 Joined: 19/05/2020(UTC) Posts: 2 Location: South Carolina, Mount Pleasant
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After closer inspection of the track sections, it seems my request for more information was a bit premature and perhaps foolish. It is now apparent to me that the center rail power continuity is achieved via the metal "clip" at the end of each track section. So being unable to delete my "new topic" post, I will simply "retract" my question. Apologies and sorry for any confusion... [After my recent post asking for information on a newly-inherited Marklin TP800 steam engine, I received two marvelous responses, with very valuable information...for which I am most grateful! Digging further into this new (very old) acquisition, I am at a total loss to understand the Marklin 3-rail track and how it works. While there are track joiners on both outside (return) rails that firmly connect the track sections, the center rails on each track section do not even touch and the track sections so no sign of there ever being a joiner to bridge this gap. I thus wonder how power on the center rail can be distributed through even a simple circular layout? There is one track section with red (center rail) and brown (common/return rails) wires for connecting to a transformer. Photos are attached...    Edited by moderator 29 May 2020 13:06:56(UTC)
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 1 user liked this useful post by grafiksol
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 Joined: 15/11/2018(UTC) Posts: 432 Location: Uusimaa, Helsinki
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The center rails are connected with the shiny metal tongues sticking out from the track ends underneath the track bed. |
- Martti M.
Era III analog & digital (Rocrail, CAN Digital Bahn, Gleisbox/MS2, K83/K84), C & M tracks, some Spur 1 |
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Joined: 18/06/2005(UTC) Posts: 669 Location: El Sobrante, California
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Originally Posted by: grafiksol  After closer inspection of the track sections, it seems my request for more information was a bit premature and perhaps foolish. It is now apparent to me that the center rail power continuity is achieved via the metal "clip" at the end of each track section.
So being unable to delete my "new topic" post, I will simply "retract" my question. Apologies and sorry for any confusion...
[After my recent post asking for information on a newly-inherited Marklin TP800 steam engine, I received two marvelous responses, with very valuable information...for which I am most grateful!
Digging further into this new (very old) acquisition, I am at a total loss to understand the Marklin 3-rail track and how it works. While there are track joiners on both outside (return) rails that firmly connect the track sections, the center rails on each track section do not even touch and the track sections so no sign of there ever being a joiner to bridge this gap. I thus wonder how power on the center rail can be distributed through even a simple circular layout? There is one track section with red (center rail) and brown (common/return rails) wires for connecting to a transformer. Photos are attached...[attach]56780 I am sure glad you asked this question. I forgot myself. Not using M-TRK any more. I have a bunch for a future layout But that future like a lot of other things is in the distant future. Your track series is among the earliest,, it was later changed , I think , the long center rail was replaced, by track with individual studs. Was that for grounding? Someone help-out here! For the pickup shoe., You can isolate the C-trk circuits with cardboard or Shrink wrap. You cover the silver color CENTER TANGS . Sorry for making a mess about this. Best Regardes, gene
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Joined: 26/03/2019(UTC) Posts: 752 Location: Florida Classic but Successful Swampland City
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Hi guys, No worries!  M-track having a metal base and the outer rails solidly connected to that base means there is no way to isolate one of the outer rails from the other (like you can on C-Track with its plastic base). The center rail/studs are technically what I call "positive" + and the outer rails being "negative" - . I guess that the Positive (center) might equate to 'power' and the negative (outer) to a "return". And yes the center rail/studs are for the power pick-up shoe/slider. The center rail/studs connect to the end tabs through the slot that holds them away from the metal base, therefore the center rails need have no connector to each other as the tab does the job. The outer rails do have connectors and it is always best to have as good a connection there as possible (like any other 2-rail track would need good solid connections). Clear as mud?  |
Jimmy T
Analogue; M-track; KLVM; DDR; Primex; Sarrasani Zirkuswelt
There is a Prototype For Everything |
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