Hello mahoose and welcome to the forum

I'd also like to know why Marklin doesn't make self-isolating turnouts, like Peco do, but the fact is that they don't. However if you look here:

http://www.zscale.org/

you might get a few clues about how to do something about it. Being a "it more or less has to work out of the box" modeller I haven't tried anything in that line myself.

I am VERY surprised that your Krokodils have such poor traction. My two will (individually) pull a rake of nine or ten wagons up a 3.5% gradient. Is your track clean? Do the wheels need to be cleaned? If you're looking for a real little goer in the electric loco line try an E44/Br144 (8811/88111). Supposedly one of the best mechanisms that Marklin have ever made. I'm such an enthusiast that I've now got five of them

I have tried Bullfrog Snot myself and I know that it works.

Given that M* are in deep financial water at the moment we should consider ourselves lucky that they're still making Z scale at all. When the company is in better financial shape we can look forward to new and/or improved products in Z.

Hi Mahoose, welcome to the forum and to the world of Z scale modelling.

I too asked about making Marklin turnouts self isolating but appreciate that the area of contact is very small and it could be unwise to rely on it alone. The downside can be seen on my website (see my sig.) but that's life.

I have very little experience of non-steamers but can vouch for the E44/BR144. Mine goes like the clappers and can pull a healthy train of wagons. However, in steam it is, strangely, the case of more driving wheels the less traction. My S3/6's (4-6-2) can pull up to nine short wheelbase bogie coaches at a push and definitely eight. However, my 2-10-0s can hardly pull anything. I did buy some Bullfrog Snot but haven't tried it yet as it looks a bit fiddly to apply and I am not sure how it would affect electrical pick-up. The only exception to the more wheels problem is the Borsig BR53.0 2-6-0+0-8-0 which happily pulled 34 4-wheeled wagons until it packed up after about and hour and was sent back to the factory for repair. It's first big test will be at an exhibition at Easter. However, you may be able to help things if there is space inside the body of croc to insert some lead weights of even Plastercine (sp.). I don't have that luxury. Also, I understand, a very light application of fine oil on the axle bearings on the rolling stock can help.

Good luck.

All the best,
Chris.

Mahoose,

Welcome. I am very surprised by the failure rate you are experiencing. The V200 should be very reliable. I find most Bo- Bo locomotives are superior in performance to steam locomotives. The trucks offer more flexibility than rigid frame steam locomotives. This failure rate is very much not typical of Marklin Z equipment. A few tips is to make sure you always keep you track clean and vacuum around the track to pick up loose debris, especially if you are doing scenery. It is VERY easy to pick up debris in the gears of Marklin Z locos. I highly recommend using a Guagemaster HF1 electronic track cleaner. It swear by these and the really improve the performance of my Z scale locomotives.

I actually like the fact that the Marklin points are not isolating. This has given me more flexibly in creating my layout. I have created block and isolate only the sections I want to, It is interesting, but Micro-Trains is now offering turnouts for Z. They also are not isolating. Plus, they don't play well with some Marklin equipment. One of my favorite aspects of the Marklin turnouts is that locomotives can 'push' through them if they are not set correctly. This is a great feature that allows you to use manual turnouts at the end of a siding. You don't have to worry about setting the points. I have a very large Z layout so this is important to me.

There is only one Z scale company offering traction tires. This is American Z Line. AZL offers traction tires on their GP7 and SD70 locomotives. The new brass Challengers will also have traction tires. They really do help. You are right about the Crocodiles. These are very poor performers when it comes to pulling. Extra weight can help, but there is little room under the shell to do so. I typically run consists of about a dozen freight cars and about 6 passenger cars. I don't use grades on my mainline. I do have grades on my branch lines. I have tested Bullfrog Snot and think the product is viable.

Marklin is not in the position to make changes to their track and locomotive design. Maybe in the future, but definitely not at this time. I would like to see Marklin emphasis operations more so in their designs. Companies like AZL and Micro-Trains are emphasizing operations. For instance, an AZL SD70 can easily pull over 25 cars. Double headed, 50 - 70 cars operations are achieved. It is amazing to see.

Rob