Coreless motors have taken ‘Z’ by storm. The successful use of these new propulsion systems are used in locos designed for them. A few conversions are now available for Marklin F7’s for a price, but successful conversions of these motors in traditional Marklin Z frames will be for another discussion. Locos designed for coreless motors come from the workbench of Harald Freudenreich at FR, Harald has very successfully created beautifully tooled locos using coreless motors for a number of years now. Characteristics of coreless motors are very good propulsion at low speeds and completely quiet with added weight to assist with better movement on the tracks as well as pulling power. Marklin has gotten into the act offering some new locos with coreless motors, but these have not made it to general release yet. A few questions arise concerning Marklin’s foray into this new technology, and if they should incorporate them into Z trains. At the heart of the question is an already very successful history with their 3 pole and now 5 pole motors that have proven themselves for 40 plus years. I like the hum and glow of Marklin mini-club motors, but the design perfection of Marklin mini-club is furthered by the ease with which most can be maintained, that could get lost with this new technology.

I will close with that old adage: “If it isn’t broken why fix it?”