I am thinking of buying a Marklin Crocodile (not the gold one - haha). I can't see that Lippe has much in the way of SBB coaches to go with it. Can anyone help with my options?

David

Hi- just look for era 2-3 and you should be set, although remember crocodiles were primarily freight locomotives

Cool picture Mike!

Such use was very rare - see this picture example (scroll down almost to the bottom of the page): http://www.bahnzauber-europa.at/eisenba_09.htm

If you want to model such a train, then suitable coaches would be the two-axle types with open platforms made by Liliput or the "heavyweight" four-axle coaches from Roco.

I may just apply Rule 1 - It's my railway! I am very determined, now I am in the Marklin world, to build a "trainset" rather than a model railway. By that I mean that, as I have no knowledge of German railways, I am just going to buy what interests me and enjoy myself. At 74, I don't intend to waste much time fretting over "reality". Hence, I really just want to know if there are any SBB coaches that might look OK in the current Marklin range as I find it very confusing. I am concerned about buying anything on EBay as there is such a huge range of Marklin stuff historically and a huge range of stuff on EBay that matching the two could result in expensive mistakes.

Failing this, I might go a different way and buy a Primex 30110 E-loc BR E 44 of the DB mfx metal Primex packaging and 41920
"Tin-Plate" Express Train Passenger Car Set.

Not as interesting mechanically as a Crocodile but good to look at.

Another option could have been but this loco has never came out in AC, the Austrian Crocodile Rh 1100, as this loco was used on freight & passenger trains.

John

At MSL you normally do not get "old" locos. They mainly offering the actual build locos from almost all manufacturer. If you want locos from prior years, you have to look at other dealers. Sometimes you might be lucky.

Last year Märklin offered the shunting Croc in H0 (which I bought). I guess, if you wait one or two years M is offering "regular" Crocs again or indeed you are looking at Ebay, etc. There are "private" dealers (as I call them). Peolpe selling model railroad pieces used or new by whatever source they got them.

Just for an impression

https://www.ebay-kleinan...m%C3%A4rklin-krokodil/k0

I am also not an expert in Swiss trains, but Roco has offered train sets with a Croc, so it probabely has given it in real life too. Just see here pictures from a pretty old auction

https://auktion.catawiki...-3-personenwagen-der-sbb

https://www.ebay.ch/itm/...r-SBB-K208-/121274662991

BTW I myself was surpriced about the prices.

Roco 43023 train-set was produced around 2003/2004, whether it was coincidence or not, this Roco train-set resemble the consist from a Swiss movie titled "Mein Name ist Eugen" which was shot in 2004 (released in 2005). In this movie, there is a scene showing crocodile with "heavy weight" coaches.
Here is the video-clip of the train in the movie:

Unfortunately, they are all out of stock! I have only dealt with Joes over EBay where they were very good. Never dealt with Lokshop but read here of some issues people have had.

Your choice is as always....impeccable!

Crocodiles were used at the front of about every trains on the Gotthard line.
Yes, used esentially on freight, but even more often as helper on heavy passenger trains.
In Hans Schneeberger's book on Swiss electric locomotives, there is an anecdote that one day in the late 1950's a ( then brand new..) Ae 6/6 in Erstfeld was given a Ce 6/8 II in front, as a helper , but most of all to ferry the Crocodile to the shops in Bellinzona.
The Ae 6/6 engineer had forgotten that the now aging Crocodile was limited to 65 km/h and happilly pushed the train to its (then normal..) speed of 75 km/h, all the way pushing the "Alte Tante" and the heavy convoy up the mountain at scary rod shaking speeds!!

Cheers
Jacques