Hello Everyone,

I'm very much interested in attending the IMA (Marklin Days) in Germany this coming September (15-17). It was cancelled last year, but the "Marklin 2023 New Items" brochure advertises this event on the back page. Does anyone know where I can get more info?

Can someone who's been to this event in the past provide a short description of what I can expect. Do I need to make a reservation for the Marklin Factory Tour?

I've already made a hotel reservation in Göppingen and plan to book my flights in the next couple of weeks. Any info / guidelines will be much appreciated.

Thank you.

Andry
Ottawa, Canada

Edited by user 27 January 2023 22:56:30(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Hello kiwiAlan,

Thank you very much for the quick and detailed reply. I'm a long time "lurker" on a couple of Marklin forums and have seen previous "Marklin Days" group photos. I've used those photos to "put a face to a name" -- especially the experts that help everyone with good answers to our modelling questions.

Some years ago I did visit the Marklin factory, but that was not part of "Marklin Days". It was a wonderful experience. On a side note -- I was in Goppingen this past September (2022), but unfortunately Marklin cancelled the event. However, I took the opportunity to visit the new Marklin Museum, which is really beautiful and so much better than the old one. They even have (finally) a georgeous massive model railroad with full room light effects and automated operations -- very impressive.

Now, for this year's event, I've already made hotel reservations (from Thursday to Sunday) but your info will help me prepare myself for this "onslaught" of activities. What do you mean by "minimizing your entry fee"? I thought that you said the only entry fee is for access to the main exhibition halls? What about rides on steam locos? Are there line-ups and tickets required? Any other good tips to make the most out of the three full days?

Once again, any and all info is welcome -- thanks for the help, it's much appreciated!


Andry

I'd love to go someday. We'd plan our european trip to include it, along with Hamburg, etc.

There will more than likely be a special lok and some wagon sets I’m sure, but we’ll just have to wait and see. My old squadron mates and I are planning a reunion back in Berlin next October, so a quick trip out to Goeppingen before or after would be possible either way.

Arriving early on Friday morning, around 9:30, is a big plus. Less crowd and plenty of opportunity to take pictures. If you walk out of the train station and turn left and walk to the end, there is a waiting area where you can ride a steam engine in the cab for a short distance. You can experience the sound, smoke and the heat from the burner. The line gets long very quickly since they can only take five people at each ride. We did that in 2017, but we're late getting there in 2019 and the line of people was very long.

Not meant to hijack this post. I got a copy of Neuheiten 2023 and there is a picture of Marklin Day 2019 in the back. I saw myself in the yellow jacket and I think some of you are there. Can you see yourself in the picture?

T

G'day Sid, Greetings to you and your wife. We'll be keeping up the Platform 4 @ 4 tradition on the Saturday in Goppingen. See you again then - or in the queue for the factory tour on Friday morning! IanC

I'll be rallying folk to meet up face to face and for a group photo 4@4 on the Saturday. If tradition follows, we'll probably all pile into the Gran Duca restaurant for a beer and something Italian later, around 7.30? It might be a good idea to get some indication of numbers and make a reservation.

IanC

Hi Ian,
I wasn't sure whether I was coming this year but can now confirm that I am so looking forward to seeing you at 4@4 on the Saturday and probably beforehand. Looking forward to catching up with other Märklinistas over the weekend as well.
Cheers,
John (Sid)

Unfortunately Lisa can't make this trip. I'm making only a short trip this time to share a voyage around the Harz mountains with a friend who is going to be in Germany at the end of September. Then I thought I could come over a couple of weeks earlier and catch the IMA in Göppingen. Lisa is staying home to keep the wheels of industry turning. But hopefully next year we'll do a trip to Austria and then maybe the UK as well...

I plan to be there for my first visit. I hope to visit the Marklinium on the 14th if it is open, before the IMA start. I am building my late 1950’s layout again after 26 years of it being boxed up. Hope see you on Saturday at 4@4.

Hi Ian,
I didn't actually state before that I'd be coming along to the Gran Duca on Saturday night but I will be coming for sure.

I just found the PDF of Marklin Days 2023 brochure in German on the German language section of the Maerklin(dot)de website:

https://www.maerklin.de/...023_online_28-8-2023.pdf

The brochure has images of the event wagons and their prices, as well as the shuttle map and the floor plans of the venues.

Looking forward to seeing everyone attending the 4@4.

Regarding the Gran Duca dinner, thank you for the invite, but unfortunately I cannot make it this time. I recall having a nice dinner with everyone there in 2017.


Tak

Hi!

I will probably miss the 4@4 but will try to make the dinner date at the Gran Duca. Not sure at what time people will start gathering for supper. I'll keep an eye open for more info. It will be fun to meet everyone.

Till next week!

Hello,

Please count me in (plus my wife) for dinner at the Gran Duca @19:30.

See you all there next week.
Andry

Just made this condensed timetable of speciels events during the treff - just FYI. Overview.pdf (1,294kb) downloaded 60 time(s).
See ya'
/ Da nephew

Hi Andry, I’m sure Ian C has noted your post and has booked you in. I’ve just flown in from Australia and looking forward to seeing the IMA tomorrow. And see you on Saturday!
John

I'm now on the 'return to UK' part of the trip (spent today recuperating from being on my feet for three days with minimal sitting down during the day) and will upload some photos when I get back home - including a couple I took especially for cookee ..

Glad you arrived back in the U.K. safely. Yes the IMA was great. So good to meet the team in person. See you on Wednesday in our zoom session.

Well done Ian for organising the catch-up in Platform 4. It was great to see so many Marklinistas from around the world. I enjoyed the camaraderie at the pub afterwards. My travels have continued and I’m off to the DB museum in Nürnberg this morning.

Ian,

Thank you very much

Great meeting you all

We should do it more often
;-)

Still waiting with baited breath.........................

I didn't get one, but did talk to the girls in the factory who were printing the reverse side with a picture of the factory. It takes 5 minutes to do that side, and they were putting only one wagon body in the printer at a time, despite the width of the printer bed.

The wagon as offered this year ...


and the printer doing the obverse side ...


They have set up a 'green screen' area in the museum shop for the purpose of taking the photo to print on the wagon - I had the impression it is a semi-permanent setup so not just for special occasions such as the Treff.

I was more intrigued with the possibility of having a 3D image taken and then getting a 3D printed figure of oneself up at the Staufer Park. This was being done by another company, and I think they just took the pictures, then printed the figure off site and mailed it to you. They would also supply a STP file (at extra cost) so you then print yourself at home. I'll think about doing that another year maybe.

The prices for getting your 3D scan done. I'm not sure if the cost of the figure includes the cost of the scan, or if the two have to added together - apologies for the photo quality ...

Hi Alan, thanks for the photos. Actually the gentleman is Norwin Rietsche from Switzerland, he and I have had many a conversation. He was at the same stand in 2019 when I quite by accident took a photo with him in, but I had not 'met' him at that stage. I made contact some time later on a different matter, swapped stories and the rest was history. I've got a video of that "Weltkugel" in operation taken by someone else and just waiting permission to share it and possibly put on Youtube.

I only wish I had spoken to him in 2019, he's a lovely and very friendly guy, and could have also assisted in translation with the only person I did try to speak with, Bodo Schenck, also a well-connected legend in Märklin circles.

Had you dropped my name in the conversation you'd probably have been talking another quarter-hour .

Norwin is doing well noting he's well into his 80's and has some other magnificent Shop-Window models, but as is typical for that era, they are simply enormous, just the world-globe cannot be appreciated in size unless you are next to it.

Really appreciate the photos 100%



DESCRIPTION.... (image from the 1936 "Märklin Modelle" dealer catalogue M 577)

M 857 Weltkugel 300.—
with 48 colored lights, without trains. Height 112 cm, diameter 84 cm.

A very practical and effective model for demonstrating our miniature trains. In a small space 3 different types of tracks can be shown at the same time. The model is supplied with the rails fitted, while the trains are only supplied on request at a fixed cost. (Price of the shown tracks add RM. 48.50 gross).
Connection sets: 1 transformer X is required for each train and 1 AG for the lighting.

M 855W air swing with changing light 350.—
with electric motor 1301 for 20 volts and 88 colored light bulbs 3 1/2 volts, without dolls. 80 X 30 cm, height 112 cm. (Required connection set BG).

Front cover...... note that some of the other display models in this (and other catalogues) also show the Nazi Swastika (HK), Märklin were not alone in doing this but that's a topic for another discussion.

Some snaps from my iPhone...more to come later from my main camera: