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Offline dickinsonj  
#1 Posted : 12 March 2018 00:00:38(UTC)
dickinsonj

United States   
Joined: 05/12/2008(UTC)
Posts: 1,676
Location: Crozet, Virginia
When my Rheingold coach set passes through smaller radius curves the internal pivot mechanism for the CC couplers often moves beyond their normal position and gets stuck to the side. This does not cause a problem until the next curve in the opposite direction and then the trucks are pulled off of the track. They have had this issue since I bought them last year but so far I have just constrained where I run them on my layout. Ultimately I would like to get this handsome coach set working properly and I was wondering if anyone else has dealt with this issue.

This is approximately the furthest deflection angle caused by traversing larger radius curves:
NormalDeflection.JPG

But on smaller radius curves the ends move out of their normal path and stick in the slot where the coach body attaches. They will not return from this position, which causes the derailments:
NotFreeToPivot.JPG

I have a few ideas about fixing this problem but I would love to hear if anyone else has experienced this and what their remedy was.

Thanks!
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 QQQ1970  
#2 Posted : 12 March 2018 00:39:45(UTC)
QQQ1970

Canada   
Joined: 06/02/2018(UTC)
Posts: 372
Location: Ontario, Toronto
I don't have the set, but I would think the chassis is common to many other cars and not unique to Rheingold. And even assuming the chassis is unique for Rheingold it hasn't been reported in the past when the car sets have been issued in the past.

Does it happen to one coach or the whole set? If it is just one coach I think this is more a manufacturing tolerance issue and maybe the best option is to file the ends so they don't get stuck on small radius curves.
Offline dickinsonj  
#3 Posted : 12 March 2018 00:50:57(UTC)
dickinsonj

United States   
Joined: 05/12/2008(UTC)
Posts: 1,676
Location: Crozet, Virginia
Originally Posted by: QQQ1970 Go to Quoted Post
I don't have the set, but I would think the chassis is common to many other cars and not unique to Rheingold. And even assuming the chassis is unique for Rheingold it hasn't been reported in the past when the car sets have been issued in the past.

Does it happen to one coach or the whole set? If it is just one coach I think this is more a manufacturing tolerance issue and maybe the best option is to file the ends so they don't get stuck on small radius curves.


The problem occurs on all of the Rheingold coaches with this same internal mechanism and I do have some thoughts on how to limit the range of motion to prevent this from happening. Of course that could cause other issues and I will just have to experiment a bit.

I assume that you are correct and that these parts are common to many coaches which have CC couplers, but I have not yet opened any of my others to check. I will have to do that soon though to see if I can see where these might differ and how I might approach this problem. I do not see this problem with my other CC coupler ready coaches.

Thanks for the ideas.
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 Crazy Harry  
#4 Posted : 12 March 2018 02:21:01(UTC)
Crazy Harry

Canada   
Joined: 18/11/2008(UTC)
Posts: 476
Location: Oakville, Ontario
Jim,

I don't have any experience with current carrying couplers, but looking at your photo I think the issue is binding/catching of the wings of the contact piece. See the red circles in the attached photo:

coupler issue fix.jpg

What keeps the spring from pulling this contact piece too far back? Would it help to file off the ends of the wings (green line) a bit to avoid binding/catching of these components with the slot or ridge in the body?

Harold.
Offline dickinsonj  
#5 Posted : 12 March 2018 02:53:34(UTC)
dickinsonj

United States   
Joined: 05/12/2008(UTC)
Posts: 1,676
Location: Crozet, Virginia
Originally Posted by: Crazy Harry Go to Quoted Post

What keeps the spring from pulling this contact piece too far back? Would it help to file off the ends of the wings (green line) a bit to avoid binding/catching of these components with the slot or ridge in the body?

Harold.


Thanks for the ideas Harold.

Filing those areas would probably help if that piece was fixed in some way, but it is free floating in that space. The only thing that controls its movement is the spring. It is hard to see in the second image, but if you look at the first image notice the lower wing and how it is normally contained within that raised guide. When that piece goes to the inside of that guide it lets the other wing slip into the slot.

I think the problem might be that there is not enough spring tension and the part moves beyond where it is intended to operate. I might try adding some kind of curb to stop the wing from getting outside of that curved guide. My other option is to try more spring tension, but that might make the whole situation worse. My other CC equipped coaches are very different in design, since the PCB they contact is at the top of the coach. In these coaches the PCB sits on the floor to illuminate the table lamps and the brass contacts rub against areas on the bottom of the PCB.
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.
thanks 1 user liked this useful post by dickinsonj
Offline Crazy Harry  
#6 Posted : 12 March 2018 05:17:14(UTC)
Crazy Harry

Canada   
Joined: 18/11/2008(UTC)
Posts: 476
Location: Oakville, Ontario
Originally Posted by: dickinsonj Go to Quoted Post
I think the problem might be that there is not enough spring tension and the part moves beyond where it is intended to operate. I might try adding some kind of curb to stop the wing from getting outside of that curved guide. My other option is to try more spring tension, but that might make the whole situation worse.


Jim,

I agree with your line of thinking - preventing the wing from moving too far should help. I would try a shorter spring (more tension) as a test to see if it helps without creating other issues. At least this modification is easily reversible!

Harold.

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Offline SteamNut  
#7 Posted : 12 March 2018 07:55:27(UTC)
SteamNut

United States   
Joined: 11/05/2013(UTC)
Posts: 488
I have used reversing springs with success on my Rheinegold but it is a pain to put them on.
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Offline H0  
#8 Posted : 12 March 2018 07:59:16(UTC)
H0


Joined: 16/02/2004(UTC)
Posts: 15,254
Location: DE-NW
Originally Posted by: QQQ1970 Go to Quoted Post
I don't have the set, but I would think the chassis is common to many other cars and not unique to Rheingold.
I would think the chassis is common just for the 41929 and 41928 Rheingold sets.

Maybe the problems are caused by individual tolerances - parts with grates or other differences.
Maybe the problems are caused by the cover parts (we do not see) which hold the coupler mechanism in place.
Maybe the problems are caused by the track configuration. I have Trix coaches with a minimum radius of 360 mm, but the recommended minimum radius for S shaped curves is 400 mm.

Maybe the slot where the coupler mechanism gets stuck should be closed by the interior details or the coach body?
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
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Offline dickinsonj  
#9 Posted : 12 March 2018 13:57:53(UTC)
dickinsonj

United States   
Joined: 05/12/2008(UTC)
Posts: 1,676
Location: Crozet, Virginia
Originally Posted by: H0 Go to Quoted Post
I would think the chassis is common just for the 41929 and 41928 Rheingold sets.

I agree Tom. After more research this appears to be a unique solution which just applies to coaches with no upper interior lighting but with a PCB sitting on the floor of the coach under the interior details.

Originally Posted by: H0 Go to Quoted Post
Maybe the problems are caused by individual tolerances - parts with grates or other differences.
Maybe the problems are caused by the cover parts (we do not see) which hold the coupler mechanism in place.

The covering part is the PCB for the LEDs for the table lamps. I had a similar thought and I tried bending the copper contacts a bit, hoping to increase the tension and hold the coupler part in place. Unfortunately that did not seem to help.

Originally Posted by: H0 Go to Quoted Post
Maybe the problems are caused by the track configuration. I have Trix coaches with a minimum radius of 360 mm, but the recommended minimum radius for S shaped curves is 400 mm.

I agree - the track configuration causes this problem but it is not really extreme in my opinion. That section of track runs straight for 841 mm and then passes through a 45-degree curve, which I composed from a 24330, a 24215 and a 24206. That is the section where the mechanism gets stuck to one side. It then has 1523 mm of straight track followed by the sequence 24330 and 24224 (curving in the opposite direction), which is where the coaches derail. I guess the mixing of two radii is a bit strange but none of my other models have a problem there, including a Big Boy and the radius restricted 39241.

Originally Posted by: H0 Go to Quoted Post
Maybe the slot where the coupler mechanism gets stuck should be closed by the interior details or the coach body?

My guess is that is the intention on Märklin's part. A pin on the coach body does indeed go into that slot but it does not fill it entirely and leaves enough gap for it to still get stuck.

If there were enough spring tension I don't think that the wings of the mechanism would be able to get out of place, but I want to hold off on that solution until I try something else. I am either going to block it from getting into that slot on the side or block it from escaping from the curve toward the middle of the coach, which seems to stop it from entering that side slot.

Thanks for the ideas everyone! I will post again when I have something that works. They are very pretty coaches and someday I would like to add a decoder and interior lights, but not until I can get them to stay on the track! BigGrin
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.
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Offline dickinsonj  
#10 Posted : 12 March 2018 14:06:36(UTC)
dickinsonj

United States   
Joined: 05/12/2008(UTC)
Posts: 1,676
Location: Crozet, Virginia
Originally Posted by: SteamNut Go to Quoted Post
I have used reversing springs with success on my Rheinegold but it is a pain to put them on.

Thanks for letting me know that solution works Fred. My reversing springs are all long gone so I will hold that solution in my back pocket in case my other ideas don't work out. I could shorten the existing springs but that is a hit or miss proposition which I would like to avoid if possible.
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.
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Offline dickinsonj  
#11 Posted : 12 March 2018 18:25:33(UTC)
dickinsonj

United States   
Joined: 05/12/2008(UTC)
Posts: 1,676
Location: Crozet, Virginia
OK - I have some progress to report. Cool

My solution of blocking the inside guide so that the tips of the wings can't escape does prevent the other tip from slipping into the pocket for the pin on the body. My first attempt was a bit crude and I managed to break off the small nib that the spring attaches to. Blushing Luckily I realized that I could place the spring on the plastic strip I was adding and that seems to work fine. Necessity is indeed the mother of invention. BigGrin

Here is an image of the first attempt:
IMG_0493.JPG

But I improved with practice and the second one not only fits better but has a slot to allow it clear the spring attachment:
IMG_0496.JPG

The coupler pockets will now pivot all the way to either side without getting stuck, so my problem is solved. Some additional good news is that most of the other coaches in this set don't have this problem, although I can't detect why. For now I will run it as is and if this problem occurs on other coaches I will fix them as needed.

I have given up on the idea that all of my new Märklin products will arrive without any issues and I am just happy if I can fix them myself with a reasonable amount of effort. I am glad that Märklin has survived and I remain hopeful that they will solve their quality control problems as they make some money and time goes by.

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.
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Offline steventrain  
#12 Posted : 12 March 2018 22:16:56(UTC)
steventrain

United Kingdom   
Joined: 21/10/2004(UTC)
Posts: 31,601
Location: United Kingdom
I have the 41928 five car set Rheingold from 2008 item.

Photo and video of 41928 coupling, Find no issue. Note the extra long 'V'.

UserPostedImage

UserPostedImage


Large Marklinist 3- Rails Layout with CS2/MS2/Boosters/C-track/favorites Electric class E03/BR103, E18/E118, E94, Crocodiles/Steam BR01, BR03, BR05, BR23, BR44, BR50, Big Boy.
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Offline steventrain  
#13 Posted : 12 March 2018 22:22:20(UTC)
steventrain

United Kingdom   
Joined: 21/10/2004(UTC)
Posts: 31,601
Location: United Kingdom
Maybe the factory error put wrong Short 'V' on 41929, The short 'V' is for other coaches or freights.

I post pictures above showing correct long 'V' for 41928 and it should be 41929.
Large Marklinist 3- Rails Layout with CS2/MS2/Boosters/C-track/favorites Electric class E03/BR103, E18/E118, E94, Crocodiles/Steam BR01, BR03, BR05, BR23, BR44, BR50, Big Boy.
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Offline dickinsonj  
#14 Posted : 13 March 2018 00:06:15(UTC)
dickinsonj

United States   
Joined: 05/12/2008(UTC)
Posts: 1,676
Location: Crozet, Virginia
Originally Posted by: steventrain Go to Quoted Post
Maybe the factory error put wrong Short 'V' on 41929, The short 'V' is for other coaches or freights.

I post pictures above showing correct long 'V' for 41928 and it should be 41929.

Good observation! I have never seen that longer 'V' that you posted from your 41928 set and it definitely is not the same as what is in my 41929. I will contact my dealer and see what he has to say about that, even though it is now out of the one year warranty. I have to really wack the coaches together to get them to couple, which is probably also caused by the shorter 'V' and probably contributes to the sticking problem.

That was not the only problem with that set. One of the sleeping cars had a CC coupler at both ends but not any 'V' at all inside, just a normal coupler pocket. So it obviously did not pass current forward to the rest of the coaches. I opened the front baggage car and found a 'V' on the front bogie of it, although there were no contacts on that PCP , so at least it didn't short out to the loco tender. I moved the parts around and got power to all of the coaches but I have always had issues with the "V' sticking to the side until I worked on them this week. Right now it is all working fine with my amateur "improvement" but I would prefer to have it working as designed, since it was definitely not an inexpensive set.

I find it interesting how many people are concerned about Chinese made products from Märklin. The zink pest issue is definitely bad but I didn't buy any American freight cars during that time and my 52 American freight coaches are all perfect. This set was haphazardly assembled in Hungary, as have been other problem items that I have from Märklin.

Thanks for that information, images and the video.
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 H0  
#15 Posted : 13 March 2018 08:07:03(UTC)
H0


Joined: 16/02/2004(UTC)
Posts: 15,254
Location: DE-NW
Originally Posted by: dickinsonj Go to Quoted Post
This set was haphazardly assembled in Hungary, as have been other problem items that I have from Märklin.
I assume you have a "Made in ..." sticker on the box. I don't.

I'm currently waiting for a 2017 new item that was once announced for May 2017 and is now announced for June 2018. I don't know where these delays come from, but it surely looks unprofessional and not well organised.

The 41929 was also one of those sets that came much later than announced. Would be a bummer if they really used the wrong NEM pockets (V pieces). Quality assurance starts with using the correct parts - and mounting them the correct way around.
I never opened mine. Didn't have problems so far.
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
UserPostedImage
Offline dickinsonj  
#16 Posted : 13 March 2018 12:55:10(UTC)
dickinsonj

United States   
Joined: 05/12/2008(UTC)
Posts: 1,676
Location: Crozet, Virginia
Originally Posted by: H0 Go to Quoted Post
I assume you have a "Made in ..." sticker on the box. I don't.

Yes mine has a sticker and I checked the box before posting just to make sure that I was remembering correctly.

Originally Posted by: H0 Go to Quoted Post
I'm currently waiting for a 2017 new item that was once announced for May 2017 and is now announced for June 2018. I don't know where these delays come from, but it surely looks unprofessional and not well organised.

My latest long delayed item is #39082 which I ordered almost a year ago and which was listed as a new item for 2017. Later Märklin announced that it would be produced in 2018 instead. Now they have it in their production schedule for this month but between the expected slow shipping of items to the US and the factory software mess I don't expect to see it for several more months. I agree that this kind of stuff is mysterious and does not make Märklin appear to be very well organized.

Originally Posted by: H0 Go to Quoted Post
The 41929 was also one of those sets that came much later than announced. Would be a bummer if they really used the wrong NEM pockets (V pieces). Quality assurance starts with using the correct parts - and mounting them the correct way around.
I never opened mine. Didn't have problems so far.

That is funny - mine was perfect until I opened it also! If I am able to get different NEM pockets and that fixes this problem I will post the results.
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 5HorizonsRR  
#17 Posted : 23 March 2018 16:31:40(UTC)
5HorizonsRR

United States   
Joined: 05/12/2004(UTC)
Posts: 2,863
Location: CA, USA
Question- by tight radius are you referring to the standard 360mm R1; or M track 5120 super tight radius?
SBB Era 2-5
Offline dickinsonj  
#18 Posted : 25 March 2018 03:38:12(UTC)
dickinsonj

United States   
Joined: 05/12/2008(UTC)
Posts: 1,676
Location: Crozet, Virginia
Originally Posted by: 5HorizonsRR Go to Quoted Post
Question- by tight radius are you referring to the standard 360mm R1; or M track 5120 super tight radius?


No, I don't use anything below R4 normally. All five of my mainlines make two 45 degree curves, where there is just one section of R2 and R3 in various combinations. My 39241, Challenger and Big Boy have no problems in these sections, just the Rheingold set.

In the problem coaches I can simply push the NEM pocket to the side and have it stay there, even though I have not pushed it to an extreme angle. I think the problem is related to the wrong internal part as Steven suggests combined with the tension of the following coaches and the final baggage coach with the slider. I have never seen this with any of the coaches further back in the consist, just the first two after the front baggage coach.

My down and dirty "fix" is working fine at this point and I have been running that set without any issues since I added the extra guide sections to the first two passenger coaches. I still need to follow up with my dealer and see if I can determine what the correct NEM pocket piece is, because the longer arms which Steven posted images of seem to prevent this problem from occurring.
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.
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H0
Offline Mikael  
#19 Posted : 28 April 2018 18:17:38(UTC)
Mikael

Denmark   
Joined: 10/09/2004(UTC)
Posts: 958
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Originally Posted by: dickinsonj Go to Quoted Post
Good observation! I have never seen that longer 'V' that you posted from your 41928 set and it definitely is not the same as what is in my 41929.


I just came home with the new 26928 set, and I can report that it also has the longer 'V' (and not getting stuck anywhere in its movement). It is starting to look like a mistake in the production of 41929.
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Offline dickinsonj  
#20 Posted : 29 April 2018 01:05:01(UTC)
dickinsonj

United States   
Joined: 05/12/2008(UTC)
Posts: 1,676
Location: Crozet, Virginia
Originally Posted by: Mikael Go to Quoted Post

I just came home with the new 26928 set, and I can report that it also has the longer 'V' (and not getting stuck anywhere in its movement). It is starting to look like a mistake in the production of 41929.

Thanks Mikael.

That confirms that my set has the wrong parts, which I suspected of being true, but I have not had the time to follow up with that. Do you have a part number for that coupler pocket? I did not get a parts diagram with this set and there isn't one on their website, just a parts listing in German. I can check to see if my dealer can help me when I get a bit more time. My kludge is actually making them run perfectly for the moment, although I would much rather fix them properly with the correct parts, if I can determine what part number that is.

I am not surprised that there are issues, since there were other assembly irregularities with those coaches. Not all of the coaches were lighted because although all of the parts were there, they were in the wrong coaches. That I could fix but now I know that they were poorly assembled, using the incorrect parts - not the only Hungarian production quality problem that I had from that time period. Hopefully things have improved by now.
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 QQQ1970  
#21 Posted : 29 April 2018 04:26:51(UTC)
QQQ1970

Canada   
Joined: 06/02/2018(UTC)
Posts: 372
Location: Ontario, Toronto
Originally Posted by: Mikael Go to Quoted Post
Originally Posted by: dickinsonj Go to Quoted Post
Good observation! I have never seen that longer 'V' that you posted from your 41928 set and it definitely is not the same as what is in my 41929.


I just came home with the new 26928 set, and I can report that it also has the longer 'V' (and not getting stuck anywhere in its movement). It is starting to look like a mistake in the production of 41929.


Can you advise where the set is made?
Offline Mikael  
#22 Posted : 29 April 2018 10:42:34(UTC)
Mikael

Denmark   
Joined: 10/09/2004(UTC)
Posts: 958
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Originally Posted by: dickinsonj Go to Quoted Post
That confirms that my set has the wrong parts, which I suspected of being true, but I have not had the time to follow up with that. Do you have a part number for that coupler pocket?

The 26928 manual says the part numbers are:
E214980 for the long 'V' plastic parts.
E239830 for the current conducting metal inserts.

And these match the spare part numbers for 41929, according to Märklin spare part database.

Originally Posted by: QQQ1970 Go to Quoted Post
Can you advise where the set is made?

Unfortunately no. It isn't mentioned anywhere on the box or in the manuals, at least not that I could find.
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bph
Offline H0  
#23 Posted : 29 April 2018 11:27:39(UTC)
H0


Joined: 16/02/2004(UTC)
Posts: 15,254
Location: DE-NW
Originally Posted by: Mikael Go to Quoted Post
Unfortunately no. It isn't mentioned anywhere on the box or in the manuals, at least not that I could find.
Typically Märklin attach "Made in ..." stickers to items exported to official US distributors.

So Jim might have such a sticker on his box.
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
UserPostedImage
Offline dickinsonj  
#24 Posted : 29 April 2018 12:56:52(UTC)
dickinsonj

United States   
Joined: 05/12/2008(UTC)
Posts: 1,676
Location: Crozet, Virginia
Originally Posted by: H0 Go to Quoted Post
Originally Posted by: Mikael Go to Quoted Post
Unfortunately no. It isn't mentioned anywhere on the box or in the manuals, at least not that I could find.
Typically Märklin attach "Made in ..." stickers to items exported to official US distributors.

So Jim might have such a sticker on his box.


Yes I do Tom, it has a sticker stating that it was "Made in Hungary".
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 dickinsonj  
#25 Posted : 29 April 2018 13:01:37(UTC)
dickinsonj

United States   
Joined: 05/12/2008(UTC)
Posts: 1,676
Location: Crozet, Virginia
Originally Posted by: Mikael Go to Quoted Post

The 26928 manual says the part numbers are:
E214980 for the long 'V' plastic parts.
E239830 for the current conducting metal inserts.

And these match the spare part numbers for 41929, according to Märklin spare part database.

Excellent - thanks so much Mikael!

Now I can track down a source for these, which can be a little tough in the US sometimes but doable. That way I can fix these coaches so that they run as they were intended to. Cool

I love the help that I get here on this forum. BigGrin

UPDATE: Märklin shows these as available on their website and so does BW Bahn, where I have ordered parts in the past. I will get them from whoever has the best price. Märklin formerly had a minimum order for shipping to the US of 50€, but it would take a bit more than that to replace 12 coupler pockets and springs so that might be a good choice. I will post again after I have made some progress on this. Thanks again to everyone for the help!
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 dickinsonj  
#26 Posted : 03 April 2019 22:05:55(UTC)
dickinsonj

United States   
Joined: 05/12/2008(UTC)
Posts: 1,676
Location: Crozet, Virginia
Originally Posted by: Mikael Go to Quoted Post

The 26928 manual says the part numbers are:
E214980 for the long 'V' plastic parts.
E239830 for the current conducting metal inserts.

And these match the spare part numbers for 41929, according to Märklin spare part database.

I wanted to update this thread and report success thanks to Mikael and his help in finding the correct part numbers. ThumpUp

It took over 6 months for a US dealer to get these for me - the magic of Walthers I guess. I just had the time to install them last week and the derailments are now over!

It does indeed appear that they used the wrong coupler pockets when they were assembled at the factory in Hungary. The new parts also extend the coupler pocket just enough to make coupling and uncoupling easy, where I had to really bang them together to get them to couple before.

Here is a picture of the two parts, with the new one on the right and it is obviously different in both size and shape:
IMG_0667.jpg

Even more disturbing to me is that these parts in the coaches were not even all the same, with a number of them appearing to have been ground down to fit. I guess they just used whatever parts that they had on hand and then modified them if they were too long. ThumbDown

This set also came without the contact springs in some of the couple pockets but since they put them in the ends of the baggage coaches, where they serve no purpose, I could move them around and get the electrical parts working. I also discovered that two of the six coaches do not have the metal inserts under the PCBs to improve the running and I doubt that there is any way to find them. In one coach with the metal insert there was a small lake of oil over and under the plate, which had spread to the PCB where it could damage the circuits. All in all this has been my most problematic coach set ever, although they finally do run well and while I had them open I also added lighting.

I am a strong believer in all's well that ends well however and I certainly hope that QC at Györ has improved since this set was produced because this is a beautiful rake of coaches, even if they were poorly made.
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.
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Offline Mikael  
#27 Posted : 04 April 2019 15:54:43(UTC)
Mikael

Denmark   
Joined: 10/09/2004(UTC)
Posts: 958
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Originally Posted by: dickinsonj Go to Quoted Post
It took over 6 months for a US dealer to get these for me - the magic of Walthers I guess. I just had the time to install them last week and the derailments are now over!


That is indeed good news. Too bad it had to take that long to get a working train set.
thanks 1 user liked this useful post by Mikael
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