Figure 1.--Of course it is possible to build very elaborate latouts. Most German boys, however, had only a simple circular track with a single engine. The image is unidentified, but we believe was taken in Germany about 1930. These two boys wear short pants with long stockings. On boy wears strap shoes. The box says "Malbuch". I'm not sure what that means. The boys have confused us a bit here. It has nothing to do with the train. Malbuch is a book with figures inside that the children can colour. It is a scrap-book for small children with color pencils, where some figure is printed in black/white and the child fills in the basic drawing with the colors. I am surprised to see these boys obviously already going to school (age 6+) with a Malbuch book. It is usually for younger children between 2-5 years old.

Toy trains were a particularly popular toy with German boys. We note all kinds of toy trains in the late-19th century and early-20 th century. These included trains which did not have any kind of drive as well as mechanical trains. Electric trains appeared in great numbers after World War I. And the Germans made some good ones in the 1920s and early-30s. The militarization of the German economy by the NAZIs in the 1930s probably affected the production of electrical trains. This would of course impaired thee popularity or at least children's access to them. Märklin started with electric table-mountaid railroads in 1935. Production was halted during World war II in 1943. Since the factory was not damaged during the war, Märklin restarted manufacturing toy trains and railroads soon after the War in 1946. They now also made exact copies of American freight trains like Union Pacific, N.Y.Central Railroad, and Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railways. By the time the German economy began to recover from the War, the popularity of trains had begun to wain. The principal manufacturer is Märklin. The Märklin company is since 140 years the world's oldest and largest toy train maker. Of course it is possible to build very elaborate latouts. Most German boys, however, had only a simple circular track with a single engine. Boys all over the world have been playing with Märklin trains.

German Rail System

Britain led Europe in the devlopment of railroads, a critically important waspect of the Industrial Revolution. Early German railway construction was complicated by the many different states. There were a number of early commercial venturs. Generally Germans point to the Bavarian Ludwig Railway as e first German railway (1835). It was built by the Ludwig Railway Company in Nuremberg (Ludwigs-Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft in Nürnberg). Engineer Paul Camille von Denis played a prominent view. It introduced the new type of steam engine. The first official trip was a run from Nuremberg to Fürth after earlier test runs had been coducted (December 7, 1835). The German states lagged far behind Britain in industrialization at the time. They had to import the locomotive Adler from Britain. It was built by Stephenson and Co. in Newcastle upon Tyne. From this point the Germans begn to rapidly accelerate. In Britain and America building railways was mostly done by private comoanies with commercial iniatives. Germany was different. The Prussin military saw the military potential in a rail system, namely the rapid movement of troops and supplies. This was not the same in other coiuntries, namely because commercialk rail lines were few in number and did not necesarily go where the militaries wanted to move troops. The Prussuan Government got into raillroad building, proividing subsidies to ensure rail lines were built into areas that the military saw as strategic. The first important use of raillines occured (1860s). Rail transpoort played an important role in the Austro-Prussian War (1866). The other war in which railroads played an important role was the American Civil War (1861-65). In this case the rail lines were importat because they went vurtully everywhere in the North. America went oin to build the larget rail system in the world. The Germans developed the largest rail system n Europe. It would becme a centralized state system. The American rail system developed as a network consisting of a lrge numbers of relatively smll coirporate lines, creating mny complictions and ineffcencies. German unuification occurred after the Franco-Prussian War (1871). Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, who mastermined unification, advocated a unified state railway system.

Popularity

Toy trains were a particularly popular toy with German boys. They would be at the top of many boys' Christmas list. Boys loved them. They were big, loud, and smokey. For a boy, what was not to like about them. Girls on the other hand had no use for them.

Types

We note all kinds of toy trains in the mid- and late-19th century and 20th century. Toy trains began to appeae soon after trains appeared in Germabny (1830s). Boys saw then and toy trains had great appeal. For a century, trains were the primary way of moving goods and people. Lines gradually criss-crossed Germany. The first toy trains were stand alone trains and pull toy trains for the younger boys. They provide fscinating models of early trains, a useful indicator of the rapid development of railroads in Germany. These were toy trains which did not have any kind of drive. But most boys wanted them. Driving devices added interest for the boys. The first drive devices were wind up toys. Eventually electric engines were added. Electric trains appeared in great numbers after World War I. And the Germans made some of the best in the 1920s and early-30s. With the electric engines a whole new type of toy train developed--model railroading. Boys might just have a simple circular track like the boys here (figure 1). Older boys and adults began sohisticated, realistic layouts for their train sets. And model railroafing was siomething fathers and sons could do toether. Some adults pursued the bbby without sons.

Chronology

Trains appeared in Germany during the early-19th century. There were precursors (late-1820s). The first reue railline used a British lovomotive (1835). We believe toy trains appeared soon after real trains were built. We do not have much information on these early toys. here were both stand alone and pull toys. The stand alone trains could be very realistic. The pull toys were for younger boys. We begin to see images of these toys in early photographs. We have been able to find few Germasn Dags and Anbros. We do see toys as soon as CDVs appeared in the 1860s. There were all kinds kinds of different toy trans in the late-19th cntury and early-20th century. There were often mechanically driven trains. After World War I we begin to see electrin trains. German maufacturers made some great ones, although export markes were disrupted by the War. The militarization of the German economy by the NAZIs in the 1930s probably affected the production of electrical trains. Metal in particular was diverted to war industries. This would of course impaired thee popularity or at least children's access to them. Production of metal toys was completeklt haulted after World War II tuned aainst Germany. By the time the German economy began to recover from the War, electric trains were very popular in the post-War era. Model railroading attractd both boys and adults. The popularity of trains wain in the late-20th centuty.

Layouts

An importsant part of serious model railroading is layout contruction. The layout is the above all the tracks, but with an added topographical and democragrip setting. Early tains such as pull toys didn't need layouts. Most German boys, however, had only a simple circular track with a single engine. The train set here is a good example (figure 1). This of course was fine for younger boys. A very basic train was exciting enough for them. And it was something that they could build and manage which is an important part of the model train expeience. This can be very snic. In fact the Constructio of a model railroad layout evolved into a fine art. Configuring a model train lsayout can involve sculpting, model building, painting, and even some electronic engineering. Some items are a requirement such as at least one train station and a small village. A very popular item was a tunnel. As the layoiy grew the number of cross tracks invreased. Usually layouts were condtructed over time as a without any master plan. A major factor here was father. If father caught the moddel train bug, the layouts could ger very extensive indeed. Here a factor in Germany was relative afflunce. Te Germnan standard of liiving befoire Workld War II was les than the British and substatially less than the American. This was relected in living space. Many Germans lived in apartmnts and other small homes where it was not possible to construct large, permanent model train layouts. Of course some affluent Germans did have large homes with space for a an extensive layout. Most of the German layouts we see are small, temporary ones.

Companies

Märklin was perhapos the best knowen Germasn manufactureer of electric trains. Märklin started with electric table-mountaid railroads in 1935. Production was halted during World war II in 1943. Since the factory was not damaged during the war, Märklin restarted manufacturing toy trains and railroads soon after the War in 1946. They now also made exact copies of American freight trains like Union Pacific, N.Y.Central Railroad, and Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railways. The principal manufacturer is Märklin. The Märklin company is since 140 years the world's oldest and largest toy train maker. Of course it is possible to build very elaborate latouts. Most German boys, however, had only a simple circular track with a single engine. Boys all over the world have been playing with Märklin trains.

Gender

Trains were a very popular toy for boys. Girls were totally uninterested.

Clothing

An American reader writes, "This photo of the two boys playing with their toy train struck a memory chord for me. My brother and I played with such a train in 1935 when we were living in Western Pennsylvania. Our electric train was a bit more elaborate and mounted on a platform at Christmas time. The tracks had branches so that the train could be diverted to a different track by throwing a switch. My father would set up the train for us while we were asleep after attending midnight Mass at our Anglican church on Christmas Eve, staying up half the night to get the train ready for us as a surprise when we awoke on Christmas morning. We had moveable toy houses, churches, and other small buildings so that the landscape could be altered as our imagination directed. We then rushed downstairs to see what Santa Claus had put in our stockings hung near one of the fireplaces. One of great advantages of wearing long stockings (and our were very long indeed) was that they held more goodies. And we were dressed almost identically to the German boys here, except perhaps for the strap sandals. Anyway, we both wore short pants and long stockings like these two boys. And even the colors are similar. The younger boy wears beige stockings and the older one light tan stockings. I was about 9 and my brother was 7, which seems to me roughly the age of these German boys. I wonder now if my mother, who dressed us like this, was influenced by fashions in Germany."

Created: 4:55 PM 11/18/2005
Last updated: 1:36 AM 1/8/2019