Author Archives: garygraves

MSI’s: Marklin 8615 car type

The container wagon 8615 has been in the Marklin line-up for many years. Marklin’s earliest 8615 special imprint model was produced in 1979, it was lettered for Germany’s largest malt roaster WEISSHEIMER MALZ with Koll’s #79701 in the stated edition of 100. Lettering on this car is on the roof panel otherwise the car is unmarked and painted yellow. As a note of reference this car was not reproduced by the Koll’s catalogs and this maybe this first photo posted of it online:

*Touch photos to enlarge!

Other cars that followed were Kraft cars that were packed with unique packaging: illustrated cardboard sleeve with an inserted block of styrofoam containing the car and usually some type of track accessory. If you collected all the Kraft editions you would be able to assemble a small oval track with sidings. This includes the Kraft Editions with Marklin type 8615 printed by Marklin.

The order of chronology for the 8615 Kraft cars began with KRAFT Mayonnaise.

KRAFT Mayonnaise, Koll’s #84701, edition: 500, released: 1984
KRAFT Miracoli, Koll’s #84702, edition: 500, released: 1984
FRAPAN, Koll’s #85701, edition: 500, released: 1985
KRAFT – VELVETA, Koll’s #85702, edition: 500, released: 1985
KRAFT Miracel Whip, Koll’s #85703, edition: 500, released: 1985

6. Weissheimer Malz, Koll’s #79701, Miba/Monk #M-028, edition size: 100 7. Kodak, Koll’s #85711, edition size: 500 *sold as part of starter set 8. VIESSMANN, Koll’s #86702, Miba/Monk #M-145, edition size: 100 9. Privatbrauerei Their Dortmund, Koll’s #87001, edition size: 200 10. 150 Jahre Eisenbahn in Osterreich, Koll’s #87502, edition size: 500 11. AL Loulakis, Koll’s #87708, Miba/Monk #M-173, edition size: 300

12. Bison, Koll’s #87709, edition size: 500 13. Karl Bissinger, Koll’s #87710, edition size: 100 14. LANDIS & GYR, Koll’s 87712, edition size: 200 15. Mars, Koll’s #87713, edition size: 800 16. Farymann Diesel, Koll’s #87714, Miba/Monk #M-254, edition size: 200 17. SAROTTI, Koll’s #87715, edition size: 300

18. MAXI MALZ, Koll’s #88001, edition size: 100 19. PEPSI LIGHT, Koll’s #88003, edition size: 100 20. SCHLADERER, Koll’s #88005, edition size: 100 21. Schmucker Bier, Koll’s #88007, edition size: 100 22. Birkel, Koll’s #88711, edition size: 100 23. Hamburg-Mannheimer, Koll’s #88715, Miba/Monk #M-266, edition size: 100

24. Hochtief, Koll’s #88716, edition size: 100 25. Philipp Holzmann, Koll’s #88717, edition size: 100 26. Texas Instruments: TMS320C30 DSP – 33 Mio, rote Aufschr. Signale/Sekunde Electronica 88 (car features black text: “Texas Instruments”), Koll’s #88720, edition size: 300 27. Texas Instruments: TMS320C30 DSP – 33 Mio, rote Aufschr. Signale/Sekunde Electronica 88 (car features red text: “Texas Instruments”), Koll’s #88721, edition size: 300 28. SCHINDLER-CHEMIE, Koll’s #88722, edition size: 100 29. Persil, Koll’s #89701, edition size: 500

30. STP, Koll’s #89703, edition size: 200 31. SWG, Koll’s #89704, edition size: 200 32. TIEK MASCHINEBAU, Koll’s #89707, Miba/Monk #M-382, edition size: 100 33. HEIM, Koll’s #89712, edition size: 100 34. PALMERS, Koll’s #89712, edition size: 500 35. Vierzig Jahre Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Koll’s #90709, edition size: 200

36. dallah, Koll’s #90710, edition size: 100 37. H. Bahlsen Hannover, Koll’s #90714, edition size: 500 38. Herder, Koll’s #91704, edition size: 100 *The following cars were sold in a three car set: The Automobile Companies of France. Marklin #88126, Koll’s #92706, edition size: 1000. Released 1992. Distributed to Marklin dealers in the United States, Canada and France. Individual cars are numbered with Miba/Monk reference numbers 39. RENAULT, Miba/Monk #M-736 40. CITROEN, Miba/Monk #M-734 41. PEUGEOT, Miba/Monk #M-735

42. TIEK, Koll’s #92707, Miba/Monk #M-669, edition size: 100 43. MITSUBISHI PAJERO, Koll’s #92710, edition size: 100 44. EUROPA ’92, Koll’s #92711, edition size: 200 45. 90 Jahre Harley-Davidson: 1903-1993, Koll’s #93706, edition size: 1000 46. HERMA, Koll’s #94723, edition size: 100 47. IBM (spelled using pictogram: ‘eye’ ‘bee’ ‘M’), originally sold as part of starter set which included ‘IBM’ pin and tag along with loco and track. Marklin #8180 S, Koll’s #95701, edition size: 300. *Featured on cover of “Koll’s Spezial Katalog 1997.”

48. 150 Jahre Eisenbahnen in Wurttemberg, Koll’s #95713, edition size: 1000 49. Rolls Royce 90 Jahre, Koll’s #95714, edition size: 600 50. Maybach Motonenbau…150 Geburtstag von Wilhelm Maybach, Koll’s #96711, edition size: 1000 51. ALNO die Welt der Kuche, Koll’s #96712, edition size: 100 52. Carl Zeiss, 150 Jahre, Marklin #8615.008, Miba/Monk #M-999 53. Carl Zeiss, Partnerschaft auf lange Sicht, Marklin #8615.016, Koll’s #96715, Miba/Monk #M-1007, edition size: 100

54. B&O Chartered 1827, Miba/Monk #M-1085, released 1997 55. Miele, Miba/Monk #M-1188, released 1998 56. digital, Marklin #8617.068, Miba/Monk #M-1279, released 1999, lettered with Digital Equipment Corporation’s 1993 logo 57. W 02-02-02 M, Marklin #8617.103, Miba/Monk #M-1490, released 2002, car celebrates the 2002 wedding of Prince Alexander and Princess Maxima of Holland

Industry Prints

Industry Prints are Marklin freight wagons designed and painted by private enterprises. Modellbahn Freund, St. Louis, MO imported and sold these cars, the plastic boxes for cars sold by Modellbahn Freund were affixed a label with this stores name and address. Sometimes collectors have suggested Modellbahn Freund commissioned these cars, and they were printed in the United States, this is a mistake; all ‘Industry Prints’ were printed in Germany by Baur-Druck Bad, Waldsee and sold by Schmidt, Germany. Cars were distributed in the United States and Germany. The earliest ‘Industry Print’ in this collection is a gondola from 1983.

Further research can be found at www.z-freunde.de, much of the information given in this post was kindly provided by this organization. *Information provided has been provided after much research, new details and corrections will be made as more is learned about these cars.

Click on pictures for larger views:

1. Altglas ist Rohstoff mit oder ohne Glasbeladung, gondola with load of glass for recycling, 1983

2. Old Heidelberg BEER Blatz MILWAUKEE, WIS. (ocker), 1983 *color variations of this car exist in gold, silver and white

3. Gatzweilers Alt (Haus rechts), 1983

4. HOCHDORFER BIER Goldstern (blau), 1985

5. Schwarzkopf, 1986

6. Bass Ale, 1986 Distribution: Germany 40 and United States 140

7. Chihuahua MEXICAN BEER (weib), 1986 Edition: 140

8. Coors Light, 1986

9. GRIZZLY BEER CANADIAN LAGER (grun), 1986

10. Labatt’s BEER Canadian BIERE, 1986 Edition: 100

11. MICHELOB BEER, 1986 Edition: 125

12. Miller High Life

13. Miller HIGH LIFE

14. Miller Genuine Draft

15. Lite BEER A FINE PILSNER BEER

16. Pabst Blue Ribbon The Real Taste of Beer, 1986 Edition: 180

17. TSINGTAO BEER, 1986 Edition: 170

18. REINZ Dichtungs-Prazision weltweit, 1987

19. Lindt…IL GUSTO DI FAR PLACERE, 1987

20. GURTEN BIER (silber), 1988

21. INTERFRIGO mit oder ohne DB-Zeichen, 1988 Schmidt #116

22. INTER FRIGO Basel (weib), 1988

23. TRANSTHERMOS KUHL VERKEHR (weib), 1988

24. VW Volkswagen – da weib man, was man hat (gold), 1988

25. VW Volswagen – da weib man, was man hat (weib Emblem hell – oder dunkelblau), 1988

26. Worb Brauerei egger bier (weib), 1988

27. Ulmer MunsterBier (weibes Band), 1988

28. VOHRINGER & KOPP Internationale Spedition (weib), 1989

29. Friedrichshafen Zeppelin (silber – weib), 1992

30. Eichbaum Pilsener Eichkrone Seit 1679 (weib), 1996 Nicknamed “Corpse Beer,” because the brewery is located next to a cemetery.

SMI – 8656: Hbis car type

Marklin special imprints pertaining to the Hbis car type with few exceptions are of Swiss origin. Car type is SBB Hbis. And with few exceptions produced in an edition size of 300 total.

1. Roland Zweiback (two sided – opposite: Roland Sticks), Marklin #88656.1, Koll’s #93701, Miba/Monk #791. Released 1993.

2. Feldscholosschen Bier, Marklin #88657.1, Miba/Monk #824.

3. Dunkle Perle, Marklin #88657.1, Miba/Monk #825.

4. Hopfenperle, Marklin #88657.1, Miba/Monk #826.

*2-4 originally sold as a three car set: 3 beers brewed by Feldschlosschen Brewery, Rheinfelden, Switzerland. Released 1994.

5. CARGO DOMICILE, Marklin #88656.6, Koll’s #94701, Miba/Monk #880.

6. Kaselocher – “Swiss Cheese”, Marklin #88656.5, Koll’s #94702.

7. Haco FARMER I, dunkel ohne Wagendaten, Marklin #88656.4, Koll’s #94703, Miba/Monk #868. Released 1994.

8. PEPSI, Marklin #88657.2, Koll’s #95001, Miba/Monk #883. Released 1995.

9. Schweppes, Marklin #88657.4, Koll’s #95002, Miba/Monk #918. Released 1995.

10. rivella (two sided – opposite: GRAPILLON), Marklin #88657.5, Koll’s #95003, Miba/Monk #995.

11. PTT – Post Schweiz – LA POSTE/ LA POSTA/ DIE POST, Marklin #88656.7, Koll’s #95701, Miba/Monk #940.

12. FONTESSA ELM, Marklin #88657.8, Koll’s #96002, Miba/Monk #967.

13. Ovomaltine, Marklin #88657.9, Koll’s #96003, Miba/Monk #1027.

14. Maggi, Marklin #8657.007, Koll’s #96705, Miba/Monk #1015.

15. sihl + eika papier, Marklin #88656.8, Koll’s #96706, Miba/Monk #966.

16. JURA-SEL AUS DER SCHWEIZ, Marklin #88657.7, Koll’s #96708, Miba/Monk #996.

17. EPA, Marklin #88657.11, Koll’s #96709, Miba/Monk #1016.

18. SULZER BULACHGUSS, Marklin #88657.6, Koll’s #96711, Miba/Monk #1028.

19. Schindler Waggon, Marklin #88657.10, #Miba/Monk #1047.

20. Sihl papier, Marklin #8657.904, Miba/Monk #1048.

21. CFL – ohne Werbeplakate, Marklin #82151.1, Miba/Monk #1049.

22. CFL – mit Werbeplakaten, Marklin #82151.2, Miba/Monk #1050.

23. CFL – mit BW-Motiv, Marklin #82151.3, Miba/Monk #1051.

*21-22 originally sold as a three car set: CFL – Luxembourg Car Set.

24. DANZAS, Marklin #8656.902, Miba/Monk #1068.

25. MIDOR, Marklin #8657.905, Miba/Monk #1079.

26. HENNIEZ, Marklin #8656.900, Miba/Monk #1089.

27. Monte Generoso, Marklin #8657.901, Miba/Monk #1099.

28. Hurlimann, Marklin #8657.907, Miba/Monk #1100.

29. DENNER SUPERDISCOUNT, Marklin #8657.900, Miba/Monk #1119.

30. RiCHiNA TRASPORTi, Marklin #8657.909, Miba/Monk #1134.

31. Bahnruhling SBB, Marklin #8656.903, Miba/Monk #1135.

32. BIERE VALAISANNE, WALLISER BIER, Marklin #8657.910, Miba/Monk #1136.

33. Wie fahrt man Gut? (two sided – opposite: Qui va bon train?), Marklin #8657.908, Miba/Monk #1157.

34. Swisscom Unterwegs zu neuen Horizonten, Marklin #8657.911, Miba/Monk #1172.

35. ascom verbindet Menschen (two sided – opposite: ascom relie les hommes), Marklin #8657.916, Miba/Monk #1230.

36. Spanish Brotli Bahn Chrom, Marklin #8656.905, Miba/Monk #1232.

37. Usego III, Marklin #8656.901, Miba/Monk #1233.

38. 100 Jahre DB Museum (pressegeschenk – press gift), Marklin #8657.026, Released 1999 to celebrate 100 year anniversary of DB Museum.

39. Knorr Chirat, Marklin #8657.914, Miba/Monk #1234.

40. Happy Birthday, Marklin #8657.915, released 1999.

41. PTT Union, Marklin #8657.917, Miba/Monk #1238.

42. Lindt 1845, Marklin #88656.9, Miba/Monk #1241.

43. Sinalco, Marklin #8656.910, Miba/Monk #1296.

44. Cargo Domizil (two sided – opposite: Cargo Domicilio), Marklin #8656.909, Miba/Monk #1297.

45. VMB – VEREINIGTE MINERALWASSER AG, Marklin #8656.913, Miba/Monk #1312.

46. COOP – ARNI, Marklin #1998.1.1, Miba/Monk #1137.

47. COOP – GALA, Marklin #1998.1.2, Miba/Monk #1138.

48. COOP – Picanta, Marklin #1998.1.3, Miba/Monk #1139.

*46-48 originally released as three car set in 1998.

49. Bischofszell MIGROS – Gutes aus der Schweiz, Marklin #8657.919, Miba/Monk #1344.

50. Haco FARMER III (grun), Marklin #8657.921, Miba/Monk #1362.

51. EICHHOF (two sided: pictured side depicts bottle of Eichhof Klosterbrau with amber background – not pictured side depicts bottle of Eichhof Braugold with deep blue background), Marklin #8657.922, Miba/Monk #1363.

52. Maggi II, Marklin #8656.916, Miba/Monk #1368, released 2000.

53. FELDSCHLOSSCHEN – Das Leben macht durstig, Marklin #8656.917, Miba/Monk #1388. Released 2001.

54. COOP naturaplan, Marklin #8657.924, Miba/Monk #1428, released 2001.

55. GURTEN BIER, Marklin #8657.925, Miba/Monk #1429, released 2001.

56. Wir bewegen. 25 Jahre Rangierbahnhof Limmattal, Marklin #8656.925, Miba/Monk #1587, Released 2003.

Marklin Special Imprints – MSI’s – Introduction

Marklin produced special imprints cars and locos since the 1970’s in limited editions. This section will document many of these items categorized by car type and chronological order. Chronology and details concerning each are based on the two “Koll’s Spezial Katalog’s” from 1996 and 1997 as well as the well known archive of Gilles Monk. The Koll’s catalogs listed each item by car type in sections starting with the earliest and ending with those produced up to and including 1997, with few exceptions it is a nearly complete record for “mini-club’s” first 25 years. All ‘Z’ items listed in the Koll’s catalogs are numbered by a unique number assigned by the authors of the Koll’s catalogs: first two digits correspond to the release date followed by a sequence of numbers corresponding to chronology of release in a given year. Gilles Monk without question is the world leader in collecting Marklin Z, he is officially recognized with this title by the Guinness Book of World Records, it is quite a feat that one person has been able to collect all releases of special imprints. For the public record Mr. Monk has generously made available his list of special imprints in chronological order which correspond to his unique numbering system. There are some discrepancies with chronology between Koll and Monk for releases within a given year, but each is in agreement for release years; photographs depict the order presented in the Koll’s catalogs. The photographs that I provide depict my collection which is not complete, as my research continues I will upgrade details about other cars not currently in the collection. Very few photos exist of SMI’s, they were never documented in catalogs by Marklin. The internet provides scant photo review of these wonderful cars. And if you have the Koll’s catalogs they only presented good black and white photos of most not all cars. For the first time I hope to help other collectors of SMI’s see these graphic and wonderful cars in full color. As a point of reference I have made every attempt at providing accurate information, some details may change over time based on my continued research.

Statens Järnvägar or SJ – Swedish State Railways an introduction!

Two hat Badges for the Swedish State Railways include a late 19th century example in gold thread with the “Three Crowns” and a 1950’s example in heavy pressed brass.

Founded in the late 19th century (1887), Swedish State Railways known as Statens Järnvägar or SJ was a government owned railway company that discontinued operations in 2001. Today the Swedish government owns three divisions of SJ assets: SJ AB (passenger), Green Cargo (freight) and Jernhusen (real estate holdings). In 1887 steam locomotives ruled the rails for the first 28 years of SJ’s history. In response to Sweden’s dependence on imported coal for steam trains a successful proposal was made to electrify Sweden’s iron ore line at Malmbanan with electricity produced through hydroelectric generation, its source would be the Porjus Power Plant. In 1915 the first complete electrified rail line in Sweden was operational. For 101 years electric locomotives have hauled freight and passenger trains throughout Sweden, but diesel locomotives are also used for freight hauling, shunting, and specialized locomotives including snow removal; Harald Freudenreich of FR is soon to release an exciting example in ‘Z’ of a specialized snow plow diesel locomotive class Tc/DLL: https://eshop.t-online.de/epages/Shop46559.sf/de_DE/?ObjectPath=/Shops/Shop46559/Products/46.135.xx

Two famous locomotive builders from Sweden include: NOHAB ((Nydqvist & Holm AB), Trollhättan and ASEA (Allmänna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget), Västerås each disbanded in 1979 and 1988 respectively. NOHAB’s first trains were steam, but they later built diesel/electric locomotives with licensing from the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors characterized by their resemblance to the American F7. Marklin has produced 4 exquisite examples of this NOHAB series in Z: 88630 (SNCB), 88631 (CFL), 88632 (DSB Era V), and 88633 (DSB Era III). Please note all 4 locos were limited release “One Time Series”, they are highly sought after. ASEA produced two very successful electric locomotives with one type still in use today: SJ RA and SJ Rc. The SJ RA has a characteristic design that suggests the American F7, built in 1955-1961 with two designations: “Express” and “Rapid”. FR produced a limited release (32 units in total of the Express), it is sold out and hard to find, FR will be producing the “Rapid” later in 2016 which will surely become very collectible and sought after. The second ASEA locomotive type that is in widespread use in Sweden is the Rc series with numerous variations that follow a numbering system of Rc1- Rc7 respectively. The RC prototype locomotive has endured as a reliable electric motive design incorporating thyristor controls. Amtrak and MetroNorth have used variants of the Rc in the United States. Marklin has produced models of the Rc series in HO, but FR rules ‘Z’ with a broad range of variants of the Rc in Z surpassing anything Marklin has yet produced in HO. FR’s soon to be released Rc6 in ‘BlueX’ paint scheme is a striking example of a late series variant of the prototype.

Intro. for new collectors: European freight train consist

Advanced or experienced train people need not read this brief introduction about assembling a train consist, but for those new to European trains modeled by Marklin and others an introduction is a helpful way to get you started. First their are two types of freight trains designated as ‘unit’ or ‘mixed freight’. Unit trains are comprised of similar car types hauling one type of freight, unit trains of hoppers typically haul minerals such as gravel or coal as well as tank cars hauling liquid or gas. Mixed freight trains are made up of various car types: tank cars, container cars, flat cars with machinery loads and numerous others. In the United States freight trains may comprise rolling stock of various railroads as well as cross border cars from Canada, but in Europe freight trains frequently pass from one country’s border to the next and often times include cars that vary from the country of origin. European trains are shorter in length compared to a 100+ car train set you might see crossing the ‘Great Plains’ in the United States. In creating an accurate train consist based on European prototypes keep in mind correct Era’s attributed to cars by Marklin. And consider including not just German rolling stock in your train set.

Steamtown in Scranton, PA

Steamtown in Scranton, Pennsylvania is a National Historic Site situated on the former yard of the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad. Building on the original collection assembled by F. Nelson Blount in the 1950’s and 60’s Steamtown today comprises a large roundhouse and 90 foot turntable and exhibits illustrating the history of steam locomotives in the United States.

Steamtown National Historic Site was established October 30, 1986, it was deemed as the “most flagrant pork barrel project” using Park Service funds by many including Kenneth R. Clark of the Chicago Tribune. The project contributed millions of dollars into the depressed coal mining region of Scranton, PA and without it this important site would not be preserved today. A nominal fee of $7.00 for adults allows entrance to the grounds and exhibits which are sequenced along the spokes of the roundhouse, they eventually lead to the workshops with numerous steam locomotives in for repair and restoration.

Set of pilot wheels and side-rods awaiting installation.

This is an educational experience, but one can also be inspired by the impressive mass of walking next to the behemoth locomotives including a Union Pacific ‘Big Boy’.

A display locomotive not to be missed has cutaway sections revealing the fundamental engineering of a steam locomotive and tender.

Displayed outdoors is a rare diesel for this museum, an A-A F7 diesel of the Reading Railroad.

A separate museum located across the parking lot of Steamtown is the Electric City Trolley Museum, if you time it right you can take on ride on one of the trolleys for $2.00!

A rare sight is this electric shunting locomotive, it is part of the Electric City Trolley Museum’s collection and displayed just outside the museum.

Playing its part with the railroad theme of this museum are the ‘T’ rails used in the parking lot’s perimeter fence.

A day at the museum can include rides on a steam train and electric trolley. Trains don’t run everyday, you will need to plan ahead by checking the schedules.

In Pennsylvania we are lucky to have a number of excellent train museums, in future posts we will be visiting others including a narrow gauge railroad and the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.

How A Steam Locomotive Works

Every once in awhile a book needs to be mentioned that relates to railroading history. One such book is one I found at the book shop at “Steamtown” in Scranton, PA. Aptly titled How A Steam Locomotive Works – A New Guide is a fine textbook on all functional aspects of steam locomotion by the author Dominic Wells published in 2015 by Ian Allan Publishing. The author begins with a simple description of creating steam in a pot before embarking on a clever description of adapting it to train locomotion, a simple but highly complex system of engineering. Expertly written with numerous illustrations this book is the reference guide for all interested in steam trains. More than 150 pages covering every important function and design of the steam locomotive. I highly recommend this book above any other on this topic.

Collecting Marklin Z and Preserving Train History: 88300, 88301, 88302

from top – side 1:

Marklin 88300: V300 Diesel Hydraulic Loco, Insider Model 2009

Marklin 88301: ML 2200 C’C’ experimental loco, builder: Krauss-Maffei, 1957 paint scheme

Marklin 88302: ML 3000 C’C’ factory paint scheme after 1957-1958 rebuild

side 2:

Collecting Marklin Z is bigger than acquiring model trains, it is a collaboration with Marklin: preserving the history of trains. Every collector of trains in all scales is participating in train history simply by collecting model trains, books and ephemera. Our passion for trains is passed on to the next generation, thus block by block trains are well documented and understood thanks to model train manufacturers and their collectors.

Historical preservation is at the heart of some Marklin Z releases including the experimental locomotives: ML 2200 and ML 3000.

The German locomotive maker Krauss-Maffei produced a variant of the 4 axle V200 locomotive in the 1950’s for the Yugoslav Railroad with lower axle loads and improved air conditioning thus the 6 axle ML 2200 was born. Delivery of three ML 2200 locomotives 1.77 meters longer than the V200 took place in Belgrade May 27, 1957. Marklin’s One Time Series 88301 is a model of the ML 2200 prototype.

The ML 3000 represents a rebuilt ML 2200 with increased power and improved transmission. The failure of negotiations to secure an order for ML 3000’s with the DB ended any potential success this locomotive would have for load restricted routes in Germany, the surviving prototype was used in Bavaria before it was leased in 1963 and later purchased by the DB. Marklin #88302 is modeled on the ML 3000 prototype.

In 1963 the DB leased the ML 3000, it was reclassified V300. The locomotive was repainted with the DB color scheme otherwise unchanged. In 1964 the DB purchased the V300, it was used in express and freight service. The service life of the V300 lasted roughly 17 years before it was scrapped. Marklin model #88300 represents the V300, it was a limited production release for Insider members.

As a point of comparison there were 4 total locomotives produced of the ML 2200/ ML 3000/ V300 variants and 86 total locomotives produced of the V200. Maybe the V300 would have been more successful than the V200 if negotiations with the DB had not failed to secure an order for them.

Blue? Prussian Blue rolling on the rails

Marklin Magazin has been published by Marklin for a number of years, it is a glossy well produced magazine with contents covering Marklin trains and train history. And it is included with your ‘Insider’ membership! So what’s with the title of this post Prussian Blue? Prussian Blue is the traditional blue used in blueprints and since 2001 the characteristic color used for Marklin Magazin’s special edition cars. Marklin Magazin’s “Car of the Year” is often Marklin’s car with new tooling for that year, pigmented in Prussian Blue and lettered for Marklin Magazin. Sometimes a theme is introduced such as the 2002 release 80812: type Lgjs 598 flat car loaded with tanks corresponding to printer’s ink used in the production of the magazine. Or the 2006 release 80816: type low side car with brakeman’s platform loaded with real rolls of paper, Marklin notes 20 metric tons of paper are used for each issue of Marklin Magazin. New releases of Magazin special edition cars are available from your dealer through Walthers, but they sell out quickly.

Z Trains Weekly

World of Z scale trains!