The Knapp Electric and Novelty Company was founded in 1895 in New York, N.Y. by inventor David W. Knapp.
The company introduced a full line of 2" gauge 2 rail electric trains in 1904 making them one of
the earliest producers of electric toy trains. The company also made electic motors, toy electric automobiles,
board games, shocking coils, dynamos, fans and electric specialties. They are most noted for making the
popular and long lived game titled "The Knapp Electic Questioner". It was manufactured from the 1890's
through the late 1940's. The company's small, 3 pole armature based DC motors were acquired by the AC
Gilbert Company and used in their famous Erector Sets.
Knapp was the only 2" gauge 2 rail electric train company that made locomotives that had cast iron
bodies. Knapp also did not manufacture as wide a variety of electric trains that the other train makers
(Voltamp, Howard, Carlisle & Finch) of that era made. All of their locomotives used the 0-4-0 wheel arrangement. Carlisle & Finch acted as a distributor and marketed toys made by Knapp Electric. Like Carlisle & Finch trains, the Knapp electrics utilized wet cell batteries for DC
operation. Train production ended in 1913, but Knapp later marketed HO scale trains from 1931-46
that ironically ran on AC power.
