The next Swiss beauty with SDS has arrived - Ce 6/8-III #14308 in brown livery - and I must admit, it's a great model too!!! [:p]



When seeing it just from the outside nothing except the delivery box indicates anything about this great and powerful alligator which has been released now by Märklin.

But when it starts moving (almost w/o any noise) you will be surprised about its driving performance - and even more once it crawls slowly but steady along the tracks or up and down the hills (IMHO max. speed can be set slightly lower than the factory default value of 225).



In my personal rating of those four models that I have now, three of them with a different motor/drive, this new one is simply the best!

Here a comparison picture of the three basic models interior - HLA, large C-Sine and SDS (#14305 was originally a #3656 which I converted to HLA and added the Swiss light pcb, LED and cabin lights).



You'll immediately notice the VERTICAL mounted motor in the new model - an interesting solution! Instead of cabin lights, the new model has a Swiss signal horn (which is ok) and as you can easily see, it is really packed!

The frame and light pcb in the middle section (also containing the mode operation switch) are still the same as with the previous version with the larger C-Sine (#39560/39561/39569), but the outer traction sections are now different.

IMHO it should also be possible to replace the existing mfx decoder with a mfx sound decoder (you'll need to change the loudspeakers to 100Ohm).

The R1 revision date is 13.12.1929 (for #14316 it is a little bit earlier, 22.10.1929); instead of the more extensive weight label of #14316 the new model #14308 has only one line ("131t"). Manufacturer plate ("Oerlikon/SLM Winterthur") and depot location ("Erstfeld") are the same for both models.

Go for it too!!!

Thanks, Lutz.

Very interesting!

Very nice,Thanks for sharing the pictures.

As you can see I was luckily not faced with that question; so I can't really tell - it's completely up to you. I do see about three + for the new model: the new SDS is more quiet (and likely stronger), it comes with mfx and it has an extra horn signal.

I can only say - try to get some time both. It took me several decades before I got my first croc; now I've already four of them and there are no signs (yet) that this "gatormania" will end soon!

PS: I changed the Vmax value to 160 which results in a max. speed that is closer to that of the prototype; it now also matches what I've set at my other models.

Cute pic, Ron. Have fun in Germany.

thanxs for the info Lutz

mine is also on the way, i am hoping to get it in the coming week.

kiwi

Lutz: Yes, she found the Stop button, but was getting pretty good at using the red knob too. What you can't experience is the shouts of joy and laughter while she was operating it.

Being a grandparent is the best experience in the world. Congratulations on your pending little ones. You will enjoy them.

Will we get to meet at the Treff, perchance?

Hi Ron, that's a great pic! My youngest child just turned two and has been known to stand at the door to our basement and call out "Daddy, TRAINS!!". More so than my son (7), she can sit with me for hours watching trains go by on my layout. If I'm watching a train video, or happen to be watching Bahn TV, she will stop to sit and watch also!

Lutz,

any problems "opening" up your croks? We documented here some problems to open the decoder hood on the 39560. Wonder if the 39562 has the same problems.

P.S.: mine should be here very soon!

Finally had the opportunity to run my 39562 somewhat extensively on my big layout. I had tried it (as seen above) on a Tischbahn with the MS and it was smooth and quiet, but the real test is on my complex K track layout with my IB and computer control. I am happy to report that it ran flawlessly. It is so quiet that I had to keep looking for it to make sure it was still running (I can usually hear engine noise in the hidden areas). It took the most difficult areas of my layout smoothly and easily. This included a number of compound curves (both "S" and radius changes) some with turnouts. Not even a hint of derailment. I loaded it down with a string of freight cars including a track cleaner that has a bit of resistance and it pulled them without any complaints. The only place I had any trouble was a known trouble spot where I have a vertical inflection coming into a double slip switch. Longer wheelbase loks (such as this one) can lose traction there, as this one did. That is on my list of things to fix, but it is in a difficult place (inside the tunnel where the trains come out from under my city into the main station..very hard place to work). Overall I am exceptionally pleased with this product.

Ron,

very good to hear that you're very satisfied with your model as well! Especially the smooth and rather quiet driving still makes some difference to the already very good previous versions.

PS: On my layout(s) I usually make sure to have levelling transition sections that go from +-1,5 to +-0,5 and finally 0mm. So far this worked out fine with ALL my models.

The 39180 and the 39562 have the same pulling power ?

Hello Ron,

perhaps Lutz can answer that.

I think about the same but wait for Lutz comment.

Well done, kiwi.

Congratulations with a great model, Mike and Mario.

YEaaaaah...

Long live the crocos... still old but if you see how original Back in teh old days those Swiss trains were really so modern in fact...... And still those crocos and other old swiss locs are running and working perfectly!

Congratulations. It seems to be a great model. I don't own any croc for now but I hope I'll buy one soon!
I'm not sure about the two circular stuffs above the first driving wheel from the left in Lutz's picture: are they the speakers?
Regards
Pietro

Wait, perhaps I did not follow this thread correctly, but 2 speakers in the new brown croc? What functions use the speaker other than the horn, etc? I did not think it came with operating sounds.

UPDATE: Clean track.. model works flawlessly. Now I would like to compare it to the 39560 with the C-Sine. I was very happy with that one as well. I will post pictures and details of the two shortly.

is there any improvement over the detailing between this one and the older say #3352 brown croc? I recently bought one of these from the Reynauld's marklin estate sale, at what I thought was a pretty good price. I'm sure the road number must be different.

It will eventually be upgraded to digital/sound and a new motor.
I wonder if the SDS motor will become available as an upgrade, like they did with the 5-star? otherwise it may get an SB motor.

being there are so many other nice new things being released, I was hoping not to have to "have" to add another croc to the collection (up to three SBB ones so far - the other two have the 5-star motors).

also, I have found the hood to be not impossible to remove, just that a third hand would be helpful. mine have some little clips that need to be pressed in (small flat screwdriver helped) and then it pops off no problem. it was not immediately obvious how the hood was released - had to do it to clean and lube (oil dried up) on one of the others I have.

here are 2 crocs pulling a 2.6m freight train





Kiwi