Hello,

Now that Märklin and Trix definitively have announced their new products for 2007, I am a little bit diappointed with the "expansion" of North American models limited to a single revamped GG1. [:(]

This is the kind of locomotive I would like to see Märklin producing !!! And I am sure that I am not alone here ...

Imagine such a HO heavy metal model ... [:p][:p][:p][:p]

The AC4400W is an interesting modern diesel locomotive because it is powerful and it looks powerful. By the way, it is also widely used by most important railway companies. So it has its place on a North American layout !

I would also suggest this extra function : the possibility to operate as multiple unit (control several locomotives in the same consist with a unique control). I think that is mandatory for such a locomotive that almost always operates in MU. And related to this, several numbers should exist for each railroad scheme.

Hello, Märklin, wake-up now !

Of course, I would appreciate a Canadian Pacific livery for the first release ...

Pierre.

AC4400CW official webpage.

It's ugly!!

I would like to add another product from Canada, the class 66 locomotive.
This small locomotive is widespread in Europ by commercial freight carriers.

Argh. Please, no 66s. They are utterly ghastly. Drivers have reported that the controls are backwards (because EWS just turned the standard US control desk around for our drivers to sit on the other side of the cab - now the throttle and brake work in the opposite direction to all other locos), they somehow manage to suck hot air from the radiators forward into the cab windows in hot weather, the windowframes on the EWS examples are already corroding and jamming, and the cab doors required special instruction to avoid drivers getting whacked in the head by the top. To add insult to injury, they can barely haul the loads they're used for. Only reason that you see them everywhere is that they're cheap!

And to think that they dumped the Class 60 - a superb heavy freight loco that was an excellent example of what the old BR could do when they chose to. Mothballed '60s are being brought back out in fact to handle loads that a '66 can't!

All locos are ugly!

Except French ones, of course!

Fred

I know Kato USA for example has their loco's in several colour schemes, and often they also have the option of getting an unpainted body. Those bodies often aren't too expensive, so they allow for a little experimenting with airbrushes etc.

Of course, they're all DC loco's, and I have no idea how easy they are to convert to AC, they're also plastic, but the Kato N-scale is extremely good, and the loco's are quite heavy, very powerful (they run up a 5-6% slope with 15 cars in tow that all have wheelcontacts for interior lighting without slipping), and they just look good. A lot of the newer ones have double flywheel drives, which isn't too common in N-scale. I'm pretty sure their H0 offering are just as good, just more detailed.

Have a look at www.katousa.com for some info, or http://www.katousa.com/ho-scale/AC4400CW.html to get back on topic ;)


Edit: actually, talking about this stuff makes me want to get some more American N-scale and possibly try their H0 as well. Anyone have a good online shop over in the US that sells Kato? Looking at getting their Santa Fe Super Chief and California Zephyr =)

The model of class 66 made by Bachmann.

As you bring this up perhaps too - I think the smallest standard curve on an American 2 rail is 18 inches but many trains need 22 inch or more radius for turns. There is a 15 inch radius but I don't think much can run on it. Then you have the electroncs and wiring. Agh. That is what makes Marklin more attractive - ease of use, durability, reliabilty, and quality.

Many people do not have the room for a huge American DC layout and love the playability of the Marklin trains in the real world and with children. N guage is a popular American alternative but tough for kids and aging eyeballs. Please let us know what we can do to help.

Of course I would really love to see some of the smaller North American Steam Engines - I think we can work around the issue with the cars better than we can with locomotive conversions.

No offense to anyone who likes North American diesel locos, but I think they're pretty damn ugly!

Just my opinion...

I agree that smaller North American diesels such as GP9s and GP40s would be better than none at all. It might be necessary to have the front pilots (stepladders and couplers) attached to the wheel sets so that they can swivel enough to take an R1 curve. Not the prettiest solution, but we accept many other compromises to use our R1 tracks. Look at what Lionel must do to enable O gauge rolling stock operate within a 27 inch diameter! It makes our well made Marklin equipment look positively elegant.

For my taste there is a sharp distinction between the older diesels (both glamorous E's and P's and down-to-earth earlier GP's and SD's and F's) and the utilitarian newer designs with their angular lines. But I'm stuck in the 1950s anyway

Jeroen

I hopefully to see Commodore Vanderbilt in 2008 by Marklin.

... Probably not !

I had forgotten that I have a Mehano SD-35 which has two three-axle trucks and NEM compatible couplers. I can confirm that it can take R1 curves. Unfortunately, springs of couplers that Mehano put on this locomotive are too hard and will cause derailements. So I cut the springs and I had no longer any problem ... but I have now to align couplers prior any coupling. But I am convinced that Märklin engineers would be able to overcome such a problem.

So it is definitively possible to build recent four or six axle American diesels without any major coupler problem, both NEM and Kadee.



Pierre.

Thanks for the information, Thomas. Were the Roco models also foreseen in AC ?

Pierre.

The CP loco is just a big box on wheels, with some bulgey appendages at the front - no character at all, which is why I called it UGLY!!

This however is a thing of beauty. Who can tell me what it is??

Edited by moderator 11 January 2011 15:11:16(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Well done Nancy, you are correct. On Friday night (26/1) I got to climb into the cab of KA935, which is based in Silverstream (http://www.silverstreamrailway.org.nz) There are only 3 of these locomotives in existence, and they were built not 5 miles from where I live, during the early 1940's.

Looking down the loco from the drivers cab, I could not believe how restricted the view is - you have to lean out the side window to get a view of the track ahead. No suprises I guess when the KA is about 69 feet long.

I also got to climb into the cab of this NZR C series steam loco (http://www.silverstreamrailway.org.nz/pictures/pages/C847-side.htm), but as none of the steam engines were fired up, we didn't get rides in them. We did get to go for a ride in an NZR class DE diesel shunting loco, in the cab with the driver, no less.

An awesome night. The occasion? - Our Marklin club had a BBQ night at the Silverstream Railway, which is just across the road from our club rooms.

My thanks to all involved.

Here's a picture of KA935.....(The 'Thomas' face was put on the loco for a 'Friends of Thomas' day in 2003).

http://www.silverstreamr...-nov2002/pages/ka935.htm

Finally, here's some specs and history of the 3rd surviving KA loco, KA942.

http://www.mainlinesteam.co.nz/ka942.html


P.S. You are right, of course, Nancy, all locos are of interest, and all have their good points. I do prefer the looks of the German diesels to the American / Canadian ones. Having said that, most of our diesels here in NZ are of US origins.

Hello BigD in NZ!!

Thanks for the Silver Stream Railway links. To quote my son
"Way Cool".

Jeremy.

I'm with you Pierre!

beauty is in the eye of the beholder as they say, and as far as I'm concerned, these are some powerful beasts, and there is some attraction in just that. and the designers make these thing with efficiency #1 in mind - ease of maintenance, power, and operation.

Marklin should survey the attendees at US train shows like the one described above, the NMRA, Timonium, and trainz. Maybe the new ownership group brings with them a better business sense.

Dead wrong. I know many who'd go Marklin - if there only were more U.S. stuff

After doing one conversion ( I am now an Expert, an Unknown Drip under pressure) I am seriously going to look at some Australian Locos and rolling stock. There is now a lot to choose from and with carefull selection I think the conversions will be easy. As long as there is sufficient room under the truck to mount a Slider. Most are DCC Ready so all that has to be done is an ESU MFX Decoder and a Slider. ( I hope)
N

Regarding the Big E show in Springfield this weekend, I share the impressions of the Marklin effort related by Hal. But at least they were there! They shared the stand with Time Machine Hobbies, which was nice if one wanted to buy something but the stock was limited. The other Marklin dealer had a much broader supply including Trix models of US rolling stock.

I also spoke briefly with Fred Gates about some of the topics raised in this string. There is a great concern with the cost of tooling (North American prototypes compete with European one for development expense). In discussing the need for smooth streamlined passenger cars, I was surprised with the response that "standard" (non-streamlined) cars would be nice. Not a commitment, but perhaps an indicatation of what Marklin North America is telling HQ. I got the impression that what Marklin NA tells HQ is an important part of the process of product development. So how do they know what we want?

Should we who would like more North American models be more vocal? Would anyone read our e-mails anyway? And is Marklin NA the right place to go with our wish lists? Would it be better to go straight to Germany with our requests because this is not just a North American issue. It is clear that there are many outside of North America who would like a broader selection without resorting to Pierre's heroic efforts at converting DC rolling stock.
As a relative newcomer, I don't know if there has ever been an effort in this group to "influence" Marklin to produce the models that we would like. I would be happy to be part of such an effort, however. Let's just keep in mind that the new products are the result of business decisions, so we have to prove why it will be good business to produce a model that can be sold in many paint jobs. And the idea of offering unpainted models, raised earlier, would be a great way for Marklin to allow us to have road names that will never justify the cost of mass production.
Your thoughts?

It would be good to band together . . .perhaps to come up with a proposed basic list of unlettered stock that American Consumers [and other world consumers] would buy.

I would even be happy to see if they could work with us on providing extra "bodies" for some of the German Stock that is pretty close to the North American (and other) stock.

E.g., I THINK with some work, I could get a BR38 to "look like" an American 4-6-0 - maybe not close enough to satisfy a purist but ...... as we discussed in another thread, Markiln does take some artistic license with prototype anyway to get good running characteristics.

.........but I would hate to mangle an entire locomotive to get there - - - BUT if a 2nd shell was available for cheap it may encourage some creative solutions. Same thing with me wanting to change the road name and color on a Mikado

And really for innovation - that whole 3D printer thing opens up the possiblity for profitable small scale speciality manufacturing of the outer shells - getting on the leading edge......

Not something for my german layout, but if I had a US layout then I would be dying for a maerklin DD40. With sound of course. Should at least have 4 speakers inside.........

Hans

I will be happy to sign a petition for various paint schemes of the beautiful F9 [:p][:p][:p]