Saw a posting for Marklin PA on eBay. I’m somewhat unsure if Marklin is compatable with rest of known(to me) HO world: Atlas, Kato, Proto 2K, Bachmann, Athearn, etc.
The unit on eBay had sound and the description somehow created an uncertainty as to whether Marklin would be a good fit with above stated brands. Obviously they have those screw ball couplers which have got to be deep sixed. All that detail and for the North American market they can’t go with kadees or kadee look alikes? Is the Marklin sound system a system unto itself?
Just wondering, the bidding wasn’t astronomical and I was apprehensive about bidding lest my Marklin ignorance result in an unwise buy.
For the most part, Marklin locomotives and rolling stock are not compatible with the tradional HO scale train we are used to. The biggest problem with the locomotives is the way they pick up power. All newer (and maybe all of them) run on a modified three rail track. The center rail isn’t like the ones on the track Lionel sells, the principal is the same. It has small bumps that transfer power to the locomotive, thus allowing for reverse loops without polarity reversing boxes. The other problems you will encounter are less obvious, but still important. Depending on the build date, the couplers won’t be a standard knuckle style and the wheel profiles won’t match RP25 standards.
Now if you want German engineering without the problems, pick yourself up a Trix product. The Trix lineup is virtually identical to the Marklin stuff, but the products are designed to run on our tradional HO scale track and are compatible with products from other manufacturers. I have a Trix UP Big Boy and 2400 series Mikado and love them both. I also have some of the Trix rolling stock, and find it top notch equipment as well.
Aside from the “3-rail” design, the main difference is that Marklin is AC (like Lionel) not DC like the “traditional” H0, (actually ,as Marklin was one of the very first model train manufacturers, who’s to say what’s “traditional”?). Their quality is one of the best in the world.
Trix, after being merged with Marklin has become the DC side of the company. Back in the early days of Trix, (Trix Express then), it also utilized a 3-rail system, however their products did run on DC then and do so now. The quality of Trix has always been high as well.
Kadee makes plug-in conversion couplers for the different European NEM couplers.
I would agree with the previous posts - Marklin equipment, while very well engineered, will not run on standard 2-rail track without major reworking. Cars can be rewheeled easily enough but locos are a non-starter. Far better to buy the Trix version, they’re virtually the same models but with a different chassis to handle 2-rail DC/DCC.
Marklin had also a range called HAMO which ran on standard 2 rail DC track without any need for re-working. The quality was the same as their main range.
William
Thanks everyone. I guess my problem was separating Trix from Marklin. The eBay posting I cited referred very obliquely to the power pickup. Just enough was written for one to pause and ask oneself, “What’s this mean?”
Guess there’s a joke in there re a company that is AC-DC. Got it: Trix is DC.