By sound, I trust that you mean that you hear the piezo motor, but the pantograph is not moving.
The pantograph must be released slightly in order for the function to work, as the lock on the pantograph still is in place. Once the pantograph is free, it should then respond to the wire that controls it's lift or descent. The system is a little different on the scissors pantograph vs the single arm ones.

Is there a Maerklin dealer close to you where they can inspect it?

Was it bought from an authorized dealer? If yes, I would inform them that it arrived not fully operational and request a replacement.
If they have no replacement, you have the option of returning it for a refund and locating a replacement elsewhere.
If that is not an option, you will have to return it for service. The first step in that would be an email to service(at)Marklin.de.

If it was bought from a auction website, it may not have been fully new and somebody may have sold you defective goods, in which case you may be able to claim a refund via the site.

Regards

Mike C

Hi!

They stopped using piezo motors long ago. Current locos should have servo motors for the pantographs.
I haven't seen the inside of a BR 10.12 with motorized pantographs yet.

The old piezo motors were mounted on the loco board and the pantograph mechanism mechanically locked in.
But maybe nowadays the motor is mounted in the body and connects electrically with a spring mechanism.

Thomas,
Did you open the loco and have a look?
Maybe something got out of place during the 20,000 km journey.

I just checked the manual: it seems there are permanent wire connections between loco board and body. So do not look for bent springs, but look for loose wires or wires that have been squeezed between body and frame.

Sorry, Thomas, for going off-topic.
There were at least two BR 152 with piezo motors (39340, 39352). There was a TVT (39970) and a dining coach (42973) with pantographs that used piezo motors. It seems the 49961 also had one.

If the body is easily removed, then given our location it could be worth a quick inspection just to rule out something dislodged in transport, although with both Pantos being independent this would seem unusual. This is how they are meant to function... (start at 2:11)



I understand you might be reluctant to risk voiding the warranty but I doubt removing the body would do this, you have to be able to maintain it after all but if any doubt, you could first register the fault with your dealer so that it is on file, and then ask their advice, in particular whether they have heard of similar issues, and perhaps they could seek advice from Märklin Service on your behalf explaining the situation re your location etc.

I believe Dion ex-Toot Toot still undertakes repairs for his former business, but I'm not sure how Märklin handles warranty repairs (reimbursement) for a Dealer who did not actually sell the model. It's possible, given the cost of shipping back to the original dealer that it may be more economical to pay a local authorised repairer to sort it for you?

I would expect if any parts are required that they could still get those under warranty with their next shipment to save postage costs leaving you just the labour, unless they get a reimbursement for that also. It's a possible option to follow.

There is also Phil Fedorenko down here in Newlands (Train Technology). He is still listed on the Märklin Website as a NZ Dealer under the Store Locator. Phil is very experienced on Digital but is also very busy with his main business so whether he would be be able to assist, (and in what timeframe) you'd have to check with him.

I'm interested to know the mechanics behind the function. My Catenary Maintenance Railcar 39970 is quite a bit older and uses an impossibly thin nylon thread to lower the Panto, it raises itself under the spring bias. I have checked a few images and videos but can't see any thread on your model, not to say it isn't there but I'd like to know how it works.

If it's a new innovation, there is often a promotional video showing how it works such as this one for the original version on the 103 almost 20 years ago (old but still informative).



Hope this all helps. If you do remove the body, please add some photos of the internals. You may also be able to see something further when you operate the Panto control.

Cheers

Cookee
Wellington

But it´s not real problem about TS locomotive.
Did you even noticed his pictures inside of the locomotive?
There is transparent plastic wire that are not retrofitted to the pantographs!!

Hi Jean,

Being an electronics engineer by training, I've got RTFM (read the fine manual) in my bloodstream

Thanks for pointing it out, and yes I complied, but no amount of adherence to the manual can compensate for a manufacturing omission - which fortunately did not happen on your model.
The panthograph wires on mine look like they never were connected.
Maybe next time you have your model open for lubrication, could you send us a shot on what the servo and pantho wire look like in when it is installed properly?

And Purellum, yes, no movement from the servos at all. I assume another initialization step missed.
And no, the transparent nylon threads that should go to the pantograph are firmly ending in the middle of clean air .
If I open the model again, I will see if there is any other part of the thread going up, but I could not see that at all yesterday.

My favorite suggestion heard this far is that the worker who assembled the model got on his lunchbreak after step 10 and picked up from step 13
Still, Märklin looses brand equity and reputation by not catching matters like these in quality assurance.

Have a fun Sunday
Thomas

If you look at the other electric locomotives, they look cleaner on the inside and in fact Märklin has several models.

Bingo!

I showed up at the dealer, having dragged the model half way round the world (literally: from New Zealand to Austria).
Sure enough, the pantos were not working. We checked the servos, freedom of movement, any number of digital protocols, etc.
To no avail. Dead as a dodo.

Then we pulled and pushed all the connectors and the necessary miracle occurred. Both pantos started working perfectly.

Of course I am kicking myself that I did not try this a few months back, but I do like the element that model railroading teaches me humility .
Reflecting on this, the core reason why I did not play with the connectors, was that the pantos were "not user fixable" i.e. we cannot buy replacement parts, they are return to base for repairs only. That introduced for me a element of "better run with the warranty" and "touch no more".

In the future I will definitely check if Märklin models have this "return to base for repairs" in their manual and/or spare parts list ... and avoid them .
I'm one of these people who like to run my models on the layout.

Thank you all for the suggestions, clues and help in this thread.

Greatly appreciated.

Thomas