I poked around the forum and didn't know where this topic should go. If it needs moved, please move it.

Years ago in Germany my host family gave me a Marklin engine. Then in England I picked up a box of old 3-rail Marklin track. FF to today...I'm trying to get it to run. So, using a power supply from my O-scale train, the Marklin engine will run with one wire on a wheel, the other on the center rail. Then I tested the engine on a couple pieces of track and held the wires on the track rails, one on outside rail, the other on center rail. The engine ran. So far so good... When I put track together to make a connected circle, I noticed that the piece of track that has the wire connection appeared to connect both wire terminals to the center rail, with an air space in the middle of the track (it's a short, 3", piece). Checked with a multi meter, that's what it does. That means a dead short with the power transformer connected. I was not surprised, then, when the power transformer clicked off soon after I turned it on. But holding the power wires by hand on the track, one on the outer rail and the other on the center rail, it runs all around the track. It smells a little, but that's for another thread.

So does it sound right that the pieces of track that have the power connections are connecting the power to a dead short? Or are these pieces of power track I have defective? I wanted to post a pic of the track pieces but haven't figured out how to do that here yet.

- djb

Edited by user 01 December 2024 20:41:03(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Hi DJB,

It sounds like the piece of track that you are connecting the wires to is not a power feed track but an isolating track designed to isolate a section of track. Normally a switch or signal would be connected to the two terminals to 'bridge the gap' as it were.

Proper power feeder tracks will usually have two wires attached to the underside of them - normally one red and one brown (but I don't know about the colours on very early track), one to the centre rail and one to the track base.

If you don't have one of these you can easily make one by soldering two wires to a normal piece of track. Solder one to the centre rail - it's easier at one end where the rail is fixed to the plated contact tab as the plating is easier to solder to.
The other wire can just be soldered to the underside of the track base - scrape a bit of paint off to expose the plating underneath in a tiny area and solder to that.

Sounds like there's nothing wrong. There are a few 'special' pieces of track that do particular things but it takes a while to become familiar with them.

Your '0' scale controller probably can produce 20 volts or so. H0 locomotives only need a maximum of 16 volts so be careful not to turn it up to maximum.

Good luck. M track analogue is a great system so it's worth taking the time to learn it's little idiosyncracies.

Enjoy, Paul

OK... firstly that piece of track is an isolator rail for creating a break between track sections. An on/off switch would be connected to the two terminals to allow current to flow across the break or not. An example of its use would be to isolate part of a siding so a loco could be parked there.
Also - that piece of track is not Marklin - it is Hornby Dublo. It does fit directly to Marklin M track though.

You may run the old Steam engine BR 89 with the transformer you already have, just do not use the full speed from 20V. For changing direction of running you need an impulse of 24V. It's not easy to destroy that engine. It will probably survive us all....
I recommend to read some books on how to build up a layout and the electric system concerning Märklin. There are catalogues, books, magazines etc.

... because it is a Hornby track.

Once there was this:
https://modellbahn-schwa...-gerade-90-mm::5329.html

What is the operating voltage for this 89028 engine, 24V (for reverse pulse)? And it's AC I'm fairly certain. I need to buy a power controller for this guy now.

- djb