Apart from the date stamp on the base of the track is there any other quick way to determine if K track is early[which breaks easy ] or later run. Would the colour of the boxes be any indication , Blue , White etc. I am interested in a large quantity which is on sale & there are different box types involved .


cheers
Tom in Oz

Hi Tom,

I have not personally encountered any problems with older K-track but the brittle nature of early C-track is legendary.

You will probably already know the difference between 21xx & 22xx series but for the benefit of others unfamiliar, the 21xx series was first released in 1969 and continued through to 1980.

In 1981 the 22xx series appears and apart from additions to the range and various improvements the series has remained unchanged ever since.

The major differences between them are the 21xx has rolled tin or 'hollow' rails, whereas 22xx has solid stainless steel track.

21xx is prone to tarnishing and the rails tend to discolour although they still work ok with a clean.

A significant improvement was the design change from the turnouts having permanently-attached motors to removeable motors. This meant they could produce a single common turnout with the option of either a manual lever for hand operation, a clip-on motor for electric and/or also an underside mounting kit.

In 1993 they finally changed all turnouts to this style (except for the 2270 3-way turnout which still retains the larger motor).

The Blue boxes are older than the White ones, and in both cases you will find a printing code on the box-flap and if you are absolutely certain the contents have not been swapped the date code can be a helpful guide to determine approximate age.

As far as I know, none of the K-track carries the date-code symbol as found on C-track, certainly not on any of the items I have.

Be aware also that every piece of K-track actually has the track number molded onto it somewhere, usually on an end sleeper for straight and curved track, and underneath for turnouts. This can be very helpful when wanting to confirm 100% what a particular track-piece is without resorting to measuring and comparison. You might need a magnifying glass to see it clearly, I sure do!!

Below is a photo showing this number on two 21xx pieces, 22xx are marked in the same way.

Hope this helps answer your question.

Regards

Steve

Just rust, Adrian.

I have been a K trackker since I started with this madness, but I have acquired a bit of M track along the way. When I was planning a second layout (Era III) at our vacation home, I intended to use it for that. I actually had increased my stock of M track quite a bit through eBay, but my wife convinced me to go with C track for that layout. I have not regretted that, but there is something really nostalgic with 800 or 30xx series loks clattering away on M track!

you absolutely sure you didn't mean m-track

Tom yes we did get them in Australia, hopefully you get the right seller who sells you C-track from a later production so you wont have them break apart.

Hi from thessaloniki.

Did they make any 2171 or 2175 ?

with greetings, christos

All,

on the oldest part of my layout I have 21xx track elements and points. These were installed in 1975, almost 40 years ago.
This part of my layout is the main station.

On the newer part of my layout I have 22xx track.

Because of the somewhat rounded head of the 21xx rail profile the track looks less overdimensioned than the 22xx track.
Hence the track in the main station resembles more UIC 49 or 54, while on the open track resembles more UIC 60.

Trains run fine on both track types. I experience no contact problems or derailments.

It would be nice when marklin will start to manufacture a new K-track with a less overdimensioned rail profile and with concrete sleepers, sothat it is more suitable for era 5/6 layouts.

Regards, Willem