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Offline coloradopatton  
#1 Posted : 14 March 2003 00:33:41(UTC)
coloradopatton


Joined: 14/03/2003(UTC)
Posts: 2
Location: ,
Hi, I'm new to the forum. I have an old Marklin setup (1975 when M track was used). The layout I was using called for one piece of M track that I do not have, 5104. This has been described as a "contact track section, full length, 30 degrees, curved." These pieces appear to have two capacitors installed. I do not understand how they were used. I have a couple of 5105, the straight track sections, but no longer have any information of how they work. When I looked at a current Marklin catalog these types of tracks (C track, of course) were not listed. These are not the same as control track sections that have a plastic "button" that is flipped when encountering a locomotive shoe. Can anyone help? Thanks

Offline Webmaster  
#2 Posted : 14 March 2003 01:11:54(UTC)
Webmaster


Joined: 25/07/2001(UTC)
Posts: 11,161
Hi coloradopatton, welcome to the forum...

Isn't this the curved "5100" contact track where the wheelsets make the connection between an isolated section of rail and "ground" (the other rail)? I remember having such in my childhood... With 2 sockets for cable plugs? Hopeless to use for switching relays as signals and turnouts since a long or standing train would keep the power on to the relays until they began to smell & smoke... But ok to keep something "active" while the train passed, like a bell, warning light or such... Long coaches would of course break the established circuit, but still...

Useful nowadays in digital to detect occupancy on a section of track, but 2 of them should be used after eachother with the "isolated" track of the 2 pieces connected together so reliable detection of longer coaches is made...

I looked in a 1974 catalog, and they were not offered then so they must be a little bit older... Kind of like in my own 60's childhood... <img src=icon_smile.gif border=0 align=middle>
Juhan - "Webmaster", at your service...
He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes. He who does not ask a question remains a fool forever. [Old Chinese Proverb]
Offline perz  
#3 Posted : 14 March 2003 01:23:31(UTC)
perz

Sweden   
Joined: 12/01/2002(UTC)
Posts: 2,578
Location: Sweden
Hi, and welcome to the forum.

Do you really have tracks with number 5105 ? I think you mean the 5115 contact track. Both the 5104 (curved) and the 5115 (straight) are contact track, and both operate the same.

They have one of the rails isolated from the main metal body. When a loco or car is on that track, the wheels bridge the isolated rail and close the connection to the metal body. This can then be used to activate e.g. a turnout, a relay, a signal or a digital input device (s88). The capacitors are there to give a "smoother" electrical signal and to filter out high voltage spikes that can occur if the contact track is used to control solenoids like turnouts etc.

With C track, there is no need for special contact tracks, since the road bed is isolating and the connection between the two rails can be easily cut.

Offline Lars Westerlind  
#4 Posted : 14 March 2003 09:12:04(UTC)
Lars Westerlind


Joined: 19/10/2001(UTC)
Posts: 2,379
Location: Lindome, Sweden
Hmm, some confusion here. There have been in all four tracks tracks with isolated wheelbridged rails; 2 of which with double connections as desrcribed, the other two with just one isolated rail used to make electrical railway crossing "occopied sections" longer. Each pair has the equivelents of 5100 and 5106 (curved+straight). Unfortunately I'm not quite sure of the numbers, and even worse, www.märklinist.de has got it wrong as they have the same description for 5104 and 5116. I'm also pretty sure that the numbers should be 5104,5105,5115 and 5116 for the tracks in question. So let me guess:

5104 Curved 30 degress, radius 360 mm, contact track
5105 Straight 180 mm, contact track
5115 Straight 180 mm, level crossing supplement
5116 Curved 30 degress, radius 360 mm, level crossing track.

The function of the contact is as described by Webmaster and Perz.

Regards
Lars Westerlind.

Offline Webmaster  
#5 Posted : 15 March 2003 02:06:42(UTC)
Webmaster


Joined: 25/07/2001(UTC)
Posts: 11,161
In my 1974 catalog, 5115 (straight) and 5116 (curved) are presented as tracks to prolong the "contact section" for the 7192 crossing, so Lars has it right here.
I believe the 5105 designation is correct by coloradopatton, since I had such tracks too in my childhood.. <img src=icon_smile.gif border=0 align=middle>
Juhan - "Webmaster", at your service...
He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes. He who does not ask a question remains a fool forever. [Old Chinese Proverb]
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