The 37991 is very similar,maybe i will try to get the 37992 version in the future.

I'm afraid that buying any model train as an investment is a fools errand. The only thing that makes them an investment is a perceived value later on when people find they cannot find one and will offer over the odds at places like eBay. See for example the recent 'World Cup' loco, but how long the prices will sit at 3-4x the original purchase price remains to be seen.

The Big Boy was always going to be produced in multiple versions. There were twenty five prototypes, so there are a reasonable number of road numbers for Marklin to amortize the tooling and development costs over a reasonable number of years of production. This has been shown in the number of start sets and individual locomotives they have produced since the original Insider version came out.

However where the Insider locos may be different from the normal production is in detailing - the insider loco may have more detailing and/or features than later production ones. Also an Insider loco tends to be the first of a series of production versions of a new tooling, so some Insider members will by the locos for this reason - to be first on the block with the new item.

However I am wondering how Marklin are going to amortize the tooling and development costs of the Br05 003 cab forward - there was only ever one of these on the track, so producing it with different road numbers is not an option.

I see it appearing in a display cabinet set, with one each of Br05 001, 002 and 003 - I regard this as almost a certainty.

They may also do a 'streamlined Br05' set with the streamlined Br05 001 and cab forward Br05 003.

They could also do a 'before and after' set with the cab forward, and then in 'normal' configuration, both numbered Br05 003.

It could also appear in a start set with some coaches and another loco of the time with some goods wagons, for an Era II Mega Start Set.

I don't see it being issued as an individual loco in the normal program - although it might appear in a Carl Bellingrodt style display case series, although I don't know what series it could fit. Have Marklin finished the 'Berlin Manufacturers' series yet? Would this loco fit that series?

Hi
I would just like to know what type of Motor is in the new Big Boy due to be released this year ref 37996 i think
Answer in simple English please is it the good powerful motor or a cheap one.
Would like to run 37991 on a layout im planning but then tunnel Entrances will need to be higher and then im sure that will look strange etc might sell it off what a waste of money it was wished i got more HAG RE460s

Thanks
My 37991 must have a good motor then never ran it got it in 06 i think.
Might try and find a photo of the motor i am not going to try and disassemble my own to look at its motor
Ive just noticed rust on the handrails 2 small spots at the very front of my loco the handrails on each side right in front of the boiler anyone else experienced this part number 101 on my parts sheet but the handrails dont seem to come seperate its down as lok vorbau well its them handrails.
Should i put the oil i use for my locos on the effected areas well ive just done that so no point asking now.
I also found the same type of rust on one buffer on the Marklin Class 103 39579 it left a rust mark also on the piece of cardboard the buffers were resting against but it seemed to rub off the affected area of the buffer.

Yes a simple answer is dont buy thats true there up on €800 and they want cut costs to make even more money id prefer a good motor and charge more if necessary.
So has anyone else seen small specs of rust on the handrails of there Big Boy models have a close inspection especially if your model is in a display cabinet wont spot it unless you look at it close up
I might put some oil on all the other handrails lightly of course cause once it comes it comes.

I live in the sub-tropics, and any blackened metal parts on my Marklin locos show rust after a few years.
My Insider 39050 (05 002) has rusty piping on top of the boiler.

I have old metal frame Fleischmann wagons from the 1950s, and the same rusting occurs.
They don't look any worse than the later stuff.

It is surface only, so I do not worry about it.
Oiling may help, it certainly will not harm the metal.

regards
Kimball

Yes, can be tested with Central Station 2, Control Unit 6021, Central Station. Which do you use?

With CS2 it's pretty easy. Open loco properties and click on CV.
On the "nformatio" tab scroll down to "Decoder Manufacturer ID".
For ESU decoders it will be "0.0.0.151", for MäTrix decoders it will be "0.0.0.131".
There is another field with the loco manufacturer ID (not visible on the screenshot) - this will always be 131 even for locos with ESU decoders.

What i find a bit strange is that 39010 has no spots of rust and has been on display just as long.
Maybe its a quality issue with not enough spray paint been applied or just natural weathering of the loco like the real thing.

Edited by user 14 January 2015 13:37:12(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Those Budd coaches are the only American passenger coaches that Märklin has made as far as I know, so in that regard they would be a good match. They are from the same era as the Big Boy, although it was not often used to haul passenger coaches. What would be odd is to see a UP Big Boy pulling a rake of coaches from a different road, such as the Santa Fe coaches you mentioned.

Märklin has also announced a coach set (#43617) painted in UP Armour Yellow paint , which is not only a great match but reproduces the coaches that they are pulling behind the 4014 on excursions this year. Unfortunately they are fairly expensive and lack lights and CC couplers, but if I do buy a 39997 that is what mine will be pulling.

Thank you guys
Looks like i am going to be running two different Big Boy consist on my layout. It is going to be crowded. 😁
Regards
Marius

So now you can add another half dozen with the Trix set for the new Big Boy which includes another UP caboose.

What I definitely would love to see, is new actual sounds recorded from the restored 4014. As Märklin have not mentioned anything about it, I assume the new 37997 uses the same sound as the previous models.

That is what I assume as well. If the sound files were from ESU real recordings might actually be a possibility but not so much from Märklin. I have seen Märklin claim to record some real locos for their sound database, but all of their sounds seem pretty much the same to me, especially on their less expensive locos.

I agree Jeroen -- it is very unlikely that any HO loco sound file will ever capture the amazing sounds of the real thing. I also don't use operating sounds unless I am only running a single loco on my layout - otherwise it is just a noisy jumble. Sounds captured from the real 4014 would have been a nice touch, but Märklin seems more focused on the static collector these days than those of us who actually run our trains.

BTW the chuffs on my 37990 are perfectly synchronized with the drivetrain by a pulse generator on one of the axles in the front engine. Was that the only Märklin Big Boy so equipped, or did some later models also have that feature?

37990 and 37991