[railway-buffer]

I have acquired some railway carriages in 'O' scale and one of them is stamped on the base...Made in Germany with a logo I can only describe as a shield with a large letter M encompassed by a C. Is this 'Marklin' and what approximate date. I have a brake van measuring 7.5 inches in length and 8 wheels and with one LMS lettering either side. Thankyou

 

[John Webb]

"Early Tinplate Model Railways" by Udo Becher (published in the UK as an English translation in 1980 by Argus Books, Watford) has a picture of a Marklin emblem very similar to your description. On close inspection you may find it is actually a 'G' rather than a 'C'. This was used up to 1929 inclusive.

Hope this helps,
Regards,
John Webb