Marklin

cidchase

Active Member
The museum in Clarksville has two layouts tended by a small volunteer group.
The HO/N layout has a loop of Marklin M-track (I think) in the center. They
have had considerable problems keeping the Marklin locos running. They are
small 2-6-0's, IIRC (great detail memory). One was sent to Marklin for repair
and lasted about 2 months (so they say). They get run mainly on Sundays
for 3-4 hours.

I know there are a few Marklin (Maerklin) users here, and would appreciate
any advice. I'm doing some track cleaning and it seems to help; one will run
fairly well, one just stutters around. The lights flicker a lot, indicating pickup
problems, I would guess. Are there disassembly drawings available, and is this
even recommended? I expect they need some cleaning and lubing, but they
were donated to the museum. If they were mine, I'd tear into 'em, but I'm
approaching this with a little more caution. :) :)

I e-mailed Marklin USA about 3 weeks ago, just because I wanted the REAL
pronunciation, but no response yet. I've heard it as "MARK-lin",
MERK-lin", and as "MARE-klin" or "MEHR-klin", which I suspect is close to
correct. Anyhow, any responses welcomed!!
 

60103

Pooh Bah
Cid:
The German ae or a-umlaut sound is between ay and eh. It sounds a bit more like eh.
Can't help with the running. Can you get a rail cleaner car run around the track? use some wire to join the couplers together.
(Umlaut mean "modified". The 2 dots over the letter are the remnants of a handwritten "e" from long ago.)
 

cidchase

Active Member
Thanks, David,
I've been trying to clean what I could reach with Goo-Gone on a rag-
It seems to get up a lot of dirt, but the center contact pins in the track
are sharp-edged, and tear up a t-shirt rag purty quick!! :D :D The rail
cleaner car is a good idea; if we don't yet have one, we soon will!!
 

cnw1961

Member
Hello Cid,

some help for the pronunciation from Germany. The German Ä sounds like the english words BEAR or MARE if it is followed by a R (as in Märklin). You are right, MAREklin or MEHRklin is absolutely correct.

Unfortunately I can not help you with this technical problem. It is more than 30 years now since I had any Märklin models. The only thing I still remember is that I cleaned the pickups very often and replaced them from time to time when they were worn. I found a list with exploded diagrams for most of their locos on the German Märklin website (some PDF-files do not contain a drawing): http://www.maerklin.de/service/?redirect=explo.php. You have to click the links Märklin HO on this page and Märklin Spur HO on the next one to get to the list.

Kurt
 

cidchase

Active Member
Thank you, Kurt!!
That site is exactly what I need! :thumb: So far, the one loco has responded greatly to clean track and clean wheels! I ran the track-cleaning car (we did have one) and cleaned the center pins with a Scotch-brite pad. Much better.
The other loco I have not tried to clean up yet, but I'll let you know. :) :)
 

60103

Pooh Bah
Cid:
Since the center pickup is a slider, you should not have to do too much cleaning on the studs.
Don't forget to clean the car wheels as well.
 

Walter MERK

New Member
Hello !

As important as cleaning the tracks and the pick up shoe is, one must not forget to clean the brushes. One is copper and the other carbon , I think . Fine sandpaper does the trick.To do so the body of the engine has to be taken of . On some small engines that can be accomplished by prying the body off the chassis . Most engines have one screw in the smokestack or several on the bottom .

Maerklin is my prefered way of using the name.It works on e-Bay.

If you want info from Maerklin , good luck !!!


Walter in Canada
 

Walter MERK

New Member
Maerklin service booklet

The museum in Clarksville has two layouts tended by a small volunteer group.
The HO/N layout has a loop of Marklin M-track (I think) in the center. They
have had considerable problems keeping the Marklin locos running. They are
small 2-6-0's, IIRC (great detail memory). One was sent to Marklin for repair
and lasted about 2 months (so they say). They get run mainly on Sundays
for 3-4 hours.

I know there are a few Marklin (Maerklin) users here, and would appreciate
any advice. I'm doing some track cleaning and it seems to help; one will run
fairly well, one just stutters around. The lights flicker a lot, indicating pickup
problems, I would guess. Are there disassembly drawings available, and is this
even recommended? I expect they need some cleaning and lubing, but they
were donated to the museum. If they were mine, I'd tear into 'em, but I'm
approaching this with a little more caution. :) :)

I e-mailed Marklin USA about 3 weeks ago, just because I wanted the REAL
pronunciation, but no response yet. I've heard it as "MARK-lin",
MERK-lin", and as "MARE-klin" or "MEHR-klin", which I suspect is close to
correct. Anyhow, any responses welcomed!!
 

wjstix

Member
Back at the MRIA train show in 1983, a Marklin rep (who was a German) told me it was pronounced "Mare-clean"
 
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