Ernst Plank Locomotive or Train with Tender ca. 1905 *Antique Toys E-Museum*

Ernst Plank Locomotive or Train with Tender ca 1905 For Sale *museum*

Our beauty of a train is from turn of the century and an unconfirmed 1905.  It is spirits fired and a smaller scale than most engines.  Still, it is hand painted in green with a grey interior.  Highlights are hand painted in gold and yellow, then the wheels are a base of black with red highlighting.  It took time to build this tin toy!

All parts like the whistles, drain plugs, wooden boiler top and smokestack are original EP or Ernst Plank parts.  It appears like it was run once which (always) burns off near by paint.  Both nickle/chrome pistons are in magnificent shining condition; a testament to the level of finish quality from the German toy factory.  Other than that it was preserved for 115 years!

Our toy appears to be a precursor to the 1917 cataloged No 402 toy, but drive wheels on our toy are set inside the chassis sheetmetal. Our toy also predates the nameplates like Vulkan.  It would likely be their Gauge 1 train.

We would love to get more of these, as they are so enjoyable and well built (email to toys@antiquetoys.com if you have other E.P. or Ernst Plank toys).

Ernst Plank Nuremberg, Germany
1866 – early 1900s
Founder: Ernst Plank
Specialty: Tin trains, airplanes, boats, and automobiles.

Started in 1866 and named after its founder, the company initially built toy steam engines and magic lanterns at Hochfederstrasse 40 in Nuremberg. Ernst Plank was one of the first companies to produce toy steam engines and became famous for its copper and tin toys. The company manufactured stationary steam engines along with steam engines and track. Some railway carriages and accessories were produced alongside Märklin. The company suffered during the economic crisis in the 1920s, losing the majority of its market significance. Ernst Plank toy trains are highly collectable in part due to their rarity.