Category Archives: Trolleys and Railcars

Marklin’s Exquisite Insider Model for 2024: 88820

**Marklin 88820: Insider Model 2024** copyright ZTrainsWeekly.com

Wow! I have every reason to like Marklin’s recent release 88820: detailing, running performance, and appearance: all charm and no disappointment.

Many Insider Members who I know have been waiting anxiously for this model, and several have asked if I could land one for them. Unfortunately I have only one for my collection otherwise I would happily connect collectors with a dealer who could provide one. Best option to secure rare Insider Models is joining the Club for $99/year, membership includes free Insider car in HO or Z, subscription to Marklin Magazine, and invitation/order form for Insider Locomotive Release.

Marklin 88820 (Marklin’s website: with permission): A Rustic Icon on German Tracks
When currently one of the numerous preserved Wismar rail busses comes on stage, even steam locomotives retreat to the background. “Pig Snouts” are the name given to these powered rail cars, which during the world economic crisis kept many small and branch lines from being abandoned. The design was ingeniously simple and at the same time extremely cost effective: A simple welded car body was used and a mass-produced drive system from the truck industry was installed in each direction of travel. As with road trucks there was a motor hood at both ends, commonly called a snout. Most cars had a roof baggage rack for baggage or small freight. The car builder Wismar built 57 units between 1932 and 1941. Railroaders and passengers loved their rustic rattling boxes and gave them the nickname “Pig Snouts”. Currently, the Wismar rail busses enjoy an absolute cult status. This is not the only reason a snout belongs on the roster of every model railroader. In addition, the German Federal Railroad had three Wismar units for a short time on its roster after 1949. The red “Pig Snouts” thus goes on any Era III layout.

This is the first Marklin Z Gauge Wismer ‘Snout’ locomotive, but the now shuttered company Z-Modellbau produced it first. Both companies use similar motors, and both appear built to scale, but Z-Modellbau have slightly better build quality than Marklin: Z-Modellbau locomotives used brass gearing and metal construction. BUT Marklin’s example could be seen as better design with just the right combination of plastic and metal. Although Z-Modellbau locos were entirely handmade masterpieces now considered very rare, Marklin is offering a much more affordable solution with working headlights.

Marklin 88820 is based on an Era III class VT 88.9 (former DRG class VT Cvt-34) rail bus painted and lettered for the DB (German Federal Railroad).

The model is a charmer with metal hoods and frame, efficient maintenance free motor, headlights and interior lighting, and metal add-on parts including roof rack and ladders.

On the test track the rail bus moved flawlessly at slow speeds. Tiny tiny headlights unique to this Marklin model: brilliant and realistic.

This release will be remembered for years as a truly exciting new addition to the Marklin Catalog of Z gauge items. Mine received yesterday from ZscaleHOBO.com is already proudly displayed alongside equivalent examples by Railex, FR, and Z-Modellbau.

Siding: Viaduct Bridge (128171) featured in this post is non other than Archistories, it can be infinitely expanded with 2 Arch Extension (129171). 128171 + 129171 can be built single or double track. Kits available in USA: https://zscalehobo.com/ and http://www.zscalemonster.com/

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.

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.

Book Review: Riding the Bell

Okay so you think you have seen this book reviewed on this site before, and you are right! This book deserves a second nod because it covers some important local railroad history in my neck of the woods in Lehigh Valley, PA. And the author is a friend and passionate fan of trolleys, buses and the “Liberty Bell Limited” that served the three connecting cities of the Lehigh Valley, PA with runs to Philadelphia. The Liberty Bell was owned and operated by the Lehigh Valley Transit Company, it met the same fate that other trolley systems experienced namely the car in every driveway and our robust expansion of the highway system. The author Ron Ruddell spent 10 years patiently researching the material and writing a lively text that accompanies numerous photos and illustrations. Some densely populated cities in the United States have brought back the trolleys but here in Eastern Pennsylvania a trolley system that provided transport to rural and city dwellers is long gone, books like this help us preserve the history of the interurban rail systems in cities like our’s in the Lehigh Valley.

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