Trix Express
Encyclopedia
Trix Express was the main model train product range of the Trix
of Nuremberg
Germany, currently owned by the Märklin
company of Göppingen Germany.
The Trix Express system was first introduced at the Leipzig exhibition in the spring of 1935. It was the first reasonable priced H0 (Half Zero) Table-Top model train system using 16.5mm track (1:87). In Germany the system was marketed as Trix Express. After the Nazis forced the Jewish owners of the company Stefan Bing
and others to sell their shares, they moved to Britain and founded the Trix Ltd London, which initially used the same system. This brand was called TTR - TRIX TWIN RAILWAY.
Like other systems introduced before WW2 it used a third (centre) rail as a means to supply current to the models. Unlike other systems, such as Märklin H0 (still produced today) and Hornby Railways
, the outer tracks were insulated, using the centre rail as a common pick-up. This allowed the independent operation of two model engines on the same track and even three if overhead catenary wires were used.
The original system used 14V AC power. The German company changed to 14V DC in 1953 and used the third rail
system until 2003 when the last models were produced under the auspices of the Märklin company. The British Trix Twin company changed to DC in 1956, abandoned the three rail system in the early 1960s and disappeared altogether after a number of take-overs and mergers during the 1970s.
Apart from the centre pick-up, the Trix Express system also retained the larger wheel flanges, customary in the 1930s, right till the recent end, making derailments rather uncommon, but at the same time making their rolling stock incompatible with more modern two-rail NEM systems.
The Trix Express system still has a large following in countries such as United Kingdom
, Germany
and the Netherlands
with active clubs and is readily available on eBay
.
Trix (company)
Trix is a German company that originally made Trix metal construction sets. In 1935 it began producing the electrically powered model trains that it became famous for, under the Trix Express label...
of Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
Germany, currently owned by the Märklin
Märklin
Gebr. Märklin & Cie. GmbH or Märklin is a German toy company. The company was founded in 1859 and is based at Göppingen in Baden-Wurttemberg. Although it originally specialised in doll house accessories, today it is best known for model railways and technical toys...
company of Göppingen Germany.
The Trix Express system was first introduced at the Leipzig exhibition in the spring of 1935. It was the first reasonable priced H0 (Half Zero) Table-Top model train system using 16.5mm track (1:87). In Germany the system was marketed as Trix Express. After the Nazis forced the Jewish owners of the company Stefan Bing
Bing (company)
Bing or Gebrüder Bing was a German toy company founded in 1863 in Nuremberg, Germany by two brothers, Ignaz and Adolf Bing, originally producing metal kitchen utensils.-History:...
and others to sell their shares, they moved to Britain and founded the Trix Ltd London, which initially used the same system. This brand was called TTR - TRIX TWIN RAILWAY.
Like other systems introduced before WW2 it used a third (centre) rail as a means to supply current to the models. Unlike other systems, such as Märklin H0 (still produced today) and Hornby Railways
Hornby Railways
Hornby Railways is the leading brand of model railway in the United Kingdom. Its roots date back to 1901, when founder Frank Hornby received a patent for his Meccano construction toy. The first clockwork train was produced in 1920. In 1938, Hornby launched its first 00 gauge train...
, the outer tracks were insulated, using the centre rail as a common pick-up. This allowed the independent operation of two model engines on the same track and even three if overhead catenary wires were used.
The original system used 14V AC power. The German company changed to 14V DC in 1953 and used the third rail
Third rail
A third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost...
system until 2003 when the last models were produced under the auspices of the Märklin company. The British Trix Twin company changed to DC in 1956, abandoned the three rail system in the early 1960s and disappeared altogether after a number of take-overs and mergers during the 1970s.
Apart from the centre pick-up, the Trix Express system also retained the larger wheel flanges, customary in the 1930s, right till the recent end, making derailments rather uncommon, but at the same time making their rolling stock incompatible with more modern two-rail NEM systems.
The Trix Express system still has a large following in countries such as United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
with active clubs and is readily available on eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
.