Hugo Wikström's Märklin Collection

“My little escape from work.”
That’s how Hugo Wikström describes his passion for collecting trains — the fascination with those diesel engines that rumbled onto the platforms, the control panels with their tangles of wires, the product catalogues full of technical jargon, and all the other details that make up a miniature, rail-bound world.

The collecting began in earnest during the 1970s, though the interest had been there since childhood, when he dreamed of one day being able to afford trains from the leading manufacturer, Märklin. When he later became a father, he and his son began buying locomotives and carriages of German make together.
Their holidays were often devoted, at least in part, to visiting toy shops around Sweden. Before each trip, they would look up stores in advance and inquire about which models were in stock. At home, Hugo and his son built model railways together, and even after the children had grown up, Hugo’s enthusiasm remained strong. His magnum opus was the large model railway he built in his home at Svarteberg, on the shores of Lake Vänern.

Now, everything has been brought together at Karlstad Hammarö Auktionsverk’s locomotive hall. More than 100 lots are featured in a themed auction that contains just about everything a true train enthusiast could wish for. In genuine collector’s fashion, the items have been carefully preserved, with the vast majority still in their original boxes.

Train buffs and basement conductors alike are warmly invited to explore The Hugo Wikström Märklin Collection!