Monthly Archives: October 2017

Z-Modellbau builds the legendary ML 2/2 in Z!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maffei built the ML 2/2 steam locomotive in 1906-1908, Z-Modellbau built it first as a Z scale model. The observation has been made many times equating the appearance of early German steam locos with toy trains, but the ML 2/2 was a hardy locomotive that proved it’s worth.

 

Built for the Bavarian State Railways the ML 2/2 was equal measure to the PtL 2/2 built by Krauss. Service duties included all such description on branchlines, and it could be operated by a single driver due to its semi-automatic gravity fed firebox. 24 locos were produced until it was retired in 1924.

Z-Modellbau has done it again with one of the finest Z scale locos ever available, the fine detailing of this loco has no rivals. And it is very small and true to scale with the prototype’s external cylinders modeled with smooth moving side rods of an ingenious design. This little gem is all metal construction featuring brushless motor and window glazing in the cab.

The ML 2/2’s place in history has been preserved in Z by Z-Modellbau, every inch of this is a masterpiece even though it’s total length is less than inch.

Running performance is superb at slow idle through full throttle.

Marklin’s 82391 (2005) high capacity coal hopper lettered for K.Bay.Sts.B is a perfect choice for this loco as well as Marklin small loco repair shed 89805.

Photo: here the ML 2/2 details are seen with coal bin in cabin roof and Marklin compatible coupler.

The scaling of Z-Modellbau locos creates a dramatic appeal on the layout due to their small size. Juxtaposed next to larger more powerful stream loco the ML 2/2 will stand out next to those towering express locos. Train sheds and buildings will also offer interesting juxtapositions and already there are buildings by Archistories and Marklin that fill in this time-frame for authentic prototypical railway scenes.

Photo: on a siding or near a loco shed the idling ML 2/2 will have great appeal on rural railway lines hauling passenger and/or freight.

New Insights: Faller 282711 “Klingenberg Station”

A couple of years has passed since Faller released the card-stock kit for Klingenberg Station, it is remarkably similar to the plastic kit “Guglingen Station” with exceptions. The exceptions include new use of laser cut card-stock with a combination of laser cut wood parts and plastic.

Laser cut card-stock has evolved at Faller and currently there have been a number of them released over the years of entirely new designs even for urban settings. The neat innovation with Faller is the use of masking, it was originally useful/essential for lighting plastic buildings to avoid glowing of the whole building, but the original masks served double duty and introduced another innovation with window details: drapes and curtains. Card-stock is opaque so no glowing naturally occurs when lit, but Faller continues to include masking simply to add interest to the windows of their kits.

Note: LED’s are recommended to for lighting Faller buildings due to their brightness and dimming controls. LED’s are also cool versus conventional hobby lighting which give off a lot of heat. Lastly LED’s will last far longer than traditional lighting.

This first kit included plastic roof sheathing which I painted to lessen the look of plastic and the wooden parts are a beautiful texture and color hard to simulate in paper. A good design based on the original plastic kit available for many years this transitional kit to finer detailed laser cut cardstock was a very good attempt to keep pace with the growing trend toward professional cardstock construction. Faller continues to combine laser cut wood parts into these kits, and they continue to innovate with new kits each year.

Siding: this building could be a very good contender for modeling a Scandinavian themed layout?

Marklin’s New Brushless Motor: Good News Follow-up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The other day I submitted a post for your review which posed questions about the new brushless motors making their appearance in Marklin Z locos. And one example of a new release steam loco that had an operating issue that I included in that review.

The steam loco is the Bavarian 88923 with the very detailed running gear and side rods, out of the box it inexplicably stopped in the forward direction but ran well in reverse. Today I decided to problem solve the running performance and discovered some interesting things about the new motor.

Note: roller stands are great on those occasions a loco needs testing, they keep it in place so inspecting what is wrong is easy. Many companies make roller stands, this one is by Marklin (89932).

The new motor for the 88923 is a solid case brushless type that attaches to the end of the loco chassis in much the same way as the former 3 and 5 pole mini-club brush motors: a permanent gear mounted to the motor engages with the transmission gear whose other end is the worm gear which engages with the gears that move the wheels. The motor is secured to the chassis with a single screw like before, but the new motor has two alignment pins that engage in the end of the chassis which place the motor and chassis in precise alignment. Out of the box this loco ran rough in forward and stopped, but it ran well in reverse. I took the loco apart and removed the motor and transmission gear, I carefully reinstalled the transmission gear after applying a drop of oil on the worm gear and opposing gear, I was careful to align the two pins on motor with chassis applying a little pressure. It took 4-5 tries after moving the gears a little bit to properly seat the chassis and motor, but the tolerances seem to me to be more stringent with this new motor. The old motor assembly of the brush motors seem to have a little wriggle of the shaft and transmission gear alignment which suited that design well, but I believe the new motor assembly is a tighter system at this connecting point between motor/transmission gear/chassis. The glitch I experienced I believe was a very slight misalignment during assembly. I am happy to report that the loco runs like a dream, it is quiet and runs at very low speeds.

Photos: under the hood of the 88923 shows wire leads from motor soldered to chassis pick-ups which are taped down to facilitate removal and installation of shell. Note: solid motor case with no access points for oiling, this is a maintenance free system. Normal sparse oiling of wheel-sets still applies. Hiding wires will be part of this new world of mini-club, but this example has deep channels on each side to hold the wires flush and out of sight.

The new loco for Kay.Bay.Sts.B is not only a great runner, it is a wonder to watch the lively action of the side rods. The shell detailing and paint scheme complete this work of art, it is spectacular!!!!

Note: instructions that were packed with my loco show it with the old 5 pole E251 202. The installation of the new motor in this loco may not have been originally planned, but you will know which motor you have in this loco by looking at it: solid case is that of the new brushless motor original 3 and 5 pole motors had a center bushing that required a very lite drip of oil periodically.

Link: original instructions for the 88923 showing 5 pole brush motor thus incorrect oiling instructions are outlined

https://static.maerklin.de/damcontent/8e/b3/8eb3f2fa2c6e805cc71c54ea3801462c1489755052.pdf

Photo: view of two Bavarian class S 3/6’s with new brushless motor (bottom: 88923) and former brush motor type (top: 8108)

Siding: motor upgrades have been available for all the mini-club locos since the 5 pole was introduced on the BR 143 in 1998 with some requiring soldering, I don’t think future upgrades with the brushless motor will be available to convert this locomotive class in former releases due to the machining of the frame with the 2 motor alignment holes.

Group Effort: introducing E 69 electric Z-Modellbau

Faller and Marklin will help me introduce the superb Z-Modellbau E 69 02 “Pauline”  electric locomotive for DB (article #2101).

The prototype was built in variations starting in 1905 culminating in 1930. A beautiful model of the prototype never offered in Z except by Z-Modellbau.

I will be posting some interesting research on electric locos coming in the future but for now many photos and not many words.

 

Handrails and add-on parts bring great detail to this loco that is not surpassed by any manufacturer.

Metal construction with brass gearing and brushless motor are standard features of Z-Modellbau.

Z-Modellbau locomotives are delivered in a small blue box lined with foam and small instruction sheet noting this locomotive is maintenance free and should not be taken apart.

FR Week: NetRail coaches 46.220.52

The recent release of FR’s NetRail coach set was released on a very limited quantity of 25 sets total. Once a week look at FR’s website because some items like this are fleeting and sell out fast.

Continuing with another coach set of FR’s design and manufacturing is this third one for the firm NetRail. Paint scheme is very dark blue and cool white with silver roof. No class designation.

NetRail founded in the mid 1990’s sells and leases railway equipment that they maintain and refurbish.

Prototype: 1960-talsvagn

Siding: FR has proposed future releases of this car type with various paint schemes.

FR Week: Interregio coaches 46.220.42 + 46.221.42

Several firsts with the recent release of FR’s SJ coach sets, they are the first coaches designed and manufactured by FR, and they are the first SJ coaches modeled for Z gauge. Plus these sets include interior detailing first introduced by Z-Bahn a number of years ago, now it is a feature of new releases by Marklin and FR this being an example.

The two coaches set follow the attractive paint scheme blue with red stripe. Any paint scheme for the RC2 and 3 locos can prototypically pull these cars, it is up to preference. The coaches feature fine detailing and prototypically depicted metal window frames.

46.220.42 includes 1- each 1st class and 2nd class type 1960- talsvagn Interregio A+B

46.221.42 includes 1 2nd class and 1- 1st/2nd class type 1960- talsvagn Interregio A/B + B

Note: yellow stripe indicates 1st class and turquoise represents 2nd class.

The model has a unique solution for the car weights, it is seated on the undercarriage and features fine detailing in cast metal. Car sets are delivered without interior lighting, but lighting can be added and FR has provided pre-drilled holes in the trucks to allow for wiring.

Siding: several paint schemes have been proposed for later releases, they will represent various time-frames in SJ passenger travel.

FR Week: SJ Container Transport Set 46.818.04

A very interesting freight transport type are container cars lettered for international shipping companies. All over the United States and abroad shipping containers arrive in port then carried by truck or train to various destinations, Marklin and FR have released a number of interesting European individual cars, sets and trainsets.

FR’s recent release of a 4 car container set (FR 46.818.04) is lettered for Safmarine, HYUNDAI, HAMBURG SUD, and MAERSK SEALAND on cars lettered for Swedish MidCargo AB. Collectors can opt to run these cars on any Scandinavian railway and choose to realistically weather them as mentioned by Harald Freudenreich.

The prototype is a rebuilt class Os low side gondola modified for container service redesignated class Lgns 443. This car type is seen in Sweden heavily rusted which can be achieved by weathering. The model includes 4 cars with permanently mounted containers. A beautiful set with weathered wheel sets to use in mixed freight or unit trains!

As always FR packs there cars in custom foam lined acrylic boxes: very high production quality!

FR: SJ BP tank car uniquely paired Marklin MSI

Ever wonder how many Marklin MSI’s have been produced? I have and one extraordinary collector has them all, his audacity in acquiring them is an achievement in itself winning him the Guinness Book of World Records for the feat in 2006, his name is Gilles Monk of Belgium.

One relatively obscure Marklin Special Imprint is a tank car lettered for BP and used on the SJ: type 8612 mini-club tank car lettered for BP Svenska released in 1989 with Koll’s #89717 and Miba/Monk #423 released in an edition of 200.

Here the 1989 MSI tank car (top) is paired with a superb repainting and lettering for BP/SJ by FR with item number 46.396.01 and produced in a total edition of 35 with black paint scheme.

This is a reworked Marklin mini-club tank car that is infrequently offered by FR to round out various types of Scandinavian rolling stock. Reworked and repainted includes newly designed and richly detailed metal add-on parts (more intricate than the original) and complete removal of original paint and lettering. This type of production is labor intensive from research to final car thus making these releases attractive historically, and small batch release makes them ever more collectible.

FR Week: NSB Auto Transport 47.819.02

Auto transport is one type of freight all world railroads carry as a load, but in Norway autos are sheltered from vandals and the elements in enclosed boxcars. Type Hccrrs auto transport cars are very interesting in design and function owing to their unique appearance. A bellows gangway connects the cars with signage lettering for Auto Transport Service A.s Drammen.

FR’s attention to detail and precision manufacturing is evident in these cars, much time passed between announcement of the new release and availability: several years in fact. Modeling the bellows connection slowed release until a perfect solution was achieved. Design and manufacturing are slow going processes that perfectionist manufacturers like FR have in common with other firms thus if not as many releases are coming out of your favorite manufacturer it is probably due to how much they care about getting it right.

Model: metal construction with permanent metal drawbar connecting pairs of cars with marklin couplers.

The cars in this set are sold in pairs with item ending in ’02’ indicating two pairs thus this item number is 47.819.02 (47 indicating country code for NSB).

New Propulsion: Marklin’s foray into brushless motors

This isn’t the first, and it won’t be last post commenting on the new motors for Marklin Z. With progress comes nervousness and apprehension about the future, and the new Marklin motors for Z are one such progression.

Oiling the wheel sets and keeping the wheels clean is all that is required for maintaining these new motors and locos. The new generation of Marklin Z includes numerous new item releases, re-tooling of older designs, greater detail of running gears, pantograph screws moved to the inside of electric locos, and new propulsion. In some cases the new propulsion replaces 3 and 5 pole motors used in older well known locos, and other newly tooled locos are designed with the new motor types. Brushless motors have been used by numerous manufacturers of Z with excellent results including FR, Z-Modellbau and Archistories.

My open question: Should Marklin start using this new technology? On the one hand the 5 pole was a very positive replacement for the 3 pole: quieter with smoother running performance, but the brushless motors are supposed to be even more quiet and smoother with lower idling speeds. There is more maintenance with the 3 and 5 pole including replacing brushes and unlocking transmission and running gears when oil hardens from prolonged storage. Everything seems to support this new advancement, but for some maybe not. The traditional motor is strong and durable winning the Guinness World Record for continuous running: 1219 hours in 1978. If it isn’t broke why fix it? Which takes me to the impetus for this post and my personal experience with the new steam loco 88974 featuring the new motor. Inexplicably this loco stops dead in its tracks on a clean oval test track after running well for a few minutes, it will resume running in the opposite direction before returning to running forward until it stops again. Problem solving with the traditional motor is easy with the new one it is more elusive. Possibly more precision is required to align the new motor and gearing owing to the precision hand assembly at FR and Z-Modellbau and their mastery with this new type of motor? Collectors of Marklin Z are in the early stages of acquiring Marklin locos with the new motor and maybe this is simply the “learning curve” phase.

Side by side comparison of the same class loco (new and old) shows the adaptation of the new motor in an older mini-club loco type. Locomotive Serie 231 Pacific lettered for SNCF from Orient Express set 8108 (1988-1997 released with 3 pole motor which can upgrade to 5 pole) photo: top shelf and Class S 3/6 lettered for K.Bay.Sts.B (One Time Series 2015 New Releases with current brushless 5 pole motor) photo: bottom shelf.

Note: larger physical presence of new motor extending outside the cab than the older brush motor.

Siding: Google brushless motors for detailed description versus brush motors and share your insights with me, I would enjoy adding to my understanding and education with this new technology. Cheers to Marklin for the continuing evolution of Z gauge.