Main track

The steam engine became very important in society and it also entered the world of toys and contributed to the development of many new types of toys. During the latter part of the 18th century, the Scottish inventor James Watt worked on developing and designing what would become one of mankind's most important inventions - the steam engine! This innovation enabled the industrial revolution. By using the power of steam, you can drive everything from pumps in mining to large ships and railway trains. When the industrial revolution took off in the 19th century, it made it possible to mechanize processes in agriculture and industry. People and goods could also be transported faster and more efficiently when the railway network was rapidly expanded.

This in turn led to more people moving to the cities and new industries being built and developed. The locomobile is a portable steam engine that is widely used in agriculture and industry to facilitate various tasks and make work easier and smoother. Towards the middle of the 19th century, smaller versions of the steam engine were created, which meant that they could also be used in toys. These small steam engines could power models of tools and machines, just like their larger counterparts. Toy engines came in many varieties, from simple so-called oscillating (rocking cylinder) to fixed double-acting cylinders. Children could thus also gain an understanding of how technology works while they played. But these toys were often expensive at this time, and the best ones, from Bing or Märklin, could cost several months' wages. Children could thus also gain an understanding of how technology works.

Many of the leading manufacturers of steam-powered toys are located in Germany, in Nuremberg and in Württemberg. German-made toys are consistently of very high quality, and one of the absolute best is Märklin & Cie, founded in 1859. At first, they mainly produced kitchen accessories made of tinplate. The first toys are miniature stoves with various accessories and the quality is very high. In 1891, the company buys the competitor Ludwig Lutz, which specializes in tinplate toys. This will have a great impact on Märklin's development. The range grows rapidly and they expand their range with steam engines, cars, zeppelins, knight's castles, for example. In their manufacturing, they always have the highest precision when it comes to function and appearance. Until the First World War, Märklin is the world's largest and finest toy manufacturer. During both world wars, production is at a standstill, but they managed to survive.

At the Stockholm Toy Museum, there are many toys from Märklin's production, including children's stoves, steam engines, and the fantastic hand-painted knight's castle from the late 19th century, which is exhibited among the tin soldiers a little further into the museum. The German-made toys are consistently of very high quality.

In addition to Märklin, Gebrüder Bing is one of the world's largest and finest toy manufacturers at this time. The company was founded in Nuremberg in 1866 and started its own toy production just over ten years later. It later changed its name to BW, Bing Werke and manufactured, among other things, optical and electrical toys and steam engines. But above all, railways and much of the production was exported to large parts of the world. The company put a lot of energy into creating attention for its products and also received many fine awards for the high quality. In 1908, it managed to become the world's largest toy manufacturer with 4,000 employees.

Bing Werke also reduced its production significantly during the First World War when many employees were called up for military service and exports almost ceased completely.

Some of the first Swedish steam engines were made by Lars Nilsson in Österåker and for a time he had extensive production of steam engines in various variants. From very simple oscillating to advanced, double-acting.

Lars Nilsson also made several steam engine accessories, such as saw blades, grindstones, cranes and elevators. His products are often of very high quality and can compete with the best German toys from Märklin or Gebrüder Bing. The demand for Lars Nilsson's toys is great and he can call himself Royal Court Supplier as one of his customers is the Royal House. Lars Nilsson's production was at its greatest around 1910. Some of the first Swedish steam engines were made by Lars Nilsson in Österåker