Trix (company)

Trix is a German company that originally made Trix metal construction sets. One of its co-founders was Stephan Bing, the son of the pioneer toy-maker industrialist Ignaz Bing. In 1935 the company began producing the electrically powered model trains that it became famous for, under the Trix Express label. Before World War II the company produced a small range of AC (14 V) powered three rail loco models (e.g. 20/51, 20/52, 20/53, 20/54) running on bakelite rails. After more than six decades of independence, the TRIX company got increasingly into economic difficulties in the 1990s and was completely taken over in 1997 by the Göppingen competitor Märklin, but continued as an independent brand. Since then there has been increasing overlap between the model ranges from TRIX and Märklin in size H0. New model developments differ only in the respective power systems, with alternating current at Märklin, direct current at TRIX International.