Märklin Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Gebr. Märklin & Cie. GmbH

Märklin Museum in Göppingen
Type	Private
Founded	1859; 166 years ago (1859)
Headquarters	Göppingen , Germany
Key people	Theodor Friedrich Wilhelm Märklin [de] (founder), Caroline Märklin, Eugen Märklin [de], Karl Märklin [de]
Products	Toys, model railway products
Parent	Simba Dickie Group

Märklin is a famous German toy company. It was started in 1859 in Göppingen, Germany. Märklin first made accessories for doll houses. Today, it is most famous for its amazing model railways and other cool technical toys. In some places, like parts of Germany and Sweden, the name Märklin is almost like saying "model trains"!

The History of Märklin Toys
How the Märklin System Works
- Märklin Digital Control
Märklin Products and Collectibles
- H0 Scale: Märklin's Most Popular Size
Images for kids
See also

The History of Märklin Toys

Märklin has a long and interesting history. It started with a family and grew into a world-famous toy maker.

How Märklin Began

A carousel made by Märklin in 1911, now at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis.

Märklin was founded by Theodor Friedrich Wilhelm Märklin [de] in 1859. Sadly, he passed away in 1866. His wife, Caroline Märklin, then took over the business. She led the company for many years until 1888.

Later, Eugen Märklin [de] and Karl Märklin [de] took charge. In 1891, Märklin released its first wind-up train. It came with carriages and ran on special tracks. The company realized that toy trains, like dollhouses, could be expanded. Kids could buy more tracks and train cars over time.

Märklin's Model Train Sizes

A simple Märklin model train.

Märklin helped create many popular sizes, or "gauges," for model trains. In 1891, Märklin set standards for toy train sizes 1 to 5. They showed these at the Leipzig Toy Fair. These sizes quickly became international standards for toy trains.

Märklin also introduced other important sizes:

0 gauge: Around 1895 or 1901.
H0 scale: In 1935. This is a very popular size today.
Z scale: In 1972. This tiny scale (1:220) was called Mini-Club. For decades, it was the smallest model train in the world!

Today, Märklin makes trains and accessories in Gauge 1, H0 scale, and Z scale.

Other Cool Märklin Toys

A tiny Märklin Z-scale train layout on a coffee table. The train is only about 5 cm long!

Even though Märklin is famous for trains, they made other toys too. From 1914 to 1999, they produced building sets. These were like Meccano or Erector sets. Between 1967 and 1982, they had a slot car system called Märklin Sprint.

Märklin also made toy cars and boats from tin. From 1909 to the 1950s, they sold model model steam engines that ran on alcohol. These were great for learning! They could even power small dynamos to make light.

Changes in Ownership

In 1997, Märklin bought another model train company called Trix. This added N gauge trains to their product line.

In 2006, the Märklin company was sold to a British investment group called Kingsbridge Capital. This happened with the support of the employees. In 2007, Märklin also bought the LGB brand. LGB makes larger G scale model railways.

In 2009, Märklin faced some financial challenges. But just a year later, in 2010, they announced they were making a profit again! In 2013, the Simba Dickie Group bought Märklin.

During the 2020-2021 COVID pandemic, Märklin saw a big increase in sales. They even had to hire new employees to keep up with the demand!

How the Märklin System Works

Märklin tracks have small studs in the middle for power.

The Märklin system is a special way their model trains get power. Instead of two rails, it uses a hidden "third rail." This third rail has small metal studs that stick up between the ties of the track. The two outer rails are connected to each other electrically.

This system makes wiring simpler, especially for tricky parts like reverse loops. It also looks more realistic because you only see two rails. Older Märklin tracks had a real conductor rail instead of studs. Newer trains can still run on these older tracks.

Märklin's system is a bit different from other H0 trains. Märklin train wheels are not insulated. This means if you use Märklin cars on other brands' H0 tracks, it can cause a short circuit. Also, for many years, Märklin H0 trains used AC power. Most other H0 trains use DC power.

Märklin Digital Control

Märklin was one of the first model train companies to offer a digital control system. The Märklin Digital system came out in 1984. It used Motorola microchips to control the trains. This system allowed model train fans to control multiple trains on the same track at once. They could also control lights and sounds.

This digital control system later helped develop DCC (Digital Command Control). Today, Märklin also offers DCC-compatible locomotives for its 2-rail DC Trix brand.

Märklin Products and Collectibles

A Märklin model of a German steam locomotive.

Over the years, Märklin models have become very valuable to collectors. Some very old models can sell for a lot of money at auctions! Collectors look for rare models and even pay attention to the original packaging.

Some popular collectible Märklin models include:

The SBB Crocodile model.
The AMTRAK ICE model.
The Western Pacific 'California Zephyr' model.
The famous Union Pacific Big Boy model.

Märklin often includes a special number on its printed materials and product boxes. This number tells you when and where the item was printed. This helps collectors figure out how old an item is.

Most Märklin products are models of German trains (DB). But Märklin also makes models of trains from other countries. These include Swiss (SBB), Dutch (NS), and American trains.

In 2005, the Märklin museum in Göppingen, Germany, was robbed. Over 100 valuable items were stolen. These included unique prototypes and very old pieces. Luckily, all the stolen items were found in March 2005.

The third game in the popular Ticket to Ride board game series, released in 2006, was named Märklin to honor the company.

In 2010, Märklin announced a model of the Russian Velaro SAPSAN high-speed train. They also made models of other Russian trains.

H0 Scale: Märklin's Most Popular Size

The H0 scale is Märklin's biggest seller. This scale is 1:87. Märklin introduced it in 1935. Today, H0 is the most common model train size worldwide. Märklin is the market leader for H0 trains in German-speaking countries. They have about 50% of the market share!

Märklin is special because it offers a complete range of H0 products. This includes many different trains, tracks, and control systems. They also make trolley systems and other accessories.