Mid-century Railway Maps

Stumbled across a fantastic archive of illustrated European railway maps that's well worth diving into. Head over to Retours for much more.

Click for larger view

Philately Fridays: Germany, 1960

Celebrating 125 years of German railways. Pictured here is The Adler, the country's first steam locomotive which debuted in 1835 and traveled between Nuremberg and Fürth.

BRIO catalog, 1985

In December 2009, I posted a BRIO catalog from 1980. I just found another gorgeous catalog of the Swedish wooden toy trains and thought I'd post some of the highlights. Enjoy!

Click images for larger view

BRIO catalog, 1980

I found this catalog in my parents' garage while I was home over Thanksgiving. BRIO is a Swedish toy company specializing in painted wooden toys, the kind that you'd envision Santa's elves to stay up late at night making. BRIO created a cohesive universe of cars, trucks, buildings, imitation household appliances, and, most importantly, trains, all swimming in bold colors and formed from solid, clunky shapes.




Click image for larger view


Click image for larger view


Click image for larger view


Click image for larger view