Bringing years of previous toy making experience, Milton and Julius Forcheimer, two immigrant cousins from Nuremberg, Germany, whose family was involved in the production of Fandor trains founded Dorfan in 1924.
Dorfan produced detailed tinplate rolling stock with diecast power units.
They had developed an alloy train body that would withstand a fall to a concrete floor without breaking.
Dorfan's alloys suffered from impurities, which weakened the metal and caused the trains to disintegrate over time, an early victim of zinc pest.
Because of the inevitable deterioration of the engine castings, limited numbers of Dorfan trains survive today, making them among the highly sought after models by collectors.