My family had a Marklin set-up when I was a kid in the 50’s. The track looked like M track, but with a solid center rail instead of the studs. The transformer was a 280 Super. The locomotive and cars were all metal and beautifully detailed. In the 80’s I inherited all of this, added some used M track, and built a pretty decent layout on a 4x8 sheet of plywood – mountains, tunnel, bridge, lake, and lots of buildings. I learned that for me the joy was in the building, so once it was completed I rarely operated it (but it did work after cleaning the dust off the track). I recently tore the whole thing down and moved the parts to a different room (there was no way to get the 4x8 up the stairs). I’m thinking of building a new layout, roughly twice the size (2 4x8’s) and I have questions.
1. Digital? What’s digital? Since this is all about reliving my childhood, I don’t think I want to go there. Will I regret that choice?
2. I’ve read enough on this forum to figure I should get a new transformer. The 6646 is available new for about $150 (I believe this has the right voltage for the US). Will that run my 50’s loco and my couple of others from the 60’s-70’s? Are there other choices that are not as old as my 280 (with it’s frayed cord) and would cost a little less?
3. I have lots of M track but I always thought it looked, well . . . fake. Is the C track more realistic? The K track looks like way too much work. I’m thinking if I went with C I could still use M in the back or in tunnels where it doesn’t show. Considering the cost, is C different enough to make a difference?
4. I can’t be the first to put 2 4x8’s together in an L (actually, I’m planning on cutting each in half so I have 4 4x4’s – easier to move). Is there a source for track plans that fit this shape?
Any other advice for a returning railroader would be greatly appreciated!

The better option if it is possible for you and i mean if you have the space in your home and money to buy other stuff is to keep all these great classics as they are now,built a perfect analog layout and begin to buy new digital stuff and learn about the new digital epoch of the hobby,and later when you are ready build a new digital layout.

Hi Rayson,

Welcome to the forum.

I think you already know you can use together M- and C-tracks by means of the transition track.

Cheers

Renato