Josef Kraus and his cousins Milton and Julius Forchheimer formed their Nuremberg toy factory and registered the name Kraus January 24th, 1910, together with Kraus Fandor two years later, 15th May 1912. Concentrating on toy trains, Kraus produced in both Gauge 0 and Gauge 1, cheaper toys together with more expensive models, initially clockwork but adding electic powered models in 1913. The company exported to the USA and Canada, but switched to Europe and their home market, following the Wall Street Crash.
Milton and Julius Forchheimer emigrated to USA following WWI (See Dorfan), and were followed by Josef Kraus after the National Socialists came to power in Germany, and the Fandor business was taken over by the non Jewish Keim and Company, who continued production until WWII.
For additional background information, with illustrations, please refer to the TCA Western Division Index of Manufacturers and Kraus-Fandor web sites.
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