Greetings one and all.

I've been a fan of railroads all my life and arounde various German train sets off and on over time. I've always wanted to have a set of my own, and when I saw my uncle a few years back, playing with his son's Maerklin set more than the son was, I figured.. I might finally start looking into a set of my own. When my copy of "Ticket to Ride: Maerklin Edition" came in a few weeks ago, with the latest Maerklin catalog CD Rom, that was the straw that broke the long stale-mate.

So in looking for things, especially since I intend to look for used trains if I can, and am looking for more of Epoch IV and early V, I thought I'd start seeing whats what and how best to go about it. I don't want to just jump in and bid on ebay or buy from a shop until I know what proper prices should be for the market and what is available.

So I've been looking around for things like an FAQ and a Price Guide, but cannot seem to find them (for the United States that is). Is there one available someone can point me toward? I'm sure others ask the same questions. By the way, I'm interested exclusively in H0 scale, probably Maerklin Digital system (oh, the fun with computer control once the system is set up in a decade or so)

If not, here is what I'm curious about:

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1) Prices - what are good prices to go by? How do I know if I'm getting a fair price, a good deal or being screwed? With no reference point, I'm stuck. Sure, in Germany there are dozens of shops you can visit and you get an idea... here in the US, its a different thing. How do I get a baseline?

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2) My plan is to slowly now start building a collection. I don't see actually setting up the trains for probably at least 5 years or maybe more, down the road, as I first have to buy a house get it in a state of usable space for a train, and then have some free cash flow to pursue the hobby fully. However, there is no reason not to (or is there) to start buying bits and pieces now.

My interest is Digital Maerklin. I thought I'd buy one train (engine) per year; that way I spread out the aquisition costs. I'm probably looking at 5 or 6 locomotives I'd like to get (to cover those that I grew up with in Germany... the actual trains I rode on as a child, youth and adult). I figure its a modest way to get things moving as I can shake loose a few hundred every year without the wife going nuts.

Is this a bad idea? When I finally get the last parts 8-10 years from now (say, switches, lamps, rail yards, etc) will the digital system still be the same, or will I likely have to then upgrade the controllers in all of the locomotives? I figured the chances are that things would be stable enough for a long time.

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3)What order to buy things?
As I said, my goal is to buy bits over the years, and I really don't want to end up with a bunch of extra parts I cannot use. If I start with a basic starter set, are those a 'better deal' than buying the parts individually?

I'd thought I'd just buy the locomotives or trains one at a time, and wait with the track and such things until I get around to actually building my layout 5+ years from now. However, without at least a loop of track and a basic controller, I cannot test each new acquisition to make sure it works right, before boxing it up and putting it in storage... so that speaks to buying a starter kit first. Does that sound reasonable?

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4) Explain this pricing again?
In looking around, I thought, a good place to start is with an ICE train. So I see that I can buy a complete 5 car ICE3 train (no track or controller) for $752, OR I can buy a short 3 car ICE3 train with a loop of track, a side track, power supply and basic digital controler for $362. Now I'm sure the extra cars on the ICE3 are not cheap, but how much of that 2x price is for the 'newness of the ICE3 train' vs actual material value. Can someone clarify this for me?

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5) Digital controlers. Ok so say I go with the ICE2 based starter set that comes with a simple controller (1 knob) and power supply. How easy is it to expand that system, without having to remove parts. Can one add power supplies in parallel as needed to provide juice (or stack the power supplies in some way).. or does one buy a bigger supply and get rid of the old?

Same with the controllers. If I later buy a dual engine controller (with 2 knobs) can I run that in parallel with the 1 train controller the basic set comes with to have manual control of 3 trains? The older generation digital system I saw in Germany at my uncles place in 2001 was not LCD based, but had basic push buttons where you would select a train ID, then issue a command to it, then change the train ID, etc.. I assume the new controllers do the same sort of things, but more and more user friendly.

I envision having a PC or some computer as a 'master controller' but also would like to have some manual controlers sprinkled about the layout for a hands on ability to play, and allow guests to play, so having a 1 train controller is not a bad thing, as its always something that can be placed in a remote spot on the layout, if it can work simultaneously with a more complex master control panel for the head engineer. ;-)

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6) Quality
Do they make it the way the used to? I have visions of a turn table and train yard with engineering shops, garages, switching yards, 3 or 4 or 5 towns with stops (maybe some on a loop that goes through some walls and around the house). Do I look to get the older stuff and upgrade it to digital, or has Maerklin quality been relatively good over time and if I buy track and building and rail yards 5 years from now, its likely to still be good? Yeah, who can know about the future, but how does todays 2005-06 stuff compare with 2000 stuff vs 1990's stuff?

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7) Where to buy?
Is there a good handfull of definative US places to buy ONLINE? I live in the Seattle, WA area and can certainly look around there for shops, or drive to Vancouver, BC, but are there key online shops beyond what one finds on ebay?

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Thanks for answers, feedback, and constructive comments form anyone on my above rambling questions.


Minok

The only concern I have with European shops is that the shipping from Europe always seems to be insanely high unless you shop books. That said, I can always bring back a suitcase full of trains the next time I visit Mannheim.

Well, the plan may sound sensible, whether I can pull it off is another question. I can see myself, 2 years down the road, knowing I have a small oval and 2 trains in the garage.. no longer being able to resist and just having to set it up... time will tell if I'm weak of will. Maybe if I bury the stuff deep enough in the garage, then my natural laziness will overpower my desire to play for the time being....

Also keep an eye on what Mathias from Station500 has on ebay, he is a German dealer, prices are almost always much better than anything in the USA, and his shipping is super resonable! I highly recomend him for new digital marklin items. The digital from today will run with the digial of 10 years from now if my opnion, Marklin seems to keeep everything able to run together between the early motorola stuff and the newest marklin systems items. I am sure sound and ablities will improve greatly in the next 10 years. I was watching a demo at the Cleveland NMRA show of the new central station digital controler, and there is many more options and ablities unused according to the Marklin USA rep that was there, including a second controler just for layout control, ie turnouts, signals ect, that would be tied into the central station itself. While my portable layout is analog and stuck in the late 60's style control, when I start my permenant home layout, it to will be digital. Cheers Mike and Michele T

Hello Minok,

Welcome to the forum (and to the hobby... again.)
Quick disclaimer: I am a "junior" Marklin USA dealer
myself trying to elbow in with the big boys [}:)]
www.euromodeltrains.com


I can offer the following suggestions in helping you
to get started:

Shop around! Get yourself Excel spreadsheet, list items
of interest and get quotes from dealers. This way you'll
quickly establish "baseline" and will know fair going price
for an item.

No question, starter set is the way to go. I highly recommend
one of those MEGA sets with two MFX trains AND a Central
Station - the best digital controller Marklin has to offer.
These would be items 29825 and 29851, if you can swing a grand.
Talk about getting into Marklin digital with a bang!

I really like your plan as far as gradually adding to your
stable of locos, but watch out - those pesky Marklin locomotives
tend to multiply like rabbits and before you know it, you
need a bigger house just to accomodate new arrivals!

Buying from Germany can save you a little money, but
do consider the fact that some day you may need to turn to
a dealer for help, and who you gonna call - Ghostbusters?
So, think global but buy local!

Have fun!
Mike

So what is this MFX, is that just a fancier, expanded DIGITAL decoder with more features?

Near as I can gather DELTA is the first generation of digital with limited addresses and capabilities, DIGITAL is the newest version with much more that one can due (and one can control a DELTA train with a DIGITAL controller (?) ) and then MFX is an extended DIGITAL reciever on trains that supports more features in the trains. Is that right?

hey minok,

welcome to the real world - he, he!

anyways, i see you are geeting real good advice here. and here is my experience so you'll draw your own conclusions:

like many people, i haven't touched my old marklin set for years. when i first saw the digital in catalogues i was realy afraid mostly economy-wise and that was back in the 80's.

recently i checked out ebay for marklin and voila; prices were down to a level where i could afford a digital set and some extra nice pieces for my analogue system. in the beginning i was not sure about how to go about digital-analogue but these days after spending some time in the forum and asking around i came to the conclusion that i'll built a two level system: one digital and one analogue. well, i am a romantic so i stuck to analogue but at the same time as a programmer i know the power of digital. also analogue is like "less is more" kind of thing for me.

having reached to the conclusion, i started to do some purchases on ebay; thus being my strategy: the first buy i'd probably be screwed but we're talking about $50 to 100. but this experience keeps you checking ebay and comparing prices, what kind of dealers you are after, good and bad advertising on ebay - important for winning fewer bidder auctions, etc.

hanging on in ebay i saw that there were many items broken and on sale for like 1/10 of the retail value. i can do some repairs and have experience with soldering and such stuff. so that was another good source for me.

and staying in touch with local modellers plus visiting this site regularly i'm getting good advice on how to go about digital.

my prediction for the future is simple: analog is what it is and never will go out of fashion. so i don't expect huge price fluctuations there. but digital is another story: every day something new keeps coming up - but the good side of it -as i understand- most new products are backward compatible so many of the digital hardware you buy today will be operable in many years to come.

somebody already mentioned but i feel the urge to say it again: if you will run the stuff you buy -meaning if you are not going to be a collector- at least buy a starter set so you'll expecience the joy of the hobby from day one. it is a torture having all those stuff and not being able to run them.

you will also discover that laying out the tracks is not enough, you have to have a diaroma (towns, garages, etc.) too. a small layout will give you the chance of start building a diaroma too.

one last and important thing, you will need a test tarck for your stuff anyway.

ok, so that was my experience. i think you started to make your mind up already.

welcome aboard.

cem.

Hi Minok,

Welcome to the hobby! One small response: the slot car principle has been implemented in optically inproved form in the Faller car system, where the "slot" is now a conductor that can be hidden under the road surface. You can find some info on the forum, e.g. one of Alberto's early posts.

Jeroen

Hello and welcome to the forum Minok.

Having just said that £26 for an MS is a bargain, I've just checked some of the other sellers people have listed. I found needfull-toys has them for about £12! Anyone know if they take Paypal?

Hi Minok,

Welcome to thr forum.

Not sure if anyone mentioned Will Goodnight at Modellbahn Collectors.
Also in the forum is a huge directory of Dealers under links. You
will get the friendliest advice and help here.

Jeremy.

Hi Minok and welcome. Lots of good advice.
I note that you are thinking of buying a loco and then some track five years from now. By then the warranty will be out of date and all you have done is buy a loco to look at.
What I would do (and of course I am not you)is buy a Marklin start set and run the train (s) that come with it now. That way you will understand how everything works and will be able to plan for the future knowing what you want to expasnd the layout which at present can be on the carpet.
Perhaps the purchase of a station kit would also be a good idea to keep the interest going until you are ready to build something more permanent.
Although there are bargains to be had this is an expensive hobby and has been said above I have found lokshop to be reliable and with fair prices.

David

Hi Minok. Well done. You will not regret buying a start set which will give you the information you need on Marklin systems etc. I dont have the ICE set and perhaps somebody who does can tell you what they think. There are also sets with metal locos and some will also have the mfx decoders fitted. Have a good look at all the sets and do ask about the ones you are thinking of buying as one of the members will probably have one and can give you their opinion. Check the prices and go with a dealer who is known to the forum as being reliable.

Have fun

David

Be careful, the Ice Start set does not have Carriage Lights and AFAIK they cannot be fitted.
NEv

You dont say which state your in, but I found some great vintage stuff, brand new in the box from as far back as the late 50's at Ormandys in Medina OH, which is just south of cleveland, but he has no website, just an oldfashoned train shop with a super museum with tons of marklin and other trains on the second floor. Mike

Get yourself to a dealer if at all possible and get some era V trains in your hands, I think you will be able to make up your mind once you do so. There are seveal dealers on ebay that sell a oval of C track with a passing siding as well as the mobile station controler, then you just need the train. I prefer era III myself, then I can run steam, electric and early diesels. Working catenary is in my future, but using the older Marklin stuff, the newer is out of my budget and does not fit my theme of a layout done in the late 1960's or early 70's. Let us all know what you decide to get. Cheers Mike

Giday Minok.Welcome to the forum.The digital stuff can wait I think,who knows what will be happening in even two years.Like has already been said ,have a play as you go;even if it has to be put away after each session.
The big thing is to enjoy the worlds greatest hobby.

Hi Peter,

the VAT is 16% at present and will be up to 19% as of 2007-01-01.

Gern geschehen Peter,

I'm looking forward to getting posted abroad again mid 2008.
Hopefully outside the EU, so I won't have to pay VAT on orders from Germany as well. But it's a long way to go.

As long as the seller is a business the VAT is always charged, so for overseas sales it can be deducted. If the seller is a private person there is no VAT involved.

But in most countries you are expected to pay VAT in your own country when you make a purchase from abroad. At least when you order something and it is sent to you by mail.