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Toy depicting 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 toy that can run on a track, or it might be operated by electricity, clockwork or live steam. It is typically constructed from wood, plastic or metal. Many of today's steam trains might be considered as real ones as well, providing they are not strictly scale or not enough detailed ones in favor of a robustness appropriate for children or an inexpensive production.

"Toy train" usually refers to a reduced scale model of a train for children to play with. Some similar but larger vehicles are made for children to ride in, typically in parks and playgrounds; often they run on tires and not tracks. If they are meant to resemble trains then these too are called toy trains. Small trains are sometimes also called toy trains. In India, many trains that run on meter gauge tracks and that are meant for adults are called toy trains. The trains that run on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway are an example. For highly accurate train models made for serious hobbyists and collectors, the term "model train" is preferred.

The first widely adopted standards for toy trains running on track were introduced in Leipzig, Germany in 1891 by Märklin. Name Width (metric/imperial) centers of outer rails size Comments Number 5 gauge 1:8 Also known as V («five» in Roman numerals) Number 4 gauge 1:11 or 1:20 Also known as IV («four») or 3 gauge. Measurement is sometimes also quoted at Number 3 gauge 1:16 or 1:22 or 1:23 also known as III, II, IIa gauges. Number 2 gauge 1:22.5 or 1:27 or 1:28 also known as II gauge. Number 1 gauge 1:32 or 1:30 Also known as I gauge. Used by modern G scale. Number 0 gauge 1:48 or 1:43 or 1:45 or 1:64 Introduced later, around 1900. This is close to modern O gauge (32 track gauge). See also List of rail transport modelling scales.

The earliest toy trains were made of lead and had no moving parts. Some had wheels that turned, but these had to be pushed or pulled. A few of the early 19th century push toy trains were made of tinplate, like the large, durable, stylized locomotive toys in the U. S., which were painted red and gold and decorated with hearts and flowers. Around 1875, technological advancements in materials and manufacturing allowed tin to be stamped, cut, rolled, and lithographed faster than ever before. Toy trains were revolutionized when Märklin, a German firm that specialized in doll house accessories, sought to create an equivalent toy for boys where a constant revenue stream could be ensured by selling add on accessories for years after the initial purchase. In addition to boxed sets containing a train and track, Märklin offered extra track, rolling stock, and buildings sold separately, creating the predecessor to the modern model train layout featuring buildings and scenery in addition to an operating train. Electric trains followed, with the first appearing in 1897, produced by the U. S. firm Carlisle & Finch. As residential use of electricity became more common in the early 20th century, electric trains gained popularity and as time went on, these electric trains grew in sophistication, gaining lighting, the ability to change direction, to emit a whistling sound, to smoke, to remotely couple and uncouple cars and even load and unload cargo. Toy trains from the first half of the 20th century were often made of lithographed tin; later trains were often made mostly of plastic. Prior to the 1950s, there was little distinction between toy trains and model railroads—model railroads were toys by definition. Pull toys and wind up trains were marketed towards children, while electric trains were marketed towards teenagers, particularly teenaged boys. It was during the 1950s that the modern emphasis on realism in model railroading started to catch on. Consumer interest in trains as toys waned in the late 1950s, but has experienced resurgence since the late 1990s due in large part to the popularity of Thomas the Tank Engine. Today, S gauge and O gauge railroads are still considered toy trains even by their adherents and are often accessorized with semi scale model buildings by Plasticville or K Line (who owns the rights to the Plasticville like buildings produced by Marx from the 1950s to the 1970s). However, due to their high cost, one is more likely to find an HO scale or N scale train set in a toy store than an O scale set. Many modern electric toy trains contain sophisticated electronics that emit digitized sound effects and allow the operator to safely and easily run multiple remote control trains on one loop of track. In recent years, many toy train operators will operate a train with a TV camera in the front of the engine and hooked up to a screen, such as computer monitor. This will show an image, similar to that of a real (smaller size) railroad.