Locomotives and trains made of glass, brass and gold

By Peter Pernsteiner

The model railway world is also joining in the celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the USA on 4 July. Märklin brought a prototype of the Big Boy, coated in 24-carat fine gold, to Spielwarenmesse. A 465 mm long H0-scale model of the legendary steam locomotive (see header image). In keeping with the year of the Declaration of Independence, it was strictly limited to 1,776 copies. The elegant Class 4000 steam locomotive, built to a scale of 1:87, is not only intended as a display model for the small wall display case supplied with it; it is fully operational and also features 27 operating and sound functions.

Amongst its completely new H0 designs, the market leader in model railways unveiled, amongst other things, a Class 06 express steam locomotive, the Swiss vintage Ae 3/5 electric locomotive and the modern Stadler Eurodual dual-power locomotive (Class 2159).

Hornby also presented a contemporary model in Nuremberg under the Rivarossi brand: the ETR 460 high-speed train from the Frecciabianca fleet of the Italian state railways, FS. In its four-car basic version, the train set is 123 cm long and is available either for DC operation only or with a digital decoder including sound electronics. Optionally, it can be extended with a five-car middle carriage set to form a 272 cm long, scale-accurate train faithful to the prototype.

Countless new releases in scales from 1:220 to 1:22.5

There will also be numerous new releases in 2026 across many other model railway gauges. In the smallest scale, 1:220 (Z gauge), Märklin has announced new designs including a Class 65 steam locomotive, a 50 mm-long rail lorry and the electric observation railcar ‘Gläserner Zug’, modelled on its 1977 counterpart. For TT gauge (1:120), Hornby has announced the French CC 72000 diesel locomotive under the Arnold brand. The 168 mm long model is largely made of metal and is expected to be released in 2027 in three colour variants, available either for analogue operation or with sound and a digital decoder.

At its exhibition stand, Märklin displayed a completely unpainted prototype of a garden railway locomotive from the LGB range, built to the large 1:22.5 model railway scale. The 76 cm long, six-axle articulated railcar is largely constructed from die-cast zinc and brass. With its 32 triggerable digital functions, it features not only numerous prototype sounds, a sequence of several station announcements and, for example, separately switchable control panel lighting in the driver’s cab, but also independently electrically operated sliding doors, pantographs and Telex couplings. It is painted and lettered in one of the two announced variants, based on the prototype of the Montreux-Berner Oberland Railway from 1933. Anyone wishing to recreate the CIWL’s ‘Golden Mountain Pullman Express’ from the early 1930s can also look forward to four finely detailed 66 cm-long passenger carriages, due to be released during the third quarter of 2026.

New products for every target group

In keeping with this model railway scale, which has a track gauge of 45 mm, steam engine specialist Wilseco is also targeting its new ‘grown-up’ toy at this scale. Based on the Hohenlimburg narrow-gauge railway from 1899, the 28 cm long and 12 cm wide sheet metal model of a two-axle box-type locomotive is expected to be released at the end of 2026. Its boiler is fired with dry fuel. Once the D300 single-cylinder steam engine reaches the required operating temperature, real steam escapes from the chimney on the roof. The locomotive runs on G-gauge track from LGB or Piko, and its speed is to be controlled via a radio remote control. 

For family fun, LGB offers, for example, a garden railway starter set with a construction site theme, comprising a circular track layout with a speed controller, a steam locomotive, a low-sided wagon with a clip-together building block plate as its loading area, and a fully functional tipper wagon. There is also a matching expansion set featuring an additional tipper wagon, an excavator and construction site accessories.

Hornby is aiming to delight children in particular in autumn 2026 with the Hogwarts Express in 1:76 scale (00 gauge). The starter set comprises the Hogwarts Castle steam locomotive, two passenger carriages with easy-to-use magnetic couplings, and a set of plastic track to build a large ‘8’, as well as a sidings, a platform and a station building. The locomotive is battery-powered and comes with a stylish remote control. It also includes a small vapouriser to simulate realistic steam locomotive smoke. For the very youngest model railway fans aged three and over, Märklin offers an H0 starter set. It consists of a remote-controlled, battery-powered five-carriage ICE 3, complete with a 184 cm long plastic oval track featuring two points. Alternatively, the ICE is also available under licence from *Die Sendung mit der Maus* as an imaginatively designed ‘Mauszug’. For older children, there is an affordable ‘Kommunaldienst’ starter set featuring a freight train, remote control and genuine Märklin C-gauge track. 

Lionel Trains has already unveiled a ‘high-flying’ railway set for the coming Christmas season at the Toy Fair. The 26 cm long, battery-operated 0-gauge (32 mm) train consists of a motorised sleigh with reindeer floating in front of it, a circular track with a radius of approx. 43 cm, and six brackets for mounting the track high up directly on the trunk of a Christmas tree. The Christmas set is available with either Mickey Mouse or Father Christmas on the sleigh. 

Creative Accessories for Enhancing Model Layouts 

Anyone who enjoys building model railway layouts can look forward to new products from the accessories manufacturer NOCH. To enhance the area around the station, the Nuremberg exhibition featured, amongst other things, samples of kits for a track weighbridge complete with a weighbridge hut, a modern locomotive shed, a signal box and a tool shed. The highlight of the exhibition was the micro-motion observatory in 1:87 scale, the real-life counterpart of which was inaugurated in Tübingen in 1960. 

For larger layouts featuring concealed track spirals to bridge height differences, NOCH has introduced single- and double-track Easy-Track sets with laser-cut track boards and support pillars. The track spirals are currently in development for various radii in H0 and N gauges, available as 540-degree base circles or 360-degree extension circles. These delicate miniature motorbikes are likely to appeal not only to H0 model railway enthusiasts. The range extends from a modern, fully-manned sports bike on the open road or taking a fast corner, to a motocross bike off-road or performing a wheelie, right through to an ambulance motorbike and four police bikes. Anyone wishing to brighten up the run-up to Christmas for model railway enthusiasts can, from October, give the gift of four new Advent calendars, each containing 24 carefully painted figures in scales of 1:87, 1:120, 1:160 or 1:220.

Some of NOCH’s new products can be seen in the following video interview from the Spielwarenmesse.

Locomotive kits

For those who want to build entire locomotives from scratch rather than just a model set, the toy industry also has plenty to offer. For many years now, Trumpeter has been producing plastic injection-moulded kits for steam locomotives on a 1:35 scale, whilst Revell offers locomotives on a 1:87 scale. Revell has announced plans to reissue one of its classic kits from the late 1980s in 2026 – the Orient Express, based on a prototype from around 1930. The 250-piece kit allows you to build a Class 18.4 express steam locomotive and two of the famous Pullman CIWL carriages – a sleeping car and a dining car. The train is 803 mm long and the set also includes decals for authentic model lettering. If you’re looking for a self-built locomotive that’s really heavy and made of metal, you’ll find what you’re after at IxoCollections. Following numerous elaborate model car kits, the company – part of the Simba-Dickie Group – is now offering, for the first time, a model of a large tender-type steam locomotive. It is based on the Class 141 R of the French State Railways (SNCF), specifically the version with the registration number 1187. The real locomotive, which is around 80 years old, is on display at the Cité du Train railway museum in Mulhouse. The highly detailed 1:32 scale model consists of 126 die-cast metal parts and 620 ABS plastic parts. All parts are pre-painted and can be assembled without glue. The driver’s cab doors are hinged and the firebox door can be opened. The finished model is 754 mm long and weighs approx. 4 kg. This non-motorised display model features lighting at the front and in the driver’s cab, as well as an electronic sound system with various sounds from the prototype.

Railsways made from building blocks 

Of course, building blocks are also ideal for the railway theme. For children as young as two, Lego offers interactive railway sets from its Duplo range. For children aged seven and over, a nostalgic train set has been launched this summer, featuring a steam locomotive with a coal tender, a passenger carriage, minifigures, a platform and four standard Lego railway tracks. The locomotive can later be motorised and fitted with a remote control as well as smartphone control via the Powered Up app. Several other manufacturers in Nuremberg have also unveiled new locomotives and trains compatible with this 38 mm gauge track system. Brixies has released a Western train starter set comprising 1,173 pieces, which includes a complete oval track layout. New additions to the range include expansion sets featuring a Western saloon, a typical Western bank and a Western station building, complete with additional tracks and a set of points. For fans of modern rail vehicles, Stone Heap will be releasing modern electric locomotives as complete kits this summer and autumn. The Taurus (Class 182) consists of 1,586 snap-together blocks and the Vectron (Class 193) of 2,165 parts.

If you find these classic brick-based model railways far too big, you should take a look at OpenBricks’ new architectural model range, City Designer. It features tiny locomotives and carriages that are just one brick stud wide and three or four studs long, measuring a mere 8 x 24 or 32 mm respectively. Initially, the range consists solely of decorative trains for fantasy landscapes and cities. However, a prototype of a motorised mini railway layout was demonstrated in Nuremberg. The Micro Train System essentially comprises studded brick plates with a hidden endless conveyor belt underneath, which contains powerful miniature magnets. The narrow locomotives and carriages also contain magnets and ‘run’ on flat tile-like bricks printed with track patterns. The conveyor belt is controlled by a smartphone app, which is also designed to provide the appropriate railway sounds. The Micro Train System’s operation can be seen in the trade fair interview. 

About the author:

Peter Pernsteiner discovered his love of technical journalism when studying electrical engineering and joined the editorial staff of a large ICT trade magazine soon after. Since 1994, he has worked as a freelance journalist, focusing on tech topics – including for model railway magazines. In 2016, he also started a YouTube channel for technology reports which has since attracted global attention.