Joined: 21/02/2017(UTC)
Posts: 8
|
Hello,
Can I use the Marklin K track for DC and AC (not at the same time of course !) ? I want to run my marklin stuff one day and my Hornby stuff another. Is it complicated ? Are the K track rails insulated from each other ?
Thank you very much for all your replies. |
Best regards,
Christian |
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: 16/02/2004(UTC)
Posts: 15,443
Location: DE-NW
|
|
Regards Tom --- "In all of the gauges, we particularly emphasize a high level of quality, the best possible fidelity to the prototype, and absolute precision. You will see that in all of our products." (from Märklin New Items Brochure 2015, page 1) ROFLBTCUTS  |
 1 user liked this useful post by H0
|
|
|
|
Joined: 21/02/2017(UTC)
Posts: 8
|
Hello Tom,
thanks for your post. The links are very helpful. Now I must try it in the real world. |
Best regards,
Christian |
|
|
|
|
|
 Joined: 21/09/2012(UTC) Posts: 1,730 Location: Toronto
|
Hi, Christian, welcome to the forum.
I am interested in what you are planning on doing and would like to know a bit more of what your plans are.
It sounds like you already have Marklin and Horby gear. Is the Hornby analogue or digital?
Have you considered running the two systems side by side with different track or are you using K track already with Marklin?
Answers to the above questions may direct you in one direction or another since your Hornby gear may have problems with the Marklin K track.
Regards.
Silvano |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: 21/02/2017(UTC)
Posts: 8
|
Hello Silvano,
my future layout will be AC (analogue) one day and DC (analogue) another day. Don't worry I'll never use AC and DC together ! |
Best regards,
Christian |
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: 21/09/2012(UTC) Posts: 1,730 Location: Toronto
|
Hi, Christian: Before you invest a substantial amount of money on K track thinking of using it for Hornby gear, you MUST see how K track turnouts deal with it. You could have some serious problems there. I have done what you are thinking of doing and it worked well, but only to a point. (I did not really use Hornby gear, however, OO gauge, other than one little one that was light and worked well as I recall.) The main problem was that some locos jump on these turnouts and one loco in particular would actually smash against it. Also, the speed of the trains in this combination seems slower. Personally, I don't like K track: hard to assemble and once you have done so, if you disassemble it and then reassemble it another couple of times, the tracks may come apart. This means you need to nail them down. However, K track makes trains run more smoothly than on C track. There is an adapter you need to use to make it all work: 2295 and feeder track 2290. Also, only the straight turnouts work for DC: no 22715 (left turnout) and 22716 (right turnout). Finally, Marklin is all digital now, so if you want to go digital, I am not sure how it would work in that set up. My results with Marklin digital and 2 rail DCC using K track is still on a learning curve. The results so far are not encouraging. However, this may change. Bottom line: testing and trying various possibilities before dumping a lot of money in one direction may be the way to go. In this respect, a Marklin starter set is an excellent way to get going. However, now they come only with C track, not K track. The seller may/not swap them. Here in Toronto the local dealer, Mike, may do that for you. Hope this helps.  |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: 21/02/2017(UTC)
Posts: 8
|
Many thanks for all your advices Silvano. After reading them I changed my mind and I cancelled my project. Marklin stuff runs better on C track and Hornby rolls better on Hornby or Peco track. A big amount of money has been saved. |
Best regards,
Christian |
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: 21/02/2017(UTC)
Posts: 8
|
Originally Posted by: baggio  Here in Toronto the local dealer, Mike, may do that for you. I'll be in Toronto in september. Maybe I could pay him a visit. |
Best regards,
Christian |
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: 21/09/2012(UTC) Posts: 1,730 Location: Toronto
|
While there are some disadvantages in having the two systems run side by side, it is probably best to keep each separate from the other. What one should not do is give up on either system, particularly if one has already invested a significant amount of money on both systems OR one has sentimental reasons for keeping one of them and practical reasons for keeping the other one. At one point, I had decided to give up on 2 rail because of the difficulty of running Marklin and DC side by side. However, I did not feel good about it. A few weeks later, I get a birthday present: a beautiful Piko analogue DC loco from my sister and brother-in-law.  I took it as a sign and switched back to having two systems: Marklin digital and 2 rail DC. For me this is the best solution. Lately, just to see how it would be, since I had an extra MS2, I decided to see if I could combine Marklin digital and DCC using K track. I also had two digital Roco locos that came from a starter set. The results have not been encouraging. Have a good Sunday. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: 21/09/2012(UTC) Posts: 1,730 Location: Toronto
|
Originally Posted by: Mattawa I'll be in Toronto in september. Maybe I could pay him a visit.
You may want to contact him first and make some arrangement over the phone: Mike's |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Joined: 09/05/2011(UTC) Posts: 2,970 Location: Somewhere, But Nowhere Near Manchester, England
|
Originally Posted by: baggio However, K track makes trains run more smoothly than on C track.
Based on my experience this is not correct. It is my experience that K track has to be very well laid to offer a smooth ride, and even then many people experience issues with switches and turn outs in K track especially the fine models and the raised pukos. BR |
Don't look back, your not heading that way. |
|
|
|
|
|
Forum Jump
You cannot post new topics in this forum.
You cannot reply to topics in this forum.
You cannot delete your posts in this forum.
You cannot edit your posts in this forum.
You cannot create polls in this forum.
You cannot vote in polls in this forum.
