Not long ago I came across a seller offering a set of three, Trix by Märklín, HO boxcars. Recalling some reviews of the cars I remember that they were highly regarded at their time, about 2003 or so, for the level of detail being very fine and accurate.
I previously had a Trix B&O Time-Saver Service car and I had modified the pivoting NEM-type coupler and was pretty satisfied with the car so I kept an eye out for more.
It didn’t take me long after inspecting the package upon arrival to discover that the underframes of this set of three PRR Merchandise Service cars that something was not right. The trucks were twisted and not sitting level and pieces of the floor molding were loose in the box!
The seller was very cooperative and refunded my purchase price and told me to junk the cars. Humm, a model railroader — throwing something away? Ain’t gonna happen!
The metal floors had expanded to the point of breaking the bottom door guide. I carefully realigned these, weighted the center of the inside of the roof while the cement set in order to straighten the car body back to true. The metal floor castings could be crumb
I bought a wash rack kit on eBay a while ago. I thought it would be neat to have it on my layout. I got a box full of crumbling castings and at the time I didn’t know what zinc rot was. I couldn’t figure out how anyone could assemble such a delicate kit.[D)]
The kit wasn’t a total loss. The brushes and the spray shields were still good and scratchbuilding the other parts would be easy.
I’m happy to pass along any “pearls of wisdom” or rather, tidbits of trivial tidings to help a fellow modeler. From what I gather in reading some of the Marklin forums, the repair parts for these cars are not easy to find. The MTH floors, being a nearly direct replacement, may be a good choice for some modelers.
I know that kit you speak of, Dave. I have one that is in pretty good shape but plan to use the Walthers equivalent, if I can find room for it on the layout.
A nice “rescue.” Accurail and Central Valley offer 40’ boxcar plastic underframes as separate parts, although they may not be specific enough to PS-1 detail standards for the fussy modeler. But if others have the same problem they may offer an alternative to those who don’t have the MTH sacrificial lambs handy (by the way I understand certain MTH trains also suffer from zinc rot).
Maybe it is just my impression, but it seems to me that I am hearing more and more about zinc rot in these forums after a fairly long period of relative quiet. Pre-War Lionel had various items that suffered from zinc rot, or zinc pest as it is also called. There was a time in the early 1960s when it was talked about a lot with HO trains, and I had Penn Line and Varney trains that suffered from it to varying degrees - in one case the trucks just crumbled to dust (no loss as they were poorly detailed), and in another the underframe did what these Trix underframes did, although fortunately they did not swell and damage the plastic. There were some odd “folk wisdom” suggested cures in the 1960s such as soaking the rotting part in vinegar or some other pickling liquid. No evidence that anything worked. MR had no cures they could suggest although I do remember them saying that if a part was in early stages of deterioration it might be possible to make a mold from it and cast a replacement.
What I recall reading is that zinc rot/pest appears fairly early if it is going to appear at all. To me for example those Trix cars are fairly “new” items. But I also remember reading that the causes for zinc rot were known and could be addressed. Sounds l
Don’t let it go to your head! [:D] Well, no so much pearls of wisdom but which floor will fit the box car seems to be the salient information. I keep forgetting to check my Trix coal cars - hopefully I won’t need to come up with a similar solution.
If you do choose to use an underframe other than the MTH and retain the Marklin trucks, remember to find some insulated wheels on a 0.965" wide axle. Marklin trucks are for three-rail AC and will cause a short on a DC/DCC two-rail layout. Replaced many of these on Marklin UP cabooses.
Unfortunately, Reboxx was the primary source and their parts are getting scarce. Atlas 33" caboose wheelsets might fit, if you can find those.
I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the MTH 60’ equipment flat. Not perfect, but good enough for every day use.
Thank you. Yes, the Märklín trucks will not have insulated wheels but the Trix version does. Note the green “RP-25” label on the Trix boxes. The salvaged trucks from these PS-1s will be used on other rolling stock.
BTW, I have a fleet of MTH passenger cars in HO and they are right up there with Rapido and Walthers Proto. In some ways, even better.
