Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines

Hello Nick, Tommy and Jan,

Thank you very much for your kind words.

@Jan
from Wilesco is actually only the transmission. The drive models were sold by Arnold at the time (at least between 1946 and 1949). I don't know whether Arnold also made these. The time and place of manufacture of my two workers can be narrowed down by the imprint on each of the trouser legs above the shoe. It says: Made in US Zone. As a result, production can only have taken place between 1945 and 1949. The US zone was established in southern Germany after Germany's surrender in World War II and existed until the Federal Republic of Germany was founded. Wilesco (Wilhelm Schröder GmbH and Co.) was founded in 1912 as a metal goods factory.
However, Wilesco did not start producing model steam engines until 1950. Wilesco had and has always its headquarters in Lüdenscheid (Sauerland), North Rhine-Westphalia, which is not in southern Germany. The management of Wilesco says that their drive models are made by a small family business in southern Germany. My research has shown that this is the Josef Wagner company from Brunn near Nuremberg. Wagner has been manufacturing tin toys since at least 1969 as an independent company with old tools and molds , which were taken over or otherwise bought up by long-lost Nuremberg toy manufacturers.

Extract from: www.blechmodelle.com/josef-wagner/

"History of the Josef Wagner tin toy production

The last German tin toy manufacture is located in Emskirchen and is run as a family business by Josef Wagner. Josef Wagner uses original tools from the former tin toy manufacturers Tipp & Co., Blomer and Schüler as well as NBZ to produce wonderful tin toys. The quality is outstanding and the sheet metal models are a feast for the eyes. The company has been making models since 1969, and the tool was purchased in the 1950s and 60s."

I can only guess whether Wagner was active before 1969.

I'll add a few links.

https://www.servusmarktplatz.com/p/N%C3%BCrnberger-Blechkarussell/SM111592/

https://www.blechmodelle.com/josef-wagner/?p=2

https://www.wilesco.de/ueber-wilesco