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Question Repairs - Repair of Z Scale Locomotive
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Offline Geoff Eckold  
#1 Posted : 20 January 2026 16:08:45(UTC)
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Geoff Eckold


Joined: 13/01/2026(UTC)
Posts: 1
Hi

I have been running on my z scale layout and one of my locomotives came to an abrupt stop. No amount of encouragement would get it to spring into life. On picking it up I noticed that it was rather warm so I fear the worst. Most of my engines are era 1, but this one is the track cleaning car 8802.

Does anyone know of a dealer/outlet who can undertake z scale loco repairs? Ideally based in the UK. I see that Marklin themselves appear to offer a service but this is problematical as dealing with European suppliers has become difficult since Brexit.

I hope you can help

Many thanks
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Offline Poor Skeleton  
#2 Posted : 20 January 2026 20:31:03(UTC)
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Poor Skeleton

United Kingdom   
Joined: 09/10/2015(UTC)
Posts: 604
Location: England, Cambridge
Originally Posted by: Geoff Eckold Go to Quoted Post

Does anyone know of a dealer/outlet who can undertake z scale loco repairs? Ideally based in the UK. I see that Marklin themselves appear to offer a service but this is problematical as dealing with European suppliers has become difficult since Brexit.

I hope you can help

Many thanks



I'm not aware of any official service agents in the UK. The real problem is likely to be in obtaining spares, but it is possible that the problem is simply some foreign matter stcuk in the gearing, which would be easily remedied.

The track cleaning car is relatively simple mechanically and my first bit of advice would be to take a look your self and see if you can determine what is wrong. If you don't feel up to that I'd be happy to take a look if you're willing to ship the loco to me. At the very least, I'd expect to be able to determine what the cause of the problem is which might guide your descision as to whether you want to return it to Marklin for repair.

On the subject of doing that, I have found their repair service to be good - they have access to spares that are not available elsewhere - if not particularly fast or inexpensive.

I hope that's of some help, good luck!


Chris
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Zme
Offline Zme  
#3 Posted : 20 January 2026 23:05:43(UTC)
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Zme

United States   
Joined: 02/10/2013(UTC)
Posts: 901
Location: West Texas
Hello, hope all is well. Welcome to the forum.

I agree, this is a simpler loco to work on. Sometimes, parts are available in the secondary market, such as eBay if you want to try diagnostics yourself.

I purchased a loco a while back and the previous owner had run it until there were no “coals” (brushes)left. The rattling sound was a mystery, and this one stopped abruptly just as you describe. When I opened it, it was obvious the brushes needed replacing. The cleaner railbus is very noisy , perhaps masking other sounds. The owner manual below shows the part number for the brushes and how to replace them.

Here is a link to the users manual:

https://static.maerklin....051b7322c61434542599.pdf

I believe I have a parts diagram should you like to DIY this, let me know and I can post it here also. Sometimes a cleaning makes a difference too.

Take good care. Best wishes.

Zme
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Offline kiwiAlan  
#4 Posted : 21 January 2026 00:52:15(UTC)
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kiwiAlan

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Joined: 23/07/2014(UTC)
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Location: ENGLAND, Didcot
Originally Posted by: Poor Skeleton Go to Quoted Post

I'm not aware of any official service agents in the UK. The real problem is likely to be in obtaining spares,


The official service agents will be Gaugemaster, and they should also be able to supply spares.

From your description of the fault I wonder if it just needs a new pair of brushes. My memories of the Z gauge items of this vintage is that the brushes are readily replaced.
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Zme
Offline Chas  
#5 Posted : 21 January 2026 08:57:51(UTC)
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Chas

United Kingdom   
Joined: 08/01/2023(UTC)
Posts: 55
Location: England, Pevensey
Check http://www.zscale.org/articles/revival.html

This might get you close, the track cleaners need to be fettled as they pick up dirt on the pick-ups

Chas

There is an excellent reply on this forum from Dwight check out
Marklin 8802 (Z gauge) - newbie looking for help - New to Z gauge, need some help with repairing a train
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Zme
Offline Poor Skeleton  
#6 Posted : 21 January 2026 20:28:26(UTC)
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Poor Skeleton

United Kingdom   
Joined: 09/10/2015(UTC)
Posts: 604
Location: England, Cambridge
Originally Posted by: kiwiAlan Go to Quoted Post

From your description of the fault I wonder if it just needs a new pair of brushes. My memories of the Z gauge items of this vintage is that the brushes are readily replaced.



I was wondering the same, although I think brushes for vintage motors are hard to come by these days. Nevertheless, worth dismatling and taking a look. Knowing what spare parts are required would be a great start in getting this loco back on the rails.

Cheers


Chris

Edited by moderator 22 January 2026 07:55:49(UTC)  | Reason: Removed additional quote source
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Zme
Offline husafreak  
#7 Posted : 22 January 2026 05:07:55(UTC)
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husafreak

United States   
Joined: 09/04/2019(UTC)
Posts: 569
Location: California, Bay Area
I feel that of all the model train scales Z is the most demanding in the requirement of hands on maintenance. The locos are small and lack power so it does not take much to stop them. Also for this reason a lot of Z scale locos sold on the used market are also not running. The maintenance is not demanding except for the small sizes involved. I would caution anyone getting into Z scale that simple maintenance should be considered a requirement.
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