The Beginnings of Bachmann

The company originated in America during 1833, when Henry Carlisle began to produce vanity products made from horn, ivory and tortoise shells. At this point the business largely dealt with the manufacture of high-back Spanish combs for the ladies of the Southern States. In 1899, the business was merged with that of Henry G. Bachmann, a German immigrant who was engaged in a similar business with his son, and the company was given the name Bachmann Bros.

Following many successful years manufacturing a number of different products, Bachmann entered the model trains market in the late 1960s to try and capitalise on the increase of railway modelling.

Kader Input and Acquisition

The Kader Company was established in 1948 with the purpose of making models and toys for export around the world. Today they are, by volume, the largest manufacturer of model railways in the world.

Kader produced their first model train for Bachmann in 1969, following the growing popularity of model railways. The relationship between the two companies continued to develop until 1987, when Kader acquired the Bachmann Company in its entirety. Two years later Bachmann Europe was established in England with its initial product range, known as Branchline, which consisted of models produced using the moulds of the Palitoy ‘Mainline’ range.

Further Expansion

In 1992, Bachmann Europe purchased the continental manufacturer Liliput and a German office was established to handle all departments for the Liliput brand. Five years later in 1997, the Bachmann Collectors Club was established. The Club offers a host of benefits to its thousands of members including limited edition models, special event days and the quarterly Bachmann Times magazine.

At the dawn of the new millennium further acquisitions were to follow with the British 'N' scale manufacturer, Graham Farish, being purchased by Bachmann Europe in the year 2000. Shortly after the purchase, the production of the Graham Farish range was transferred to China to be produced by Kader alongside Branchline models.

Recent Years

Since the mid noughties Bachmann Europe has grown further with the addition of the Scenecraft range of buildings, figures and accessories in 2008. Four years later saw the company gain the rights to distribute the iconic W. Britain brand in the UK and Europe, whilst also continuing to service the prestigious W. Britain Collectors Club. These were followed by the acquisitions of Pocketbond and Exclusive First Editions in 2016.