December 2 Events

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International Model Railroad Day

International Model Railroad Day is held on December 2. This event in the first decade of the month December is annual.

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2 December - International Model Railroad Day

The first documented model railway was the Railway of the Prince Imperial (French: Chemin de fer du Prince impérial) built in 1859 by emperor Napoleon III for his then 3-year-old son, also Napoleon, in the grounds of the Château de Saint-Cloud in Paris.

The first mass market model train sets were invented by a German company called Marklin in 1891, and by the early 1950s model trains were the number one most popular toy for boys in the United States.

At the initiative of Hagen von Ortloff – famous from the SWR TV series Eisenbahn Romantik (Railroad Romance) – a community formed of model railroad associations, manufacturers, clubs, and publishers. All of the parties jointly want only one thing: To celebrate the most beautiful hobby in the world – model railroading – in a fitting manner and to inspire people for it. Many clubs will open their doors around December 2 and model railroads around the world will go into operation.

According to the Guinness World Records, the largest model railway engine built is the Thomas the Tank Engine character 'James'.

Similar holidays and events, festivals and interesting facts

Decembeaver begins on December 1 (In 'Decembeaver', Women Will Stop Shaving Their Lady Parts For Charity);

Cyber Monday on December 2 (the online version of Black Friday, where online retailers offered big discounts to match their brick-and-mortar counterparts);