Ian Reynell playing with his train set. He has a good length of track, an engine with one carriage and a small train station. Train sets such as this could be added to and developed and were desired by many young boys during the later 19th and for most of the 20th century.

Trains began operating in Europe from the late 18th century. Models of these were made by instrument makers and were not intended for children unless especially commissioned by wealthy parents. From 1835 flat metal models were made in Germany, but tinplate models were not generally manufactured until the mid-1850s.

By the late 1880s the golden age of model trains had begun and continued until World War One. Famous makers were Carette, Marklin and Bing. Buildings and other necessities for a model layout were available in an enormous variety. Large figure-of-eight tracks were produced. With the outbreak of the war many of the toy factories were taken over for the manufacture of munitions. Following World War One, the famous Hornby trains appeared on the market.

Carlson, Pierce. Toy trains: a history, New York: Harper & Row, c1986

King, Constance Eileen. The encyclopedia of toys, Adelaide: Rigby, 1978

McCrindell, Ron. The collector's all-colour guide to toy trains: an international survey of trains and railway accessories, from 1880 to the present days, London: Salamander Books, 1985

National Toy Train Museum: About toy trains

Powerhouse Museum Collection: toy locomotives

State Library of South Australia: Mortlock Wing exhibitions. To be a child August 2004-