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Offline kombatmedic  
#1 Posted : 21 October 2025 19:00:58(UTC)
kombatmedic

United States   
Joined: 19/02/2022(UTC)
Posts: 1
Location: Pennsylvania
Hi everyone, I am designing my layout, and the more I read, the more confused I am. Being Polish and being a retired(I am a Medic, not a Mechanic). Laugh Confused. So far, I want 3 large circuits and block signals. What equipment do I need? CS3+ and power pack for that. What do I use for signals, and what do I use for turnouts? Do I need separate circuits for the block signals? Thanks, guys for the help.

Offline ocram63_uk  
#2 Posted : 21 October 2025 19:07:13(UTC)
ocram63_uk

United Kingdom   
Joined: 07/01/2015(UTC)
Posts: 739
Location: England, Suffolk
First question, which tracks do you want to use?
Offline rhfil  
#3 Posted : 21 October 2025 20:42:48(UTC)
rhfil

United States   
Joined: 05/09/2014(UTC)
Posts: 763
Location: NEW HAMPSHIRE, Somersworth
First of all to educate you on feedback mechanisms. Marklin has three types and you need some form of getting the information to your controller. The most commonly used is the contact track. It requires the most work on your part but once installed is very reliable. Marklin three tracks power allow the outside tracks to be isolated and then recognize when there is something on them that connects them. So any car with ac wheels can be recognized. Their advantage is they will show continuous occupancy as long as there is an ac wheel set on them. This is great for block control. The problem is they do not recognize dc wheel sets.
The second most popular is circuit tracks. They require minimal effort on your part and can recognize which direction the train is going. However they need a slider to activate them. Easiest way to think of them is like a three position light switch with the middle position being off and the other two positions indicating what direction the train is going. The problem they have is they only report when the slider is on the switch so not very usable for block control. Plus any car that has a slider for lighting also activates it.
Marklin also sells reed switches. They are kind of a pain as you need to install a magnet under a car or loco and a sensor on the track. The advantage is very selective activation. But they are fussy. Also no direction sensing.
More than likely you will want to use the contact tracks for block control. It is possible to do block control with the the others but long consists can cause problems for them.
Offline David Dewar  
#4 Posted : 21 October 2025 21:12:39(UTC)
David Dewar

Scotland   
Joined: 01/02/2004(UTC)
Posts: 7,507
Location: Scotland
You appear to be wanting everything imediately. I would suggest a CS3 Plus with power pack and a selection of C tracks plus one turnout with a motor and decoder. Add a simple to use loco with a coach and take it from there. You can then build a layout and add blocks etc as you go along and come back for advice if needed.
Take care I like Marklin and will defend the worlds greatest model rail manufacturer.
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