Hi George,

Those coaches are very nice, but are perhaps more appropriate for commuter or branch line trains. The V300 was mainly used on express trains, so I would recommend some suitable Era III express coaches, such as the 43910, 43920, 43930, 43940, 43941, and 43950.

http://www.maerklin.com/...etails.html?art_nr=43910
http://www.maerklin.com/...etails.html?art_nr=43920
http://www.maerklin.com/...etails.html?art_nr=43930
http://www.maerklin.com/...etails.html?art_nr=43940
http://www.maerklin.com/...etails.html?art_nr=43941
http://www.maerklin.com/...etails.html?art_nr=43950

You can also get the 43969 set, which is very nice.

http://www.maerklin.com/...ailsh0.html?art_nr=43969

If these coaches are too long for your layout you could look for the older equivalent 27cm coaches on ebay.

Don't forget to get the DC wheel sets for them, George.

If you want more coaches there are some out there on ebay.

I agree 100% George, it is really a nice model.

I also agree with Ray about the passanger wagon's but why not buy the Trix version's :
Märklin 43910 = Trix 23400
Märklin 43920 = Trix 23401
Märklin 43930 = Trix 23402
Märklin 43940 = Trix 23403
Märklin 43950 = Trix 23404
Märklin 43969 = Trix 23446 Profi Club set

This way your wagon's already have the DC wheel's

PS ! - I can't stop loving that avatar of your's

The V300 goes to the 43919 five coaches set and 43928 single coach in "Pop Colors" livery.

You can have look at the German Ebay for "29010", there are many dealers that are selling these coaches from the start set, they will be without boxes, but you might be able to make a good deal putting in a bid. I have this set, and later added the combinen 2. class and bistro coach. And would like add the combinen 2.class coach and bagage car, if had the space for it. I pull this consist with either a BR210 or the BR01.10 from the start set.

Here we go again...

in this livery(red and marked V300) the loco existed only from mid 1964 to some day in 1968 when it became the 230...so if you want to be prototypically correct, only passenger coaches of that time (the classic blue and green ones) fit to it. reading wikipedia, the loco was stationed at that time in Hamm (a little bit east of the 'ruhrgebiet') and pulled fast trains and freight trains, too. prior to mid 1964 the loco had another livery and not the classic 'V200'-look.

Yeah, just fancy that, this locomotive snaking along a series of S-shaped R1 curves! What a sight for sore eyes!

Hi, Robert!

Since there was only a single V 300 the chances to see it were very small.

The blue one was a previous state in the original livery of the manufacturer (1957) - actually a 6-axle V 220 (2200 HP).
In 1958 it received stronger engines for 3000 HP.

"It may be hard to see the red in normal operation." That is likely because the pantographs get dirty, mostly coated with carbon dust from the wiper blades. On models, this detail can be reproduced by weathering the pantograph arms. The relative increase in thickness normally featured on HO Scale pantographs is a necessity in order to avoid heating of the pantograph elements during use, especially with AC voltage. This, in part, explains why Roco has been able to offer finer detailed pantographs for it's DC models, some of which I would not recommend for AC use, even with the wider blades for AC that come with most AC models.

Other details like wipers, handrails, etc are very nicely reproduced on some models, but can appear slightly overscale on other models. I prefer separately applied railings to ones that are molded into the model.
For me, what is more important is technical details like milled lenses for light channels, so that the lights, whether LED or bulb, produce a realistic beam and not just a diffuse glow as has been the case on many recent models.

As far as 24cm vs 26.4 vs 27cm vs 28.2cm vs 30.3cm coaches, it is a personal preference. I feel that the scale length coaches look the best (if you have the space). The shorter coaches may be necessary due to space or curve limitations and look better on those layouts for that reason. The shortest coaches (24cm) made of metal allow for the most trailing coaches and have that Maerklin sound that many of us associate with our childhood.

There is room for all of us in this hobby and I fail to see why we should jump all over each other every time full scale vs reduced length is mentioned.

I have many exact scale coaches that look great when running on my floor layout. Those coaches can not be used on my test oval/start set layout, where the 27cm and 28.2cm coaches look much better. If I had the space, I would probably go with the full scale models all the way, but I don't have a permanent large radii setup and use the reduced length models for the occasional lap around my test oval. My plan is to use the reduced scale coaches for night operation (lighted) and use the exact scale material during daytime use.

As they say, I guess I have got the best of both worlds.

Back to the V300. I would consider getting a few of the LSM Aum202/Bum232 coaches (1/87). In terms of detail, they would look amazing behind the lok. For the layout, you may prefer to go with the newer 28cm Maerklin UIC coaches.

Regards

Mike C

Would you mind providing manufacturer and catalog number for these?

Thanks

Mike, how would you rate the coaches made by LS Models compared to the Roco ones? Are they also correct at 1:87?

Finally I managed to order the following era III DB coaches, as per Ray's and Pål's suggestions,

M43910, and T23402, T23403 and T23404. I have 16 DC wheel-sets, so I shall use 4 of them on the marklin wagon... I also ordered a BR 96. I will use it to pull freight wagons....Originally, I wanted to get the BR 23 with sound but I couldn't locate the 22230, I think it is not yet available.

Due to this, I am getting ready to order six more era III marklin 2-axle refrigerator beer wagons....I still have 12 DC-wheel-sets left over and I plan to have the 2-axle refrigerator beer wagons hauled by the BR 96... I have only two beer wagons and I want to get some more. I like to have an H0 - beer train. Besides, the refrigerator in the kitchen has never got enough space...

This is the fun of MRR...Perpetually, planning and collecting....

Looks very good George

You also ordered a Br. 96 I see, that's a really nice loco

And beer wagon's ? Don't drink and drive Cheeeers