…Downloads
This page is where you will find dozens of pdf files of historic publications to download free of charge. Some of these files I have scanned myself, others I have edited and improved existing files. Many are verbatim copies obtained from around the internet. Unfortunately, I could not find any way to contact the site owners to ask permission in some cases. If this is your work, then thank you!
Click on the images to enlarge them, or on the titles to view the pdf files in a new tab.
Märklin H0
Märklin has a long tradition of producing excellent promotional materials and instruction manuals. The beautiful artwork has always been of its time, if not somewhat ahead of it. Detailed images painted by a skilled hand evoke dreams and desires, as the avid reader leafs through the pages.
I have an original copy of all the catalogues from 1950-1989, except for two or three hard-to-get issues. The paper they were printed on was never meant to last much longer than a year; it certainly never was archival, which is why the early booklets are brittle and prone to damage. This is why we must appreciate the time and effot spent to scan the literally hundreds of pages. The information is identical to a hard copy, but it won’t ever suffer a single dog ear!
Meccano Ltd.
Everybody is familiar with the Meccano construction sets, which have been in production for over a century. The famous factory in Liverpool, England also produced Hornby Trains in gauge 0 and Hornby Dublo 00, both electric and clockwork powered, as well as Dinky Toys model cars in various scales. Out of the factory in France, came a range of H0 scale trains named acHO, which were mainly French protptypes. One exception were the DB Rheingold coaches in the cream/indigo livery, which were actually a RUCO product.
Paper Models
These files are paper models for printing on A4 paper cardstock. You will need to ensure the printout is at 100% to get the correct scale. There is allowance for a 5mm non-printable margin all around each page and some parts butt right up to that invisible line. Some printers may have greater minimums, so those parts may not print entirely.
Some are scans of historic models, others are my own designs. I have a small collection of uncut, original kits I have never yet made, or I have kept hthe originals and made a copy. They do, however, take up a lot less room when the flat pack!
You can learn more about my fascination with paper models and how to construct them successfully here.