Norbrass

Norbrass was founded in 2004 in Braga, Portugal, by a team of dedicated modelers who shared a radical ambition: to elevate Portuguese and Spanish railway modeling to the same "Prestige" status enjoyed by Central European brass specialists. Before the arrival of Norbrass, collectors of Iberian prototypes often had to settle for repurposed German or French models that were only "vaguely" similar to Portuguese stock. Norbrass shattered this ceiling by focusing exclusively on the artisan production of handcrafted brass models in the H0 (1:87) scale, specializing in the specific, often idiosyncratic engineering of the Portuguese National Railways (CP).

The company’s identity is defined by an uncompromising commitment to "The Art of Detail." Each Norbrass model is a limited-edition masterpiece, typically produced in runs as small as 25 to 100 units worldwide. These miniatures are not merely toys but industrial sculptures, hand-assembled from hundreds of chemically etched brass components and precision-cast lost-wax parts. This artisanal approach allows for a level of structural finesse—such as see-through cooling grills, paper-thin window frames, and fully functional suspension—that simply cannot be replicated in plastic. Their recreation of the CP 1400 and CP 1200 diesel locomotives remains legendary among collectors for capturing the "bruised" and weathered aesthetic of working-class Iberian rail.

Technically, Norbrass serves as the premium "high-church" parent to the more accessible Sudexpress brand. While Sudexpress handles high-fidelity plastic production, Norbrass remains the vanguard for the most elite tier of the hobby. Modern Norbrass releases feature high-performance Faulhaber coreless motors, ball-bearing drives, and integrated ESU digital sound decoders that are custom-tuned to the specific mechanical signatures of Portuguese engines. Today, based in their boutique workshop in Braga, Norbrass is internationally recognized as the premier authority on high-end Iberian modeling, ensuring that the unique charm of Portugal’s rail history is preserved in the form of world-class, museum-quality investments.