photo: courtesy Marklin Marklin 8895 (2000-2006) German Federal Railroad (DB) class 74 tank locomotive. Era III.
Almost 20 years since the 8895 (2000-2006) debuted featuring the relatively new 5 pole mini-club motor (1998) with 7 variations in between.
Tank locomotives are smart steam locomotives featuring water tanks mounted alongside the boiler with coal bunker located behind cab. A few early example tank locomotives featured a coal hopper above cab and worked with gravity to self feed the system which for one man operation was ideal or at least manageable on small railroads. For a whole host of reasons the tank locomotive was the smart choice for economical and efficient operation for commuter traffic and the like.
The evolution of this locomotive class modeled in Z includes notable examples of various railroads and era’s. Plus of course increased detailing of locomotive’s running gear and side rods. An overlooked increase in side rod movement of Marklin’s new steam locomotives is a complex detail feature much improved from earlier examples. Thus far this locomotive has not been built with a brush-less motor, but the future seems just around the corner for what comes next.
Marklin 88951 (2003-2004) Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft (DRG) class 74 (operating number 74 690). Era II.Marklin 88951 (2003-2004) Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft (DRG) class 74 (Era II) with destination boards: “Wannsee.” Marklin 88952 (One Time Series-2005) Royal Wurttemberg State Railways (K.W.St.E) class T 9. Era I. Note: modified from delivery with added pick-ups connected to wheels of coach thus electric is picked up from wheels of locomotive plus 4 wheels on coach: benefits traveling through turn-outs with dips in electric flow.Marklin 88952 (One Time Series-2005) Royal Wurttemberg State Railways (K.W.St.E) class T 9 (Era I) with Faller laser-cut building “Quakenbruck Town Hall” (282774) in background
Note: Marklin’s 2005 release of 88952 celebrated “200 Years of the Kingdom of Wurttemberg”
Marklin 88953 (One Time Series-2015) class 74 painted and lettered for Marklin Magazin Note: features for the first time improved running gear
Note: metal front coupler was replaced with standard plastic one with 88953’s release
Marklin 88954 (2015-2017) Belgium State Railways (SNCB) class 96 locomotive. Era III. Note: features hand-painted boiler bands for the first time and handsome paint detail on the cylinderMarklin 88954 (2015-2017) Belgium State Railways (SNCB) class 96 locomotive. Era III.
Note: German locomotives feature red paint in their design to make stress fractures easier to detect on inspection
Marklin 88955 (2017-2018) German Federal Railroad (DB) class 74 tank locomotive. Era III.Marklin 88955 (2017-2018) German Federal Railroad (DB) class 74 tank locomotive. Era III.Marklin 88956 (2016-2018) French State Railways (SNCF) class 130 TB. Era IIIMarklin 88956 (2016-2018) French State Railways (SNCF) class 130 TB. Era III. Note: trailing lights are suggested and non-functioningMarklin 88957 (One Time Series for MHI Program-2017) Royal Prussian State Railroad (KPEV) class T 12 based on 1915 prototype which was used for commuter service in Berlin. Era I.Marklin 88957 (One Time Series for MHI Program-2017) Royal Prussian State Railroad (KPEV) class T 12. Era I. Note: two trailing lights in this version
Marklin 88953 (One Time Series-2015) class 74 tank locomotive
One of the many benefits of Marklin Insider Club membership includes subscription to Marklin Magazin (English text). The glossy well produced magazine features articles helpful to HO and Z gauge modelers as well as Gauge 1 from layout design and scenery tips to historical background. I look forward to getting the big white envelope with this magazine as well as Insider News magazine. Plus twice a year up to date news from Marklin is delivered on DVD with English subtitles and beautiful videography. And then there is the Club card and free club car in your choice in gauges: HO or Z. So that is my plug for Marklin Insider Club, it is a very good deal and investment in your hobby: $99/year.
Marklin’s Magazin releases are easy to spot featuring characteristic Prussian blue paint scheme sometimes basing their designs on the magazine’s printing heritage. Releases also highlight newly tooled cars sometimes for the first time.
2001 marked the occasion of the first such release of a freight car in Z, and the series includes one locomotive. So without further ado I will present each release starting with the first one:
Marklin 80811 (2001) type Rils car with tarp cover for transporting steel coilsMarklin 80812 (2002) type Lgjs 598 flat car with 5 tanks corresponding to printer’s inkMarklin 80813 (2003) type Eaos 106 high side gondola with load of wood chips for paper productionMarklin 80814 (2004) type Sammp 705 heavy duty flat car with replica of a machine glazing cylinder Marklin 80815 (2005) type Re 687 four-axle flat car with system containers painted to represent colors used to print Marklin MagazinMarklin 80816 (2006) type low side car with brakeman’s platform loaded with reams of paper used for printingMarklin 80817 (2007) type diesel/heating oil tank carMarklin 80818 (2008) type Bt 10 flat car loaded with Efkr Pa containers for raw materialsMarklin 80819 (2009) type Shimmns 708 sliding wall box carMarklin 80820 (2010) type Lb 576 flat car loaded with 3 type Eoskrt coal containerMarklin 80821 (2011) type acid transport car with acid tanksMarklin 80822 (2012) type OOTZ hopper carMarklin 80823 (2013) type VH 14 livestock carMarklin 80824 (2014) type refrigerator car based on German Railroad Association Drawing A2Marklin 80825 (2015) type Tms 851 two-axle sliding roof car with brakeman’s cabinMarklin 80826 (2016) type Eanos high side gondola for transporting wood chipsMarklin 80827 (2017) type Fas 126 side dump carMarklin 80828 (2018) type Zans four-axle funnel flow tank carMarklin 80829 (2019) type E 037 2-axle gondola
In 2015 Marklin released the first locomotive painted and lettered for the Marklin Magazin series, it would no doubt include the latest developments in Marklin Z locomotive design including improved running gear of the class 74 (former T 9 K.W.St.E and Prussian T 12) tank locomotive. It is a stout little locomotive with sharp lines and handsome Prussian blue paint scheme.
Marklin 88953 (2015) Marklin Magazin special one time seriesMarklin 88953 (2015) Marklin Magazin special one time series Note: trailing lights are non-functioning and painted white
Marklin came up with the idea to release Halloween themed cars as part of two starter sets beginning in 2003; they included track, loco and set 00832 included a couple of ceramic jack-o-lanterns.
Unfortunately the starter sets included the standard class 89 steam locomotive that usually goes in starter sets, but the locos came in black; they would have been better if painted with Halloween theme?
The four cars total for Halloween included 2 per set released 2003 + 2004 respectively. Set 00815 included two cars (type 8600 and 8615) painted with glow-in-the-dark pigment.
“Ghouls” – Type 8600 refrigerator car from starter set 00815 (2003) Note: features glow in the dark paint“Pumpkins and Ghouls” – Type 8615 car from starter set 00815 (2003) Note: features glow in the dark paint
And set 00832 also included car types 8600 and 8615 (2 cars total in set) with bright orange and black paint scheme.
“Scary Face” – type 8600 refrigerator car from starter set 00832“Jack-O-Lantern” – type 8615 car from starter set 00832
After writing this post I realized there are any number of interesting Halloween themed trains including haunted houses, dead trees, candy corn loads for custom painted in orange gondola and on and on. A fun project to break up the long term goals of more serious layouts: we all need more projects?
Siding: collectors tend to sell these cars in pairs so keep an eye out, value for Halloween cars range from $25-$50 a piece; they are the most valuable part of the starter sets and the locos are not special so I recommend going for the cars only and saving some dough.
Another tradition at the holidays is Marklin Christmas releases in Z. Going on 22 years the Christmas releases comprise many more cars than other categories of holiday special imprints. And the designs are mostly secular with a couple of religious themed cars.
Due to their limited release status Christmas cars tend to sell out fast with a few tending toward rarer status which I will point out in captions. Great series that I have grown to appreciate more and more with time; each car is delivered in a small gift box with clear acrylic themed Christmas ornament. In addition to the ornament releases for Christmas are American and European prototype starter sets not included in this post.
In order to tackle 22 years of Christmas releases I will simply caption each photo with catalog number, year, and note if car is particularly rare, but first a rather unusual car given to Marklin employees: 8661-000? year?
“Weihnachtszeit ist Marklinzeit” (Christmas Time is Marklin TIme) Marklin 80607 (1997)Marklin 80610 (2000)Marklin 80611 (2001)Marklin 80612 (2002)Marklin 80613 (2003)Marklin 80614 (2004)Marklin 80615 (2005)Marklin 80616 (2006)Marklin 80617 (2007)Marklin 80618 (2008)Marklin 80619 (2009)Marklin 80620 (2010)Marklin 80621 (2011)Marklin 80622 (2012)Marklin 80623 (2013) RARE Note: car features a ‘black’ Santa, it is a particularly difficult car to locateMarklin 80623 (2013) Marklin 80623 (2013)Marklin 80624 (2014)Marklin 80625 (2015) Marklin 80625 (2015) Note: small decorated Christmas tree is included with carMarklin 80625 (2015) “FROHE WEIHNACHTEN” (Merry Christmas) imprinted on roofMarklin 80626 (2016) note: newly tooled type Eaos hopper Marklin 80627 (2017) note: “XMAS” is laser cut from cardstockMarklin 80628 (2018)
Siding: one Christmas release not reported here is 80609 featuring type O 10 freight car for K.W.St.E with brakeman’s cab and load of paper wrapped chocolate. Also included with the release was a small decorated Christmas tree. Released 1999.
I have to admit, I did not start collecting Marklin Z based on their holiday releases, they came later after settling in for the long haul collecting Marklin. For collectors, Marklin’s holiday releases are “One Time Series” thereby making them limited and eventually rare. For train collectors who concentrate on prototypical railroading holiday themed cars will probably not cut it.
But collecting trains can have an outlaying interest: making fun and not so serious holiday layouts or novelty layouts which are theme based diverging from serious railroading which is ever present in most railroaders’ mindsets.
Kids and grand kids or those young at heart will respond with joy and amazement at one other version of model train collecting with Marklin’s theme based releases: Halloween, Christmas and Easter. Roughly speaking the first limited holiday releases were for Christmas in 1997. Plus this is an excellent opportunity to have the family creatively contribute to your hobby.
This week I thought I would share some of these cars from my collection which is complete for Christmas, incomplete for Easter and complete for Halloween.
Today is Easter! The first Easter release in my collection is a complete dealer display including wooden bunny which holds silver tray with one Easter egg ornament perched atop. This One Time Series for 2000 was released with 5 color variations of the paper insert including orange, blue, yellow, green and red. The design featured 3 colorful bunnies gracing the sides of a type 8615 box car with brakeman’s cab used mostly on holiday releases. Dealer displays included backlit graphic sign which slide into a custom made Marklin display which could be switched out for future releases.
Marklin 00811 Dealer Display “Bunny with silver tray” . One Time Release 2000 included type 8615 boxcar with acrylic Easter egg. 5 color variations of paper insert including: orange, blue, yellow, green, and red. Marklin 00811 Easter car with 3 bunnies and chickMarklin 00811
The One Time Release for 2001 is the “Frohe Ostern (Happy Easter)” car featuring flower design which also incorporated the type 8615 car.
Marklin 00000 Easter car with dogwood flower design. Note: ‘m’ symbol lower right indicating a limited release car. Note: may have been given to Marklin employees(?).
2003 was the year of the ‘chick’ with Marklin’s Easter release depicting yellow chick: 00813.
Marklin 00813: One Time Series 2003.
Breaking with tradition the type 8615 car was swapped out with a sliding wall boxcar for the 2016 Easter release: 80416.
Marklin 80416Marklin 80416
An adorable “Happy Easter” design followed in 2017 with a design depicting two bunnies against colorful blue background: 80417.
Marklin 80417Marklin 80417
Skipping a year due to hole in my collection we proceed to this year’s release combining a relatively new technology being used at Marklin: laser cut card-stock constructions. In this year’s release bunnies are depicted as cardboard cut-outs: a bit of sculpture as interesting cargo: 80419.
Marklin 80419 Note: car has a slight curl or warp suggesting a defect in manufacturing, if you get hold of this car consider returning it for exchange. Marklin 80419Marklin 80419
Marklin Easter releases are far more encompassing than simply a freight car in an acrylic Easter ornament, they include a large colorful gift box with Easter basket and grass.
The recent release Marklin 89601 Signal Bridge is an inexpensive but extremely impressive building for Z modelers. One of the more important buildings to include in a layout is a relatively modern signal bridge thereby incorporating multiple possible era’s within a German model railroad. Marklin’s new release class 24 steam locomotive 88031 provides interesting scale to the new building, it represents an extensive redesign of the ’24’ with new coupled tender and improved running gear: side rod action on this locomotive is lively and expressive in a way early versions are not.
A very interesting small build kit with a very reasonable price based on a preserved prototype in Germany, 89601 is not an easy kit to build, it has it’s challenges, but it is none the less a good and recommended kit to try.
For one the building exhibits excellent scale in one particular way: trains running along side her are magnificently modest as they travel along under her wing. The scope of the building includes an attached shed and transecting observation and control room with controls depicted in cut-out illustration.
Such structures are common enough that their omission on a model layout should be reconsidered.
Build Notes: consider attaching all small parts after building the structure, these parts include small window sills and architectural decorative moldings as these may be exposed to excessive handling during completion of the building. Further veering away from printed instructions consider adding steel roll-down sheeting on two windows with attached parts otherwise omit in accord with personal preferences. Presumably the sheeting is covering adjacent windows rapping a corner to allow more wall small within the structure (?).
Another build note: extension over tracks is supported by a modeled steel framework which is a delicate part and inserted into a cardboard base, photos for this post do not show the main structure and supporting structure comprising base for track-over extension cemented to a base therefore they appear crooked or “out-of-sync” with each other, please disregard building will be perfectly lined up after permanent cementing.
Another build note: consider filling gaps between parts with wood glue followed with painting part ends/seams to create a seamless edge-to-edge appearance. *building depicted in this post document the building without any finishing touches.
Marklin new release diecast truck set features 4 trucks and a forklift: two trucks are factory weathered.
Several Era’s are represented in the set including Era 2-6 with interesting and advertising for a brewery truck and Marklin factory truck. Features of the set include custom weathering for two trucks but also fine graphic printing and painted details including grill and lamps on Marklin truck.
Attractive paint schemes for trucks found in several earlier releases including the factory, museum sets and insider models.
Forklift included with the set in bright safety yellow paint scheme, it features remarkably good casting and details.
Siding: set appears to be cast and painted in Germany
Marklin 87269 Adumh 101 vista dome Marklin 87269 Adumh 101 vista dome
Marklin’s passenger set 87269 is a One Time Series available only through the Marklin Dealer Initiative Program (MHI). This is not the first version of Rheingold coaches in burgundy and ivory paint scheme, they have been available as single cars since 1975, but this set includes the very interesting “hump-back” dining coach which was newly tooled for the 2004 “Rheingold Car Set (1)”: 87265.
This is first time interior details have been modeled on Rheingold coaches which also includes the omission of “RHEINGOLD” lettering on the vistadome based on the prototype from 1973-1974. Accordingly the vista dome car was used on the Rhine until 1975 according to Marklin literature.
It is notable to discuss Marklin’s Era III and Era IV Rheingold sets in side by side comparisons. Note: nickel window trims are fashioned on Era III coaches which has been replaced with brass trims on Era IV set 87269.
For this blog post the Rheingold sets with burgundy and ivory paint schemes will be discussed including: 87265 – Rheingold Set 1 (MHI-2004), 87285 – Rheingold Set 2 (MHI-2004) and 87269 – Rheingold set (MHI-2018).
87265 (3 car set): 1- type Avumz 111 compartment car, 1st class, 1- type WRumh 131 dining car, and 1- type Apumz 121 open seating coach, 1st class
87285 (3 car set): 1- type Avumz 111 compartment car, 1st class, 1- type Adumh 101 vista dome, 1st class and 1- type ARDumh 105 bar car, 1st class
87269 (5 car set): 2- type Avumz 111 compartment cars, 1st class, 1- type ADumh 101 vista dome, 1st class, 1- type WRumh 131 “hump-back” dining car, and 1- type APumh 121 open seating coach
If it is possible to visit a late 19th century western United States town built by gold perhaps this station in its small dimensions satisfies that goal. Measuring 5 inches in length x 2 1/2 inches in overall width x 2 inches in height the “Goldtree Station” by Archistories is the fictional hub and gatekeeper for the outside world, it greeted new comers with grand dreams of making it rich and goods to keep a decidedly inhospitable landscape habitable.
This year marks the important anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad: 150 years East and West coasts joined by rails at Promontory Point, Utah. And a good time to consider modeling a western gold rush community in Z starting with this nice building exclusively sold by ZScaleHobo.com. And Marklin’s “Bumble Bee” locomotive and its passenger set from a few years back are a good train set for this station.
A fairly simple to build kit featuring partition walls which aid in realistic lighting effects, filigree parts which add realism to platform supports, and a mix of building materials including terracotta roof tiles and wood construction.
Goldtree station signage is laser cut with an appropriate American style font of the 19th century.
Railroads grew quickly after completion of the Transcontinental Railroad as did towns throughout the United States. Station and depot types changed too thus small stations with attached freight depots largely disappeared in the teens and 20’s, they were replaced by masonry structures supporting a network of hubs as people and goods were transported all over the United States. Towns who’s singular purpose supported the gold rush either grew independent of it or largely ceased to exist.
Note: exclusive worldwide dealer for this item is Zscalehobo.com
Construction notes: the ingenious feature of this Archistories kit are snap-in window frames and glazing, pre-cut glazing snap into place with gentle pressure followed by window frames, filigree timber sections are finally glued in place and permanently seal windows. Open freight doors are possible but interior detailing will need to be designed by the builder. *use glue sparingly and use great patience with light paper parts which cannot be realigned after gluing, plus snap-in window frames are prone to easy breakage, fraying and distortion.
Another important construction note: Part F10 is a delicate filigree part comprising the main entrance framework, after removing this part from the part sheet two more tabs need to be removed from either side of door frame: brackets should be flush to the structure. In my interpretation of this building it was missed thus reflected in the photos. A second important point is to install the 4 brackets (Part H4) for freight room before attaching roof.
Marklin 88035- Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad 2-6-0 “Mogul” locomotive featuring brass construction (2004-2006)
Just now arriving at dealers in very limited quantities is the Marklin train set 81772 for the MHI Program, it is another version of the V36 diesel locomotive in Z. Each release thus far has included modifications to the original prototype built as a solution for moving goods with less detection than steam trains during the war years.
Based on the Era IV V236 prototype of the German Federal Railroad (DB) featuring a roof cupola this train set includes interesting farm themed loads: hay bales, tractor and trailer.
Referred to as a “Nurnberg” roof cupola this modification relocates the operators’ controls and seat to the top of the cab thus allowing full 360 degree views.
Marklin 81772 + MBZ R16066 (Field Barn)
Type low side Klm 441 cars make up the train set and include tall stakes that can be installed. The interesting car type with metal sides and no hand brakes was released a year ago with and without hay bale loads. Hay bale load is molded composition and painted to reflect the color of natural hay. Tractor and trailer are wonderfully detailed including painted grill on tractor and rolling rubber tires. This set includes the very best tractor ever released for Z gauge.
New generation motor powers the loco which features leading and trailing LED’s. Locomotive runs smooth due to excellent weight and motive power.
Marklin 81772 + MBZ R16066 + MBZ R16069
A great collection of rural farmsteads are available in laser-cut kits by Marklin, Archistories, MBZ and Faller. MBZ’s “Granary” is one such rural building associated with grain and feed storage with very striking design.
