Hello everyone

I am new at this forum. I have collected most of mine Märklin locomotives and waggons in the last 6 months. I have over 70 locomotives and over 300 waggons at the moment. When I was a kid I had some locomotives and waggons, but sold them when I was older (around 15 years old). Then around 2002 I bought some Märklin locos and waggons etc. But half year ago this wonderful hobby began really again. Now at first time with designing and building an permanent layout when I got an room for that purpose. Room is not so big (around 3 x 3 m) and the layout shape will be like U-shape and in three different height/level.

Now when I have all kind of locomotives I have some favourites. Swedish 3030, different Nohab´s (3066, 3067, 3068, 3133, 3134, 3137 and 3143). But most of them all I like the swiss crocodiles. I have these five wonderful ones soon:


3056 (13302) green plastic bodied, but I really like the looks. It has been digitalized with new motor 60901. It costed 139 euro without box and digitalizing / new motor 100 euro = 239 euro.

3756.1 (14305) green metal bodied factory digital. This first version has this 14305 number which is different from later 3756´s with number 13305. Condition like new. It costed with box 187 euro.

39565 (14303) brown metal bodied factory digital with soft drive Sinus and many nice sounds. Very entertaining to use at the layout with mine CS 60214. Bought this as new with 399 euro.

36159 (3015) brown metal bodied factory digital replica Insider version 1996. Really nice version like new, all documents and box in 100% good condition, but that certificate is missing. I want to buy that certificate if someone has this? An good copy of the certificate would even be enough for me as I have everything else. It costed with everything else than certificate 420 euro.

3015 (3015) green metal bodied analog. I will have this one next week maybe. It costed around 345 euro with box from early 1960´s and good condition. This one has been my dream when I was a kid. My love to Märklin H0 began when I was 4 years old...



My question is how can I identify this 3015 version as I can not see myself difference in blue-green, tannen-green, pine-green etc.?? Is there any other easy way to identify the year model (or more precisely version) than color? Pantographs, reversing hand-lever, resistor boxes (right term as faar as I know, not sand boxes), couplers, roof color (silver=newer or gray/silver=older?)... Anything else? The box is from the early 1960´s. Here is the link to that eBay auction where I bought this 3015:

http://www.ebay.de/itm/2...trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649


Thank you very much in advance from all the help for identifying this version.

PS. Today I finally registered to this wonderful forum. Should be done that several months ago...


Best regards from Finland,

Janne

Hi Janne,

Welcome to the forum !

According to Koll's, the only early 60's Krok model is the 3015.10 :

Blaugrün (bluegreen), Auschrift 3015, 6 Jahre 1959-1964

From what I understand using my limited German is that all previous models had "CSS 800" written on the side. So If yours has "3015" written over the Märklin logo on the side, it's a later version.

And the following 3015.11 version, the last of this series, was late 60's :

Tannengrün (fir tree green), Dach silbern (silver roof), 11 Jahre 1965-1975

Hope this helps,

Also, it's great to see the train bug come back to you in this way; very similar in my case ^^

Yum

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Janne

Welcome to the forum and welcome back to the wonderful hobby !
And we love to see pictures of Swiss Crocodiles !!

You have a large collection of locomotives for such a short period of collecting.

Regards,
John

Hi Janne, welcome to the forum.

You seem to have a great collection already. Please feel free to share photos with us!

I noticed you mention some analogue and some digital locos. Will your layout be both digital and analogue, or will you convert the analogue models to digital?

Welcome to the forum and what a great collction you have already acquired.

We hope see your pictures.

Javier

Hi Mike,

Ok, thanks from the correction. Then I can not be sure if it really is from year 1960 as it´s box is. I should take some good photos of my crocodiles and send them here so all the experts can see them and tell me if it can be from 1960 or not? The color is slightly different than in 3056. This plastic one is kind of lighter green than my 3015. My metal body 3756.1 crocodile has quite near the same color, but not exactly the same. It is kind of a bit more colorfull and more shiny than 3015. It is nice that all these green crocodiles has different color tint. Also 36159 and 39565 brown crocodiles has slightly different color tint if they are looked very closely.

How big pictures should be sent here? Maximum size within the limits of attachments or smaller? What resolution? I could take some photos then from all these five crocodiles.

Janne

So anyway I will send more pictures of my crocodile farm with the same method.... these are 3056 (green), 3756.1 (green), 39565 (brown), 36159 (brown) and 3015 (green).

Here:

Janne

Hi again,

I really hope that you can all view those pictures. They are not very good pictures, because I took them with my phone. With my 12 Megapixel digital camera it is more difficult to get good close photos. If the flash is on, the colors are strange and if it is off then it is difficult to see clear. Maybe some adjustments should be made or some properties disabled to be able to do what it was designed for: TAKE GOOD PICTURES!!

Could some experts of the 3015 or CCS 800 see from the color what version my 3015 is? I hope that it could be the earlier (1959-1964).

From www.lokshow.de

Bauzeit: 1959 - 1964, Gehäuse helles tannengrün, Dach silbergrau

or

Bauzeit: 1965 - 1975, Gehäuse dunkles tannengrün, Dach helles silber

The box that came with this is from year 1960. It has two hand levers (for pantogram or track power and for manual reversing), but this is not then an indicator of an earlier model if it was there to year 1970 as written before.

Maybe the pictures are not sharp, but at least the color can be compared to 3056 and 3756.1 (blau-grun, if this really is the color) in some pictures. Also the couplers are seen in some pictures very closely.


Janne

Hello and thanks from your reply,

This 3015 crocodile was sold to me as an early 1960 model. In the advertisement was mentioned that there was anchor and brushes replaced. So this was not solt to me as an almost new or really little used one. I just checked those pick-up shoes. Both of them are with small hole and one is with silver spring and one is with copper spring. I think that they were both changed when this was serviced and they looked almost like unused when I got it. But so far I have no evidence why this one could not be an early 1960 model?

Could the version be identified by the green color tint or roof color (silver or grey-silver)? For me the roof color looks a bit more grey as some of the other crocodiles I have. Also the 3015 replica 36159 brown crocodile has more silver roof than this 3015 that looks more grey to me.

Best regards,
Janne

Yes I can understand what you write. The roof of mine 3015 is more grey than the roof of brown 36159, but maybe that has even more silver roof than the later 3015. This was how you ment this?

Janne

My understanding is that the early 60's Crocodiles were described as blau grun, which may be the same as helles tannengrun. I have just about gone blind trying to discern the difference on ebay pictures. A major collector posted a picture of his Croc's some time ago and I could only then clearly see the difference between the early and later 1960's colours.

Mike

Thanks Mike!

This was just the picture that I needed to compare them. At least two first of those three crocodiles are CCS 800 models if I see right from the logo in the middle. Mine is definitely the same color as that second one. The first CCS 800 has very nice color (olive green), but those are so expensive that to me (and my financial things ) it will be best to only look at these nice pictures...

So now I can be sure that my 3015 is really from year 1960 and the first version of 3015. Mike you just made my day much better!

Cheers,

Janne

Hello,

I can´t find that thread again myself either... But here is the picture you want to see:

Janne

I would say that the top green Krok is blau grun and the next one is tannen grun. But the difference could be a trick of the light or photography (or ageing eyes). No doubt that the bottom one is olive grun.

Mike

Hi friends,

The first one in that photo is definitely "olive green" as it is Version 3 (similar to Version 2 but with different sand boxes). Version 1 is what I call "gray green" but Koll might not make that distinction. I don't know much about later 3015 models

Paul