Category Archives: Marklin Z

Notes from a Marklin Insider: Precision and Z Scale

photo: Marklin 88091 KPEV BR P10  (Insider Release – 2003)

I received Marklin Insider Club News in yesterday’s mail, it features a two page 25th Anniversary chronology of the Insider Club in Z. The article highlights the collector Rolf-Dieter Woerz who is a long time Marklin collector and enthusiast, he was at the very beginning of mini-club in 1972! And he was a first year subscriber to the Marklin Insider Club!

photo: Marklin 81436 DRG BR 61 (loco from Henschel-Wegmann set – Insider Release 2005)

Mr. Woerz comments on the precision required in Z: “If you build in Z, you can’t cut corners.” How how true!

photo: Marklin 88010 DB BR 01 express locomotive and tender (Insider Release – 2012)

Whether gluing a shutter on a laser cut building or weathering rolling stock precision is demanded every step of the way. The right tools and techniques are part of this so called precision, but patience and confidence mirror the same. Research , time and experimentation help build the foundation for precision work while personal charm and expertise form the working methods that can be used for success in Z.

photo: Marklin 88053 DRG BR 53 loco and condensation tender (Insider Release – 2007)

In celebrating post 301, I hope to continue to share my insights in Z scale. And I hope to help others avoid mistakes that I have made along the way.

photo: Marklin 88183 DRG BR 18.1 express locomotive lettered for 1936 Olympics (Insider Release – 1996)

Siding: Marklin Insider Club membership in the United States is just $99/year and includes the magazines: Insider Club News, Marklin Magazine, and catalogs. It also includes an invitation to purchase Insider locos plus each member gets a free car in their selected gauge. As Florian Sieber states: “The Club is not there to make a profit, but to be a platform to promote communication.”

photo: Marklin 88294 DB BR 96 heavy freight locomotive (Insider Release – 2013)

Marklin Insider 81352: “DB Freight Train for Coal Transport”

“Remarkable things come in small packages!” An often used expression with new and veteran Marklin Z enthusiasts, but never as true as with model 81352. Here is a class 80 tank locomotive one of the smallest German steam locomotives used for shunting and general regional freight traffic exquisitely realized as a smooth running Marklin Z gauge locomotive heading 5 cars loaded with coal.

Note: photos only show 4 of the 5 coal cars!

What can be said of this locomotive referred to as “Little Bull” in the Marklin literature is all positive, it features glazed window openings, very detailed running gear with side rods of great complexity, superb weathering, LED headlamps, and brushless motor. And it looks great! Cars too!

Type 0 10 and 0 11 wagons loaded with removable coal inserts complete the Era III set.

Much care and attention to detail went into the production of this latest Insider release that will add a high level of realism to a prototypical mid century layout. Weathering was presumably applied with airbrush, but the level of quality maybe difficult to match even for the more experienced modeler.

*MBZ cardstock building #16058 (weathered) available exclusively in the United States from Reynaulds

As a bonus the train set included an unfinished brass casting of the locomotive shell, it is remarkable to see the unpainted and unfinished casting next to the finished loco which suggests the massive amount of handwork that takes place before these sets reach the collector.

A real stunner of a train set!

Siding: tucked nicely inside the small cockpit of this loco is a new brushless motor described as maintenance free, but other aspects of the loco require the usual maintenance including periodic oiling of wheels (as little as necessary which is not much) and wheel cleaning.

 

Buying Marklin Z direct from the distributor

As a bit of an experiment I decided to buy what I consider to be a quick sell-out of the recently released railbus 88171 directly from Walthers. It was bought partly on impulse and partly to ensure getting one of these before they are sold out; they are already sold out at the factory even before arriving at Walthers in Milwaukee, WI.

My experience with Walthers apart from visiting their store/warehouse in person a few years ago is limited to ordering from them through the dealer network, I have never bought directly from them before.

Walthers policy is to charge full list price so as not to compete with their dealer network which is a good policy, but why do they sell to the public at all? The hour I spent in their tiny showroom in Milwaukee was full of customers some buying hundreds of dollars worth of items, and I guess they were as happy to pay full list price as Walthers was to charge them full list price.

The Walthers warehouse and showroom is not as appealing as the catalog much of which has to be called up to the counter to be seen. And the warehouse is a fairly unremarkable building, but I have to say the salesman at the counter were friendly and knowledgeable thereby offering a good place to find everything featured in their thick catalog and in stock.

Ordering from Walthers website was easy enough showing items currently in stock with prices. No problems at all placing an order! The downside was the order took a little while to ship from their warehouse (credit card is not charged until item ships), the small little item arrived in a big sturdy box, but the the Marklin railbus was not properly secured with wrapping thus separating from the plastic box entirely, luckily it did not scratch!

For collectors of Marklin Z it is probably best to order through a dealer at least for discounts, but also for individualized attention and guidance. Plus MHI releases are only available to dealers who are part of that subscription program thus not available directly to the public through Walthers. And some of the best stuff in Marklin Z are MHI’s!

Siding: Marklin’s 88171 Uerdingen VS 98 railbus is SUPERB with fully realized interiors and interior lighting with LED’s. Paint and lettering is crisp on this highly detailed model. Paired with the motor car (88166) available as an upcoming release this will be one of those must haves for collectors.

Marklin’s Steam Railcar “Kittel”: 88145

Wow!

I have been waiting patiently and other times impatiently for Marklin 88145, there were times I didn’t even think I would receive one, but last week I took delivery of one from the dealer Frank Daniels (zscalehobo.com). I can only wonder if the release was smaller than Marklin planned with some pre-orders not filled including a second one I ordered as soon as it was announced many moons ago. Note: pre-orders maybe filled, I haven’t received word as of yet that more are not on the way.

88145 is a further milestone in Marklin Z with prototypical accuracy, excellent running performance due to a brushless motor, and extremely fine detail work including many add-on parts. Add-on parts are always part of the finish detail work on Z locos, but the 88145 includes added details only found with the small firms of FR and Modellbau Z whose quality handmade products are unmatched but equaled with Marklin 88145. The add-on parts include cabin chimneys on roof along with top cap for boiler, but also grab-on rails fore and aft (nod to my recently deceased Father-In-Law who was a sailor) with platforms and accurate detailing on one end with buffer beam detailing including hoses, step-ups and coupling.

The paint scheme is crimson with lettering for DB thus an Era III locomotive but built in 1905 with firebox designed by Eugen Kittel. Two class Kittel CidT 8 steam powered rail cars were used on provincial railroads in Germany until their retirement in the early ’50s. A rather remarkable little rail car with but 4 passenger bays this locomotive would have hauled a freight car or two thus offering a dual purpose on less profitable routes.

As for the model — 88145 will prove to be a very big deal in Z modeling! And under the hood just as complex in design and fabrication as the outer shell! Parts diagram includes numerous mechanical and add-on parts thus confirming the necessary amount of assembly labor involved in this release.

The only point of comparison to be made with small high end manufacturers is add-on parts are made of injection molded plastic rather than etched nickel silver, but it is hardly a discrepancy worth noting as these parts are perfection! Running performance although not tested on all track by this reviewer could be assumed to be rather poor through turnouts or dead spots (due to lightweight and short wheelbase), but continuous rail there is no loss in power or performance witnessed.

All positive! The new Marklin 88145 is superb, but it maybe a once only production: the price tag on this release should have been comparable to other locos on the market with similar workings and detail work, instead it sold for at least half maybe 3 times less than comparable locos on the market: assembly labor alone must have been very high.

I would like to see Marklin continue with outrageous models such as this one, maybe a second line like the “Fine Art” series from a few years back that did not take hold.

A quick note on the carton: loco was delivered in the current white carton with loco housed in a two part plastic sleeve similar to ones used in the HO line to protect the delicate add-on parts, mine arrived with pristine paint and nothing broken. *Even the box was thoughtfully designed! Lastly: box has a “Made in China” sticker attached to it which makes perfect sense to me, Chinese labor is very good with fussy and intricate assembly of tiny parts and this model is exceptional in every way, it maybe the best Z loco in terms of detail work and craftsmanship.

Siding: I am a long time collector of Marklin Z, all periods in Marklin Z are represented in my collection. A few fears ago Marklin produced Z in China much to the consternation of fellow collectors, with very few exceptions “Made in China” did not resonate with me as poor quality or less collectible than “Made in Germany”, Z products continued to arrive during this time-frame that more than satisfied this collector. And I suffer from extreme pickiness! First time I have admitted to that in public. We may only have the Marklin 88145 because it was made in China which may turn out to be one of the most sought after models by Z-scalers in years to come.

A perfect boxcar for the loco and timeframe is a G 10 from set 86391 or 86392 (not pictured).

Siding: Faller’s 282781card-stock building is depicted in this post, it includes two kits glued together.

Factory Weathering: Marklin 82267 boxcar

Marklin’s factory weathering doesn’t get any better, and this example is another superb example. Featuring a post on one freight car is worth the effort, single cars can sometimes be overshadowed by the glaring goodness of fancy beautiful train sets and locos in the mini-club program, but individual cars add interest at sidings as they are essential to railroad operations.

Turn this car in the light and depth of detail reveals those qualities such as crisp timber construction, lettering and tiniest bolt heads.

Mated with the early Marklin logo this type GI high capacity boxcar with brakeman’s platform is Era III and weathered to perfection.

Note: The prototype of this Era III boxcar was perhaps loaded with diecast H0 locos and tin-plate rolling stock and other Marklin toys of the 1950’s.

Note: The un-weathered version of the GI boxcar with Era III Marklin lettering was featured as the 2009 Museum Wagen (Item #80020).

Siding: MBZ building kits such as the one featured in this post are available in the United States exclusively from Reynaulds.com. MBZ kits are a bit more primitive and tricky to assemble as compared with Archistories kits which are rigid precise constructions. A natural old weathered look is inescapably linked to MBZ, they are good kits to round out the architecture on a layout or diorama.

 

Marklin 81699 diesel train set with interesting load

Hardly enough sets seem to have made it to the United States, but for the lucky few the 81699 train set featuring a diesel locomotive and 2 freight cars with loads is another highly desirable version of the V100 locomotive.

Favored by its operators for good handling, visibility, and ease of maintenance, the V100’s side panels were completely removable allowing full access to the motor and components.

Marklin’s “Light Freight Train” 81699 Era III train set is packaged in a small carton with current graphics, it includes the locomotive with operating number V100 2112 and 2 type X 05 freight cars with Tempo Hanseat delivery truck loads. The vans feature metal construction and rubber tires that roll. Locomotive uses the traditional 5 pole motor with brushes, it features LED lighting that change over with direction of travel. Note: prototypical framework holds trucks in place.

A mighty fine design and production makes this and all the V100’s extremely good reliable runners with excellent pulling power. If you need to replace brushes the shell simply pulls off and snaps back in place.

Train can be seen traversing one of the 4 bridges at Hamburg’s Dammtor station released a few years ago as items numbers 89792 (station) + 89793 (arcades and bridges).

Siding: assembling Marklin’s Dammtor station 89792 is fun, it requires many hours to construct, but the completed project is a beautiful. Special note: Dammtor station kit has a 2 layer roof sheathing each piece is only glued to building edges one side at a time and allow to dry. Using glue between the sheets and above the trusses will lead to permanent rippling of the materials.

Marklin 8904: auto set worth considering or reconsidering!

In the program forever maybe (?) is the Marklin 8904 Bausatz PKW (automotive) set. Here is a nice build kit worth considering in the current paint schemes and car types.

Four car types each including 3 of each in various paint schemes. Note: each car type is packaged separately with complementary parts. A simple snap and glue kit of 3 parts for a finished car: shell, frame and glazing. The solid glazing part is sandwiched between the shell and frame after applying two tiny drops of glue, I used Faller Super Expert which is a solvent based glue that dries fast.

Originally designed as an accessory to use on a layout these cars also fill out the load on the auto transport cars including the last release car set 87092 which included 3 auto transport cars DDm 915.

Marklin Autoreisezug 87092

If you need to fill up a parking lot quick this kit takes a little more than a minute a car and includes 12 autos with good detailing. As an added bonus each car can be customized by painting in the bumpers and lamps. Add a white roof to add contrast to the rest of the car.

A real bargain selling for $1.25 a car! Can’t beat that! And will be rust free forever!

Marklin 2017 Toy Fair Loco: E 94 in BLACK: 88228!!!!

The 2017 Toy Fair Loco 88228 is painted and lettered in celebration of Theodor Friedrich Wilhelm Marklin’s 200th birthday. The very attractive release of another E 94 this time with black paint scheme and red handrails based on a fictional prototype. I use the word “another” in jest, one never tires of this electric locomotive with articulated frame.

Presented in a wooden display case the locomotive is further packaged in a box printed with illustrations of Marklin’s historical articles preceding their specialty in manufacturing trains.

Features new generation of brushless motor and LED lighting.

 

Marklin F7 A-B-A sets: improving performance

If you are lucky enough to own one of the Marklin F7 sets “Alaska” or “UP” consider this easy repair. Or if you don’t like the wires running through the locos consider this easy repair.

Removing the wires is step 1: cut the wires before removing the shells and carefully remove the wires leading to each circuit board.

Soldering in place four very short wires is step 2: cut 4 small wires to bypass the 4 diodes on both circuit boards and carefully solder the wires in place.

Result: no wires running through the A-B-A units and much improved running performance thus allowing each locomotive to work independently of each other. Note: headlamps will light in both A units at the same time.

Marklin 89982: Turntable with accessories

A number of options exist for buying a Marklin Turntable beyond new and used with dealers offering new old dealer stock of the original turntable alongside the current offerings by Marklin. A release from 2014 included the turntable with accessories as item number 89982, this included 2- three stall loco sheds based on the “New Objectivity” architectural movement and a railway administration building.

Marklin has discontinued the 89982, they are now offering the turntable with controller and transformer only as item #89983, the loco shed building kit is also available as an accessory with item #89835. What is currently not available is the build kit for the railway administration building which is a wonderful example of the Bauhaus architectural style of the early 20th century and is fully complemented by the same era roundhouse. The railway administration building was reason enough for me to buy 89982 which is as beautiful in person as the Marklin promotional photos.

The Railway Administration Building features 2 partition walls, numerous windows and flat roof, its measurements: 7 1/2 inches (length) x 1 3/4 inches (depth) x 1 11/16 inches (height).

Building the kit is easy and straightforward with no issues.

Six stall roundhouse features steel framework and brick infill, it is a very attractive building with rather plain doors that do not swing open and closed with the precision of the Archistories Roundhouse ARC-112121 and accessory Stalls ARC-113121. Interior supports are a bit flimsy and easily bend out of shape, but overall a very good kit that I recommend.

The kit can be built as two separate buildings with 3 stalls each or as one 6 stall roundhouse in which case two exterior walls are omitted, I opted for two buildings.

Unlike the Archistories loco sheds which incorporate 2 part window and door framing with snap in place glazing this kit requires gluing glazing to the interior side of the door. To compensate for the plain doors I decided to age them. First I used a light wash of grimy black (water-based) paint on the interior side of the glazing followed by dry brushing grimy black to doors and brick work around doors, I further lightly aged the bricks along the ground level around the perimeter of the buildings. Light and heavier pressure was used to vary the amount of color to the doors and bricks using dry brush with very diluted paint. Doors readily absorb paint so test a small area first.

Siding: original 3 pole motor turntables can be upgraded to 5 pole with part number 211914.