HI to everyone,

I am sorry for stupid question but i am new to this hobby :)

I have bought a starter set for a gift:
Marklin "Era III Freight Service" Digital Starter Set. 230 Volts (29721) and also separately ordered:

1 20997 Märklin Märklin Start up - Entkupplungsgleis
2 72752 Märklin Weichenstellpult für
3 74492 Märklin Weichenantrieb C-Gleis

I just wanted to arrange electric turnouts and uncoupling. Everything was received but after reading more i understood that there should be also some transformer or something like this to make this stuff working. So now i do not know what to do :)

Could you please help me are these SET and items ordered enough to ensure electric turnouts and uncoulping? Or i need to order something more?

It should be very easy but it is hard to understand :)

Thank you in advance!
Serge

Hi!
It's very simple: the 20997, 72752, and 74492 are from the Start Up range and use Start Up wires and plugs.
If you had a Start Up starterset, you could simply take the power from the Start Up feeder track.

But since you have a 29721 starter set with an MS2, things would be simpler if you had bought the 24997, 72720, and 74491 for standard plugs.

I'm not sure if there is a really simple solution to connect the items you have.
You can cut off the plug that connects to the feeder track and use a different power source: 16 V AC or track power coming from your MS2.

There are no stupid questions. But sometimes it is better to ask questions before placing an order.

Thank you very much to everyone for answers!

Minok, yes i have exactly this stellpult 72752 to control turnouts and uncouplers. I do not want any extras like controlling from mobile station etc., i just want to make this stuff working as it is a gift. Thank you a lot about clarifications about why these turnout decoders are needed :) i did not understand it and thought that i should buy also it.. Now as i understand it is only needed to control turnouts from the mobile station.

H0, :) of course it would be better if i ask before.. but now everything is bought.. so i need somehow to use these accessories and somehow to make these accessories working :) When i received starter set and these accessories i understood that something is wrong with input plugs :) it will be my experience.. what to do.. actually i did not understand your idea about "You can cut off the plug that connects to the feeder track and use a different power source: 16 V AC or track power coming from your MS2." May be you can explain it a little bit more?

clapcott, a huge thank you for reference materials - now it is a lot more clear for me.
Please correct me if i understood wrong:

As first and simplest (but not the best) option according to Marklin guidelines is to buy 966201 Power supply and 253391 Trackadapter and everything will work.
Then you mention 2 options and your preferable option is to use a standard Marklin Blue transformer (could you please mention code of this transformer to find it). And then i should connect to the power supply (this transformer) the Orange and Black wires according to your explanations (to cut off one end etc.) Is it more or less right? Or i misunderstood it :) It is hard to understand all these details at the beginning.

Online shop where i bought all these accessories advised me to buy Viessmann 5200 transformer to make these accessories working. What do you think about it? Shall these accessories work with this transformer?

A HUGE Thank You one more time for answers and your time!

H0, thank you very much for comments and confirmation about Viessmann 5200 transformer.

As i understand if i use red and brown cables from my MS2 it is possible just to test turnouts and uncouplers but not possible to use simultaneously train and accessories (turnouts and uncouplers)?

As well i am a little bit confused with all these cables and colors.. my stellpult 72752 for energy supply uses plug with 4 wires, but MS2 has only two wires :) so my logic cannot understand what to do :) i would be grateful if you can comment on it.

H0, thanks a LOT for an option without need to buy anything extra :) So as i understand i just connect original red and brown wires (MS2) to C Track for train operation and connect to the same wires black and orange wire which are coming out from stellpult as power supply.

But for future as i understand much safer will be using separate transformer (Viessmann 5200) for my accessories. Sorry, but here i have one more stupid question :) According to picture Viessmann 5200 has yellow, red and brown contacts. I just cannot understand where to put black wire in that case. Maybe there is some reference material by Marlin about these wires and colors?

Hello Serge,

sorry, no stupid questions, only the standard Maerklin confusion. Sometimes I still get confused by Maerklin's business strategy, which is not easy to understand.

Indeed, you must have been confused by the articles you bought.

First of all you have to be aware that Maerklin has 3 major lines.

1. my world - forget it quickly again, it is only for the younger kids and can only be operated with batteries and not with regular AC.

2. start-up system - that is for the younger people to start and get used to high prices.

3. Maerklin standard classic H0, called now by Maerklin "Maerklin digital", because Maerklin renamed his digital standard world several times. This confuses, if you read something about digital of prior years.

You bought a starter package from “Maerklin digital”. But the other articles you bought in addition are from the Maerklin “start-up system”.

Both are digital and you can use both and you did not waste money. The only point is: which article fits to which system and how do they have to be connected. There are big differences, as you realized already by yourself.

The 2 major differences between "Maerklin start-up system" and "Maerklin digital system" is
first – of course - the price
and
second, the decoders and controllers, which has a massive influence of using your MRR. For the start-up system you have always to use cables. With “Maerklin digital” you can use one of the biggest advantages of the digital system. Built up and use a MRR without any cabling. This you achieve with built in decoders in the turnouts, etc.

As you see in the start-up catalogue, mostly a small box without any cables is shown as a controller. Whereas in your starter package you got a MS 2 with a track box. Only the high class start-up starter packages does also include a MS 2 controller. This shows you, that both systems are compatible.

There you bought additional articles from the start-up system, use it and include it into your standard digital system. @clapcott set in his post #4 a very helpful link to the start-up catalogue and referred to page # 64. So connect your turnouts and coupler as shown on page # 64 and explained in other posts, then it will run.

When it runs, come back and get more information about the differences between the start-up and digital system with their different world of decoders in locomotives, coaches, tracks, signals, etc. This is another world, but very interesting, fascinating and challenging.

regards

Wolfgang

Yeah, the marketing can be a bit unclear. A start set/package is intended to have everything you need to get a running system, so it comes with a loco, cars, tracks to make some form of loop at least, and power and controller.

But beyond that there are really 3 levels of product that Märklin produces:
1) battery operated targeted at small children, very robust lacking details
2) 'start up' range targeted at children, more detailed but not fully filligreed/detailed, with connectors so children don't have to fiddle with the wires with screw drivers, soldering, etc. Simple plug and socket.
3) full range targeted at teens and older where the user has full fine motor control to work with the parts, appreciates the detail and can work out the connections with tools if needed.

But as was said, the plug on the decoupler could be removed. An option, if you have it, exchange the start-up line decoupler track with a full-range decoupler track, or clip the connector off and wire it yourself.

The rail crossing with crossing arms, it can operate fully off of the power form the track - it doesn't need a separate power feed.

You should be able to make all of this stuff work with only the power from your start kit trackbox, you really don't need additional power supplies, its just the wiring up of the push button to feed the track power to operate the decoupler track that is the extra work that is needed.