Next up is a Märklin bestseller.



The Märklin 3000.5.

What can I say about it? Well, it was part of the gift, it's been used extensively and it still functions. For some reason, it needs massive voltage to run (but it doesn't get hot at all and all the wheels and gears are freely moving)) and it "wobbles" a bit due to play around the axles (as with the 3029.2 in the starter set). It has its own sweet little box and it must have done hundreds and hundreds of miles. It's retired now.

Edited by user 25 January 2010 10:53:42(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

lovely to see these classic trains. keep them coming
regards

It's amazing how much abuse some models have been subjected to in their lifetimes, and yet keep running...

Thanks for posting the stories and pictures behind your start .

Very nice Oscar, thanks.

Alrighty, day #2 . I decided to alternate the locomotives with coaches and freight cars, to prevent having a locomotive-only start and then a non-locomotive ending. In addition, I love coaches and freight cars as much as locomotives!

So today I'll start with the lowest catalogue number for coaches, which is the 4000 (I will treat the 346 series, which are my oldest coaches, by their 40xx number).



As you can see, the roof of my 4000 isn't exactly in great shape. It's been on lay-outs all its life, and I still use it regularly. There are tons of these models around so they're not very collectible. But I like them nonetheless: fully metal and with a "Nebenbahn"-vibe that's just great. For the version buffs: it's a 4000.5.

Two other, somewhat related models are the 4002 and 4003.





There was a beat-up, broken 4002 in the gift from my uncle. I liked the model so much that I collected two of them and a 4003 that were in good shape. I bought them on Ebay (as I did with most of my models) and upon arrival the 4003 turned out to be a 4041, which is the version with taillights. They're very nice models, actually. You can put lighting in them and it will look incredibly nostalgic. Version buffs: it's a 4002.6 and a 4041.5.

Lesson learned the hard way: when you put a slider underneath these coaches for interior lighting, then first remove the spring that aligns the couplings!!! If you don't, as I didn't, current will pass through the spring and it will burn up like a piece of paper. Great fireworks underneath the coach, though. If anybody has some spare springs lying around.... I may need some [V] .

Last but not least for today, the wonderful 4004 and 4005.



I bought these on Ebay in a single lot. Upon arrival, they turned out to be flawless. They look stunning when put on display with (say) a 3098 P8 steamer in front of it. With interior lighting, they're irresistible. They don't seem to like tight curves all that much, due to the extra wheel in the middle. Even on C-track they sometimes derail. But I love 'em! Versions: 4004.8 and 4005.8.

Tomorrow I'll do the 3003, 3005 and 3016.

Edited by user 25 January 2010 10:54:23(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Oscar...these are really nice...thanks for sharing!

Very good, Oscar.

Very nice, Oscar.

Thanks fro the photos.

Thank you very much for the nice photos.

Many thanks, Oscar - I like your idea with the "Illustrated Diary" [:p]

I've toyed with that idea a number of times, but the puritanic collector in me says that the models need to be original.

Right, installment #4. To keep it varied, we're back to coaches today. Next up are the 4006, 4010 and 4012 coaches, who are better known by their "old" name: the 346 series "Schürzenwagen". For me, these coaches are a bit left-field because (a) not all of them have boxes and I tend to collect only stuff that still has its original box and (b) they're too old, as I only collect stuff that comes in a box with a drawing on it. But I still bought three Schürzenwagen, simply because I love the way they look.



This is the usual 4006 or 346/1 coach. It's a lovely green with yellow lettering. I bought it on Ebay once for about 20 euros. It's used and has a lot of minor and not-so-minor scratches, but it has tons of character. When it comes to coaches, I love to watch for the lettering and the small details:



Ain't it grand [:p] ? I'd love to have 3 or 4 of those, plus the sleeper car and the baggage car, and run them on a large lay-out. But alas, I'm limiting myself to one of each. Version buffs: it's a 4006.2.

Next is the 4010 or 346/3 sleeper car. This one still has its original box, and I cherish it.



It's in decent condition, not nearly as good as some of my 4027's for example, but still decent when you take the age of these things into account. The colours that Märklin used are fantastic, they're very warm and radiant.



Version buffs: it's a 4010.3.

Last up for today is the 4012 or 346/4 baggage car. This is another lesson-learned-the-hard-way.

Lesson-learned-the-hard-way #2: if something looks to good to be true, then it usually is.



This was one of the first coaches I ever collected myself, shortly after I was given the collection that started me off. It was on Ebay and it was priced very low. The picture in the auction was small and did not show a lot of detail. I put a bid on it of 19,99 and won it. Upon arrival, I had spent another 15 euros on postage and shipping and now I was the not-so-proud owner of a piece of junk. The roof has been crudely re-painted with gray paint, the sides are very rusty and there are Schlieren all over. I kept it as a constant reminder to be alert when you buy stuff on the web. I do intend to have it professionally restored one day, if the cost of that is not too extravagant. Version buffs: it's a 4012.3.

That's it for today. Tomorrow I've got some big locomotives coming up: the legendary 3021 V200 and two freight monsters, i.e. the 3022 E94 and the recently acquired 3027 BR44.

Edited by user 25 January 2010 10:55:45(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

I love your pictures, Oscar, thanks! You take me back to a mis-spent youth when I was stationed in France and Germany between 1960-3 and NEVER bought a single Maerklin item! I did make it to Goeppingen and the Maerklin museum in 1960, though. The rest of the time I was bedding dames and getting drunk up in Eindhoven, Holland, on weekends, with a few French girls in between. To make up for all this fol-de-rol, I seriously began to collect Maerklin after hitting the land of round doorknobs again in 1963 and finding all the Maerklin stuff my Dad had bought for us kids between 1947-51.

After seeing your lovely pictures, I pulled out my green CM800 and the 3000.1. Both are still in fine condition (no "Zinkpest" on the chasses). Next, I found a lighted 4002/329 coach and had a look at the bottom of the lighted 4002. The coupler spring was there, and nothing was burned. I had to scratch my head at that one because of the problem you reported. From what I can see, the spring on your car should not have fried unless there was another problem. I have a few of these 3/8" long springs (not counting the end loops) that you're welcome to. Contact me any way possible to you and they are yours.

Keep those photos coming - my 2004 Koll's is getting outdated. It doesn't show all the variants of the 4002.

Redd

Alrighty, installment #5. You'll need to be patient after this one, because I'm off on a business trip and won't be back behind my laptop until Sunday or so.

Next up are two fantastic vintage Märklin locomotives. They not at all rare or special. Instead, you could find them on almost every old lay-out and to this day you can get them relatively cheap on Ebay. I'm talking about the 3021 / 3921 V200.



This, of course, is the 3021 (version buffs: it's a 3021.12 so one of the later, mass-produced ones). I bought it unused, brand new, for around 50 euros some years back. It is still unused, what the Germans call Ladenneu. In absolutely perfect shape, great stuff!



This, however, is another matter. This is the 3921, i.e. the building kit of the 3021. Its subversion is 3921.4, which is pretty much identical to the 3021.6. It was produced in 1961 and 1962. This locomotive was part of the original gift from my uncle. It has done so many miles that the flanges of the wheels on the motor bogie are almost completely worn away (I'm currently looking for spares). Therefore the locomotive tends to lose its traction tyres. Other than that, though, it is still a fantastic runner. It takes on any kind of ramp, no matter how steep. It makes very little noise and its motor sounds very smooth, not at all rough. And I've yet to make a train so long that this old, abused workhorse refuses to pull it.

Tip: when buying an old Märklin locomotive, be mindful of locos that might have been sold as a building kit originally, but which are sold to you as a complete, non-building kit loco. Many building kit locos ended up in non-original boxes. You can tell the building kit locos apart from the splint they used to attach the couplings. If you study the two photos above, you can see the shiney ball end of the splint on the 3921 but not on the 3021.

Next up is the 3022 E94, affectionately known as the German Crocodile.



It weighs a ton and as with its 1:1 example, its noses move when the loco goes through a curve. I once saw this particular loco for sale on the internet and made an appointment with the seller to pick it up. When I pressed the doorbell and the guy appeared, all my alarm signals screamed "Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!". The guy was huge, fat, bald-shaven head, tattoos all over, his arms as big as my legs, his car was a pimped up big Mercedes with shaded windows, etc etc. He looked as if he walked right out of an episode of Miami Vice. He turned out to be a rough-but-nice guy. Somehow he seems to fit this locomotive....

Anyway, the 3022 is a great model. It runs fantastically and is very, very strong. A must-have. Version buffs: it is a 3022.3.

Last but not least (for today), my recently acquired and very rare 3027 BR44.



As you can read in another discussion in Collector's Corner, I bought it last week from a seasoned collector/trader. At first, it looks like a normal 3027, i.e. beautiful, rugged, strong, fantastic.



It appears to be a 3027.3 and comes in a matching 1959 box. These boxes did not yet have styrofoam inside, but stiff carton where the loco fitted into tightly. When I came home, I put the locomotive on display. When doing so, I noticed the number on its tender:



I immediately checked the other letterings on the tender. Sure enough, on the left side it said "3027" and on the right side it said "Märklin". Phew - this a 3027.4 with a wrong tender number ( "falsche Tenderaufschrift"). Made only during a brief period in 1959. It's precise worth is anyone's guess - there aren't enough of them around to calculate an average price. As fate will have it, there's one of them on Ebay right now that will end on Friday January 16 2009. We'll see how much it fetches. As for mine, I'll never part with it. As a collector, finding this stuff is the greatest thrill. I don't care about the money I might fetch with it - it's a unique piece and it'll stay right where it is now: on proud display! I've already run it a little bit. Its motor needed some lubrication, but the brushes and all technical parts are in great condition. It runs fantastic and the Telex functions exactly as intended. In short, a great piece.

That's it for now. I'll be gone for a few days.

Edited by user 25 January 2010 10:57:20(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Stunning pictures, Oscar

You got a very nice collection of vintage Märklin. I can really understand why you want to document your collection. I'm a doing it myself, but that is mostly because, I think it is funny to take pictures of my trains

Can't wait to see more!

Thor

Hi Oscar
Nice collection indeed.
Yes on the 4035, there is a small metal plate missing between the roof and the pantograph.
No biggie, you could easliy make one.
If you need a picture and dimensions I'll take pictures of mine so you can reproduce it.
I do like these SBB coaches a lot myself, they were sort of my "Holy Grail" when I was a kid in the 50's...
In the meantime there is a long string of them behind my beloved RE 800...

Oscar, Thank you for sharing. Very nice collection.

Thanks for taking the time to share all these beautiful photos!

Nice collection, Oscar.

Very nice locos and waggons Oscar!

/Torbjörn

lovely pics, Oscar. You have a great collection of these old coaches.

I have quite a few of the 24cm coaches, but most of mine are the later ones with plastic windows. None of mine show the problems you mention though, and I'm very happy with them.

I also have a 4024 like yours, though it's not in such a good condition. The roof is a bit battered, and the cellon on one side is loose. I need to glue that back in, but not sure what glue to use. When I run it in a train, I borrow the roof from another coach in better condition.

Ray

... (one never can know)

Have you thought/Would it be possible to put bushes in the axle holes? If the hole is quite big and the axle shafts are OK, you might be able to do it.

Just a thought, as it would be fantastice to see this running again!

Pete

<font face="Verdana][size=2]Yep, I had a good look at that option. Problem is, the worn axle holes are now a-symmetric in shape: they're worn more on the outside than on the inside. The solution would be to fill up the axle holes completely, with polyester for example, then drill new holes, then put bushes in the holes, then put the axles through the bushes. I don't have the machinery to make those bushings, nor am I capable of drilling 3 axle holes at exactly the right place and exactly perpendicular to the locomotive frame. If you're off by half a millemetre, there will be problems. I guess the best thing do to is buy another frame and use that, but I am reluctant to create "mosaic locos". At least now it is totally original.

Alrighty, time for some more coaches . First up is the 4029 sleeper car. This is a very attractive model, I think.



It's got a very nice, deep purple/blue colour that you can drown in . Mine happens to be in very good shape and the details are lovely.



They don't make 'em like that anymore. It's a first-version 4029.1.

Next is a somewhat rare Swedish duo, the 4030/4031. It took me a while to find the right compromise between condition and price for these models, I'd say at least three years. I've lost count of how many times I places bids on 4030's and 4031's on Ebay and lost. Eventually I stumbled onto a pair of them and managed to win it.





I love these two coaches! They have a warmth and character to them that only metal can give you. They've been played, and it shows, but they're complete, original and intact. Just some minor scratching here and there - I can live with that. The details are just wonderful:





Both are first version, i.e. .1's. I'm still trying to find the much older 4020/4021 Swedish coaches, but those sell for very high prices. It will take me quite a few years more to hunt those down for an acceptable price. But the chase is better than the catch, isn't it?

I'll finish off for today with my favorite coach by far. From my perspective, this is an absolute masterpiece. Märklin really nailed it on this model. It's the 4043 Silberlinge.



I'm going to show a lot more detail of this wonderful coach, because it deservers it.







The Silberlinge are regarded as run-of-the-mill models, but I disagree. This 4043.1 is magical and Märklin really did a fantastic job with it.

Next time it's back to locomotives - there are three big, heavy, metal ones coming up: the 3048, 3050 and 3051.

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Thank you again for the nice presentation of these great classics.

Great pics
You gotta love those 1200's. just the fact that some are still in service 50 years on shows how great they are.
Keep it up!