Fleischmann is a German manufacturer of

model railway Railway modelling (UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland) or model railroading (US and Canada) is a hobby in which rail transport systems are modelled at a reduced scale. The scale models include locomotives, rolling stock, streetcars, t ...

products. Fleischmann was founded in

Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...

in 1887 by Jean Fleischmann, as a toy company. Their first model train, in

O scale O scale (or O gauge) is a scale commonly used for toy trains and rail transport modelling. Introduced by German toy manufacturer Märklin around 1900, by the 1930s three-rail alternating current O gauge was the most common model railroad scal ...

, was produced in 1938. Their first H0 scale products were introduced in 1952 and their

N scale N scale is a popular model railway scale. Depending upon the manufacturer (or country), the scale ranges from 1:148 to 1:160. In all cases, the ''gauge'' (the distance between the rails) is . The term N ''gauge'' refers to the track dimensions, ...

"Piccolo" product line in 1969. Nowadays, Fleischmann is a well-established brand name in the German model railway industry, rivalling

Märklin Gebr. Märklin & Cie. GmbH or Märklin (MÄRKLIN or MAERKLIN in capital letters) is a German toy company. The company was founded in 1859 and is based at Göppingen in Baden-Württemberg. Although it originally specialised in doll house accesso ...

in market share. Since they focus almost exclusively on central European prototypes, Fleischmann is relatively unknown outside that area. Most Fleischmann H0 products are made for the two-rail direct current system, but they make three-rail, Märklin-compatible versions of some locomotives, as well as replacement non-insulated wheelsets for use with their wagons on three-rail systems.

History

At the Nuremberg Toy Fair in 1952, Fleischmann first began presenting its very own lineup of H0 scale models. Building off their prior preference to use 2 rail DC, the technology was implemented into the H0 scale, making Fleischmann the first company to offer such a product line. Since its early introduction, it was the company's intention to completely exploit this technology, and give its fans the opportunity to determine the direction of the trains in advance. The tough metal tracks with discreet cardboard sleepers was indication of Fleischmann's objective, and was the base for the perfected track line used in layouts today. In conjunction with the track, and a full assortment of accessories for the

model railroad layout In model railroading, a ''layout'' is a diorama containing scale track for operating trains. The size of a layout varies, from small shelf-top designs to ones that fill entire rooms, basements, or whole buildings. Attention to modeling details ...

, H0 tycoons were presented with a class 01 tender loco, a class 80 tank loco, and a class E44 electric loco since the very origin of the product line. Fleischmann offers a model track with full profile rails, "thinking" turnouts, a turntable, and even a rack & pinion railway. Its more recent lineup includes the PROFI label, which consists of the pre-ballasted track, PROFI couplings for true close coupling operation, and even the tilt technology found in both the Pendolino and the ICE-T express train. In February 2008 Fleischmann was taken over by Modelleisenbahn München GmbH, which also owns

Roco Roco, based in Salzburg, Austria, is a manufacturer of model railway equipment. History The company was founded in 1960 by Ing. Heinz Rössler and started with a plastic Minitanks series of military vehicles. After export to the USA became succ ...

. The two companies continue as separate brands under Modelleisenbahn München GmbH, while benefiting from

economies of scale In microeconomics, economies of scale are the cost advantages that enterprises obtain due to their scale of operation, and are typically measured by the amount of output produced per unit of time. A decrease in cost per unit of output enables ...

through joined development projects, marketing and procurement. In August 2017 the two companies were put up for sale by Modelleisenbahn München GmbH. In March 2018 it was reported that the Fleischmann brand would from 2019 and onwards only cover the company's N scale products, while the H0 production would be designated the Roco brand. https://www.ots.at/presseaussendung/OTS_20180302_OTS0103/spritzgussproduktion-wird-aus-gloggnitz-in-die-slowakei-verlagert

References

External links

Fleischmann official homepageFleischmann US distributor

News item on Roco takeover
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fleischmann (Model Railroads) Manufacturing companies based in Nuremberg Privately held companies of Germany Model railroad manufacturers Toy train manufacturers Model manufacturers of Germany German brands Ansbach (district)