This article addresses the period of toy train development known as the Golden Age of Toy Trains from 1900 to 1914. Although I enjoy Marklin trains, I honestly am not very familiar with this period. So constructing this article has been a fascinating, educational experience. I say “constructed” because I really just assembled the article’s parts in a semblance of order which allowed me to present to you the images of these grand toy trains of over 100 years ago.
Nothing could have been completed, however, without the enthusiastic support of Herr Wolfgang Bauer, who, over these last forty plus years, restored, built, or created the exciting toy trains and accessories seen here.
Herr Wolfgang Bauer
Herr Bauer patiently provided hundreds of photos of the trains of this era, along with their historical lineage, to create this document. In the course of the three months we worked on this project together, we exchanged well over 200 emails with each other; some with just images, some with descriptions of the work accomplished, and some identifying the historical context of the image. We also had short, “sidebar” discussions on relaxing music for meditation, replicas of later Marklin trains such as Marklin’s famous 40 cm passenger coaches, and great, non-alcoholic, German beers! Not only is he an authority on Marklin trains of the “Golden Age”, he also operates a home layout with the East German trains of Zeuke and Liebmann/Stadtilm!
I thoroughly enjoyed working on-line with this gifted artisan and hope that this article adequately displays and describes the craftsmanship he brings to this hobby.
Do you collect and/or operate European 3-rail trains? If so, I'd like to hear about your interest. Write the author at bfbooth@cox.net.
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