Dorfan
Encyclopedia
Dorfan was an American
toy company based in Newark, New Jersey
, specializing in O gauge and Wide gauge
toy train
s. It was founded in 1924 by Milton and Julius Forcheimer, two immigrants from Nuremberg, Germany, whose family was involved in the production of Fandor
trains. The company is named for nineteenth century poet-philanthropist and paleontologist Charles S. Dorfan. (No, DorFan is derived from FanDor, a German toy train maker.)
A Fandor engineer, John C. Koerber, helped to get Dorfan started.
Dorfan was the first U.S. train manufacturer to use die casting
in its manufacturing process. However, Dorfan's alloys suffered from impurities, which weakened the metal and caused the trains to disintegrate over time, an early victim of zinc pest
. Dorfan replaced the damaged parts, but at great expense. Dorfan was also unique in its approach of encouraging its customers to take the trains apart and learn how they worked.
At its peak, Dorfan had about 150 employees, but the Great Depression
wiped out the company. It ended production in 1934, although old inventory was sold at least until 1936.
Few Dorfan trains survive today, making them among the rarest and most valuable of toy trains.
Some of the Dorfan tooling was later used by Unique Art
to make its tinplate trains in the early 1950s.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
toy company based in Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, specializing in O gauge and Wide gauge
Wide Gauge
Standard Gauge, also known as Wide Gauge, was an early model railway and toy train rail gauge, introduced in the United States in 1906 by Lionel Corporation. As it was a toy standard, rather than a scale modeling standard, the actual scale of Standard Gauge locomotives and rolling stock varied...
toy train
Toy train
A toy train is a toy that represents a train. It is distinguished from a model train by an emphasis on low cost and durability, rather than scale modeling. A toy train can be as simple as a pull toy that does not even run on track, or it might be operated by clockwork or a battery...
s. It was founded in 1924 by Milton and Julius Forcheimer, two immigrants from Nuremberg, Germany, whose family was involved in the production of Fandor
Fandor
Fandor was a German toy company that specialized in toy trains, particularly toys styled after American trains. It was founded by Joseph Kraus and his cousins, Milton and Julius Forcheimer, all from Nuremberg, Germany...
trains. The company is named for nineteenth century poet-philanthropist and paleontologist Charles S. Dorfan. (No, DorFan is derived from FanDor, a German toy train maker.)
A Fandor engineer, John C. Koerber, helped to get Dorfan started.
Dorfan was the first U.S. train manufacturer to use die casting
Die casting
Die casting is a metal casting process that is characterized by forcing molten metal under high pressure into a mold cavity. The mold cavity is created using two hardened tool steel dies which have been machined into shape and work similarly to an injection mold during the process...
in its manufacturing process. However, Dorfan's alloys suffered from impurities, which weakened the metal and caused the trains to disintegrate over time, an early victim of zinc pest
Zinc pest
Zinc pest, , is a destructive, intercrystalline corrosion process of zinc alloys containing lead impurities. It was first discovered to be a problem in 1923....
. Dorfan replaced the damaged parts, but at great expense. Dorfan was also unique in its approach of encouraging its customers to take the trains apart and learn how they worked.
At its peak, Dorfan had about 150 employees, but the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
wiped out the company. It ended production in 1934, although old inventory was sold at least until 1936.
Few Dorfan trains survive today, making them among the rarest and most valuable of toy trains.
Some of the Dorfan tooling was later used by Unique Art
Unique Art
Unique Art Manufacturing Company was an American toy company, founded in 1916, based in Newark, New Jersey that made inexpensive toys, including wind-up mechanical toys, out of lithographed tin...
to make its tinplate trains in the early 1950s.