Répertoire Trains miniatures

FLEISCHMANN (FLEISCHMANN GmbH & Co.KG) is a German manufacturer of model train. The company, founded in Nuremberg in 1887 by Jean Fleischmann, started with a production dedicated to various tin plate toys (boats, planes,…). It is during 1938/1939 winter, after the takeover of Nuremberg Doll & Co, that the first trains appeared, in "O" gauge. The firm turned to the "HO" models in 1952, while the 1/87 scale was not yet fully established (1/82 and 1/85 scales were still employed…), which became effective in 1960.

The strategy clearly defined to produce quality models was initially a curb on the expansion in Europe, particularly in France where the absence of "French" models coupled with the high price have been a handicap to face rival productions as HOrnby acHO for example. On the other hand, everywhere else, especially in Germany, this option allowed to compete with the other giant of this niche, Märklin, which was trying to impose its "3 rails" concept.

1969 marks an important milestone for Fleischmann, with the launch of "N" gauge models (1/160 scale), whose range has become famous under the name "Piccolo".

At the beginning of 2008, the company was acquired by the German-Austrian group Modelleisenbahn Holding GmbH, already owner of ROCO. The trade mark was kept, and productions are now much more prevalent in Europe, including France. Indeed, the quality/price ratio is now much closer to that of competitors, who have abandoned the idea of "cheap" for a long time to emphasize the quality… Besides, Fleischmann has changed its policy a few years ago, releasing specific models based upon trains from different countries, including SNCF models rather successful.