's and introduced a revolutionary concept of digital train systems. A two train DC Trix is the one that is enabled with digital command control system. It basically consists of a chip, Marklin k83. The component is responsible for controlling the model train. It is because of this only that the signals are flashed in green and red colour. K84 is a component used instead of k83 sometimes.

As the time has passed, the company has truly gained a reputation in the toy market. The company is immensely popular because of its wide range of products. The product packaging is stupendous as well. Every detail of the product is well arranged and consists of all that is needed. Marklin has always been available easily in every market and now making a mark online.

2 comments

  1. Randall  

    August 30, 2008 at 11:33 PM

    I believe you mean that Marklin was established in 1859... not 1959. While I don't know the exact year off-hand, and don't have a reference handy, I'm pretty sure Marklin was founded in the late 1850s or early 1860s. I believe they produced the first model train sets around the turn of the 20th Century.

  2. Milly  

    August 31, 2008 at 9:02 PM

    Hi Randall,
    Thanks very much for your keen observation of this error. Yes, Marklin was founded in 1859, not 1959, by tin smith Theodor Friedrich Wilhelm Märklin (1817-1866),initially to produce dolls-house accessories made from lacquered tinplate.
    In 1891 Märklin presents the first system railroad: a windup locomotive with cars and an expandable track system.
    For more information on the history of Marklin, go to: http://www.marklin.com/about/
    I have ammended the post.