Hello. I am new to Märklin and when i was on vacation i bought the startset 29166. Today i got the startset 29060 that came with a mobile station to expand my railroad and the 29166 engine didn't come up on the mobile station. I think it is because it's a fx train instead of a mfx. Is it possible to have two power sources on the layout so i can run both trains but with different controlers? It would be really nice if i could use both controllers so i can have one passanger train and one cargo train. Thanks.

29166 does appear on the MS2 database correctly as a BR74 lok. You are correct it is an FX decoder so you will have to find it on the database to register it manually and then check the address of the four possible settings and match this to the MS2. It wont take many moments to do this

Hi Tom,

of course you do not find this information in Maerklin' s manuals. It is Märklin. I detected, the quickest and easiest way finding a decoder type of a loco, is looking into Maerklin's database.

https://www.maerklin.de/...s/details/article/29166/
Steamer

https://www.maerklin.de/...s/details/article/29060/
Diesel

Scroll down to the section "Features" and you see the type of decoder. By this database your steamer has a fx decoder and your Diesel has a mfx decoder.

The fx decoder (often also from Maerklin indicated as MM or MM1 decoder) you may not find in the given database into Maerklin's controller CS and MS loco databse. Then you have to enter the data manually into your MS 2.

By the way the MS 2 60653 and MS 2 60657 are technically identical. They only differ in their colours.

The mfx decoder is much easier to handle, because that is its basic idea. If the loco or coach with an mfx decoder inside is listed and will be found automatically by the controller (Exception is only for totally brand new mfx articles). This is the basic idea of mfx. But wait, it may last a certain time till the loco is reacting and registering the loco at your MS 2.

The manual for a MS 2 you find here (if not attached to your start-up package)

https://www.maerklin.de/...s/details/article/60657/

under the menu item “Manuals”. If you only find the manual in German language, please try it with the manual of the MS 2 with article # 60653.

In this manual you find the paragraph “Entering a Locomotive Manually” for registering a loco with an fx decoder.

If you may do not hesitate to use german oublications than try it here with Maerklin:

https://www.maerklin.de/...fragen/maerklin-digital/

Under the headings you find various tips (but unfortunately all of them in German) and information.
E.g. Tip 307 you find behind the question "Wie funktioniert die interne Lokliste in der Mobile Station 60653?" more information about the internal loco databse in your MS 2.

Regards

TEEWolf

My advice is to have a good "play" with the MS2 and discover what every menu option does.

When I got my first one it came with a manual, but the instructions did not match what it actually did because the software had been updated to the latest version.

Later I got a further software update and the menus now have even more and different options.

Do what the kids do in today's world. Throw away the manual and just experiment with the device!

I'm glad it helped you. Be aware though that software updates can completely change what the MS2 does and how it does it.