Wind-up locomotive and coal car; PAYÁ, Spain, 1950s.

Wind-up locomotive and coal car; PAYÁ, Spain, 1950s.
Lithographed metal.
It exhibits sligthly wear consistent with age and use and the key is missing.
Measurements: 10 x 40 x 6.5 cm.
Set consisting of a toy locomotive and coal car, produced by Payá. Made of lithographed metal, the set reproduces a steam locomotive with its accompanying coal car, following the tradition of model trains that achieved extraordinary popularity among European manufacturers beginning in the late 19th century.
The firm Payá Hermanos, founded in Ibi (Alicante) in the late 19th century, played an essential role in the consolidation of the Spanish toy industry. The town in Alicante would gradually become one of Europe’s leading centers for toy production, and Payá stood out for its manufacturing process, which combined industrial methods with remarkable attention to detail. Their catalogs featured cars, trains, motorcycles, airplanes, dolls, and automatons, many of which were inspired by the major technical advancements and modes of transportation of the time.