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Offline aos  
#1 Posted : 23 February 2019 18:50:23(UTC)
aos

Scotland   
Joined: 03/08/2008(UTC)
Posts: 524
Location: Livingston, Scotland
Hi, I have just treated myself to a brand new Märklin 26609 "Glaskasten" 4 piece passenger train with two coaches and a guards van. It is absolutely superb, except for one thing. I find that even on a flat surface, it struggles to maintain traction on some of my C track 24130 R1 curves. Inclines are a complete no-no unless I go hell for leather and even then I end up with wheel spin and it stalls! I must admit that my inclines are a bit steep, because I tried to cram as much into my layout as possible. Having said that, my tracks are completely clean. Has anyone else bought this set and if so, what are your experiences of the loco? It sounds as though I may be forced to use the set only on the flat. I don't like the idea of rejigging large parts of my layout to accommodate this little loco as it would involve an awful lot of work. Alan

I have just done some calculations on my table and it would seem that my steepest gradients are approximately 2.8%. That doesn't seem to drastic to me.
thanks 1 user liked this useful post by aos
Offline CTD81  
#2 Posted : 23 February 2019 19:50:51(UTC)
CTD81

United Kingdom   
Joined: 05/11/2017(UTC)
Posts: 21
Location: England, Rotherham
I have a couple of ideas,
1, Does the loco have traction tires
2, Could you rails be greasy
Other than that I;m stumped
Offline RayF  
#3 Posted : 23 February 2019 20:13:09(UTC)
RayF

Gibraltar   
Joined: 14/03/2005(UTC)
Posts: 15,838
Location: Gibraltar, Europe
I have the 26559 set which is almost identical. This train with the little Gaskasten loco always runs on my inner R1 track which also includes a few curved turnouts and it behaves perfectly.

I have no gradients on my layout so I can't really test it's grip on a slope.



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 aos  
#4 Posted : 23 February 2019 20:30:17(UTC)
aos

Scotland   
Joined: 03/08/2008(UTC)
Posts: 524
Location: Livingston, Scotland
Hi Chris, The loco is brand new. It arrived yesterday. I regularly keep my tracks clean. Thanks for the suggestions all the same.

Hi Ray, I have tried running the loco on its own and it scoots around very contentedly. I suspect that the coaches may be too heavy for it to cope with. Any suggestions on a suitable loco for double heading? Alan
Offline blid  
#5 Posted : 23 February 2019 21:38:20(UTC)
blid

Sweden   
Joined: 02/01/2012(UTC)
Posts: 228
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
My 26609 make it up 1.7% with straights and R4 curves. This doesn't help you. Just for information to potential buyers.
How about removing one of the cars?
OneGauge Marklin and MTH, ESU ECoS 2.1 on LGB tracks. MTH 3-rail 0-gauge, DCS on GarGraves tracks. Z: Rokuhan tracks, analog or DCC+TC Gold.
Offline aos  
#6 Posted : 23 February 2019 22:26:12(UTC)
aos

Scotland   
Joined: 03/08/2008(UTC)
Posts: 524
Location: Livingston, Scotland
Blid, Thanks for the info. I shall try a combination of cars tomorrow and report back. Alan
Offline RayF  
#7 Posted : 23 February 2019 22:37:27(UTC)
RayF

Gibraltar   
Joined: 14/03/2005(UTC)
Posts: 15,838
Location: Gibraltar, Europe
Hi Alan, make sure your wagons are free running. Some new wagons I've received recently have considerable friction from the wheel flanges rubbing against the wagon floors. I've corrected that by filing away part of the detail on the underfloor.
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 Ross  
#8 Posted : 24 February 2019 04:47:08(UTC)
Ross

Australia   
Joined: 25/09/2006(UTC)
Posts: 868
Location: Sydney, NSW
Hi Alan,

I've had this problem and made a comment re adding LED lighting to the train. Here is an extract of that file which will give you some facts about the draw bar pull.

3686_3687_4301_4302_4303_Drawbar_pull.pdf (778kb) downloaded 69 time(s).

If you want to know more about LED lighting of this train read my full article on my tips page

Full Article

Hope you find this useful.

Originally Posted by: aos Go to Quoted Post
Hi, I have just treated myself to a brand new Märklin 26609 "Glaskasten" 4 piece passenger train with two coaches and a guards van. It is absolutely superb, except for one thing. I find that even on a flat surface, it struggles to maintain traction on some of my C track 24130 R1 curves. Inclines are a complete no-no unless I go hell for leather and even then I end up with wheel spin and it stalls! I must admit that my inclines are a bit steep, because I tried to cram as much into my layout as possible. Having said that, my tracks are completely clean. Has anyone else bought this set and if so, what are your experiences of the loco? It sounds as though I may be forced to use the set only on the flat. I don't like the idea of rejigging large parts of my layout to accommodate this little loco as it would involve an awful lot of work. Alan

I have just done some calculations on my table and it would seem that my steepest gradients are approximately 2.8%. That doesn't seem to drastic to me.


Ross
Offline aos  
#9 Posted : 24 February 2019 19:37:46(UTC)
aos

Scotland   
Joined: 03/08/2008(UTC)
Posts: 524
Location: Livingston, Scotland
Hi Ray, I have removed all sets of wheels as, yes they were definitely binding. A little oil applied to the axles and all is well. Unfortunately, while doing this, I inadvertently broke a couple of the very pieces on the roof of the coaches. They really are so delicate. Also, I managed to disturb the copper straps which protrude from the bottom of the coaches and touch the axles. Anyway, a little bit of ham fist adjustment later and all was well. The coaches light up with no flickering. The loco now will pull the consist all the way round the layout as long as I maintain full speed up the gradients. I think that I shall adopt the age old technique of raising the table on one side to reduce the incline. Anyone got a pile of old beer mats?
Blushing Blushing

Hi Ross, I definitely like your idea of two locos providing the extra power. However, at the extra cost, I think the option of leveling out my table is the one that I will pursue for the moment. Alan
thanks 1 user liked this useful post by aos
Offline dickinsonj  
#10 Posted : 25 February 2019 01:37:54(UTC)
dickinsonj

United States   
Joined: 05/12/2008(UTC)
Posts: 1,676
Location: Crozet, Virginia
Originally Posted by: aos Go to Quoted Post
Hi Ray, I have removed all sets of wheels as, yes they were definitely binding.
Alan


Interesting posts Alan. I have that train on order but no idea when mine will get to the Märklin backwaters of North America. This way I will ready to check out how freely the wheels on the coaches turn and hopefully head off the frustrations that you have had. I didn't expect that tiny loco to be a really strong puller but I assumed that with only three coaches would be fine.

A bit scary about the broken bits - I sometimes think that I can break stuff on some of the newer models just by picking them up to put them on the rails. ThumbDown
Regards,
Jim

I have almost all Märklin and mostly HO, although I do have a small number of Z gauge trains!
So many trains and so little time.
Offline applor  
#11 Posted : 25 February 2019 05:24:08(UTC)
applor

Australia   
Joined: 21/05/2004(UTC)
Posts: 1,653
Location: Brisbane, Queensland
I have the 26559 set, same as others (identical but no sound).

It runs fine on my 3% inclines. Don't have any R1 curves but certainly no problems on the flat.

My only issues are 2 things:

1) centre hole slider causes shorts on K track wide radius turnouts and DKW. I am in the process of replacing the slider.
2) loss of ground contact on the wide K track DKW when going straight, due to the dead areas. Looking at a powerpack to bridge these gaps.

modelling era IIIa (1951-1955) Germany
Offline blid  
#12 Posted : 25 February 2019 11:08:10(UTC)
blid

Sweden   
Joined: 02/01/2012(UTC)
Posts: 228
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
The difference between the 26609 and 26559 sets is not just the sound. The 26609 has interior lighting and ground pickups rubbing the axles of the cars. The slider still has the hole.
blid
OneGauge Marklin and MTH, ESU ECoS 2.1 on LGB tracks. MTH 3-rail 0-gauge, DCS on GarGraves tracks. Z: Rokuhan tracks, analog or DCC+TC Gold.
Offline applor  
#13 Posted : 25 February 2019 21:36:44(UTC)
applor

Australia   
Joined: 21/05/2004(UTC)
Posts: 1,653
Location: Brisbane, Queensland
Originally Posted by: blid Go to Quoted Post
The difference between the 26609 and 26559 sets is not just the sound. The 26609 has interior lighting and ground pickups rubbing the axles of the cars. The slider still has the hole.
blid


Ah, the ground contacts on the car axles would be why the traction appears to be worse then.

I am not happy with Marklin that they re-released the exact same set with sound and lights.
modelling era IIIa (1951-1955) Germany
Offline franciscohg  
#14 Posted : 26 February 2019 00:08:24(UTC)
franciscohg

Chile   
Joined: 10/07/2002(UTC)
Posts: 3,265
Location: Patagonia
No? Ir is great!!!LOL
UserPostedImage German trains era I-II and selected III, era depends on the mood, mostly Maerklin but i can be heretic if needed XD, heresy is no longer an issue.. LOL
Offline franciscohg  
#15 Posted : 26 February 2019 02:19:16(UTC)
franciscohg

Chile   
Joined: 10/07/2002(UTC)
Posts: 3,265
Location: Patagonia
Just tested mine on a 5% slope...no problem. Could be that old trusty M track?LOL
UserPostedImage German trains era I-II and selected III, era depends on the mood, mostly Maerklin but i can be heretic if needed XD, heresy is no longer an issue.. LOL
thanks 2 users liked this useful post by franciscohg
Offline aos  
#16 Posted : 26 February 2019 17:47:41(UTC)
aos

Scotland   
Joined: 03/08/2008(UTC)
Posts: 524
Location: Livingston, Scotland
Jim, I hadn't noticed that you had said you had one on order. I got mine from http://joes-modellbahnlaedle.net - Here is the link for the site:

http://joes-modellbahnla...s&SearchString=26609

He has it listed at €359.90. I don't know how that compares with your pricing. It is rather delicate, so don't sneeze when you are holding it! Alan

Francisco, Now that I have read all the comments properly, I really do think that I need to adjust the tilt of my table. Alan
Offline dickinsonj  
#17 Posted : 26 February 2019 19:11:22(UTC)
dickinsonj

United States   
Joined: 05/12/2008(UTC)
Posts: 1,676
Location: Crozet, Virginia
Originally Posted by: aos Go to Quoted Post
Jim, I hadn't noticed that you had said you had one on order. I got mine from http://joes-modellbahnlaedle.net - Here is the link for the site:

http://joes-modellbahnla...s&SearchString=26609

He has it listed at €359.90. I don't know how that compares with your pricing. It is rather delicate, so don't sneeze when you are holding it! Alan


Hi Alan - thanks for that info.

A friend from Germany often recommends Joes to me and that price is almost identical to what mine was ordered for. I generally order from North American dealers however due to the high cost of shipping between Europe and the US, especially if I have to return things. But the big disadvantage is how slow Märklin items are to arrive here in NA compared to other locations. I have had that train and the TGV record train on order for 13 months now and AJCKids has no idea when either will become available here. The last time I bothered to check they thought maybe sometime next month and I guess it will be later than that. Actually I am starting to wonder if I will ever see either one of them, since Märklin has shown them out of production for two months now. ThumbDown

I will take your advice seriously though about how delicate it is, having broken something on one new loco just unpacking it and getting it on the track!

Cheers

Regards,
Jim

I have almost all Märklin and mostly HO, although I do have a small number of Z gauge trains!
So many trains and so little time.
Offline Donb  
#18 Posted : 24 October 2019 19:34:11(UTC)
Donb

Canada   
Joined: 03/04/2013(UTC)
Posts: 288
Location: Fraser Valley
HI,

I am interested in this nice little 26609 set, is it possible to remove the coach bodies to install Preisers without damaging them as it sounds like they are very delicate?

Cheers,

Don
Best Regards,
Don
___________________________________________________________________________________
CS3, ( Commander is now retired) , C track and Z scale, mostly DB/DR and SBB, SJ
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