Märklin is one of the pioneers of model railroading in the world (Maxwell, 2023). It was founded in 1859 in Germany, by Theodor Friedrich Wilhelm Märklin (Märklin, n.d.). However, the company did not initially produce model trains, but rather focused on everyday items, including those for children (Märklin, n.d.). After marrying Caroline Hettich, Märklin decided to expand the product range to include toys for girls, while Caroline built up a distribution network in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (Märklin, n.d.). After the founder's death, his wife took over the company, which she later passed on to her sons Eugen and Karl in 1888. The Märklin brothers in 1891 overtook Ludwig Lutz’s failing company, which manufactured toys, including toy trains (Märklin, n.d.). This is how Märklin’s focus on model trains began, gradually leaving behind the other products that were offered at the time.
Märklin was the first company to put model trains on tracks (Kalla, 2016, p. 52). “Carpet runners” dominated the market until the company introduced tracks that could be connected together in 1891 (Kalla, 2016, p. 52). Märklin was also responsible for setting standards that have become known around the world by creating several popular railroad scales. These include scales: 1-5 (introduced in 1891), scale 0 (from 1895 or 1901), H0 scale (1935) and the incredibly small Z scale (1:220), known as Mini-Club (1972).
Currently, the company offers a variety of locomotives, cars, tracks, figurines, and other accessories necessary to create your own train world. Each train is a reproduction of an existing train and part of a collection that can be identified by the number on the piece.
The video below shows some of the Märklin products that can be purchased today.
The company uses a variety of materials for manufacturing its models. The train you see here was made in H0 scale from metal, plastic, and glass, which helps bring a greater sense of realism. Having the model in your hand, you can truly feel as if you are holding a faithful copy of the original, replicated in miniature scale.