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Converting non Marklin USA diesels to 3 rail power pickup
 Joined: 31/08/2014(UTC) Posts: 489 Location: Indiana, Kokomo
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With the advant of DCC(which uses AC track power like Marklin does), has anybody converted more modern USA prototype diesels to run on Marklin track? I would like to have a few more "modern" Santa Fe diesels like the EMD GP60M. Athearn makes a nice model in their Ready to Roll line, but with a diecast metal fuel tank, there is little place to put a pickup ski/shoe. Other than making a trailing car behind the locomotives with a one wire jumper/feeder wire, anybody come up with a solution? I love my Marklin, but also like to have a little USA along with my German stuff. But F units are long gone from every day railroading in the USA and I highly doubt Marklin has much interest in doing much in the way of a newer USA diesel than they have already. |
Silly NT's..I have Asperger's Syndrome!!!! |
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 Joined: 09/01/2017(UTC) Posts: 21 Location: Nova Scotia, Middle Sackville
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Good question, there are some Canadian National models from Rapido that I would like to run on my Marklin 3 rail.
Phil
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Joined: 17/04/2004(UTC)
Posts: 127
Location: Netherlands
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Hello all, A long time ago I did such a conversion with an Athearn GP9 but it was a lot of work. So, just for inspiration and maybe give you some idea's in what direction to go here is the story:  Athearn GP 9 conversion.cwk (TK).pdf (1,306kb) downloaded 87 time(s).But remember, this is a very old story with a cheap locomotive and a lot of work involved. Good luck with your actual conversion. Greetz, Tony.
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 4 users liked this useful post by tonyfh
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Joined: 18/06/2005(UTC) Posts: 669 Location: El Sobrante, California
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Originally Posted by: artfull dodger  With the advant of DCC(which uses AC track power like Marklin does), has anybody converted more modern USA prototype diesels to run on Marklin track? I would like to have a few more "modern" Santa Fe diesels like the EMD GP60M. Athearn makes a nice model in their Ready to Roll line, but with a diecast metal fuel tank, there is little place to put a pickup ski/shoe. Other than making a trailing car behind the locomotives with a one wire jumper/feeder wire, anybody come up with a solution? I love my Marklin, but also like to have a little USA along with my German stuff. But F units are long gone from every day railroading in the USA and I highly doubt Marklin has much interest in doing much in the way of a newer USA diesel than they have already. My simplistic, lazy solution has been to watch Brawa, and E S U models.They have come out with some of the EMD 30's in UP and SP, maybe other road names also. Probably other manufacturers also as i don't follow the brands that closely. Further I don't have any of the skills to assess what could be converted. Roco has a gantry crane out now in AC which I plan to buy with the DB flag. Check out AJC Kids, and MSL(offshore) My personal favorites have been the ALCO series from Mother Marklin. I sorta collected the whole series and a couple of spares. I 'm just waiting to run the UP Alco PA-1 with the new UP passenger car set that came out last year (fall/winter 2020) I was/still hoping Marklin would come out with a new series of Passenger cars for the Santa fee with the war bonnet paint(alco PA-1)  I don't expect the Southern Pacific or the Denver Rio Grande will get their car sets anytime soon, but we can always dream. Oh, isn't that what all this stuff if about?  Regards, gene
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 Joined: 16/11/2011(UTC) Posts: 5,845 Location: Hybrid Home
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I did several conversions of Kato Alco RS & EMD GP35 as well as of LifeLike Proto 2000 EMD GP 30 locomotives A lot of pain: abstain !
ESU released a SD-40 in different paint schemes (inter alia, Santa Fe) for Maerklin tracks: https://www.marklin-user...-2-3-Rail-SD40-2-in-2019 |
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Joined: 06/07/2012(UTC) Posts: 1,316
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1 user liked this useful post by michelvr
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Joined: 05/07/2020(UTC) Posts: 326 Location: Mississippi, Vancleave
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It may be easier to start with a Marklin chassis and adapting the American diesel body to fit.
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Joined: 31/08/2014(UTC) Posts: 489 Location: Indiana, Kokomo
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The only Marklin chassis with USA style diesel bogies are the F7 and the Alco PA1. Alco trucks are very unique to that engine and what was known as the Erie Built Fairbanks Morse streamliner. The biggest issue is the SFCM power truck really is not suited to the majority of the diesel models common in the USA with their narrow hoods and exposed walkways. Newer Marklin drives with the central can type motor and trucks driven by shafts lack the proper bogie side frames. European bogies are very different than the German/European ones. I wish Marklin had done the German engines that did come stateside, the Krauss Maffei engines that were tested on the SP and DRGW. Rivarossi did them, with only one truck driven, it might be possible to modify the front non powered truck to carry the pickup shoe. Same for the Rivarossi E units. It will take some engineering, but I might give that a shot. But a diecast metal Krauss Maffei ML-4000 would be really cool...hint hint Mother Marklin.  |
Silly NT's..I have Asperger's Syndrome!!!! |
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Joined: 19/08/2008(UTC) Posts: 1,051
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I am afraid the KM is too much of a niche locomotive. They can't make different versions used on other railroads as there weren't any. No way to profit from multiple paint schemes.
Regards,
Roger |
Modeling Immensee, mile/km 0 on the Gottard. SBB Era V.
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Converting non Marklin USA diesels to 3 rail power pickup
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