Translations:Adventist Youth Honors Answer Book/Arts and Crafts/Model Railroad/3/en

On the Right Track

The first toy trains of the 1840's actually ran on steam produced by filling the metallic model with water and placing in on a heating surface. These 'carpet railways' didn't use track and often left a trail of water behind them. In 1891, the German company Märklin began offering a track system for its wind-up, or "clockwork," trains which were moving along on their own electric power within the decade. The famous American toy train manufacturer, Lionel, began selling its first sectional three-rail electric train track (later called "Standard Gauge") in 1906, just five years after their first store window display called the "Electric Express" captured public attention. By 1910, the British company Bassett-Lowke had opened a London showroom exclusively for its model trains. Other early toy train producers from around the world were Lima, Bing, Fleischmann and Rivarossi.