Draft:Vacminel

Between the years of 1942 and 1953, Manuel Saraiva (Manuel Antonio Quintas Saraiva, born 1913, in Olhao, Portugal^[2]) a professional veterinarian and part time modelist, was probably the only person in Europe to build miniature trains, identical to the Märklin models, a brand that, at the time was one of the most notable toy companies in the world. During World War II almost all of Europe’s industries halted their production, particularly German and ally companies. Märklin specifically had to change its production from toy building to weapon manufacture. Although Märklin had halted its toy production, in Portugal, in his little workshop in Santana a Lapa, Manuel Saraiva kept perfecting the production of model trains at a H0 (1:87) scale, inspired by the original model SK800 and copying it to detail. .^[3]

In an artisanal way, he alone, integrally built a full personalized copy of the SK800, the MS300. He created the moulds, fabricated parts, set circuits, structured engines, lathe wheels, cut tin, painted, tested several locomotives along with full boxed sets. He named his brand and these full sets as VACMINEL (also Vaqueminel) as a tribute to his first son Vasco Manuel^[4][5].

Manuel Saraiva built a total of 30 sets composed of one electric locomotives MS300, three passenger wagons, Railway track tracks, and transformers, all in H0 scale and powered by alternating current.^[3]

These boxed sets priced at 200 Portuguese Escudos in the late 1940’s (which would be about 250 euros today) were sold at the Bijouflora and the Tadeu toy shops located in Lisbon downtown street, Rua do Ouro.^[3]

In 1955, a few years after the end of the war and when Märklin restarted its toy production, he closed his business and hid the moulds and other liable parts with fears of a German legal retaliation based on copyrights and because, even with its high selling price, sales didn’t really compensate the time and money spent building them. ^[3]

Märklin has since then tried to know the work of this Portuguese artisan and has guaranteed, even to Manuel Saraiva, no retaliation would happen. Now-a-days those sets are considered relics amongst collectors, and the rare auctions or sales have shown a substantial value increase over the years.

In the 1990’s Manuel Saraiva gave some interviews where he shared the story of Vacminel with many specialised modelling magazines from Germany, France, Spain and Portugal, including a very detailed interview with Expresso a major Portuguese newspaper. He always reported that he had destroyed all his moulds.^[1]

In the 2000’s after Manuel Saraiva passed away, his son Vasco Saraiva found the Tender mould and, with that, debate was reignited amongst the European train modelist enthusiasts. Vasco Saraiva was an engineer and tried to detail the artisanal process Manuel Saraiva used, based on what equipment was left at his father’s workshop, by replying to even the most sceptic specialists that questioned the original story. This was done in very detailed correspondence that was then published as follow up articles in the speciality magazines^[5].

After Vasco Manuel’s passing a few years ago, while the family was carefully dismantling Manuel Saraiva’s workshop, the locomotive moulds were found and these news were shared with the modelling community.