Generally the four digits indicate older locos of which most, but not all, will have three pole motors.
The five digits indicate later locos or variants of a four digit loco. Five digits does not guarantee a five pole motor.
Some current locos, which will have five digits, may have neither the 3 or 5 poles but ‘can’ motors with the bell shaped armatures that are not serviceable.
Locos made starting around the year 2000 will have been fitted with 5 pole motors and as mentioned most made in the last few years will have the can ones.
I have two seemingly identical Swiss Ae 3/6 sets (same number on box 81418) one has 3 pole motor and the other has a 5, there are date codes on boxes and paperwork which give a month and year and in this case there is a few months difference between the two sets.
Which is better? Opinions vary, 5 poles are more controllable and usually draw a lower current than 3. The 5 pole carbon brushes have a much smaller piece of carbon on them and wear out faster, 5 pole brushes can be used on 3 pole motors but not vice versa.
Can motors haven’t been around long enough to see how long they will last but they seem to run a lot cooler than the other types which is good since heat will terminally damage 3 or 5 pole motors many of which have no ventilation such as in the 0-6-0 locos.
Sales literature will tell you if new locos have the can type motors and these are the only ones I would buy from here on. But I recommend avoiding 88803 and 88804 which are not good.
If a loco is obviously pre 2000 it will be 3 pole, the instructions will tell you. I avoid such locos although I have many, some I installed 5 pole motors in but replacement motors do not seem to be available anymore from Märklin and those that are from other sources are expensive.
ChrisG

Look on line at z scale.org - this is a very informative source, although it does not seem to have been updated recently (I don’t think it mentions can motors) it is full of interest and is written from a North American perspective with references to manufacturers other than Märklin.
In earlier times it may be noticed that occasionally the same four figure number has been used for two different items, I suppose going to five digits released plenty of numbers to make this unnecessary later on.
Indeed welcome to the fascinating world of Z.
ChrisG

Hello. Hope all is well and welcome.

It seems you have made some great selections for your beginning z scale railroad. These should work well. I discovered the Crock is not that great with hills, the 111 is ok, the 103 is great.

I have the same items you have. You will be happy to know, that three pole on the BR 111 is easily replaced. That one has one of the most common motors if you can find one. Keep in mind, many say the difference between a 3 and 5 pole is so insignificant it is not worth the trouble and expense involved. Try your items out first before making any changes, if they work in the first place.

I have been purchasing most of my z from EBay. The thing to remember about doing this is

To sell, it is easier to mention it is working perfectly, but when you get it, it might not meet your definition of perfect.

Be willing to clean or adjust your items because these may have been sitting for a time. The oil used, gets hard over time and will actually lock up the drive gears. Known as “Hardened Oil Syndrome”. HOS.

If you are able, this kind of simple task, (cleaning) will save you money and give you a greater insight understanding of your hobby. Expect it will not go perfectly and you will learn from the mistakes you make. Parts are small are easily lost. Be careful take your time. You will get better at it as you gain experience unless you are already doing watch repairs. I think the small parts may be similar to work with. Parts diagrams are normally available on the Marklin website.

https://www.maerklin.de/...cts/details/article/8856

This is the link for your Crock. Enter the manufacture number to search another item. I select the spare parts link and order spare parts link. I usually print the parts diagram for future reference. I do not recommend working on a crock right off the bat. Keep in mind, older locomotives may not have spare parts available on the Marklin site, but possibly are found in the secondary market. A good vendor for parts may be z hobo a www.zscalehobo.com. eBay’s also has parts, but you have to know what you need.

To understand your track layout or accessories check this link. I think you can make a great layout in very little space and that is what z scale is all about.

https://www.maerklin.de/...uch_Spur_Z_komplett.pdf. (Big document, let it download)

Here is another site for used Z scale items. Watch for HOS and expect to have to do some cleaning or adjustments

https://www.ztrackresale...p?main_page=products_new

There are many great things going on in the Z World, it is a great time to get started.

Take good care, this site is a great source of information about your new hobby. Just ask.

Happy holidays

Dwight

don't worry. I have great 3 poles, great 5 poles and great can motors.. I even have terrible 3 poles, 5poles or cans...
Marklin sometimes makes great locs, sometimes they are pure rubbish.

The Belgian speaks the truth! About a year after starting to collect Marklin Z scale loco's I decided to only buy new can motor variants, but a year or so later I can say one of my recent purchases was a 4 digit loco with a 3 pole motor and so old the clutches aren't chamfered, from around 1975, it's a terrific loco!

Hello everyone,

During the busy Christmas festivities I was able to set up my starter set and expansion set. I am really impressed as to how well these locomotives run! While my eBay purchases are very nice and run very well, what really impresses me is the little BR 89. It runs so silently and gets on with its job so well.
I seem to really enjoy the tiniest of trains, so I think going forward I will probably focus on small Branch line Locos.
I think my next step is going to be to add some stub end tracks and get some electric uncoupling trucks and try a little shunting.
I'm still slowly working my way through all the literature that you folks have posted here, lots to go through.
And I have to say there's something fun about the utter simplicity of analog. Brings me back to the old days.

Happy New year!

Hello hope all is well.

I would first like to warn you about the small rubber “donut” insulator rings located between the circuit board and the chassis. They are real small, and easy to lose. Sometimes they stick to the chassis, other times to the circuit board so watch out.

The brushes number 89891 should work for this motor. Brushes #8989 are the ones which only fit three pole motors. The 89891, fits both three and five pole motors. You should be able to find these.

I would hate to see this beautiful locomotive relegated to the shelf permanently.

Do it yourself Z has a chart for motors and brushes.

http://www.zscale.org/articles/fivepole.html#table

Take good care.

Dwight

Hello great news, thanks.

I forgot to mention there was time when the brush coals were just pressed in and they often fell apart. Fortunately they are totally repairable, but might be out of balance with the other one.

Good move with that mat you are using. I often considered obtaining a jewelers apron to catch parts headed to the floor. Maybe I will look into one.

Thanks again, take good care.

Dwight

Hello.

I have to agree with you. The total waste of time looking for a part on the floor is just the half of it. Drop a coupler spring, you have to be lucky to come up with that. I was using very strong magnets near my work foam, just in case the spring goes out of control. It seems to work but even if caught by the magnet, it is still hard to find. You have to be careful and examine that magnet throughly. If you live right, you find it.

I mentioned a jewelers or watch makers apron to catch flying parts. When you put it on, the lower part somehow fastens to the lower part of your work platform or table creating a kind of a catch pouch, with a cuff at the bottom. Would seem a good idea, but I am unable to find one which is already setup in this way. It must be adapted by the watchmaker. I think I will try it figure this out.

Let my know if you have an idea.

Here is a link from the watch repairers discussion. Their parts are even smaller than ours.

https://www.watchrepairt...b=comments#comment-93093

Interesting?

Take good care.

Dwight

OP
I too am somewhat new to z, about 3-4 years now, but having had a starter set back in 1990.

I can be ...frugal. Used trains in great condition have always saved me a lot for my LGB hobby.

But for z scale,
i have 3, 5 and the latest bell can motor locos. i also have a few US style AZL locos, which really opened my eyes as to what z scael performance had become

i have many old marklin locos that run quite well, some will actually crawl, and some of the late 5 pole are pretty quiet and i bought many used, as i like KPEV especially.

imho, i will not buy old locos any longer (after about 20! LOL)
The new generation of Marklin locos, for me, are a far greater value in the joy they provide in operation and appearance.

The new locos are simply in another league entirely.
Of these new bell armature locos, i have the G8 0-8-0,T12 2-6-0t, BR 034-6-2, two of the latest 0-6-0t BR80s, (photo grey and coal set), latest KPEV 4-6-0 freight set, Kittel, and the rail bus.

i find that the marklin z new price, if pre ordered, is somewhat close to what used ebay prices are (although there is still the occasional bargain) and as such, in my mind any saving between new and used is minimal.

Simply, the latest versions
are nearly silent (something which I really love. The old light grind sound of some locos is quite irritating to me. But mostly, the new versions pull well, have bright lights at low speed and run smoothly and slowly.

the valve gear with the new eccentrics is also much nicer.

I hope you will try some of these new locos.
As a long long time n scaler, it is initially hard to give up older locos, 'old friends', if you will. But the new technology has made it pretty easy for me, as i love smooth and silent operation at realistic speeds without stalling.

Hello Z scalers,

A few more pieces have arrived and I have expanded my little temporary layout to something a bit more elaborate.
Everything is working just great, the only issue I'm having is that two of my brand new uncoupler tracks, U1 and U2, do not seem to function correctly. When activated, only one end of the shoe lifts up. Before I open these fragile little devices, I'm interested in opinions. Most of my locos and rolling stock decouple no problem on these, but my 88804 get stuck, I'm thinking because the coupler spring is stiffer than the other locos. The 88804 uncouples just fine on my uncoupling track u4 which operates correctly.
Happily I have no other issues with this loco, but my layout is of course dead flat and I've temporarily pinned it down with track nails. The track nails protrude out the bottom of the 6 mm hardboard top enough to enable me to push them back up and pull the nails out with pliers if required. I pre-drilled the holes with a .6mm drill which enabled a nice snug fit as the nails are pressed in with pliers. No hammer! The nails are surplus from a model wooden boat construction project, planking nails.
Happy model railroading!

Hello all,

I've been enjoying my little Z scale layout, added a few more sidings, and some new rolling stock.
While this was originally going to be a temporary layout, I have been very happy with it hence no significant changes.
I built a Faller station kit, that was challenging as the parts are very small. Fun though.
I recently received the 88168 Railbus and the 81306 Wine Road set.
The Railbus is somewhat noisy which is a bit of a disappointment as my other new locos are mostly silent. Otherwise it is great, runs very well with nice lighting.
The Wine Road set is excellent! The loco is my first with red marker lights. The Cl 218 runs exceptionally well with very smooth speed control.
I am thinking of raising the rear tracks to introduce some grade. What is the recommended max grade?

I've recently started work on another layout so have been revisiting this subject for my own benefit. I would recommend you set a maximum of 2%, less if you can. Your BR218 will be able to pull three or four bogie coaches up that gradient which, I'm guessing, is about the shortest train you'd want to run.

Cheers


Chris

Hello, hope all is well.

Great to hear. Getting the wheel contacts behind the wheels has always been a problem, even on the older railbus models. On the old models I used a bent wire tie on each side of the frame with it laid on a foam block, then pressed in each wheel contact while placing the wheel set into place. Not an easy process.

The new model is impressive and might be more precise than initially recognized. I don’t know for sure, but getting the wheel contacts into place might be simpler now.

Glad it worked out well, now you can truly enjoy that railbus, the most detailed ever.

Thanks take good care.

Dwight

Hello.

You may be right. Did adjusting these quiet your railbus?

Perhaps these also connect the motor to track power. Careful with these, a replacement might be hard to find.

Take good care.

Dwight