Category Archives: Sold Out at the Factory

German Federal Railroad BR 38: Marklin 88998

Marklin’s 2013 announcement of the 88998 was the last in a long line of P8 locomotive versions this one being the Era III class 38 with tub style tender painted and lettered for the German Federal Railroad. With a 4-6-0 wheel arrangement and operating number 38 1910 this locomotive has smoke deflectors installed indicative of later Era P8’s.

But this release was more than another version featuring new lettering and paint scheme it also featured improved side rods thus including partial new tooling of a proven design. Further improvements include LED headlamps.

Coupled to the locomotive is a large high capacity tub style tender a feature of post-war locomotives in this class.

The 5 pole motor works perfectly to move this locomotive effortlessly down the tracks even at slow speeds, but it is perhaps the last version of this locomotive type that will feature a traditional brush motor as Marklin continues to incorporate the new technologies of brushless motors into the mini-club line-up!

Grand Ducal Baden State Railways P8 Locomotive: Marklin 88999

Another version of the P8 steam locomotive was released by Marklin in the colorful 88999 for Bad. Stsb. (Grand Ducal Baden State Railways). The model was announced in 2009 in bright Prussian Blue paint scheme with hand painted brass boiler bands, it features a five pole motor and cast metal construction thus providing the weight and ballast for excellent pulling capacity. The P8 in Era I for Bad.Stsb. did not have smoke deflectors installed as with later Era locomotives in this class thus they are not present on this model.

The prototype was built in the years 1906-1923 for a total production of more than 3000, it would prove to be a hugely successful locomotive in service in some cases as long as 5 decades. Prewar P8’s were coupled with small capacity tenders whereby post war P8’s were coupled with tub style tenders authentically modeled by Marklin in other mini-club locos of this class.

The running performance of all versions of mini-club P8’s is outstanding even at low speeds.

Siding: numerous versions of the P8 exist in the mini-club line up including trainsets, it was even updated with improved side rods, but it still uses the proven 5 pole motor with traditional brushes and armature: brushless motors maybe on the horizon for future versions of the P8, but I hesitate to wholly endorse this improvement.

ETAT Class 231 Express Locomotive

The 2008 mini-club release of an Era II French State Railways (ETAT) class 231 express locomotive was included with trainset 81080 (“International Long-Distance Express Train”) which also included 4 coaches and a baggage car painted and lettered for International Sleeping Car and Dining Car Company (CIWL).

The operating number for this locomotive (231-997) indicates it was originally a class C Wurttemberg with 4-6-2 wheel arrangement. Following WW1 three class C’s were given to France with operating numbers 231-997, 231-998 and 231-999 assigned by Chemins de Fer de l’Etat. In service until 1937 all three locomotives were destroyed by bombing in 1944, Marklin’s 81080 locomotive preserves the prototype of the class 231-997.

The model is beautifully painted and lettered with hand-painted bands. Excellent weight and 5 pole motor make this a locomotive with very good running performance even at slow speeds.

Micro-Structures and American Prototype Architecture for Z

Miller Engineering released a line of buildings kits years ago called Micro-Structures designed along the lines of typical architecture found in many small American towns. If you visit Main Street in many USA towns the original buildings haven’t changed much since they were built in the late 19th century, the towns themselves have changed dramatically and some buildings have gone through facelifts and demolition here and there, but for the most part the old buildings are intact thus modeling most any era of American railroading is possible with these building kits.

V101- Victorian House: “Empire” (note: additional scoring is required with this kit)

V606- Victorian House: “The Victoria”

The concentration of the line was on Main Street, but it also included a few Victorian houses that rounded out the line nicely. Note: I am using the past tense because unfortunately the line was discontinued with only a few new kits available here and there from dealer old stock. Ebay is a good source as is ZScaleHobo.com. I found a local dealer who had a few left over kits which were very popular in their day and should be today; they are well designed in historical scale and detailing plus well made out of heavy gauge etched brass.

303- K.C.’s Hardware Store (note: features printed windows with store logo) lime sometimes appears over time in mortar joints and bricks, I applied diluted white paint followed by wiping off to give this effect

404- The Triangle Hotel & Bar (note: features printed window masking for the street level windows as well as clear acetate for the other windows) building as it appears right after painting but before window glazing. Typical building type for a mid size town, but this design first appeared in NYC, that building is called not surprisingly the “Flat Iron Building”

505- Crestline Theater (note: two options for marquee include a solid marquee with etched movie now showing or a cut out marquee designed to hold a paper now showing sign, this building was built with solid marquee) detailing is so good with this kit that a depiction of can lights above the doors is included that look great lit

With a few exceptions the kits go together quite easily, but I found the large Victorian “Empire” House to have shallow scoring lines for bending in this case further scoring was required. Overall the Empire house was the most difficult of the group to make.

606- Pitman’s Deli (note: excellent detailing with printed store windows and beautiful awning, plus recessed door)

I found some kits came with acetate for the windows while others did not, and a couple had just enough for street side windows with very nice printed signage.

901- City Fire Station (note: I tried building this kit years ago with the recommended Super Glue, it was a disaster and tried these kits again until this Fall. Solder is the way to go for me!)

One obvious advantage with these kits is lighting, they will not leak light as the metal is opaque, but you must fashion windows masks or partition walls for realistic effects.

801- Townhouse #2 (note: under construction the model is assembled but prepping it for painting will include sanding solder joint smooth and bending to make the building sit flush, followed by a good cleaning with diluted Dawn, warm water and a soft toothbrush, green residue on building is flux which washes off easily with warm water and original blue Dawn)

Prepping the kits for assembly takes time, any rough edges must be sanded or filed. And after assembly the buildings need thorough cleaning to remove solder flux or other debris. Super Glue or soldering are the choices for assembly, but I prefer soldering due to the speed and control of this method. Soldering is easy if you use flux in addition to the solder with flux. I solder at 750 degrees and place water soluble flux at the area to be soldered with a toothpick. Note: solder melts and follows the source of heat, try to avoid applying solder directly to the soldering iron tip.

100- City Scoop (note: this is the only kit that requires Super Gluing, it is made of stainless steel and solder will not adhere) this building features great detailing including ice cream machines and work table on the interior, plus picnic tables, air conditioning unit and trash cans on the exterior. I had fun with this kit and painted a whimsical ice cream cone. I also left the interior natural stainless steel, but I painted the ice cream machines with silver solvent based paint and painted the outer edge of the ice cream cone with metallic copper solvent based paint just to catch a sparkle there. (note: if you discover a build-up of Super Glue after its cured it can be removed easily with a razor blade and wear gloves working with Super Glue!!!!!!!!!!)

Note: preparation of the building will include sanding or filing smooth any solder ridges or residual glue that will otherwise show up under a thin layer of paint.

Window glazing is glued in place after painting with 5 minute epoxy. As stated earlier acetate was missing in some kits I bought or not enough was included, if you build Archistories kits use some of the leftover acetate as they are very generous at Archistories.

5 minute epoxy might be the best option for securing these buildings to the layout if it is portable otherwise they sit flush to the surface and anchoring may not be required.

The small buildings in this line-up require simply cementing window details in place then folding buildings sections together and cementing. The roof requires bending along sides and molding embellishments before attaching to building. Note: fold the front section of roof first before side sections, a separate folded section goes over the front of the roof thereby giving a nice finishing touch thus do not cement the roof until this part goes on! Note: everything is outlined well in the instructions, my notes are simply to highlight important aspects that arose for me.

These buildings look better in person, and even better with a GG1 rolling by capping off the hard work and meticulous attention to detail involved with their construction. And your family will be proud of your good fortune!

No complaints about these kits, they were fun to build and modify as needed!!! And soon to be very collectible!

Siding: essential brass bending tool is “The Bug”

The 1935 NIEMAG GLEISBAUKRAN is monumental!

Crane, maintenance of way railcar, or a crazy thing with lots of hooks? All of the above, but what stands out is its sheer size and without a description who knows what it is?!?!

The railcar with the big boom installed over a million window cabin is for track construction, assembled track sections could be offloaded from a flat car, traverse through the car above the cabin and placed on other side for installation.

Winding drum and machines are modeled inside the cabin. I chose to paint the machine in dark brown with weathering along the lower part of cabin as a disused railway vehicle on a siding.

Constructing the model was relatively easy compared with others by Behnke although I found the cabin to be a tight and difficult fit on the chassis. The mistakes I made with this kit was installing the cabin higher on the frame than it should be, but I found the fitting too difficult, it did not readily slide into place. The second mistake was installing the hooks too low in the boom, they should have been attached higher inside the boom frame to realistically allow track to slide through channel above cabin. One day I will receive buffers for this and maybe then correct the hooks, but in the meantime it is a pretty cool contraption!

Battery Powered Locomotive from 1929? YES Behnke!

A locomotive that will surely garner attention on a Z layout is this small battery powered locomotive and trailer based on the prototype from 1929: Behnke release “1929 AKKUTRIEBWAGEN Muller.

Built by G. Muller in 1929 the locomotive appears to have been used for MOW service and yard work. Standing room only in the cabin this was a no frills work a day probably every day workhorse.

I sprayed the completed model in a dark red brown, followed by an inky black to top structures and finished with dry brush in a very dark gray to accentuate the details of the trucks and platforms. Headlamps are rendered in bright white paint with very fine brush.

Note: Behnke kits do not provide couplers, wheel sets or buffers, this model is awaiting buffers from FR available later in 2018.

Nagel & Kamp railway crane by Peter Behnke

Another interesting railway vehicle is this early railway crane by Nagel & Kamp released in Z by Behnke.

As with other Behnke kits wheel sets and buffers have to be purchased separately, they are available from FR and Marklin.

An interesting and early crane that will add interest to a siding or alongside a railway building.

Assembly was easier than other Behnke kits but still challenging as the parts are small and bendable joints easily break. A little weight was applied to the inside of cabin to prevent it from tipping over. Window glazing can be installed although I chose not to.

Crane boom has a fixed pitch and a winding drum is not depicted , I used a fine brown thread for the rigging line affixed to a beam that I had to supply.

Streamlined Tank Locomotive BR 61 001: “Henschel-Wegmann”

The legacy of Marklin Z collecting is the historical heritage charted with unusual locomotives such as those we can no longer see in person. Germany’s BR 61 001 was one of two locomotives used for express train service for the Henschel-Wegmann trainset: Dresden-Berlin Route. Two versions of the BR 61 001 have been produced by Marklin for Z gauge: original prototype version (81436 trainset) and post-war version (88610).

photos: Marklin 81436 – Henschel-Wegmann BR 61 001 (DRG)

Built in 1935 the BR 61 001 (DRG) was a carefully designed locomotive for speed and efficiency, its lightweight and streamlining including coaches allowed increased speed, plus hauling just enough coal and water for one-way travel allowed further weight limits thus replenishing supplies in Berlin or Dresden was an efficiency standard implemented by its design.

photos: Marklin Z BR 61 001 (DRG) *originally released by Marklin as the “Henschel-Wegmann” trainset 81436 included 4 streamlined coaches with matching paint scheme not pictured.

Note: Marklin 81436 was the 2005 One Time Release for Insider Members.

Speed was everything in the mid 30’s with the BR 61 001 competing with the speed record set by the 1932 “Flying Hamburger” of 99mph seen here as Marklin 88870:

The BR 61 001 was no slouch setting a record 109mph which would remain unbroken for the Dresden-Berlin route through the next century.

photos: Marklin 81436 – BR 61 001 (DRG) original prototype

Post War the BR 61 001 was repainted and lettered for the German Federal Railroad and allocated to Bw Hannover. Its use was limited to 6 months in the late 40’s followed by 1 year of service logging thousands of miles between November 1950 and November 1951 whereupon it suffered serious accident damage, a year later (1952) it was retired and finally scrapped in 1957.

photos: Marklin 88610 – BR 61 001 German Federal Railroad (DB) post-war version

Streamlining of early German steam locos was perfected with the class 61 incorporating the tank locomotive concept with bold body contouring which allowed fast express train service, it was state of the art in the mid 30’s whose life was cut short in the early 50’s. Another example of preserved railway history in Marklin Z.

photos: Marklin 88610

Note: fine detailing and large brass steam whistle

Will there be a BR 61 002 released in mini-club? The more powerful locomotive built in 1939 featured larger water tanks, smoke deflectors and 3 axle bogie, such a release would complete the historical record of this locomotive class.

Marklin Insider 88507: cab forward BR 05 DRG

One of the more interesting Z items released in the past few years was the 2014 Marklin Insider “Fine Art” edition 88507. The release of the BR 05 Era II cab forward steam locomotive marked the first and hopefully not the last special “Fine Art” releases, it was produced in brass with numerous add-on parts and filigree spoke wheels. Motive power is provided by new coreless motor with bell shaped armature. Available to Insider Members, the release was presented in special packaging including wooden box and certificate. Possibly due to the high price of this locomotive some were not delivered and a few are still available from dealers including Reynauld’s in IL.

Built in 1937 the BR 05 003 was the only cab forward design produced of the class 05, it resumed post war service in 1950 after restoration work was performed by Krauss-Maffei, it was retired in 1958. Cab forward steam locomotives are a technical marvel which allow better visibility but require larger crews.

The Marklin model is 5 inches in length over buffers, due to brass casting it is heavy featuring a robust motor thus mechanically sound and smooth running. If the locomotive is displayed it can be fitted with full skirting provided with the model or skirting can be removed for running on track with maximum radius of 195mm, with full skirting the locomotive can only go straight. Spacing adjustable between locomotive and tender. As with past historical releases Marklin has included a cast metal builder’s plate for Borsig.

BR 05 003 was scrapped in 1960, photographs and technical models provide the historical record of this interesting locomotive.

Siding: joining the Marklin Insider Club is less than a $100 a year, member benefits include the annual Club Car in the scale of choice, Marklin Insider Magazin, Insider Model reservation certificate, Insider Club News, annual catalog, laminated club card with member’s name, and “Year of Marklin” DVD.

Marklin 88893: BR 10 with experimental paint scheme

The rarest of the BR 10’s in ‘Z’ is the 88893, it was only available from the mini-club Center upon release. This One Time Series from 2004 features the experimental paint scheme proposed by Krauss-Maffei, they also proposed a unique angled smoke deflector with large proportions. This was another paint scheme that was not adapted for the new DB BR 10 instead black was the chosen color. The 88893 was released in an attractive wood box, it features a 5 pole motor.