Ok troops, this will be an open forum about Euro trains, from Prototype to Model, and from Roco to Marklin and every other maker of Euro trains in between. Please, post your questions, your dreams of huge Euro layouts or small ones, what ever you desire, this one’s for you, the Euro modeler and anyone else that wants to join in. Above all please have fun with it.[:)][:)]
I’ve got a H.O.e model of the Zillertahl train. It’s made by Bachmann under the Lilliput name. Really nice detail and runs great. H.O.e runs on N gauge track although I have H.O.e track made by Tillig.
The Tillig track is really nice - it’s annodized to give it a rusty look. Why other manufacturers don’t pick up on this I don’t know. Nothing ruins the look of a layout like shiny silver rails.
Even if you are’nt into European trains or if you are check out www.euro-trains.com.
It’s one of my favorite sites for looking at models by Faller, Vollmer etc. and european trains.
Paul the Painter
You can also look at this portal:
http://modelspoor.pagina.nl/
lots of dutch and european distibuters - manufacturers ( = fabrikanten )- clubs, a lot of the club sites are in dutch, some also have english, but lots of pictures you will find there speak a language we all can understand!
Have fun in exploring modelrailroading in holland and the rest of europe .
I can recommend Fleischmann locos and stock in N - the passenger cars have close-coupling that will handle tight curves (when you fit their Profi-couplers, item #9545 for cars fitted with the close coupling mountings), and are equipped to make installing lighting as easy as clipping it into the car. Not too expensive either, considering the quality. I usually pay about £20-£30 for a coach, compared to about £20 for a Con-Cor US car in N, and the Fleischmann models are far superior in appearence and running.
I started my collection in Germany so, yes, I’m into Roco and Brawa. Their attention to detail is great. Since my layout will be a mythical country, a mix of European and American models won’t be so critical.
We too mix American, British, and German equipment in our Middle Earth layout. Its great that the new Graham Farish N guage British equipment now has low-profile RP-25 standard wheels. [8)] Its a real pain that none of the German does. [:0] Fortunately, the British and German wheel diameters are the same, so we can use Farish replacement wheels on our German cars. Just have to get the flanges turned down on the German engines. Grr. [:(!]
We also use a lot of the German building kits. These are a good fun challenge to kitbash.
–Mo
When no one’s looking, the Hogwarts Express shows up on the layout, doubleheaded with Thomas. Does that count?
Actually, I’ve always wanted to build a DJH kit of one of the Pershing class SNCF 2-8-0s.
I’ve mixed European and American equipment - I’ve got some cars with a Kadee coupler at one end and a hook and loop coupler at the other. It’s neat to mix and match - like having a krokodil pull a Burlington articulated streamliner.
And I’ve given Thomas Kadee couplers; he does a dandy job as a banker (helper) behind my Proto 2000 N&W Y3A 2-8-8-2.
I´m from germany and collect american models. I love the RP 25 wheels. We pften had the discussion here in some magazines, why no european models have rp 25 wheels. and? nobody could answer these questions. the manufacturs say, rp 25 wheel will not run on german track - but thats wrong, i rode all my american stuff on german tracks, and i have no derailments.
Some steam engines with big wheels (the gutzold BR 19) have RP 25 wheels, because the axles are very close together.
Roco tried another way last year. On there Class 23 steam engine, they didn´t use RP 25 wheels, they just used the flanges of RP 25 wheels on standard wheels. And what happended? The engine derailed. So all was for ****.
Some “extreme modelers” modify there engines and track for Proto:87 wheels, but thats a very hard way i think.
Enjoy your european trains, they are very nice, but not my choice.
Micha
I kind of grew up on German Trains when I was young. My first were Marklin which I still have and have added to over the years with marklin and roco. My favorite Marklin is my ST800 Red/Cream which I recvd as a Chritmas gift around 1957. Still runs great and looks real good. My first real encounters with the protype were in Germany between 53 and 56 with the airforce. German Steamers are fantastic, and Electrics, well they’re lots of them for the Juice Jack Fans. [:)][:)][:)]
I have some HO Roco, Piko, and Maerklin equipment. It’s all very nice. I especially like my Roco DB 103 electric locomotive. I’ve equipped my Euro rolling stock with Kadee #18s, so I can run all of my American and Euro stuff together, if I so choose.
I’d love some of the German Steam locomotives I see at Reynauld’s, http://www.reynaulds.com/, but my pocketbook can’t support them.
The other Euro Equipment I have is TT–one of my dreams is to build a TT layout somday, when my skills are better.
Gary
Roco, Lima, Piko, Kitmaster etc … which one’s have coupler compatibility with the Marklin couplers?
I’ve recently started to collect a few Marklin pieces (baggage car, banana wagon, canvas covered hopper…), but I’d like to know which of the other Euro Trains use the same couplers? What are the Marklin loop couplers called??? The last thing I want to do is change couplers on those collection pieces
as far as I can recollect from my euro model days ( 30 years ago) märklin couplers are not compatible with the other brands, We did not try either, because in the 3 rail system marklin uses the axles were not insulated so the short circuited the 2 rail system.
But as I see that some of you use 2 and 3 rail stuff together they sorted out the insulation as well over the years
Lupo, I often get tipped that a lot of dealers will change your wheelsets for free as you buy them. They’re still not insulated ( as far as I know) but Märklin has a line of insulated wheelsets which will fit on their normall equipment. Unfortunatly they still look like pizzaslizers compared to RP-25