Good question, there are some Canadian National models from Rapido that I would like to run on my Marklin 3 rail.

Phil

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

I wholeheartedly agree and I love the jingle; A lot of pain: abstain!

But the urge to have something that is not available is strong and I wholeheartedly agree there too!

Reminds me of years ago (1967) when my father commissioned an HIFI shop in Montreal to convert a Grundig radio from 220V to 110V, a lot of pain in the wallet!

Märklin =
All the others designed for Märklin track =
Not designed for Märklin track=

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.