Going through my collection of Z gauge locomotives, railcars and multiple units I notice that my newer stuff (post 2017) in white boxes are marked ‘max 12v’ .
When Z started back in 1972 the given maximum was 8 volts, somewhere I read that this was because of the very real possibility of flashovers with everything being so tiny.
However as time went on the instructions changed from using 8volts to a heady 10 volts and the controllers supplied by Märklin were upped to 10 volts also. This was still in the 3 pole motor era before 2000 so had the insulation suddenly got better? Should one still run older 3 poles at 8 volts max?
Using a bench power supply and an oval test track I have been noting the current consumption of each locomotive, 3 pole average about 300mA, 5 pole about 180mA and those out of the white boxes much less.
These all seem to be can type motors in the white boxes so is it just these that can take 12 volts?
I think I have ruined a very early 8864 diesel switcher in the first type woodgrain box with unchamfered couplings that I accidentally ran on 10 volts plus - it ran well with the body off until I saw sparkling and arcing between the armature lobes and the magnets and now 1 winding is open circuit. I’m not looking forward to trying to extract the armature from the housing. I have rewound HO size armatures but I think Z ones may well be beyond my skills.
I suppose the moral is run everything at 8 volts but generally these can motored locos are so slow they are not very entertaining at that voltage!
ChrisG

The voltage printed on the box is likely a statutory safety rating so doesn't really bear any relation to the recommended operating conditions, bizzarre though that may sound!

Cheers


Chris

The 8864 was running very freely until the coruscations heralded the failure. It Will run if you move the armature with a cocktail stick, then it runs until it is stopped by turning off the power.
ChrisG