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Offline cookee_nz  
#1 Posted : 31 July 2016 08:10:03(UTC)
cookee_nz

New Zealand   
Joined: 31/12/2010(UTC)
Posts: 3,949
Location: Paremata, Wellington
Hi all,

I'm not sure if we have had quite this question before. I know we have had best finds, biggest surprise etc, but how about reflecting on the worst mistake you made over a Marklin item. Most likely it would be for people that were still new to the hobby and maybe still had a lot to learn.

Perhaps you let something go that you now kick yourself for, or paid way too much for something either because you just didn't know or worse, someone actually conned you.

Maybe you acquired something and at the time never gave it much thought but later on the history of that item would become important and you had no way to verify when or how you got it.

These are just ideas, if you have an experience that you think falls into this category, please share - we promise not to laugh (too loudly) - but honestly, I'm sure many of us have looked back on something that is or was in our collection and have some regret over it.

Could be some interesting tales to come out. Especially if it is a story that could happen again to someone else.

Cheers

Cookee
Cookee
Wellington
NZ image
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Offline NS1200  
#2 Posted : 31 July 2016 09:55:59(UTC)
NS1200

Netherlands   
Joined: 10/08/2009(UTC)
Posts: 3,443
Marklin 3318 sold by an Italian seller as factory new.
Upon unpacking,i found that the handrails under the frontwindows were glued on as a sort of emergency repair,not done in the factory.
Not nice at all.
If i pay for a perfect locomotive,i expect to get one!
The seller apologised and offered a refund,returncosts for my account.
I decided to keep it,it is still a nice loco.

In general,Marklkin locomotives of the later generations have a lot of plastic parts added on and these plastic parts are prone to damage.

I bought a 3686 Glaskasten steamer and found it almost impossible to attach the plastic railing on both sides to the locobottom,the locating holes being very small.
I much more would prefer less detail and a more sturdy construction.
Have more than you show,speak less than you know (Shakespeare).
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Offline xxup  
#3 Posted : 31 July 2016 10:37:29(UTC)
xxup

Australia   
Joined: 15/03/2003(UTC)
Posts: 9,458
Location: Australia
Originally Posted by: NS1200 Go to Quoted Post
...I much more would prefer less detail and a more sturdy construction.


I agree.. This is one of the problems with Brawa - they are too detailed and the plastic pieces fall off..

Adrian
UserPostedImage
Australia flag by abFlags.com
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Offline Rwill  
#4 Posted : 31 July 2016 14:14:00(UTC)
Rwill

United Kingdom   
Joined: 04/05/2015(UTC)
Posts: 777
Location: England, London
In 1991ish a couple of years after I had started my Marklin journey we moved house to Purley, Surrey where we still live. Very close by in Epsom was the then importer of Marklin. Sadly the guy died suddenly in his fifties, I did not know him he did not deal directly but through a good list of dealers. There was an estate sale at his warehouse which I went to and bought a few bits and bobs but could not take my eyes off a couple of M factory built display layouts one on a Noch type preformed board with K track and the other an M track with full catenary so I struck a deal. My wife was away the weekend with the kids at her dads so I crept into work and borrowed the fitters van. You know when you buy something like furniture that looks fine in the great big shop display but when you get home it takes up most of the room well this was such in spades. What was to be the dining room became the train room and my wife forgave me eventually. The K track layout got loads of use, was abused by the kids and a cat and a dog who used to love the very fine scenics (to chew on). The M track layout hardly came out of its crate unfortunately and dare I say it I regarded it as old fashioned. When after ten years or so circumstances dictated the Marklin kit was packed away and consigned to the loft and the two boards to the garage. We then sold a chunk of our garden including the garage so the boards went away to auction about seven years ago. Despite total un enthusiasm by the auctioneer they fetched a very reasonable price. Of course now the kids have (almost) left home we have a four bedroomed house with plenty of room to spare and the Marklin kit has come out of the loft and I totally kick myself for letting go of those layouts especially the M track one.
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Offline 5HorizonsRR  
#5 Posted : 31 July 2016 16:08:15(UTC)
5HorizonsRR

United States   
Joined: 05/12/2004(UTC)
Posts: 2,863
Location: CA, USA
A few:

- building a c track layout in the late 1990's with track that now crumbles if you try and do anything with it- annoying when repairs are needed! Of course this couldn't have been avoided
- Getting caught up in the the hype of "collectors items" as marketed by the factory. I was buying a lot of trains because they were supposed to be rare or limited, but not so much because I actually liked the trains. I've since sold off most off of that stuff (and in fairness to Marklin some did fetch great money, other stuff didn't though...) and I now focus on what I like: Swiss models, some italian models, and 1960's/70's tinplate


This isn't so much a regret, but I've bought a lot of full 1/87 sized items that may never have a big enough home to run on. I just don't see myself having the luxury of more than R1/R2 curves on a layout for a very long time if ever. But they look good and there is still the carpetbahn option so I can't complain, but those 1:100 scale coaches are seeming more logical to me every day :)
SBB Era 2-5
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Offline PMPeter  
#6 Posted : 31 July 2016 16:36:03(UTC)
PMPeter

Canada   
Joined: 04/04/2013(UTC)
Posts: 1,273
Location: Port Moody, BC
For me the biggest regret is buying a $3,000 collection of C track, some locomotives and 6023 control unit from a local private sale that had all of the original receipts for approximately $4,000. Having been away from Marklin for about 20 years I thought this was a reasonable deal.

Unfortunately the boxes and boxes of new or barely used C track were all dated in the late 1990s and I knew nothing about the brittle nature of these tracks and switches. The $2,000 worth of track looked like it was only good for the garbage since my first digital circle of test track ended up with a hand full of broken bits of connection pieces which lead me to doing research after the fact and this forum. Fortunately so far I have only had one piece break along the sides of the switch with the rest only breaking at the connectors. Since I have a permanent layout I have come up with an epoxy method of strengthening the connectors allowing them to be connected to each other without breaking. A bit of a time consuming pain, but better than throwing them into the garbage.

In hind sight a waste of money since a check of the new prices showed that I could have bought the entire collection (if available) for $3,000 new when comparing 1998 prices to 2013 prices.

Peter
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Offline foumaro  
#7 Posted : 31 July 2016 18:12:22(UTC)
foumaro

Greece   
Joined: 08/12/2004(UTC)
Posts: 4,420
Location: Attiki Athens Greece
I did not buy the 26490 Blue Bird on time and now it is difficult to find it in perfect condition without paying a lot of money.LOL
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Offline Danlake  
#8 Posted : 31 July 2016 21:54:29(UTC)
Danlake

New Zealand   
Joined: 03/08/2011(UTC)
Posts: 1,571
Great topic!

My first puchase on eBay I failed to noticed the German seller was not doing PayPal, so my purchase ended up being rather expensive with bank fees and numerous emails back and forward to enable me to do a international bank transfer with a German private dealer...

For layout building a few...

1. Starting out the layout on flat piece of plywood, subsequently struggling making realistic terrain contours.

2. Not believing the c track turn out failures would happen to me, so ending up spending a whole weekend removing all tracks and modifying the turn outs...

3. When I started converting a few old analogue loco to digitale I mistakenly thought I should clean all the gears and wheels so they were sparkling clean. E.g. I took the motor block (with motor removed) and ran it freely over a piece of paper towel while spraying half a can of WD-40 (the gunk just keep seeping out)... All the gears looked like new but did not run as freely as before and now a dry squeaking sound. Tried various lubricant but never got the gear to run smooth. Later did I learn that professionals use ultra sound cleaner or better just do a surface clean to remove only old oil and hairs etc.

4. Bought a lot of new prototypical 30cm passenger coaches, only realising later that unless you have a large layout with sweeping curves it looks pretty awkward on a layout with tighter radius curves.

And finally one of the decision I don't regret, which has given me much enjoyment and kept me motivated, was to skip my initial analogue layout and go digital PC control, with good support from this forum and others.

Brgds Lasse
Digital 11m2 layout / C (M&K) tracks / Era IV / CS3 60226 / Train Controller Gold 9 with 4D sound. Mainly Danish and German Locomotives.
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Offline mike c  
#9 Posted : 31 July 2016 22:54:30(UTC)
mike c

Canada   
Joined: 28/11/2007(UTC)
Posts: 7,880
Location: Montreal, QC
My biggest regret was buying a number of locomotives between 1998 and 2001 and opting for the less expensive analog versions rather than going for the digital versions.
Since 2001 most of my acquisitions have been digital ready. I would like to slowly convert some of the older ones to digital, but this will not be a quick process.

I do not regret switching from the reduced scale length coaches to the exact scale models. This would probably not be the case if I had a permanent layout that did not permit this. I have a teppichbahn using R4 and R5 for mainline.

What does surprise me is how many people I have seen who use R1 and R2 curves, but have straight tracks between the curved quarters to stretch the oval and have never considered using a larger radii without the straight tracks instead. If I ever build a permanent layout, it will be a mainline oval (R4/R5) with a local line or narrow gauge using smaller radii on the inside of the layout.

Regards

Mike C
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Offline Hackcell  
#10 Posted : 01 August 2016 07:44:29(UTC)
Hackcell

Costa Rica   
Joined: 21/11/2013(UTC)
Posts: 521
Regrets (so far):

- Buying several R1, R2 and 24612/24611 C track pieces to realize later that my US branded locomotives (MTH, Broadway limited marklinized) won't deal with such radii.
- Miss the chance to buy a superchief for 800 dollars.
- Buying 60880s when I could have purchased LDT M-GB-8-N or viessmann 5233. Based in my experience, current detectors are more reliable.
Danilo Jiménez
Union Pacific and DB Cargo H0 models.
Märklin, Brawa, MTH and some Walthers cars (nobody is perfect!)
Pinball machines, jukeboxes and Horses.
Costa Rica, pura vida!!
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Offline Alsterstreek  
#11 Posted : 01 August 2016 11:11:48(UTC)
Alsterstreek

Germany   
Joined: 16/11/2011(UTC)
Posts: 5,666
Location: Hybrid Home
When I attended a train show as exhibitor with a compact, but still heavy, wooden under construction layout, I marveled at the foam based layout another exhibitor carried away like a waiter carrying a tray in a restaurant. Since then, I switched to foam boards for layout construction. I regret that I did not do that earlier. That would have saved a lot of time, effort and muscle strain.

Then, I regret that I did not learn earlier about the principle of the track transition curve, or spiral easement, a mathematically calculated curve on a section of railroad track, where a straight section changes into a curve, which prevents aesthetically unpleasant MRR train movements, especially for longer coaches. This "defuses" even tight radius curves and can easily be achieved thanks to the versatile M* curved C track portfolio.

Edited by user 04 August 2016 03:06:41(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

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Offline RayF  
#12 Posted : 01 August 2016 15:16:54(UTC)
RayF

Gibraltar   
Joined: 14/03/2005(UTC)
Posts: 15,838
Location: Gibraltar, Europe
No real regrets, but one thing I could have done better would be to have narrowed down my interest and not just bought anything that caught my eye.

Today I have about 150 locomotives and I am seriously running out of room to keep all my trains, which means I have to think very carefully when a new model comes out whether I really want it or not.

Ray
Mostly Marklin.Selection of different eras and European railways
Small C track layout, control by MS2, 100+ trains but run 4-5 at a time.
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Offline Sparrow  
#13 Posted : 01 August 2016 23:20:29(UTC)
Sparrow

Spain   
Joined: 05/09/2011(UTC)
Posts: 219
I sometimes regret being away from model railroading for some 25 years.
Yeah, I became a doc, got married, wrote a (rather unsuccesful) novel, got a PhD, built some thirty or forty 1/700 warships, had four children... But... Hey, I could have built a BIG layout in that time! LOL
Best regards.
Luis.
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Offline ixldoc  
#14 Posted : 01 August 2016 23:58:44(UTC)
ixldoc

Australia   
Joined: 18/11/2015(UTC)
Posts: 220
Location: Brisbane,Australia
Similar to Ray's regrets-buying what caught my eye and now looking for cabinet space.
Worse...in the 80's selling an F800, RSM 800, DL800, MS800 and a TT800 to finance a trip to Goppingen to visit the Marklin museum! Groan.
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Offline Thewolf  
#15 Posted : 02 August 2016 00:01:30(UTC)
Thewolf

Canada   
Joined: 08/09/2015(UTC)
Posts: 2,035
Location: Saint Mathias dur Richelieu-Canada
My biggest regret is to have waited more than 15 years before building again a layout

Project The Richelieu Valley Railway-CS2-Track C- Itrain-Digital
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Offline Armando  
#16 Posted : 02 August 2016 03:33:05(UTC)
Armando

United States   
Joined: 21/07/2003(UTC)
Posts: 1,350
Location: Houston, Texas
Originally Posted by: Sparrow Go to Quoted Post
I sometimes regret being away from model railroading for some 25 years.
Yeah, I became a doc, got married, wrote a (rather unsuccesful) novel, got a PhD, built some thirty or forty 1/700 warships, had four children... But... Hey, I could have built a BIG layout in that time! LOL


In fact, you did accomplish a lot and still were able to come back to the trains. ¡Enhorabuena! BigGrin
Best regards,
Armando García

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Offline sjlauritsen  
#17 Posted : 02 August 2016 12:28:56(UTC)
sjlauritsen

Denmark   
Joined: 18/08/2007(UTC)
Posts: 1,081
Location: Denmark
My biggest mistake was selling off my old M track in order to go K track. Obviously, I did not get nearly as much K track for my M track. At the time I was determined to create a more realistic look for my layout and the K track seemed like the way to go. This was all before C track. Here I am many years later, the main layout has since switched to 2-rail because that is what my friends around here run. I still collect lots of Märklin waggons and Trix locomotives, at least now I can run them with my friends.

There are periods though where I am kind of missing my M-track, especially because I have my very first Märklin train set in its original box and in very good condition - except for the tracks. Luckily there are tonnes of it available on eBay.
Søren from Denmark
Blog: https://railway.zone/ | Danish Model Railway Forum: https://baneforum.dk/
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Offline RayF  
#18 Posted : 02 August 2016 13:20:58(UTC)
RayF

Gibraltar   
Joined: 14/03/2005(UTC)
Posts: 15,838
Location: Gibraltar, Europe
Originally Posted by: sjlauritsen Go to Quoted Post
My biggest mistake was selling off my old M track in order to go K track. Obviously, I did not get nearly as much K track for my M track. At the time I was determined to create a more realistic look for my layout and the K track seemed like the way to go. This was all before C track. Here I am many years later, the main layout has since switched to 2-rail because that is what my friends around here run. I still collect lots of Märklin waggons and Trix locomotives, at least now I can run them with my friends.

There are periods though where I am kind of missing my M-track, especially because I have my very first Märklin train set in its original box and in very good condition - except for the tracks. Luckily there are tonnes of it available on eBay.


Hi Søren,

When I changed over to C-track I resisted the temptation to get rid of my M-track and I put it all away in a box. I have never used it since, but if I ever have a bit more space I intend to set up a simple layout just to run my old trains for nostalgic reasons.

Having said that I will probably never do so and the track will sit in its box until I die, when my children will probably chuck it in the nearest skip! You probably did have the right idea. At least someone else has been making use of the track for all these years!
Ray
Mostly Marklin.Selection of different eras and European railways
Small C track layout, control by MS2, 100+ trains but run 4-5 at a time.
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Offline jcrtrains  
#19 Posted : 02 August 2016 15:16:00(UTC)
jcrtrains

Canada   
Joined: 31/10/2009(UTC)
Posts: 597
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Prior to my existing layout, my dad and I built three layouts all at the family home. Layout number two was a bit of a regret. It was essentially a very ambitious extension of layout number one. Unfortunately it was far too big and we got bogged down with way too much scenery to do at that stage of our lives. Additionally, we tried to be digital pioneers with Hornby's Zero 1 product. This was in the latter part of the 80's so it was relatively new. It was extremely finicky and required extremely clean track. Given the scale of the layout, it was difficult to keep clean leading to limited running and frustration. It was scrapped about 6 years later for layout 3 which was back to analogue and an excellent manageable size.

On my existing layout, my only regret is not painting/weathering the track prior to ballasting. Doing it now is going to be very difficult.

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Offline sjlauritsen  
#20 Posted : 02 August 2016 15:53:48(UTC)
sjlauritsen

Denmark   
Joined: 18/08/2007(UTC)
Posts: 1,081
Location: Denmark
Originally Posted by: RayF Go to Quoted Post
Having said that I will probably never do so and the track will sit in its box until I die, when my children will probably chuck it in the nearest skip! You probably did have the right idea. At least someone else has been making use of the track for all these years!

Hi Ray

I know exactly what you mean. I will probably buy just the M track needed to fill the empty spaces in my start set. I have the feeling that I will never really run on the M track again, but the locomotive from the start set will get an overhaul and I will make sure it works. It is the KLVM in black with a flat waggon and the red tipper. The set has number 0981.
Søren from Denmark
Blog: https://railway.zone/ | Danish Model Railway Forum: https://baneforum.dk/
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Offline river6109  
#21 Posted : 02 August 2016 17:03:30(UTC)
river6109

Australia   
Joined: 22/01/2009(UTC)
Posts: 14,636
Location: On 1965 Märklin Boulevard just around from Roco Square
starting the layout with imperial measured boards and finishing up with metric measured boards.

engaging a truck driver who took the layout 250km south of Perth with speeds up to 110 km/h and my city board which was on top of the cage looking like Hiroshima almost everything was flat. unfortunately he laid the tarpaulin back to front and the wind got underneath it, to top it all of, he stood on the cage (140kg) and the structure wasn't build to carry people and all the overhead masts on the bottom board were also flattened.

please do not hesitate to ask for more worse mistakes or near misses

John
https://www.youtube.com/river6109
https://www.youtube.com/6109river
5 years in Destruction mode
50 years in Repairing mode
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Offline michelvr  
#22 Posted : 02 August 2016 18:11:31(UTC)
michelvr

Canada   
Joined: 06/07/2012(UTC)
Posts: 1,287
Originally Posted by: jcrtrains Go to Quoted Post


On my existing layout, my only regret is not painting/weathering the track prior to ballasting. Doing it now is going to be very difficult.



No so! All you need is Currys 2603 angled fine paint brush and Golden's Burnt Amber acrylic paint. I painted mine after I ballasted and it worked like a charm!

Michel

Offline hennabm  
#23 Posted : 02 August 2016 21:56:09(UTC)
hennabm

Scotland   
Joined: 22/09/2009(UTC)
Posts: 2,040
Location: Edinburgh,
Hi all

Not building my layout sooner. I was given my first M* when 7 or 8 and built my layout when I was 50.

I just need a bigger house nowLOL

Mike
1957 - 1985 era
What's digital?
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Offline SteamNut  
#24 Posted : 03 August 2016 00:54:51(UTC)
SteamNut

United States   
Joined: 11/05/2013(UTC)
Posts: 488
Regret that I made my layout with M track and not with K track when I had the chance. Also stuck with analog instead of digital another regret. Biggest mistake, or rather mystery, when I had a short in my yard area which has 24 turnouts, 20 plus uncouplers, 3 transformers, turntable and a crane. Could not find it and wound up rewiring everything Cursing It turned out to be one of lighted bumpers which shorted when I apparently hit it too hard while switching Crying - Fred
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Offline river6109  
#25 Posted : 03 August 2016 08:13:00(UTC)
river6109

Australia   
Joined: 22/01/2009(UTC)
Posts: 14,636
Location: On 1965 Märklin Boulevard just around from Roco Square
another story: when we arrived at our destination (250km south of Perth), we set the layout up, put all the boards modules together (with some difficulty) and than the big moment arrived, switching on the Märklin digital system, the result was: a short

this was a mayor setback as all our engagement and opening time had been publically displayed and announced around town and there was no way or time to rearrange the opening day, we frantically searched for the short, took modules apart and looked and looked but couldn't find a thing, at 3am in the morning my son eventually found the culprit, a new Märklin sleek K-track turnout, one of the tongue's pin has come off and it laid across the track. I was so furious at the time and bitterly complained to Märklin, I've noticed more turnout tongues going the same way, the pin was originally spot welded but the job wasn't done properly, 6 month later I received from Märklin replacement tongues but by this time they've introduced an improved version and the replacement tongues they've send me were useless. going along the turnouts we than come to the turnout motors which a lot of them had been faulty as well, the soldering spot had been covered over 2 contacts hence not letting the current to turn off and the result they've burned out. received replacement coils but no end supports for the solenoid, so another useless attempt to compensate me for faulty workmanship

John
https://www.youtube.com/river6109
https://www.youtube.com/6109river
5 years in Destruction mode
50 years in Repairing mode
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Offline river6109  
#26 Posted : 03 August 2016 08:34:03(UTC)
river6109

Australia   
Joined: 22/01/2009(UTC)
Posts: 14,636
Location: On 1965 Märklin Boulevard just around from Roco Square
missed out on kit crocodiles back in the 80's, I had a fair idea of most of the numbers but the number 3915 slipped completely, bought 2 x 3923, 2 x 3947, 2 x 3948, 1 x 3911, 1 x 3914, as you can see I didn't hold back buying them, it was only in later years It dawned on me I could have bought the crocodile as well. bought the 36159 but sold it, another regret
https://www.youtube.com/river6109
https://www.youtube.com/6109river
5 years in Destruction mode
50 years in Repairing mode
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Offline petestra  
#27 Posted : 03 August 2016 13:31:40(UTC)
petestra

United States   
Joined: 27/07/2009(UTC)
Posts: 5,824
Location: Leesburg,VA.USA
Originally Posted by: river6109 Go to Quoted Post
missed out on kit crocodiles back in the 80's, I had a fair idea of most of the numbers but the number 3915 slipped completely, bought 2 x 3923, 2 x 3947, 2 x 3948, 1 x 3911, 1 x 3914, as you can see I didn't hold back buying them, it was only in later years It dawned on me I could have bought the crocodile as well. bought the 36159 but sold it, another regret



Yes, same here, John. I regret not buying a 3015 back in the 80s too. I have two much newer crocs but I would have loved a 3015. Cheers,Peter Smile
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Offline xxup  
#28 Posted : 03 August 2016 14:32:27(UTC)
xxup

Australia   
Joined: 15/03/2003(UTC)
Posts: 9,458
Location: Australia
I have no regrets about the decision to use M-Track instead of that plastic rubbish. The biggest thing that has made it easier to maintain the M-track is that rail cleaner and sealant stuff (can't think of its name)..

The other great things have been the original C-sine locos - awesome.. Some of these are 16 years old with plenty of miles and still run perfectly..

I DO like mFx - it takes the guess work out of addresses and solves the <80 address limit of the old Motorola protocol..

I still enjoy the Insider and Marklin-Magazin and I especially get a buzz when my copy of the package gets here before the Easter Islanders get theirs.. LOL

The thing that scares me most is the long-term availability of spares..
Adrian
UserPostedImage
Australia flag by abFlags.com
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Offline Dgriman  
#29 Posted : 03 August 2016 14:55:58(UTC)
Dgriman

Greece   
Joined: 12/04/2008(UTC)
Posts: 119
Location: Alimos
Originally Posted by: Thewolf Go to Quoted Post
My biggest regret is to have waited more than 15 years before building again a layout



I can understand you, I'm in the same condition the last 10 years, and still there is no plan to have one shortly !!!!

Sad
My web directory for Model RailRoading (Greek and English Language)
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Offline river6109  
#30 Posted : 04 August 2016 04:22:21(UTC)
river6109

Australia   
Joined: 22/01/2009(UTC)
Posts: 14,636
Location: On 1965 Märklin Boulevard just around from Roco Square
Originally Posted by: Dgriman Go to Quoted Post
Originally Posted by: Thewolf Go to Quoted Post
My biggest regret is to have waited more than 15 years before building again a layout



I can understand you, I'm in the same condition the last 10 years, and still there is no plan to have one shortly !!!!

Sad


I was in the same boat, no plans just a sketch and than a 13m x 6m layout was established and this was over 30 years ago and I'm still building and improving the layout, for the last 3 years we had a major change regarding track configuration.

John

https://www.youtube.com/river6109
https://www.youtube.com/6109river
5 years in Destruction mode
50 years in Repairing mode
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Online Harryv40  
#31 Posted : 05 August 2016 10:45:27(UTC)
Harryv40

United Kingdom   
Joined: 07/08/2015(UTC)
Posts: 242
Location: Wilshire
Hi
I have only been into Marklin for just over a year now, but my biggest regret is buying a large number of DB locos and coaches before I decided I was going to model Swiss railways.
I now have a number of locos & coaches that I may need to sell to purchase other Swiss locos.

I also find it difficult to identify the best make of the model I am trying to obtain. I sometime ago purchased a Marklin Delta
Loco and found it ran brilliantly in analog but very poorly in digital, I was luck and the seller give me a refund. The secondhand market is even worse I have been looking for SBB am4/4 diesel without being able to identify the best model.

Harry
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Offline GlennM  
#32 Posted : 05 August 2016 11:15:54(UTC)
GlennM

United Kingdom   
Joined: 09/05/2011(UTC)
Posts: 2,877
Location: Somewhere, But Nowhere Near Manchester, England
Originally Posted by: Harryv40 Go to Quoted Post
Hi

I have been looking for SBB am4/4 diesel without being able to identify the best model.

Harry


Harry, not sure what you mean by best model? Best Märklin model, or best from all manufacturers. IIRC the latest Märklin version is Märklin 39801 which I do not own, but I do own several Märklin digital V200 (and variants) and can say I like them all, nice detailing, well made and good sound.

If you looking for value for money then you can always buy an older version 3184 (based on V200) or 3384 (based on V220) and add a modern decoder and motor upgrade. I have both, one is about to be converted to MFX with sound, and again I think for their age the models are great.

If you are looking none Märklin then ESU have one in their catalogue - model number 31083, due 4th Quarter 2016 (see link), I don't own any ESU items, but I know people who do and I have seen them running first hand and I have to say I am impressed as are their owners. These models come with a smoke unit as an added feature.

BR
Don't look back, your not heading that way.
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Offline RayF  
#33 Posted : 05 August 2016 11:39:07(UTC)
RayF

Gibraltar   
Joined: 14/03/2005(UTC)
Posts: 15,838
Location: Gibraltar, Europe
Originally Posted by: Harryv40 Go to Quoted Post
Hi
...

I sometime ago purchased a Marklin Delta Loco and found it ran brilliantly in analog but very poorly in digital, I was luck and the seller give me a refund.

Harry


Hi Harry,

Delta decoders are very basic and not very different from early 6080 digital decoders. They have no load regulation, no acceleration or braking delay, and some have the light function but some have no functions at all. Moreover Delta models almost invariably kept the original AC motor which is very poor at low speeds and hard for the decoder to control.

Delta models are a good source of economical locos if you intend to convert them to full digital. Many have a DCM motor which means you can use the 60760 decoder and motor kit resulting in very acceptable performance, certainly vastly superior to the Delta or 6080 version. I have many old Delta models and I'm in the process of converting them all to DC motors and load regulated decoders.
Ray
Mostly Marklin.Selection of different eras and European railways
Small C track layout, control by MS2, 100+ trains but run 4-5 at a time.
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Offline Ian555  
#34 Posted : 05 August 2016 12:00:04(UTC)
Ian555

Scotland   
Joined: 04/06/2009(UTC)
Posts: 20,235
Location: Scotland
Hi all,

I've no regret's.

Ian.
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Offline river6109  
#35 Posted : 05 August 2016 14:06:50(UTC)
river6109

Australia   
Joined: 22/01/2009(UTC)
Posts: 14,636
Location: On 1965 Märklin Boulevard just around from Roco Square
Originally Posted by: Ian555 Go to Quoted Post
Hi all,

I've no regret's.

Ian.


has it stopped raining ? BigGrin



https://www.youtube.com/river6109
https://www.youtube.com/6109river
5 years in Destruction mode
50 years in Repairing mode
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Offline Ian555  
#36 Posted : 05 August 2016 14:19:18(UTC)
Ian555

Scotland   
Joined: 04/06/2009(UTC)
Posts: 20,235
Location: Scotland
Originally Posted by: river6109 Go to Quoted Post
Originally Posted by: Ian555 Go to Quoted Post
Hi all,

I've no regret's.

Ian.


has it stopped raining ? BigGrin






Only when it's snowing....

LOL
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Online Harryv40  
#37 Posted : 05 August 2016 17:08:05(UTC)
Harryv40

United Kingdom   
Joined: 07/08/2015(UTC)
Posts: 242
Location: Wilshire
Hi Glenn and Ray
Thanks for the advice about the Delta locos. I do see Delta Locos for sale and wonder what the cost would be to convert them? Is it a simple solt in job or a slightly more technical?

Glenn my search for the Am 4/4 is about finding a RTR model, not just Marklin, but any producer who delivers a good running model with a accurate body shell.

Harry
Offline RayF  
#38 Posted : 05 August 2016 17:20:15(UTC)
RayF

Gibraltar   
Joined: 14/03/2005(UTC)
Posts: 15,838
Location: Gibraltar, Europe
Originally Posted by: Harryv40 Go to Quoted Post
Hi Glenn and Ray
Thanks for the advice about the Delta locos. I do see Delta Locos for sale and wonder what the cost would be to convert them? Is it a simple solt in job or a slightly more technical?

...

Harry


Marklin locos are never a simple plug-in conversion. You need to be able to solder wires onto contact points.

Decoders need usually six or seven thin wires to be connected to the right places. If the loco already has a delta decoder then the new decoder will connect to more or less the same places.

It's not difficult if you have some experience of soldering.
Ray
Mostly Marklin.Selection of different eras and European railways
Small C track layout, control by MS2, 100+ trains but run 4-5 at a time.
Offline nitramretep  
#39 Posted : 05 August 2016 19:28:20(UTC)
nitramretep

United States   
Joined: 22/01/2015(UTC)
Posts: 207
Location: lower hudson valley, ny
Not a regret, but a sudden realization that my older locos and cars were rather inferior to the newer models and the new machining used to improve details. I was also blown away by the digital control, the CS 2 was quite amazing to me in it's reliability and ease of use. Digital control is amazing. My only regret is that I should have upgraded a few years back!
Offline Crazy Harry  
#40 Posted : 05 August 2016 22:34:02(UTC)
Crazy Harry

Canada   
Joined: 18/11/2008(UTC)
Posts: 476
Location: Oakville, Ontario
As others have posted, my biggest regret is waiting too long (25 years) before getting back into the hobby! I remember when K track first appeared, friends had that track, I still have my M track and associated analog equipment. Since then many things have changed such as couplers (I just realized this a week ago!) and the various generations of digital control and the addition of sounds. I love the possibilities with digital and am wondering if I should restart with C or K track? Should I upgrade the couplers on all my rolling stock (I have downloaded the extensive series on close coupling in past Marklin Magazines)? Should I convert my old engines? Oh well, back to SCARM (by the way, what a great tool! Many thanks to the developer!) to see if I can come up with a layout that fits my available space and meets my current operating dreams.

Harold.
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Offline utkan  
#41 Posted : 05 August 2016 22:45:26(UTC)
utkan

Turkey   
Joined: 14/07/2009(UTC)
Posts: 19,116
Location: Istanbul,
Seeing my first Maerklins at the age of nine....Love
Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you...
Offline SteamNut  
#42 Posted : 06 August 2016 01:00:12(UTC)
SteamNut

United States   
Joined: 11/05/2013(UTC)
Posts: 488
Originally Posted by: utkan Go to Quoted Post
Seeing my first Maerklins at the age of nine....Love


Do you mean you regretted it?
Offline dominator  
#43 Posted : 06 August 2016 02:51:57(UTC)
dominator

New Zealand   
Joined: 20/01/2015(UTC)
Posts: 1,195
Location: Kerikeri
I don't have many regrets apart from the 3053 I handled with kid gloves and then all the paint started falling off [ well not all, and I managed to touch up the roof to make it look good.

But, Its looking at sets like the 48924 which I paid $129.95 for [ yes I have inventoried it all now and found receipts for a lot of stuff as well ] in about 2000 when it was new, and seeing it go on trade me last month for only $72.00. That's a real loss including inflation of probably 75% OF ITS VALUE.
Most of my stuff is in mint condition [ apart from the toys I got as a child, but even then, I am lucky I treated those toys with a lot of respect.]
Still I guess we are all blind when it comes to buying something that looks so good.

To me Marklin is tops.

Dereck

Have to admit though. Hornby is up there with the good stuff now, but I'm sticking with Marklin.
Northland. NZ REMEMBER 0228 for ä
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