Toy train

In contrast to the model railway is placed in the Toy train the focus rather on an imitation of the model with respect to the largest possible value play than on scale fidelity. However, the transition from the toy train to model railway is to be regarded rather fluently and also in a historical context.

Toy trains differ from the model trains in principle in the following ways:

• They are often an imitation of the model and so not always to scale.
• They are primarily designed as a toy for a young clientele.
• Model railways from the early days ( sheet railways, Tinplate ), and were then able to toy trains, or even better technical toys, counted today. The former model railway served time for gaming purposes or for learning purposes. The model was imitated as well as possible under the given time technical possibilities. An accurate sense of scale was not in the foreground.

In today's time, model trains could be called toy train, if they are not strictly to scale, these deviations are due to simplifications in favor of a child-friendly or robustness of a low-cost manufacturing. Traditionally, this is shown in condensed and simplified vehicles such as this are to be found in the programs of many model railway manufacturer and offered at no cost, for example, the term hobby.

• 3.1 LEGO Railway
• 3.2 known department store Railways ( range Railways)
• 3.3 Other

Wooden Trains

The term Wooden Railway here are the toy trains understood in the rails and the accessories are made of wood next to the vehicles. In addition, there are also wooden trains without rails.

The wooden rails (usually made of beech wood ) can be laid quickly and easily to a game system with plug-in connections. Since the rails are usually on the top and on the bottom traces ( except lines ), one can make by rotating around the longitudinal axis of a left- right arc. The locomotives and cars are usually also made of wood, with the abstract models, but have child-friendly shapes. Originally conceived as a pure Push toys, there are also models with battery drive and remote control. Because of its robustness and rapid assembly and dismantling the possibility wooden train with has been one of the most sought after toys.

The most comprehensive range can be found at the Swedish manufacturer BRIO to their popularity, not least, contribute "models" from the TV series " Bob the Builder". The dominance of Brio products has meant that the competitors have adopted this quasi-standard and rails and vehicles usually match. It is often advertised with messages like ' fits Brio ".

With " models " from the TV series " Thomas the Tank Engine " from " Learning Curve Toys" conquered another company long-term market share in Germany, which has traditionally been for a long time between the two "big" party BRIO and Eichhorn and the smaller HEROS divided. More suppliers next to Brio, Eichhorn (1998 bankruptcy and acquired by the Simba Dickie Group) and Hero (2010 insolvent and acquired by the Simba Dickie Group) are Bino, gaming mouse ( house brand of Vedes ), Remus (2002 Insolvent ) elile or " Bob the Bear" ( house brands of Kaufhof ), Babalu ( house brand of Karstadt), the Toy Company, TopyTop, HSB - Hartung games Berlin ( XTOYS ) tåg - Lillabo ( house brand of IKEA ), Universe of Imagination ( house brand of Toys'R'Us ) and Mentari Toys masses. 2009 at the latest ( Game & idea) reinforced Beebo and Funtoys massively their range of cheaper products, making use of the weakness of Brio and hero to position themselves. Brio was able to provide coverage only in the second half of 2010 to be completely new range in Germany.

The company euro -play toys gmbh delivered for a short time a well manufactured in China, according to the illustrations of Franz Josef Tripp of children's books by Michael Ende designed " Jim Knopf's wooden train " for the German market. However, in 2000 BRIO began " Jim Knopf models " bring out, this time based on the new animated series.

In the U.S. there are also TCTimber (from Haba from Germany in 1980 bought ) that might in 1937 as first the current system onto the market, Maxim, Whittle Shortline Railroad, Maple Landmark and many more in some cases very small companies.

Sheet Railways ( Tinplate Trains Tinplate Trains )

The sheet railroads were produced largely from tinplate (English tinplate ). In the early days of the production of toy trains the individual parts of locomotives and carriages were soldered, and later simplified by only umgepfalzte " sheet tabs " connected.

Bing

→ Main article: Bing

The company Gebrüder Bing produced in Nuremberg, tin toys and Railways from 1879 to 1932. You had at its peak 5,000 employees, making it the largest company of its kind in Europe. 1866 Ignatz and Adolf Bing founded a retail business. They began gradually to manufacture the goods sold by them.

Bing was in the 1920s, the market leader in sheet metal railways. The locomotives were designed better and more realistic and developed in the direction of model railways. In addition to the vehicles and rail elements, there was a wide range of accessories and buildings.

At least two other former employees of Bing made ​​successfully self-employed:

• On June 11, 1935 Johann Biller reported (* August 7, 1898, † 25 June 1980) together with his wife, with retroactive effect from 2 May 1935 in Nuremberg at his own company. Her best-known post-war product was the " Biller train " a robust, quality Loren train. Hans Biller fabricated his patent toy first in the east of size 1935 until 1978. His features were due to the Variatonsmöglichkeiten and good playability, good luck. This was due, inter alia, to the built-in drive of the locomotives as clockwork. The company went bankrupt in 1977.

More German manufacturer of this era

• Jos. Kraus and Co., Nuremberg
• Karl Bub, Nuremberg
• Heinrich Wimmer
• Conrad Dressler, Nuremberg
• Carl Liebmann later: VEB metal goods factory Stadtilm Stadtilm
• Gebr. GmbH, Göppingen
• Jean Schoenner, Nuremberg
• Ernst Plank KG, Nuremberg
• Georges Carette & Co.. , Nuremberg
• Johann Andreas Issmayer, Nuremberg
• Johann Distler KG, Nuremberg
• Doll & Co., Nuremberg
• Cabo, Carl Bochmann, Dresden
• Josef Falk, Nuremberg
• Kibri Kindler & Briel, Böblingen
• Trix, Nuremberg

Other toy trains

LEGO Railway

→ Main article: LEGO

The railroad from LEGO is part of the system of Lego bricks. Since the trains are assembled with Lego bricks, the child may modify the models and incorporate their own ideas. Opposite the wooden train, these models provide additional games options, such as opening various doors and hatches.

The Lego train set was designed from the outset as an electric railway. The blue plastic rails of the first model series only allowed to operate with battery-powered locomotives. It was later offered an option to retrofit two-pole busbars and the locomotives with sliding contacts for power consumption to enable battery-free operation with transformer. For a while conductive rails were sold. This could be used without a separate power rails with a transformer. Most recently, only non-conductive plastic tracks for battery operation and remote control are available again.

For Lego duplo there is also a battery-powered electric train that suits the corresponding Duplo blocks. The rails and vehicles of Lego and Duplo Railway are completely incompatible with each other, even though they are from the same company.

So-called store - Railways ( range Railways)

In the 1930s to the 1960s, but even today, there were and there are a variety of manufacturers, the simplified toy trains in sheet metal and later plastic construction manufactured. This toy trains should be deposited by very low prices of the then already very popular model trains and are mostly accessible to the broader population. An example of this is the company Conrad Dressler.

In most cases ( 1 Transformer 1 Locomotive with Tender possibly, 2 or 3 cars, 1 rail circle ) complete train sets were sold. Accessories had to be purchased separately.

Other

Similar capability is provided the railroad of the game system Playmobil.

For young children there are trains made ​​of wood and plastic as a push or pull along that do not require rails. A well-known example is the Explore- railroad from LEGO.

Other examples of systems with plastic extension ranges include the web from Wader or Plarail ( Tomica World) by Tomy.

Museums

Many German museums show a large body of mainly historical toy. Below is particularly the Nuremberg Toy Museum and the German Toy Museum in Sonneberg mentioned.