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Offline David Dewar  
#1 Posted : 28 February 2018 16:26:22(UTC)
David Dewar

Scotland   
Joined: 01/02/2004(UTC)
Posts: 7,395
Location: Scotland
First time I have purchased anything made by Piko. I bought two of their coaches ..59638 and 59625 and for the price paid they do appear to be very good value. Detail is fine for me and although the interior is basic with a little paint ,passengers and lighting I have two coaches which represent a worthwhile purchase
Might in the future have a look at their locos although I probably will stay with Marklin for loco purchases.
Take care I like Marklin and will defend the worlds greatest model rail manufacturer.
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Offline RayF  
#2 Posted : 28 February 2018 19:57:41(UTC)
RayF

Gibraltar   
Joined: 14/03/2005(UTC)
Posts: 15,857
Location: Gibraltar, Europe
Hi David,

I have a few Piko coaches and I can confirm they are very good value. If you get any problems running through turnouts the correct profile wheel-sets are readily available and quite cheap.

I would recommend you try out one of the Piko locos. The electrics and diesels in the "Expert" range are better than the the Marklin Hobby type locos and run very well. I have several and I'm happy with them.
Ray
Mostly Marklin.Selection of different eras and European railways
Small C track layout, control by MS2, 100+ trains but run 4-5 at a time.
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Offline David Dewar  
#3 Posted : 28 February 2018 20:42:38(UTC)
David Dewar

Scotland   
Joined: 01/02/2004(UTC)
Posts: 7,395
Location: Scotland
Originally Posted by: RayF Go to Quoted Post
Hi David,

I have a few Piko coaches and I can confirm they are very good value. If you get any problems running through turnouts the correct profile wheel-sets are readily available and quite cheap.

I would recommend you try out one of the Piko locos. The electrics and diesels in the "Expert" range are better than the the Marklin Hobby type locos and run very well. I have several and I'm happy with them.


Hi Ray. Hope all well with you these days.
The dealer changed the wheel sets to A/C but not sure if that is what you mean. Coaches run fine though. Will have a look at their locos and as you say the 'Expert' range.
Take care I like Marklin and will defend the worlds greatest model rail manufacturer.
thanks 1 user liked this useful post by David Dewar
Offline RayF  
#4 Posted : 28 February 2018 21:05:30(UTC)
RayF

Gibraltar   
Joined: 14/03/2005(UTC)
Posts: 15,857
Location: Gibraltar, Europe
Originally Posted by: David Dewar Go to Quoted Post
Originally Posted by: RayF Go to Quoted Post
Hi David,

I have a few Piko coaches and I can confirm they are very good value. If you get any problems running through turnouts the correct profile wheel-sets are readily available and quite cheap.

I would recommend you try out one of the Piko locos. The electrics and diesels in the "Expert" range are better than the the Marklin Hobby type locos and run very well. I have several and I'm happy with them.


Hi Ray. Hope all well with you these days.
The dealer changed the wheel sets to A/C but not sure if that is what you mean. Coaches run fine though. Will have a look at their locos and as you say the 'Expert' range.


Yes I meant the AC wheels. Some wagons will run OK with the DC wheels but you might get problems at turnouts. With the AC wheels they are good runners.

Ray
Mostly Marklin.Selection of different eras and European railways
Small C track layout, control by MS2, 100+ trains but run 4-5 at a time.
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Offline sjbartels  
#5 Posted : 28 February 2018 23:36:07(UTC)
sjbartels

United States   
Joined: 11/08/2015(UTC)
Posts: 1,091
I have a fair amount of Piko, both rolling stock and three locos and have no complaints whatsoever. I would go so far as to say SOME of their tank cars have better detailing than my Marklin ones. I swapped out all of the DC wheels for AC and swapped the couplers as well for Marklin 7203 short couples and have zero issue with them in consists with my Marklin tank cars. I have zero complaints with any of my Piko quite honestly, but as was said before, do swap out the DC wheels because there can be issues at switches with them.
American by Geography, Australian by Birth. I am an original Ameristraylian
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Offline David Dewar  
#6 Posted : 28 February 2018 23:39:44(UTC)
David Dewar

Scotland   
Joined: 01/02/2004(UTC)
Posts: 7,395
Location: Scotland
Originally Posted by: sjbartels Go to Quoted Post
I have a fair amount of Piko, both rolling stock and three locos and have no complaints whatsoever. I would go so far as to say SOME of their tank cars have better detailing than my Marklin ones. I swapped out all of the DC wheels for AC and swapped the couplers as well for Marklin 7203 short couples and have zero issue with them in consists with my Marklin tank cars. I have zero complaints with any of my Piko quite honestly, but as was said before, do swap out the DC wheels because there can be issues at switches with them.


Thank you. Other than Marklin I have mainly bought Brawa and always change the wheel sets if not A/C.
I am happy with the Piko coaches and good to see others are also pleased with the brand.
Take care I like Marklin and will defend the worlds greatest model rail manufacturer.
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Online kimballthurlow  
#7 Posted : 01 March 2018 01:16:18(UTC)
kimballthurlow

Australia   
Joined: 18/03/2007(UTC)
Posts: 6,702
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Hi David,
My Piko wagons have a good solid feel to them, like Marklin.
I prefer Piko to any of the other brands, though Fleischmann comes a close second, because of their broader range.

Kimball
HO Scale - Märklin (ep II-III and VI, C Track, digital) - 2 rail HO (Queensland Australia, UK, USA) - 3 rail OO (English Hornby Dublo) - old clockwork O gauge - Live Steam 90mm (3.1/2 inch) gauge.
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Offline river6109  
#8 Posted : 01 March 2018 01:55:40(UTC)
river6109

Australia   
Joined: 22/01/2009(UTC)
Posts: 14,816
Location: On 1965 Märklin Boulevard just around from Roco Square
What gets me when manufacturers like Piko and Roco produce locos, there is provision for extra headlights like high beam but Led's/resistors haven't been installed but otherwise I'm also happy with Piko electric locos (2) they look alright haven't had them running so far. I hope I haven't made a mistake by buying DC locos and therefore may have problems with going over turnouts.

John
https://www.youtube.com/river6109
https://www.youtube.com/6109river
5 years in Destruction mode
50 years in Repairing mode
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Offline H0  
#9 Posted : 01 March 2018 08:04:47(UTC)
H0


Joined: 16/02/2004(UTC)
Posts: 15,360
Location: DE-NW
Hi!

Originally Posted by: David Dewar Go to Quoted Post
I bought two of their coaches ..59638 and 59625 and for the price paid they do appear to be very good value.
Nice coaches, David! I have five of those coaches each for era III and era IV and they surely look good to me.
I found they can run on Märklin R1 with doorsteps installed - the leaflet gives a minimum radius of 500+ mm, but they probably just wanted to be on the safe side.
For a few bucks more they also offer IC '79 and Lufthansa coaches.


Originally Posted by: river6109 Go to Quoted Post
I hope I haven't made a mistake by buying DC locos and therefore may have problems with going over turnouts.
I converted a Piko DC loco to three-rail, found it had problems on C track turnouts and swapped the wheels for Piko AC wheelsets.
I always swap or adjust the wheelsets on Piko coaches and trucks.
I have no Piko experience with K track, but you may be in for problems.

We cannot blame Piko for wheelset problems. Märklin turnouts do not have standard dimensions and Piko's standard wheelsets will make trouble.
Regards
Tom
---
"In all of the gauges, we particularly emphasize a high level of quality, the best possible fidelity to the prototype, and absolute precision. You will see that in all of our products." (from Märklin New Items Brochure 2015, page 1) ROFLBTCUTS
UserPostedImage
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Offline sjbartels  
#10 Posted : 01 March 2018 12:04:16(UTC)
sjbartels

United States   
Joined: 11/08/2015(UTC)
Posts: 1,091
Originally Posted by: H0 Go to Quoted Post
We cannot blame Piko for wheelset problems. Märklin turnouts do not have standard dimensions and Piko's standard wheelsets will make trouble.


Once again Tom nails it, he is spot on about the wheels here. As I said earlier, all of my Piko rolling stock I have swapped out the DC for Piko AC wheels, and the three Piko loco's that I have were AC to begin with, again no problems whatsoever with any of them.

I don't think anyone buying Piko will be disappointed with the product, as I said earlier some of their newer tank cars have some excellent detail to them, but I am a strong advocate of swapping out the wheels for AC
American by Geography, Australian by Birth. I am an original Ameristraylian
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Offline H0  
#11 Posted : 01 March 2018 13:09:42(UTC)
H0


Joined: 16/02/2004(UTC)
Posts: 15,360
Location: DE-NW
Originally Posted by: sjbartels Go to Quoted Post
I would go so far as to say SOME of their tank cars have better detailing than my Marklin ones.
I fully agree. But the nice Piko tank cars have list prices in the €50 range (incl. VAT), so they also are more expensive than Märklin tank cars.
Regards
Tom
---
"In all of the gauges, we particularly emphasize a high level of quality, the best possible fidelity to the prototype, and absolute precision. You will see that in all of our products." (from Märklin New Items Brochure 2015, page 1) ROFLBTCUTS
UserPostedImage
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Offline sjbartels  
#12 Posted : 01 March 2018 13:12:50(UTC)
sjbartels

United States   
Joined: 11/08/2015(UTC)
Posts: 1,091
Originally Posted by: H0 Go to Quoted Post
Originally Posted by: sjbartels Go to Quoted Post
I would go so far as to say SOME of their tank cars have better detailing than my Marklin ones.
I fully agree. But the nice Piko tank cars have list prices in the €50 range (incl. VAT), so they also are more expensive than Märklin tank cars.


EXACTLY! And we both know which specific tank cars here. Fortunately here in the US I've been able to get them at around $40 USD, which is consistent with similar Marklin 4 axle models, but again, lacking the detail these specific Piko cars have.
American by Geography, Australian by Birth. I am an original Ameristraylian
Offline IanC  
#13 Posted : 03 March 2018 12:05:14(UTC)
IanC

United Kingdom   
Joined: 05/03/2016(UTC)
Posts: 367
Location: England, Bedford
I've bought some modern Piko diesel / electric locos where there wasn't a Marklin example, and I have to say that I am very pleased with them and they were very good at the price. I think the strategy now is to improve the quality and increase the price so that they compare and compete directly with Marklin. I have 245s from both for comparison and it really is swings and roundabouts, the Marklin is metal and more robust, the Piko is plastic and more finely detailed in this case. My first choice would always be Marklin but Piko fills the gaps nicely.

IanC
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Offline H0  
#14 Posted : 03 March 2018 12:18:44(UTC)
H0


Joined: 16/02/2004(UTC)
Posts: 15,360
Location: DE-NW
Originally Posted by: IanC Go to Quoted Post
I think the strategy now is to improve the quality and increase the price so that they compare and compete directly with Marklin.
Piko have the Hobby range, the mid-price Expert range, and the high-end Classic range.
Models from the Expert range are becoming more detailed - at increasing prices.
They try to make what their customers want. The budgets of the customers are limited, so to some extend they compete with Märklin, but also with Roco, Fleischmann, Liliput, Rivarossi and others.

Regards
Tom
---
"In all of the gauges, we particularly emphasize a high level of quality, the best possible fidelity to the prototype, and absolute precision. You will see that in all of our products." (from Märklin New Items Brochure 2015, page 1) ROFLBTCUTS
UserPostedImage
Offline stanislav  
#15 Posted : 23 November 2023 08:02:49(UTC)
stanislav

Bulgaria   
Joined: 09/11/2023(UTC)
Posts: 2
Location: Plovdiv, Plovdiv
Hi
I buy a loco Piko br 98 /50501/
Service manual shows disassembly method.
After a thorough examination I understood the method of disassembly. it has nothing to do with invitations to the instruction.
don't try to follow the insruction it's completely wrong and you'll break your locomotive
I also noticed a lot of omissions from the pico structures
completely wrong, the friction parts are made of plastic, which breaks after several assembly and disassembly.
Lottom line NEVER buy a pico before looking at the construction and reading what they write about the model. On this one the instruction is wrong and causes the model to break and
moving and frictional parts must be of steel


Offline river6109  
#16 Posted : 23 November 2023 13:28:05(UTC)
river6109

Australia   
Joined: 22/01/2009(UTC)
Posts: 14,816
Location: On 1965 Märklin Boulevard just around from Roco Square
would say Piko locos are ok but changing rubber tyres is a nightmare, like all other brands all you do undo 1 or a couple screws and you get to the axles and exchange the tires, not with Piko, you have to take the whole loco apart, remove the bogie and than you can get access to the wheels, reassembling it all again, you have to make sure the contacts are within the wheel flanges, make sure your cardan rod is in the right place, than you have to clip the plastic part from the top of the bogie to secure the bottom half, than put all the circuit board back together and your job is done, 18th century technology., also the traction tyres are very thin not like the norm of other manufacturers., if you have retired and you've got plenty of time and your frustration level doesn't reach boiling point you should be ok., I BOUGHT QUITE A FEW Piko locos and they are ok and worth their money, go for the expert model, you get a better motor, and your couplings are retractable (KKK) and you may get lights which aren't bulbs but LED's, I've converted all mine with markerlights as well.

John
https://www.youtube.com/river6109
https://www.youtube.com/6109river
5 years in Destruction mode
50 years in Repairing mode
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Offline stanislav  
#17 Posted : 23 November 2023 13:36:23(UTC)
stanislav

Bulgaria   
Joined: 09/11/2023(UTC)
Posts: 2
Location: Plovdiv, Plovdiv
[img]https://pixshare.de/i3deGg[/img]
yes, read the pico instructions and you will see that they probably want to make a fool of you to break your model and you will find out what constructions work for them. extremely for me, criminal errors in the instructions, and by that I judge their constructors as well. I'll just take a picture of how these plastic wheel holders break after a year of use... it's true that for a few cents cheaper ... but you lose the whole locomotive with this one idiotic instruction
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Offline hxmiesa  
#18 Posted : 24 November 2023 13:40:13(UTC)
hxmiesa

Spain   
Joined: 15/12/2005(UTC)
Posts: 3,564
Location: Spain
Originally Posted by: river6109 Go to Quoted Post
would say Piko locos are ok but changing rubber tyres is a nightmare, like all other brands all you do undo 1 or a couple screws and you get to the axles and exchange the tires, not with Piko, you have to take the whole loco apart, remove the bogie and than you can get access to the wheels, reassembling it all again, you have to make sure the contacts are within the wheel flanges, make sure your cardan rod is in the right place, than you have to clip the plastic part from the top of the bogie to secure the bottom half, than put all the circuit board back together and your job is done, 18th century technology., also the traction tyres are very thin not like the norm of other manufacturers.,

I hear you, and I quite agree!

I have a nice Piko E41. The tires kept falling off, and finally I lost one of them. (probably still lying somewhere on the track).
In desperation I fitted some "normal" tires from either Roco or Märklin, and even it doesn´t look quite right, the loco now runs perfectly!!!

The problem with complete disassembly just to change tires, I have experienced with the Märklin E150. (The first version they ever made, the one with compact rückel-sinus motor)
Best regards
Henrik Hoexbroe ("The Dane In Spain")
http://hoexbroe.tripod.com
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