The Dorfan Company first appeared on the American toy train scene in 1924 and was headed up by two German immigrants whose family had a model railroading heritage in their native land. The Fandor line of trains - a successful competitor to Marklin - was owned by a cousin of Dorfan's principles, Joseph Kraus.
Financing his cousin's U.S. startup, Kraus wanted to penetrate the American marketplace without the negative stimuli of his German background. He and the cousins revolutionized the U.S. model railroad market with their Dorfan locomotive lineup - the market's first die-cast locomotives using a zinc alloy. Unfortunately, their die-casting process wasn't perfected and many of their engines deteriorated over time due to metal oxidation. Not surprisingly, the deterioration of the metal left few surviving original pieces for today's collectors, making Dorfan products prized pieces today.
Ironically, the #1134 steam engine was not actually produced by Dorfan but rather a specially painted Ives #1134 steam engine. Originally available in two colors, the Dorfan #1134 returns to life ia slew of deco schemes. Operators will marvel at the incredibly smooth-running locomotive outfitted with Proto-Sound 2.0. The additional electronics and authentic digital sounds create a standard gauge operating experience sure to conjure up memories of model railroading's beginnings.
Did You Know?
The Dorfan company was formed by two cousins of German manufacturer Jospeh Kraus who produced a train line marketed under the brand Fandor. The new company was based in the U.S. to offset any negative impressions of its German origins. The Dorfan name was created by reversing the syllables of the Fandor trademark.
