I have 13 old analogic locos bougt in the 70's, working very well and I am thinking about transfering my net to the digital.
I am just begining to buy secund hand digital locos and I plan to share my network in 2 : Analogic and digital.

First of all I am wondering what kind of central unit 6020 : 6021 : 6035 ...or Mobile station CS 2 / CS 3 to buy.
I am lost with the different models and how it is connected to each other
I plan to have 2 or 3 locos with sound but it is my priority.
Have you any documentation to understand what kind of station to buy and the different parts of the puzzle ? (secund hand preferred for cost reasons)
Thanks for the help

Edited by moderator 20 February 2024 03:00:42(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Hi Teepol,

I am not sure how far you want to carry your aspiration of combining analog and digital operation.

Anyway, faced with a similar starting point as yours, I decided to build a hybrid of analog and digital that allows me to run both analog and digital trains with a uniform and high level of automation.

To achieve this, I need a Märklin 60116 track box hooked to a computer through a CAN Digital interface. To control the setup, I use Rocrail.

Other than the track box, I have felt no need to acquire a CS.

Hi TEEPOL (Un prénom serait super)
First it is great to have you with us. A warm welcome to this great forum.
Here a Märklin fan from Ile de France, started in 1961 with M track, a loop of rails and a 3037 (E41 loco) and now with a permanent layout with digital and PC control (Rocrail
Here is a glimpse of my present layout with C track, if you are courious
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6WnhXPcRqI

What kind of Central Station?
- I used a 6020 (the very first Central Unit), then 6021 (with MM2 protocol), then CS1 60212, then CS2 and now CS3
- 6021 was really a good unit, mine is still working but now quite outdated
- CS1 was a scam by ESU resulting with a legal fight between ESU and Märklin, so poor unit, poor display, no update no maintenance
- CS2 was an excellent unit (60215) provided you avoid early units 60213 and 60214 which had a design problem (no galvanic separation. Only one drawback: they are not maintained by anyone (so when it fails, it goes to trash)
- CS3 is very good but expensive (I purchased mine in Germany like 2 years ago for approx. 580€).

Just a suggestion here but why not starting with a digital stater kit (I just bought a 29243) or a Mobile station 2 with its trackbox 60116 and its 36 W power supply.
It will allow you to taste digital before making large investments. Drawback you give up the possibility of feed-back signalling

Connection to digital modules
- locos need to be digital or upgraded using digital kits mostly for DC motors mLD3 low cost), mSD3 (sound) or for old Märklin locos with "universal" motors (winded inductor)
- switches or signals could be analogue (regular wiring totally separated from the digital part) or digital using either a 4-way decoder M83 (60832) or imbedded decoders 74462 (more expensive but great for carpet trains and not good for permanent layouts). Avoid using 6083 modules (cheap but no safeguard to turn the solenoids off)
- detection is only applicable with central stations (6021, 60212,60213-60216, 60226). It uses the S88 family (now 60881, 60882 (for DC), 60883 (Link 88 (required with CS2s or CS3 (60226). Avoid using older generation of S88 (6088, 60880) with its flat cables, prone to bad contacts and electric interferences.

Digital and analog together?
- If, by accident, digital power is connected to analogue power, the risk of destruction is really big
- so the best is to have 2 independant zones, one for analogue, another for digital without any connecting track inbetween.
- another possibility is to install a switch to feed your layout EITHER with digital or with analog power.

So looking forward to read from you and your projects
Cheers / Amicalement
Jean

Hi Tom
All is a matter of opinion. Mine is that the CS1 is a piece of junk with flimsy add-on modules, not user-friendly, not readable, no power, so I stop using it 2 years after purchase. Besides I collect Märklin, not ESU.
ESU's updates are now long finished and already in 2010 (when I got my first CS2) this was like day and night).
So I would not advise ANYONE to purchase such a unit (60212)
Cheers
Jean

I am aware there was some form of legal action, but the claims and counter claims I do not know anything about.

I do know that the booster for the cs1 that ESU produced had major problems, as well as requiring both rails and center studs to be isolated between cs and booster sections (and probably between booster to booster sections). I seem to recall that Marklin recalled them all as they just did not work, and anyone with a large layout was left in limbo for a while until they introduced the cs2. Also the whole design of the cs1 looked dated from the day it was introduced, rather like a 1960s American styling that always looked dated. I certainly wasn't impressed with its looks.

I suspect part of the legal action was involved with ESU going on to develop the original EcOS, which had a colour screen and much more modern styling, and were putting their development efforts into that when Marklin were expecting ongoing development to be going into cs1 features, which did appear to stall for quite a while.

Hi Jean
I believe the MS2 is a good way to start:
- gives you access to all fonctions of a loco
- gives you a reasonnable power (36 W) to drive 4 locos simultaneously (older locos may be much more power-hungry 10W or more when newer are closer to 2 -3 watts
- in theory the 60652 is equivalent to the 60657 but you may get long-term surprizes because of an older hardware revision number.
- if later you purchase a CS3, you still can use your MS2 as a slave to the CS3

The MS2 restrictions
- cannot handle inputs (S88 signals) to start doing automatic operation
- loco selection is a bit primitive
- the accessory selection is by address so OK for a small number of them.
- the MS2 is of course only good when associated with its trackbox 60116 and its power supply 66360

To check price levels, I go on ebay.de (Germany) where it cost 118€ plus shipment for the pack of 3 (60657+60116+66360)

Although I have a CS3 60226 I made myself a present of a starter kit 29243 (with a BR24, 3 Donnerbüchsen, an oval of C Tracks and 60657, 60116, powersupply for 388.04€ including shipment and a 4-month paypal payment (Berlinski in Germany)

Is there a problem to connect a MS2, trackbox and PSU to M-track?

No problem provided you verify that no track has noise suppressing capacitors 5131 which would short-circuit the digital output.
So connecting the brown and red wires is very fine.
As you know, M track is not as precise as C track but since there are a lot of them you may find it with decent prices.
With metal couplers, occasional shorts may happen (coupling bar touching studs on accasion)
The other drawback is that you can't make long occupation detection streches (unlike with C or K track)
Cheers
Jean

How do you connect the Märklin 60116 with a PC? It seems to have only two Mobile Station slots. And, does it manage track shorts like a control station would?

Hi Jean,
Given that you wish to start off carefully without spending too much I can say from experience:
There is nothing wrong with getting a 60652 - it works well with limited number of 10 locos registered for operation at any one time.
And there is no facility for controlling digital turnouts or accessories (which you said you don't need - there are many of us think like you).

However buying a 60657 would also be good, because it is later electronics.
Yes red and brown as usual.

Kimball

Hi! Good to hear you got all that great stuff!

Delta locos of course are not as smooth runners as newer digital locos.

What I’ve learned that you can greatly imorove them by upgrading the decoder to either mSD3 or Loksound 5. Some newer Delta locos already have DC motor in them, but by looking at the spare part picture of your loco, it seems to have and old field coil magnet motor. So if you want a newer decoder in it, you have to replace the motor also.

Options are to buy a Märklin retrofit motor or Esu permanent magnet. The Esu permanent magnet solution is valid if there is not enough room in the loco for the Märklin retrofit motor, as they are thicker in size.

Your loco most likely has a drum style commutator motor. If so, then the retrofit motor would be Märklin 60941.

Also the motor noise level goes down tremendously when switching away from Delta.

BR,
Eino

You've been busy! Congratulations 👏 The buffer cap. Helps maintain sound and speed on dirty or loose track joints and sections.
The brake module slows the lok. down slowly in signal blocks.