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Offline pklemans  
#1 Posted : 18 February 2020 03:34:32(UTC)
pklemans

United States   
Joined: 30/05/2018(UTC)
Posts: 2
Location: Maryland, Baltimore
Hello --- I am basically a newbie to model trains as it has been many years since my last involvement in the hobby. My question has probably already been asked by someone, but I will ask as I need your advice to avoid spending money on the wrong stuff. Can HO scale freight cars from manufacturers other than Marklin be used on Marklin's "C-track"? If so, what problems might I expect to encounter? Also, are the couplings on freight cars from other brands compatible with those on Marklin locomotives? Most other brands offer "DC" type cars while most everything in Marklin's HO series is of the "AC" type. From what I was able to determine, it sounds like I may have to install different wheels (and possibly different couplers) on "AC" freight cars for them to work properly on "C-track". Is that generally necessary and, if so, what brand of "AC" type wheels and couplers would work best with cars from brands such as Brawa and Roco? Thanks for whatever advice and suggestions you can offer.
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Offline michelvr  
#2 Posted : 18 February 2020 05:09:13(UTC)
michelvr

Canada   
Joined: 06/07/2012(UTC)
Posts: 1,287
Hello pklemans,

Just use Märklin products and Märklin track you will be very happy!

To save you from endless aggravation and endless grief please don't use other manufacturers products.

Experience gained from my eight years using Märklin!

Regards, Michel

Edited by user 18 February 2020 14:13:33(UTC)  | Reason: Removed a sentence that was incorrectly worded.

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Offline baggio  
#3 Posted : 18 February 2020 06:01:59(UTC)
baggio

Canada   
Joined: 21/09/2012(UTC)
Posts: 1,729
Location: Toronto
I found that standard Roco couplers work fine with Marklin gear. I do that all the time.

(There is one exception with sophisticated Marklin layouts where you need Marklin wheels; but I have never had that problem.)

You will have problems if you have to change couplers, say from Walthers (US maker) to Marklin's. Best to avoid it.

Having said that, if you can get ONE coupler on one wagon changed, then you simply attach more wagons of that same manufacturer.

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Offline H0  
#4 Posted : 18 February 2020 07:41:03(UTC)
H0


Joined: 16/02/2004(UTC)
Posts: 15,254
Location: DE-NW
Hi!
And welcome to the forum.
Yes, this was discussed before.
Originally Posted by: pklemans Go to Quoted Post
Is that generally necessary and, if so, what brand of "AC" type wheels and couplers would work best with cars from brands such as Brawa and Roco?
I have no problems with Roco wheelsets on C track. With Piko and Liliput it is necessary to adjust the wheel spacing or install "AC" wheelsets.
Good dealers will swap the wheelsets for you, Just ask.

I found that Roco Close Couplers work well for non-Märklin rolling stock.


Originally Posted by: michelvr Go to Quoted Post
Just use Märklin products and Märklin track you will be very happy!
I have Märklin rolling stock that derails and causes problem. OTOH I don't want to miss all the nice Piko and Roco rolling stock I have.
You just have to be aware of Märklin's non-standard track dimensions and coupler dimensions to avoid problems.
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 5HorizonsRR  
#5 Posted : 18 February 2020 08:46:50(UTC)
5HorizonsRR

United States   
Joined: 05/12/2004(UTC)
Posts: 2,863
Location: CA, USA
Hi- I have to say problems are rare and minimal for me when using C track. But as mentioned a quick adjustment on wheel spacing seems to fix everything that pops up. Fohrman makes the tool and it isn't very expensive
SBB Era 2-5
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Offline hxmiesa  
#6 Posted : 18 February 2020 09:13:37(UTC)
hxmiesa

Spain   
Joined: 15/12/2005(UTC)
Posts: 3,519
Location: Spain
I have rolling stock from many different suppliers.

First of all, you should know, that today almost all rolling stock has normalized "pockets" for the couplers.
Changing between types is trivial, and should not be a problem. (All suppliers sell loose coupler for adaptions)
With the Märklin couplers there CAN be a problem with the couplers width and height when used on other stock. In that case the Roco Universal coupler can usually solve the problem, as already mentioned.

On the subject of wheel sets, there are also differences. -But the Märklin C-track is a good fit with most types of wheels.
Beware that TODAY it´s more accurate to speak of 2-rail and 3-rail wheels, instead of AC/DC.
In any case you should make sure that the inner spacing between wheel-flanges is around 13,9mm (I use 13,8mm because of M and K-track.) C-track will handle bigger distances, and usually also normal DC-wheels.
Although there are more differences between the two wheel-profiles, the problem normally is with the spacing.
Some people use specialized tools to adjust the spacing. I use a hammer...
Again, as with the couplers, all suppliers sell loose wheelsets of both the 2-rail and the 3-rail type for adaptions.
Best regards
Henrik Hoexbroe ("The Dane In Spain")
http://hoexbroe.tripod.com
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Offline mario54i  
#7 Posted : 18 February 2020 09:25:44(UTC)
mario54i

Italy   
Joined: 28/03/2007(UTC)
Posts: 283
Location: Torino,
I have freight cars of 27 different brands and most of them run on K rails (more critical than C rails) with original DC wheels.
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Offline tcatman  
#8 Posted : 25 February 2020 03:30:22(UTC)
tcatman


Joined: 20/03/2010(UTC)
Posts: 20
Location: Maryland, USA
Just to help other newbies like myself and complete the thread with info on M track and non marklin rolling stock.
I tried running non marklin cars with DC wheelsets on vintage Marklin M track and ran into derailing issues. Searching this forum after the fact for answers provided great feedback. The consensus: M track and in particular double slip turnouts are tough when using dc wheel sets. Fleishman cars have the best chance of working. Everything else is basically no. The forum recommendation was replace the wheels with AC wheel sets. I wound up replacing the DC wheels with Roco AC sets (which are of course back ordered forever). You also might have some coupler height issues and so you get to adjust wheel diameters car by car. . My take home message was... you are not scoring many deals on ebay by choosing non marklin rolling stock for M track layouts after you do the upgrades. Lesson learned.
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Offline Minok  
#9 Posted : 25 February 2020 22:00:15(UTC)
Minok

United States   
Joined: 15/10/2006(UTC)
Posts: 2,310
Location: Washington, Pacific Northwest
Using other make cars on Märklin C track should not be a problem. For the smoothest operation across the c-track switches and crossing, and to ensure you can later use S88 detection with the cars if you go that way, I recommend you outfit the cars with the manufacturers AC wheel sets they specify.
For C-track, the taller flanges of AC wheels will likely give you smoother transitions across switches.


For couplers, if the cars have NEM pockets on them, you should be able to install the couplers of your choice more easily. Having all couplers of the same make (whatever your choice) is often the best way to get reliability - however some car makes there can be issues with the height of the couplers. For those height issues there are height adjustable couplers. There are whole threads on couplers to use between brands.
Toys of tin and wood rule!
---
My Layout Thread on marklin-users.net: InterCity 1-3-4
My YouTube Channel:
https://youtube.com/@intercity134
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Offline kimballthurlow  
#10 Posted : 26 February 2020 03:05:14(UTC)
kimballthurlow

Australia   
Joined: 18/03/2007(UTC)
Posts: 6,655
Location: Brisbane, Australia
For DC wheelsets on wagons, I leave them on until they prove troublesome on the C track.
Then I replace them, usually (for pointy axle ends) with the Märklin equivalent, part #E700150 which is 24mm axle length.

Apart from Märklin, I have found Fleischmann 6560 AC wheelsets to be the best.
(You can use Fleischmann 6561 AC wheelsets if the axle is 1mm longer at 25mm).
Some retailers may have them, and be be glad to get rid of them. (Usually packets of 10).

Some other brands of AC wheels make a horrible whirring sound on the track which drove me mad.

For American style wagons, Märklin do a smaller wheel (9.5mm) diameter, but I do not know the part number.

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.
Offline costing  
#11 Posted : 26 February 2020 07:16:50(UTC)
costing

Switzerland   
Joined: 20/08/2018(UTC)
Posts: 157
Location: Geneve, Geneva
I didn't have problems so far with DC wheels, so I second Kimball's suggestion: replace them when / if needed. At turnouts I do however bend the guards toward the outside to force the wheels in the right direction. C track has them too wide for flawless operation.

On couplers though I standardized on Marklin's close couplers (7203 / 7205). That was clearly a source of troubles, even with other Marklin coupler styles. I just had more of these than other types, what is probably most important is to have a single type of them, whichever it is.

Cheers,

.costin
JMRI on RPi & DCC++ / C-track / Marklin, Roco, ESU, Bemo locos / Christmas car collector
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