After 35 years away from having a Marklin layout, I finally have started to build a new one. My nice unused mid 80s digital equipment is obsolete and I am in the process of buying newer obsolete equipment on eBay and other places. Unfortunately this leads to no manuals, instruction sheets and the like.

I find it astonishing how hard it is to find manuals and instruction sheets for a lot of the equipment that I am buying. I have been very fortunate so far and have been able to get some of the missing manuals through support from members of this site, but others so far are not to be found.

Google searches usually lead me to Dutch or Portuguese versions that are available for download, but rarely English or German. Why is that?

The most common Google result leads me to this forum where others have had the same problem, members have responded, links have been provided, the links have been deactivated, files are sent privately, and on and on it goes. I can only assume that this has something to do with copyright.

However, since neither the German Service or Technical Resource websites have a large library of older manuals or instruction sheets, why is it not possible to have a database of what members in this forum actually have? In another topic on this forum I read that this was tried and that someone attempted to sell the information on eBay. Unfortunate if that happened and that ruined it for the rest of us.

I certainly think it would be beneficial if somehow we could have such a database and wouldn't have to look over and over again as to where might I be able to get a copy of the manual for XYZ!

Peter

Hi Peter, your point is valid and you possibly saw that I started a very similar topic just earlier today.

One problem with such a list is not only the time to compile it, but how to describe some items. Easy when it's something like a 6021 User manual, but other items not so easy. I have catalogued most of my library and it's a mission to keep up to date. And compared to some, mine is pretty small. Around 200 actual printed items, plus probably at least half that much again in scanned electronic form, and that's just the Marklin stuff. Don't start me on Faller and other brands. Yikes.

But, it's been my experience here that one need only ask and whatever they want is usually provided one way or another. Dave has already made the point that newer members can be like a sponge, they'll take everything they can get, and initially have little to offer in return. Not all of us have scanners, and even those that do often struggle with how to do a decent scan, choose the best output format, set compression correctly to balance quality vs file size, and even little things like scanning straight, or missing a page.

I have an old (like 15 years plus) but reasonably fast Canon SCSI flat-bed scanner, but it's only A4. Even then it takes on average 45-60 seconds per single page at 150dpi from the time I place the item on the glass to when the document is transferred to the PC. My much newer HP Scanner upstairs has a document feeder, and is supposed to convert to pdf automatically. It's USB attached, and is as slow as a wet week of Sundays, AND the output is inconsistent. I gave up on that one.

If you have a stapled catalogue or booklet for example, trying to sit them flat on the scanner is just a pain in the proverbial. I have taken to actually unstapling those items because it's quicker and more reliable. Smaller paperback style booklets with glued spines are probably the worst because they are hard to get to lie flat without risking damage and once the spine is cracked it's often not long before they start falling apart.

So as Dave (bigdaddy) has pointed out, it can take HOURS to scan even a relatively small amount. He and I have both done quite a bit, and I know other members probably have also. The worst thing is scanning something, knowing that somewhere, someone has probably already done it, but who's got the better version?

As I said above, I don't think anyone here has ever asked for something and not had it provided, but you do run the risk of information overload. If there is something specific you want, either relating to an item, or an area of Marklin technology then just ask, someone will be able to help.

What are you still looking for that has been eluding you?

Cheers

Steve
NZ