In 1891, Märklin, a toy company in Leipzig, Germany, became eternally connected to toy trains when they developed the standards for toy trains. Over a hundred and ten years have passed and toy train manufactures are still using Märklin’s standards to measure toy trains.

When it developed the standards for toy trains, Märklin was a company that mainly designed and built accessories for doll houses. In 1891 they expanded the business and started making toy trains. Märklin had always designed its doll house accessories to a gauge (a certain gauge dollhouse corresponded with a certain gauge of furniture). They realized that if they used a similar gauge when building toy trains and railroad tracks consumer’s could continue purchasing bits of tracks for years to come. As soon as they realized this Märklin sold rolling and stock tracks that could be used to expand the boxed sets they sold.

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