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Offline thomas buckley  
#1 Posted : 28 November 2016 02:01:43(UTC)
thomas buckley

United States   
Joined: 04/01/2016(UTC)
Posts: 114
Location: California, warner Springs
How you guys doing? i have a friend that has a bunch of vintage marklin track, specifically, 3900 and 3800 curves...+ a ton of straight track, no number. upon exam found the 3900 equivalent to 5200 curve, the 3800 fits inside of 5100 curve and seems to fit together....any feedback on this buff looking track? thinking of bidding .35 / piece....
thanks 1 user liked this useful post by thomas buckley
Offline Pmare4  
#2 Posted : 28 November 2016 04:09:33(UTC)
Pmare4

Australia   
Joined: 15/10/2015(UTC)
Posts: 237
Location: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
That doesn't sound like 3900 track - The 3800 should be larger than the 5200, and the 3900 should be larger than the 3800.

You probably have 3600 and 3700 curves. They are the same as the 5100 and 5200 curves, but have a solid centre rail.

If you have a solid centre rail curve that is the same size as a 5120 curve, then it is very very rare. These were only available in a clockwork train set with the loco S 870, and so only had 2 rails when purchased. You were able to buy an electrification set separately, which gave you a centre rail and insulators.
Peter
Collecting vintage Märklin from 1935-1970, also Hornby O Gauge
thanks 6 users liked this useful post by Pmare4
Offline Alberto Pedrini  
#3 Posted : 28 November 2016 18:52:14(UTC)
Alberto Pedrini

Italy   
Joined: 02/07/2004(UTC)
Posts: 1,448
Location: Italy
The 3800-3900 serie are very rare, diameter 121 and 111cm, interax 5 cm, produced only from 1953 to 1956

UserPostedImage

UserPostedImage
Alberto

Marklinfan Club Italia
www.marklinfan.net
thanks 4 users liked this useful post by Alberto Pedrini
Offline thomas buckley  
#4 Posted : 04 December 2016 01:42:34(UTC)
thomas buckley

United States   
Joined: 04/01/2016(UTC)
Posts: 114
Location: California, warner Springs
sorry for delay....is this vintage rare track compatible with my 70's era M track? better yet is this old track good, reliable, durable and useable? problematic, why only made for those years? i buy stuff to use, is this stuff as good or better than M? would you buy it to use? should I pass it by?
Offline Mike863  
#5 Posted : 04 December 2016 03:27:51(UTC)
Mike863

United States   
Joined: 19/06/2013(UTC)
Posts: 61
Location: Florida
These track are compatible. The center connector is wider but generally there should usually be no problem fitting them with standard M track with a little fiddling. Very high quality and expensive to manufacture so rare now. I understand there may have been a disute over the rights to the design. Smooth running and quiet due to the method of construction. Requires 16 of either 3800 or 3900 to make a full circle. If you get enough, you can create 5 perfectly parallel arcs with 5120, 5100, 5200, 3800 1/1 (5040) and 3900 1/1 (5050). Eckert Engineering lists a couple pieces of 3800 1/1 for about $12 each. Another seller has 4 pieces of 3900 1/1 for $36 and another has 8 mixed 3800 and 3900 and 2 straights for $149 and another offer of 8 - 3900 plus 2 straights for $99. Do better than that and you have yourself a bargain.
Offline hennabm  
#6 Posted : 04 December 2016 11:18:54(UTC)
hennabm

Scotland   
Joined: 22/09/2009(UTC)
Posts: 2,040
Location: Edinburgh,
Hi Thomas

I can vouch that they are compatible as I run 3900 curves on my exhibition layout and connect on to 5100s etc. I have full curves and half curves, to allow for signal blocks/feeds.

The 3900 series are very well made with each sleeper an inset into the metal bed. Whereas on the M track the sleepers are imprinted into the metal.

AFAIK the 3900 were stopped due to copyright issues with a French firm on the design of the track. A shame really as the 3900 are by far the better design and better made track.
Being so few they are expensive now but I think worth it to give the wider radius on the outside of a 5200 curve.

I'll buy it if you want to pass on it!

Mike
1957 - 1985 era
What's digital?
Offline Piete  
#7 Posted : 28 March 2022 04:02:19(UTC)
Piete

Australia   
Joined: 28/03/2022(UTC)
Posts: 8
Location: Melbourne VIC
Hi,
Can someone tell me if 1/3 tracks of the 5120 curved M track exist and if so, what the part no. is?
Offline hxmiesa  
#8 Posted : 28 March 2022 06:45:53(UTC)
hxmiesa

Spain   
Joined: 15/12/2005(UTC)
Posts: 3,519
Location: Spain
Originally Posted by: Piete Go to Quoted Post
Hi,
Can someone tell me if 1/3 tracks of the 5120 curved M track exist and if so, what the part no. is?

Not exactly sure what you mean with "1/3", but I can say that there was only one track piece with the same radius as the 5120 (a 45º segment), so the answer is "No".

Best regards
Henrik Hoexbroe ("The Dane In Spain")
http://hoexbroe.tripod.com
Offline JohnjeanB  
#9 Posted : 28 March 2022 14:54:31(UTC)
JohnjeanB

France   
Joined: 04/02/2011(UTC)
Posts: 3,084
Location: Paris, France
Originally Posted by: thomas buckley Go to Quoted Post
How you guys doing? i have a friend that has a bunch of vintage marklin track, specifically, 3900 and 3800 curves...+ a ton of straight track, no number. upon exam found the 3900 equivalent to 5200 curve, the 3800 fits inside of 5100 curve and seems to fit together....any feedback on this buff looking track? thinking of bidding .35 / piece....

Hi Thomas

Yes Märklin 3900 and 3800 tracks ("ModellGleis") are very nice and hard to find (produced only during 3 years) and with large radii (1,2 m and 1.1 m diameters)
Here is a 1953 catalogue. See pages 34 and 35.
Cat Marklin 1953 EN.pdf (3,535kb) downloaded 32 time(s).
The 3900 curves are NOT equivalent to 5200 (on has a 1.1 diameter while the other one has a 0.91 m diameter)

The Modellgleis is searched for because of big diameter, imitation of sleepers, insulation of 3 rails allowing long detection zones, narrow space between tracks but alas no double slip switch. Fully compatible with other Märklin metal tracks (prewar M, post war M with center rail, M with studs).

I have a box of these but alas the previous owner removed the center rail contacts so they are useless to me. (Vandals!)
Cheers
Jean
thanks 2 users liked this useful post by JohnjeanB
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