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Fandor was a German toy company that specialized in toy trains, particularly toys styled after American trains, to market in the US. It was founded in 1910 by Joseph Kraus and his cousins, Milton and Julius Forcheimer, all from Nüremberg, Germany. The company name was derived from the names of the founders' mothers, Dora and Fanny. The factory was located at 108 Austrasse. Production was mainly clockwork trains with lithography in both 'O' gauge and 1 gauge. Electic powered locomotives were also manufactured. The company manufactured primarily for export but also made trains for sale through German department stores.
Fandor trains were made of pressed steel with highly detailed lithography and die work.
Protective tariffs following World War I made it difficult for German firms to compete with American toy companies in the United States. The Forcheimer brothers immigrated to the USA, taking one of Fandor's chief engineers, John C. Koerber, with them. Koerber is credited with designing much of the Fandor Line, as well as many early Bing items. Using funding from Joseph Kraus, they founded the U.S. company Dorfan (also named after the founder's mothers) in 1924. Both Fandor and Dorfan worked closely together. Evidence of this collaboration is seen in the items that Fandor supplied to Dorfan.
