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thing fish		#1 Posted : 23 February 2023 13:57:58(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 25/01/2020(UTC) Posts: 207 Location: istanbul		Hi ya all, I have a KÖF that has zincpest. I'm sure many of you have had the same misfortune. I wonder what I can do with this otherwise perfectly working loco? Build a new cab maybe? Cheers, C.
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H0		#2 Posted : 23 February 2023 14:06:55(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 16/02/2004(UTC) Posts: 15,524 Location: DE-NW		Hi! I'm afraid sooner or later the frame will break, leading to gear problems. So a new cab may only be a short-term remedy. Is it the green Trostberg Köf?
		Regards Tom --- "In all of the gauges, we particularly emphasize a high level of quality, the best possible fidelity to the prototype, and absolute precision. You will see that in all of our products." (from Märklin New Items Brochure 2015, page 1) ROFLBTCUTS
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thing fish		#3 Posted : 23 February 2023 14:28:03(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 25/01/2020(UTC) Posts: 207 Location: istanbul		Originally Posted by: H0 Is it the green Trostberg Köf? Yes it is ... The frame is pretty solid though. The loco is pretty old I believe, zincpest on the cab became apparent maybe 10 years ago but the frame is still ok. C.
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mbarreto		#4 Posted : 23 February 2023 14:33:06(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 18/02/2008(UTC) Posts: 1,337		When it was made available I was interested in it but by some reason I don't remember I didn't buy t. It is a pity yours is having that problem because it looks pretty nice (when healthy)! Regards, Miguel
		Best regards, Miguel Mostly Märklin H0.
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thing fish		#5 Posted : 23 February 2023 14:36:34(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 25/01/2020(UTC) Posts: 207 Location: istanbul		Miguel, You're absolutely right; they're really nice to have on your layout especially if you have a sizeable yard. Good thing you didn't buy it then, I believe the problem solved on other issues. C.
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kiwiAlan		#6 Posted : 23 February 2023 14:41:07(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 23/07/2014(UTC) Posts: 8,583 Location: ENGLAND, Didcot		Originally Posted by: thing fish Originally Posted by: H0 Is it the green Trostberg Köf? Yes it is ... The frame is pretty solid though. The loco is pretty old I believe, zincpest on the cab became apparent maybe 10 years ago but the frame is still ok. C. I thought they tended to have problems with the chassis, not the body. maybe a photo of the problem would help? A possibility would be to get a spare body for a recent one and paint it.
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thing fish		#7 Posted : 23 February 2023 14:46:22(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 25/01/2020(UTC) Posts: 207 Location: istanbul		Originally Posted by: kiwiAlan I thought they tended to have problems with the chassis, not the body. maybe a photo of the problem would help? A possibility would be to get a spare body for a recent one and paint it. Probably my good luck ... Chasis is fine, it's only the body. Good advice though; I was thinking of using/fitting it on a plastic track laying machine kit ... I have one from Kibri laying around for some time. C.
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marklinist5999		#8 Posted : 23 February 2023 15:07:07(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 10/02/2021(UTC) Posts: 4,062 Location: Michigan, Troy		i bought the Trostberg version new. It's a shelf queen. The frame began warping siezing the gears. Thank's Kingsbridge! Same with the 37521 SBB seetal. I know a young modeler in Germany who only buys Piko now because of it. Doesn't mind they are plastic bodies.
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thing fish		#9 Posted : 23 February 2023 15:22:02(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 25/01/2020(UTC) Posts: 207 Location: istanbul		Originally Posted by: marklinist5999 I know a young modeler in Germany who only buys Piko now because of it. Doesn't mind they are plastic bodies. Who can blame him? Marklin didn't even bother to listen ... no good for future business. C.
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H0		#10 Posted : 23 February 2023 15:59:40(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 16/02/2004(UTC) Posts: 15,524 Location: DE-NW		Originally Posted by: marklinist5999 Thank's Kingsbridge! Here we go again... The Trostberg Köf came in 2001, Kingsbridge took over in 2006. Märklin went for "Made in China" long before Kingsbridge took command. Originally Posted by: marklinist5999 I know a young modeler in Germany who only buys Piko now because of it. IMHO Piko usually give good value for the money, but they also had some zinkpest problems.
		Regards Tom --- "In all of the gauges, we particularly emphasize a high level of quality, the best possible fidelity to the prototype, and absolute precision. You will see that in all of our products." (from Märklin New Items Brochure 2015, page 1) ROFLBTCUTS
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marklinist5999		#11 Posted : 23 February 2023 16:01:12(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 10/02/2021(UTC) Posts: 4,062 Location: Michigan, Troy		The great recession hit us all hard too. Marklin new management assumed control from Kingsbridge and that is a new company as far as accounting, warranties, etc. So it's like after the General Motors 2009 bankruptcy. The new GM didn't honor any prior claims of defective vehicles either. I warned them in 2008 that it would all come back and bite them, when my 2003 Impala with just 76,000 miles on it needed a catalytic convertor because it clogged. They told me it was the gasoline that did it. I always used at least 89 ron octane, which the owners manual called for. No ethanol. Delphi parts went belly up first. A very large GM employer division. That's when sales of vehicles began plumeting. Especially Pontiac, Satrun, and Saab. Laid off employers don't order vehicles, and neither do the businesses and employees of them when laid off people stop spending there.
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rhfil		#12 Posted : 24 February 2023 22:19:40(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 05/09/2014(UTC) Posts: 774 Location: NEW HAMPSHIRE, Somersworth		Since zincpest is the result of oxidation wouldn't spraying the chassis with a clear lacquer seal the metal and prevent further oxidation?
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marklinist5999		#13 Posted : 24 February 2023 22:49:18(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 10/02/2021(UTC) Posts: 4,062 Location: Michigan, Troy		It might slow it down rhfil, but like all oxidation, it's in the batch. Crars rusted out from the inside out in 3 or 4 years in the 70's because the steel alreasy had began oxidizing in transit, a lot form Pacific salt water when the big 3 were buying Japanese steel. New steel is mor pure, and much less prone to this. By the time the pest or rust shows, it doesn't stop.
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kiwiAlan		#14 Posted : 25 February 2023 00:12:13(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 23/07/2014(UTC) Posts: 8,583 Location: ENGLAND, Didcot		Originally Posted by: rhfil Since zincpest is the result of oxidation wouldn't spraying the chassis with a clear lacquer seal the metal and prevent further oxidation? It is not just oxidation, it is that there are impurities in the alloy, and these impurities are the source of the reaction that destroys the alloy.
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dickinsonj		#15 Posted : 25 February 2023 01:48:30(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 05/12/2008(UTC) Posts: 1,873 Location: Crozet, Virginia		Alan is exactly right. It is a sign of inferior materials and poor manufacturing practices, resulting in sub standard castings. At that time Marklin may have well needed to cut costs but they should have enforced minimal quality standards. In this case they put their name on some inferior, nasty junk eroding their once good name. A clear lesson of buyer beware - even with premium brands.
		Regards, Jim I have almost all Märklin and mostly HO, although I do have a small number of Z gauge trains! So many trains and so little time.
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AshleyH		#16 Posted : 25 February 2023 05:59:16(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 15/02/2008(UTC) Posts: 693 Location: Bournemouth, Dorset		To be fair to Marklin, and I say this as an owner of a crumbled 37521 Seetal Croc and several US Boxcars that are ticking time bombs, most major manufacturers were caught out by this problem in the early 2000s. I work in a hobby shop, we have recently taken over the stock from a train shop that closed a few years back. There are vast quantities of new old stock. There is a high failure rate of Heljan Class 47s, Hornby Class 31s, 50s and various steam locos that have turned to unusable junk after 20 years of storage. Bachmann and ViTrains also have complete runs of certain locos destroyed by zincpest. Manufacturing was taking place in a fast developing economy and corners were cut to make a fast buck, the same could well happen in India and Vietnam which are seen by many model companies as the ‘New China’.
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H0		#17 Posted : 25 February 2023 14:43:55(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 16/02/2004(UTC) Posts: 15,524 Location: DE-NW		Originally Posted by: AshleyH To be fair to Marklin, and I say this as an owner of a crumbled 37521 Seetal Croc and several US Boxcars that are ticking time bombs, most major manufacturers were caught out by this problem in the early 2000s. All companies that tried "Made in China" back then. It seems they all forgot to specify material purity and penalties in their contracts back then.
		Regards Tom --- "In all of the gauges, we particularly emphasize a high level of quality, the best possible fidelity to the prototype, and absolute precision. You will see that in all of our products." (from Märklin New Items Brochure 2015, page 1) ROFLBTCUTS
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NewComix		#18 Posted : 01 March 2023 20:36:02(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 17/07/2006(UTC) Posts: 95 Location: Harsefeld, Niedersachsen		Hi, to be fair: for a certain period Märklin replaced the zinc pest Trostberg Köf for free. You just had to send it back to Märklin and got a new one with a new decoder. But this more than a decade ago. What you can do with an existing zinc pest one: throw it to the bin. Sooner or later it will anyhow ‚destroy‘ itself. kind regards Jörg
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thing fish		#19 Posted : 01 March 2023 20:37:55(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 25/01/2020(UTC) Posts: 207 Location: istanbul		Originally Posted by: NewComix thow it to the bin. Sooner or later it will anyhow ‚destroy‘ itself. Unfortunately our dough doesn't come that cheap ... C.
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marklinist5999		#20 Posted : 02 March 2023 00:21:04(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 10/02/2021(UTC) Posts: 4,062 Location: Michigan, Troy		It wasn't until about 2017 that my Trostberg Koff showed any sign of pest. I bought it in new in about 03 or 04. It had been boxed in my storage drawer for some time. At least Marklin did replace the ones affected within a certain time period.
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HO Collector		#21 Posted : 06 March 2023 16:18:22(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 21/02/2016(UTC) Posts: 225 Location: Just north of London		There is a Facebook group called (if remember correctly) Marklin ho/oo 1937-1984. The guys on there rebuild any old stuff to as new condition. One has a zinc posted model that he rebuilt by using banna paper from the Carrabian that he collects at his supermarket . See if someone will be happy to take yours as a project.
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thing fish		#22 Posted : 06 March 2023 16:26:48(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 25/01/2020(UTC) Posts: 207 Location: istanbul		Wow ... thanks for the info. Will certainly try to find the group.
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marklinist5999		#23 Posted : 06 March 2023 21:16:42(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 10/02/2021(UTC) Posts: 4,062 Location: Michigan, Troy		Banana paper? It's used to make wallets, etc., and pliable items. It looks mto resemble cork.
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5HorizonsRR		#24 Posted : 13 November 2025 18:30:19(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 05/12/2004(UTC) Posts: 3,037 Location: CA, USA		Hi all- is there a list of Kof model susceptible to the zinc pest? Or a cutoff date I wouldn't need to worry? I'm looking at buying one and didn't know how to tell if its a potential concern. (the loco is fine now, but I don't want any future issues)
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mvd71		#25 Posted : 13 November 2025 18:57:14(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 09/08/2008(UTC) Posts: 1,970 Location: Auckland,		The Kof loco also has issues with the plastic gears cracking. I’ve had to repair a couple for a friend. I would suggest not buying one at all, saves disappointment
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H0		#26 Posted : 13 November 2025 19:05:25(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 16/02/2004(UTC) Posts: 15,524 Location: DE-NW		Originally Posted by: 5HorizonsRR Hi all- is there a list of Kof model susceptible to the zinc pest? I know two affected Köf II: The Trostberg-Köf and a PostMuseum-Shop-Köf. I haven't heard of zincpest with Köf III or Köf IV from Märklin.
		Regards Tom --- "In all of the gauges, we particularly emphasize a high level of quality, the best possible fidelity to the prototype, and absolute precision. You will see that in all of our products." (from Märklin New Items Brochure 2015, page 1) ROFLBTCUTS
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marklinist5999		#27 Posted : 13 November 2025 19:06:52(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 10/02/2021(UTC) Posts: 4,062 Location: Michigan, Troy		Yes, my 36805 Trostberg has pest. So I would avoid the 36800 series from the 90's.
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5HorizonsRR		#28 Posted : 13 November 2025 19:15:40(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 05/12/2004(UTC) Posts: 3,037 Location: CA, USA		Thanks all, this is a good start! (my 36805 crumbled as well sadly...) As I recall, there were a few early models susceptible, but I don't know which beyond the now infamous 36805 green machine
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5HorizonsRR		#29 Posted : 13 November 2025 19:23:45(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 05/12/2004(UTC) Posts: 3,037 Location: CA, USA		Originally Posted by: mvd71 The Kof loco also has issues with the plastic gears cracking. I’ve had to repair a couple for a friend. I would suggest not buying one at all, saves disappointment I forgot about that- it happened to my SOB "Mandrilini" years ago. Thankfully an easy swap though
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mike c		#30 Posted : 13 November 2025 23:20:40(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 28/11/2007(UTC) Posts: 8,312 Location: Montreal, QC		First thing I would do is to put on a mask. You can never be too careful when you are Köf-fing AFAIR that was a model made for Maerklin by Brawa. I wonder if you can get a replacement chassis from them? Regards Mike C
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GlennM		#31 Posted : 14 November 2025 06:02:18(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 09/05/2011(UTC) Posts: 3,015 Location: Somewhere, But Nowhere Near Manchester, England		Originally Posted by: marklinist5999 It wasn't until about 2017 that my Trostberg Koff showed any sign of pest. I bought it in new in about 03 or 04. It had been boxed in my storage drawer for some time. At least Marklin did replace the ones affected within a certain time period. I have one of the Marklin replaced Trostberg Kof, and so far no zink pest on the replaced version. By the way I though there was a list on the Forum of all the models affected by zincpest as a lot has been written on the subject?
		Don't look back, your not heading that way.
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PJMärklin		#32 Posted : 14 November 2025 09:58:32(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 04/12/2013(UTC) Posts: 2,291 Location: Hobart, Australia		Originally Posted by: mike c First thing I would do is to put on a mask. You can never be too careful when you are Köf-fing ...
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H0		#33 Posted : 14 November 2025 10:25:36(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 16/02/2004(UTC) Posts: 15,524 Location: DE-NW		Originally Posted by: mike c AFAIR that was a model made for Maerklin by Brawa. Nope, that was the old 3680.
		Regards Tom --- "In all of the gauges, we particularly emphasize a high level of quality, the best possible fidelity to the prototype, and absolute precision. You will see that in all of our products." (from Märklin New Items Brochure 2015, page 1) ROFLBTCUTS
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marklinist5999		#34 Posted : 14 November 2025 14:19:33(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 10/02/2021(UTC) Posts: 4,062 Location: Michigan, Troy		Right Tom HO! Kingsbridge Capital owned Marklin when the 36800 series were made.
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HO Collector		#35 Posted : 15 November 2025 11:41:13(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 21/02/2016(UTC) Posts: 225 Location: Just north of London		Originally Posted by: rhfil Since zincpest is the result of oxidation wouldn't spraying the chassis with a clear lacquer seal the metal and prevent further oxidation? Oxidation is a secondary reason. The major reason is impurity of the zink alloy when it was prepared prior to go in the mouldings .
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