That's a very good point, Tom.

Why did Marklin continue with 3 rail? I suspect it's because they were doing very well with it and didn't wan't to rock the boat. They always had one foot in the H0 2 rail market, intitially with the Hamo range and then afterwards when they bought out Trix. I suspect they have always kept an eye on how those models are selling compared to the 3 rail versions as an indicator of the popularity of the 3 rail system.

I'm a little slow in the news department but I just learnt that the Fleischmann HO 2 rail is going the way of the Dinosaurs starting in 2019.

Now would be a good time to buy a Marklin coffee mug and ponder the future.

I say it looks good for Marklin, c’est bon, n’est-ce pas ?

I don't see the point in straight analogue. I don't think it would make anything cheaper. The price of a decoder is not much these days. My guess would be that only a very few new customers would be interested in analogue today. If anything, Märklin could offer models without sound and make them cheaper that way.

What I need from Märklin is more simplicity in the product line. The mess with two CS3's, link modules that has several names (some times it is called S88 LINK, L88 etc) and a generally bad level of documentation of the digital products. It does not help anybody.

I also need them to stop with the cheap 3-pole motor and pick a good 5-pole motor design. That way they can end the "motor lottery" that many customers complain about. That would be something.

I need to feel secure that the models I buy from Märklin runs well. Currently it is a lottery. I never worry about a Roco model. Only a very few of my models from Roco has had any problems.

That being said, later models from Märklin (within 2016, 2017) has been running well. So maybe they are doing something. If that is the case: Let people know! Enlighten us!


Running 2 rail and 3 rail on the same track is doable, but definitely not for the majority of customers. I always advise people to just pick a system and go with it. If your friends run 3-rail, pick 3-rail, if they run 2-rail go with that.

Märklin has a perfectly good track in the C-track, and it can be used for 2-rail as well using the Trix C-track.

If you want to run both 2-rail and 3-rail, create a loop with the Trix C-track and make exchange points for waggons. But you have to remember to change all AC axles on your wagons to DC axles. At the end of the day, I don't think it is worth the cost. Pick a system and stay with it.

I would agree with this, Marklin was steadily replacing the mechanical reverse mechanism with delta decoders because it is cheaper to produce the decoder than it is to produce the reversing unit.

Then using a DC motor instead of having to wind a field coil makes it even cheaper.

But the trend to can type motors worries me, as each model ends up with a different motor with different shaft lengths. This leads down the path of irrepairableness as spares are used up.

While the basic motor may well be a standard item they seem to be bulk supplied to the MRR manufacturer with a non-standard shaft length and gear or worm to the MRR manufacturers requirements. The result is a bespoke item that has a fixed production run and no part number (or at best an OEM part number specific to the MRR manufacturers drawing) that makes it impossible to order a spare once the MRR manufacturers spares have run out.