Hi all,

A fellow collector has asked for my opinion on an unusual coach which he has acquired. It's a 346/4 Baggage car with the tail lights mounted through the roof.

There is no information that this variation was ever produced by Märklin and there are only two options

1: It's a very rare variation (unlikely as it is not known in Koll's or any other reference), or...

2: A previous owner has taken a 346/4 body, and transplanted it onto a 346/1BS chassis.

A transplant would be required because there is a mounting pin pressed into the chassis to secure the tail light assy and this would be difficult to replicate.

There is no suggestion that this item has been sold or passed off as a rare version, it's more a curio than anything which I was happy to assist in checking.

He has sent me the wagon for closer inspection and it seems evident that all the body/chassis tabs have been disturbed.

For one thing, there are obvious scratches around most of them - it's tricky work indeed prising these tabs up without damage - I know because I have done it previously on an old wagon to repaint it. Secondly, the paint is chipped where the tab is folded - other similar wagons I have are not chipped in this manner, except for the one that I disassembled some years back.

I guess when first assembled the paint was still relatively 'soft' and less likely to crack whereas after 30/40 years or more, the stress of straightening the tab, and then refolding it would be more than the paint could stand. In fact I'd suspect that a further attempt to work with these tabs would simply see them snap off through metal fatigue.

But, all that aside, it's kind of a cool wagon, particularly for those perhaps more used to non-European railways where the baggage car (Caboose) is almost always at the rear of the train. European trains of course and certainly the consists as shown in the early catalogues have the Baggage car right behind the Loco so there would be no need for tail lights.

Here are some pics of the wagon, the scratches and the lighting unit for those who have not seen one 'in the flesh'.

If by any chance this is not the only example, and the scratches are coincidental, let's have references to others.

Regards

Steve
NZ

Yes, I think that's right.

The coach with tail lights is the 346/1 BS (later numbered 4007), and it was made from 1951 to 1957 with various colour changes. This roof has ventilators modelled in it along its length.

The baggage car is 346/4 (later 4012), and that had a smooth roof with no ventilators, but with a raised cupola.

So this is a 346/4 coach with a 346/1 BS roof.

Whether the coach body has been disassembled is a separate issue!

Nigel

Steve I was just looking at ebay and guess what?

http://www.ebay.com.au/i...&hash=item2c6dc93e28

Regards....Chook

Hi Mike & Chook, yes that's the coach we would expect to see, the 346/1 BS which is documented, unlike the 346/4 hybrid example that I have displayed.

The other anomoly of course is the incorrect roof - if Märklin had produced this, I'd still expect it to have the baggage car roof with the ventilator.

As for the lighting, well the catalogue does indicate interior AND tail lighting so yes, I think two shoes would be required - who cares about the drag, in those days they were being hauled by one of the bigger 800 series loco with heaps of grunt - piece of cake.

Cheers

Steve