Trix HO Scale Model Railroads & Trains

The Trix company first produced model trains in Nuremburg, Germany in the early '30s. Taking over a design first presented by the Bing company in the '20s, Trix presented the Trix Express at the Leipzig Spring Toy Fair in March 1935. This railroad was produced in the newly-developed OO gauge and was small enough to be set up on a table, so it was known as a tabletop railway. The Trix Express was a bestseller until the beginning of World War II.

In the late '30s, Trix partnered with Bassett-Lowke to offer a British version of the Trix Express. It ran two trains on one three-rail track at the same time. This set was called the Trix Twin Railway and it helped to promote the popularity of OO gauge in Great Britain. Trix halted production of model trains during World War II, but resumed again in 1948, producing model trains in HO scale.

Trix continued to manufacture model trains, switching their production from AC to DC current in 1956. They introduced an N scale line under the brand name Minitrix in 1964. Trix operated as an independent company until 1997, when it was purchased by Märklin. The company continues to operate as a subsidiary of Märklin, producing HO scale model railroads and N scale Minitrix products.

Quick Facts

• The Trix company was originally founded in 1838. It produced metal toys, including a building set that was popular in Germany until the early '30s
• Stephen Bing and Siegfried Kahn, two of the developers of the original tabletop railway and founders of Trix Express, started a British version of their model train. They both sold their shares in Trix in 1938 and immigrated to England to escape the Nazi regime
• Minitrix N scale model trains continue to be popular today with a large following in the United States