WHAT YOU WILL FIND UNDER INFORMATION FOR YOU

1. Spring Greetings 2007
2. About Our Service Work
3. Notice to Dealers

1. Spring greetings 2007!

Here we are once again, a little late this time for which I apologize! The repairs this season were often overwhelming but the mountain has been climbed and lies behind us! Thanks to all of those who trusted us with their valuable equipment!

We are in possession of one of the new items brochures for 2007, and we realized something: This book is just 6 pages short of the entire catalog for 1987/88 for instance!  The brochure covers all three gauges, Z, HO and 1, but it is nevertheless amazing how far Marklin has come!

We don’t want to waste your time and ours describing these items as Marklin’s web site in Germany does an absolutely wonderful job showing them along with their pertinent descriptions!

The highlight is no doubt the Insider Model for 2007, namely the cl. 05 express train locomotive with its huge driving wheels.  Until 1950 this engine was dressed in a streamlined outer shell and was a beautiful sight. The “undressed” version is by no means less impressive. The one with road number 05-01 stands in the museum in Nuernberg (Nuremberg) in a red finish, and on a slide taken in 1974 I am standing leisurely by it, my right arm resting on one of the enormous, spring loaded buffers.  The picture, among many others, was taken when my father and I went to visit a few laces we had lived at one time or another.  Whenever possible, we enjoyed the train rides in a so-called dome car which were featured back then in the Rheingold compositions. We usually went right for the car when boarding instead of finding a seat later on. Wonderful memories!

A similarly luxurious “Rheinpfeil” (Rhine Arrow) is being offered with the cl. 112 electric locomotive featuring a so-called crease because of the design of the front and rear ends. This set was in service on the Rhein routes between 1965 and 1971, and the run from Dortmund to Munich and back was called TEE 27/28. It features such a dome car along with 3 other coaches, including a dining car, a high class train at the time.

At any rate, to get back to the cl. 05, we will try to obtain enough of these from our “busy beavers” in Germany to satisfy all your requests.  They won’t come cheap, the dollar is making no effort to improve in value against the euro. At the time of this writing, (05/14) it shows a conversion rate of 1:1.352 which is regrettable for those buying European products.

We’d love to write about the products, their prototypes and so much more but we find that
somewhere on the web, it’s already been covered!  So that leaves only first hand items, such as personal experiences. Therefore I’d like to share with you today some fond memories of my few years in Essen, the suburb of Kupferdreh, to be more specific. I worked at a factory there and was usually home by 3:45 in the afternoon.  A hundred feet from our apartment house there was an embankment, about 10 ft. deep and one had a wonderful view of the huge yard with the hump.

Coal was brought up from below in various mines in the vicinity of 12 miles or so in each direction. Standard 2-axle open gondolas were filled with this coal and brought to this yard and assembled on one particular track. A shunting locomotive was busy most of the day assembling all the cars one this track, making up a train of about 60 of them.  Then, around 3:50, sometimes closer to 4:00 PM, a giant cl. 44 would back up slowly against these waiting cars. The fireman would do the coupling up, adjust the tension, connect the brake hoses and open their valves.
He would then walk up the entire train, visually checking the brakes to see if they were loose. When in doubt, he’d knock on one of the brake shoes with his hammer, from which he could tell if the brake was, in fact, off.  Finally, around 4:15, the track closure signal was set to “proceed” and the huge locomotive set into motion with it’s giant and powerful exhausts .   Sometimes, when the track was wet or otherwise slippery, the wheels of the 44 spun out of control as if the thing was doing 20 km per hour. (Around 12.5 mph)

Gradually, the train gained speed as it encountered the half dozen turnouts before entering the open road.  The red and white signal markers on the last car indicated that this was the end of this long set.  These coal trains proceeded on to Steele, another suburb, from there to Essen, only to be sent to all parts of Germany where industry and railroad works required this valuable commodity.  This was the “hard coal”, had clean and high temperature combustion and, as late as 1948 was highly sought after by many a German house wife.

Unfortunately for any railroad fan, all the installations, the shunting yard, the humping facility and everything part thereof are now gone.  At the former yard area there are now industrial complexes, large and small.  Just to the north from where the apartment house once stood, there is now an approach to a bridge across the Ruhr by a 4-lane highway.  A few single-family dwellings were razed to accommodate this road, as well, all in the name of progress.

The original dual-track main line between Kupferdreh and Ueberruhr, and on to Steele is all that remains of the original layout. It is the farthest from my former vantage point and situated directly at the embankment of the river. This line is now electrified, a few stops have been added and shuttle trains are busy taking commuters to and fro.  From Kupferdreh a museum rail line is being operated during the summer months and it’s strictly a nostalgic experience now.  Far from the hustle and bustle this area once presented.

A word about telephone calls:  we signed up for the “no call” list some time ago but it’s
as if we never did.  We are still bombarded with calls from telemarketers day in and day out and a few crank calls in between.  Usually they come at the least opportune time, of course. That falls under the category of “Murphy’s Law” and we have no problem with that.  When you call us, and we highly respect your calls, we’d like to ask that you make it possible to display at least your phone number or your name on the caller ID.  When we receive a call which shows an “unknown caller” without a phone number, that call will go unanswered.

We’ll keep in touch unless you keep in touch first!   Anything that should be added to this bulletin
will be at the time it becomes available.

Greetings!                 Helmut & Crew.


2. About Our Service Work
SERVICE PROCEDURE FOR YOUR HO MARKLIN LOCOMOTIVES AND MOTORIZED EQUIPMENT YOU SEND TO US FOR MAINTENANCE OR REPAIR. .

Locomotives and other equipment you send to us for repair or service is generally accompanied by a note, explaining the problem. We first look at your note telling us what the locomotive, the crane or what ever does or does not do. If the locomotive appears to be new but doesn't run, we check for obvious problems, such as a broken or pinched wire or the possibility that one of the brushes may not be properly installed or one of the spring loaded arms, pushing the brushes against the commutator, may not be properly seated. If these items check, we see if the oil in the gear train has turned hard as tree sap. Some oils, over a long period of time will do just that. If that's the case, we clean the gear train and reassemble the locomotive. Nine out of ten times, the locomotive then performs flawlessly.

However, while the engine is in our facility for service, we additionally check the items listed below, which we perform with a regular tune up or repair service. It may just save you from having your ulcers kick up, should there be a little problem which we would not catch by just looking at the motor part of the loco.

Most of the locomotives we receive for a "going over" have not had service for years, if ever. We completely dismantle the locomotive, short of the gear train and the axle assembly and are at awe at the black sooty mess falling out on our freshly cleaned work station. Some locos are dripping with oil because one of you out there is "oil can happy". If pet hair has wrapped itself around the gears and the axles, we dismantle those parts as well to insure that the gear train, upon reassembly, will turn absolute freely. All parts are then washed and totally degreased. If we find a gear made of plastic which is not in the best of shape or is stripped, we replace it at that time. Lead and rear trucks with small wheels on steam and electric locos are prone to pick up a lot of the dirt from the rails. It literally cakes up on the surfaces. They are subject to a very thorough cleaning, after all, they help to provide ground to the locomotive chassis.

We then look at the armature. If there are burn marks at the edges of the segments, caused by prolonged arcing, we will undercut the armature by removing 3 or 4 thousands of an inch of stock. Accumulated crud between the copper segments, consisting of powder from the wearing brushes and oil, is now removed. If the arcing has caused more severe damage, we install a new armature at that time. If we cut away too much stock, the gap between the brush holder and the commutator segments becomes too large and brushes, which have become worn, may become jammed in that space. We then measure the electrical resistance between the copper segments of the cleaned and undercut armature. 6.8 Ohms is what the meter should read on a good set of windings of an armature for the #3000 loco, around 5.1 ohms on an armature for the #3021. The so-called "Sprint motor" armatures will read 14.1 ohms Higher or lower readings indicate damage to the windings, probably caused by heat or improper handling, and we will replace the armature.

The brush holder itself is now receiving a critical look. Some are warped from excessive heat generated by an overheated motor. This is likely to happen when the locomotive is stalled for whatever reason but the motor continues to receive the full running voltage. The armature would be out of alignment and performance would be poor. For the few dollars such a brush holders costs, we replace it at that time. On steam locomotives we then inspect the valve gear assembly. If it seems to turn freely and doesn't bind up, we will pass it for the time being. Many times an incorrect screw, holding the slider or pick up shoe in place, is used. If the screw is not the proper countersunk version, long or short, depending on the locomotive model, it will cause problems. When the locomotive passes over turnouts or crossings, the slider is pushed up towards the loco. If a round head or flat head screw is used, the slider will touch it and cause a short circuit, stopping the loco dead in its track. This screw, even though a very minor part, we pay close attention to. Now we visually inspect the slider to see how worn it is and to make sure that the spring tension is correct and that the slider extends 2 mm over the wheel surfaces of the loco when held right side up and upside down. If the leaf springs need to be adjusted, we accomplish this by sliding tweezers down the springs and bending them carefully at the same time.

If we have a locomotive with Telex couplers, it will feature a reversing relay which disconnects the power to the motor during actuation. While actuated, a contact finger will lift up, open a set of contact points and thus disconnect the motor circuit. We clean these contact points but never file them! A good contact cleaner harmless to plastics will do this but we prefer pulling a 1/8" wide strip of paper between the closed points while exerting very light pressure to them. If there is excessive arcing during the process of actuation, we adjust those contact points to open just a little wider. While we're at this, we make sure that the entire slide mechanism is free of grease, oil, or whatever may have been applied over the years. I'd give anything if the little rubber tip were made of Teflon, a highly slippery material. On standard reversing units, If we find that the pin on the reversing unit upon which the contact finger pivots, is not soldered at the bottom providing good ground, we do this at this time. The newer versions of these units have this already done at the factory.

Now we replace the non-skid tires. Locomotives that quit running or run poorly surely are ready for new tires. For what little they cost, they are a good investment. Old tires will break or simply fall off the wheel because they have stretched. The loco then has little or no pulling power and you may use adjectives at the product when in fact, the problem is nothing more than a missing tire or two. After we reassemble the locomotive, install new brushes, lightly oil all pertinent parts, we check to see if the loco runs and how well. Back to the valve gear on steam locos: At the lowest possible speed there must be no stalling or obvious jamming of the valve gear. Sometimes, one of the drive wheels on the axles has turned a degree or two, the 3005's are notorious for that, and we make sure that we correct that situation. Sometimes a screw has worked itself loose, striking one of the rods at each and every revolution. Or there is a slight bend in any of the rods comprising the valve gear assembly, all these items are now being checked.

On electric locomotives we then go on to check the pantographs. Are both springs in place? Do the pantos move up and down without binding, are they tightly fastened to the housing? Are there arcing marks on the brass bar inside the housing, indicating that it touches a metal part inside the loco? Lastly, before reinstalling the cleaned housings, we check to make sure that the bulbs work and that they are not loose, causing flickering while the loco is running. We check the switch which controls current pick up from the studs in the rails or the catenary. If it's loose and apt to make poor contact we compress the rivet upon which the lever turns ever so slightly. Upon reinstalling the housing to the locomotive it is important that no wire is pinched between chassis and housing. If it's a metal housing, it would ground that particular circuit and the conse-quences could be quite expensive to correct.

If we have a digital locomotive on our work bench, we first check to see if it is a factory issue or if it was converted in the field from a standard loco. If it's the latter, the decoder has no doubt been fastened to the inside of the loco with double sided sticking tape. We never did like the idea and we never will. If space inside the loco permits it, and most of the time it will, we will remove the tape and the mess it left behind. Then we remove the decoder from it's shell, a protective case if you will, and snap it securely to a plastic holder which the factory uses for their digital locomotives. The holder plate installs with a screw to the post which would hold the standard reversing unit on a conventional loco and it makes for a much neater installation. If we did the digital conversion originally, the wires from the decoder would already be neatly tied in place. If not, we do it at this time. We install sleeves cut from shrink tubing of various sizes, allowing plenty of space for movement, particularly when it's on a motorized truck in an electric or Diesel locomotive which turns. This all now looks very professional, we know you'll appreciate it and we go to the next step.

Before the final test run, we allow the digital component to reach its operating temperature. Sometimes, one of the older "chips" acts different when cold, i. e. normal. But as the decoder reaches operating temperature, it may cause the loco to do odd maneuvers, such as running away without having control over it, for instance. With symptoms of this sort, we replace the decoder, as sooner or later we will end up doing it anyway.

The locomotive now runs well over switches, through curves, accelerates nicely, has good pulling power, reverses just as it should and we're satisfied. End of check list? By no means! Now we make sure that the couplers are adjusted properly. Some are a sad sight to behold, but we manage to get them into shape. The next step is to make sure that the centering springs hold the couplers straight ahead of the locomotive so the coupling process will work well. A final look to see if the leaf springs have been installed which help provide ground to the lead and rear trucks, and the screw holding the housing in place, is tight. If any of the grab bars, on the Crocodile for instance, are bent, we carefully straighten them.

On the final test run, we make sure that the loco runs at approximately the same speed in either direction. Because of the characteristics of the so-called universal motor with a double wound field coil, featured in Marklin a-c locomotives, the motor will always turn a little faster in one direction than the other. Now the current consumption of the loco is measured. Measurements are done at 9 or 10 volts, at a prototypically correct speed. A freshly serviced switch loco #3000, pulling 6 freight cars on a level section of track, should draw no more than 450 MA. The elegant heavy Diesel #3021, on the other hand, can draw 650 to 700 MA. If the current draw is considerably higher, we will re-examine the armature, the field coil and the reversing unit for an electrical problem. Sometimes the disc with the copper segments might have turned a few degrees on its axle, or the coils might have been hot at one time or another, causing the windings to short out internally. At times, although rarely, such a problem will not show up until the motor has reached operating temperature. We believe therefore, that an extra 5 minutes spent on test running the loco is time well spent. Lastly, it has happened that a bare strand of wire or a capacitor touches the inside of a metal housing, causing havoc with the current draw. We waste no time finding the culprit and eliminating such a situation. The above mentioned electrical values go up, of course, as the locomotive ages and the electrical components, particularly the armature, become worn and soiled again.

Please keep in mind that all above mentioned service work is part of a routine service, tune up or what ever you wish to call it. We do all other repair work except complete restoration of old equipment. For that you should contact the factory in Germany. We will gladly give you the name of a contact person there or the address. Drop us a line, e-mail or call.

We prefer not to ship locomotives back to you in their storage boxes. The heavier models in particular, we prefer to wrap in bubble wrap, it saves the boxes from almost total destruction during transport. So, leave the boxes at home and preserve them. Chances are that you'll want to sell us those locomotives some day, and we would certainly want the boxes and to have them intact! Oil the motor bearings periodically! Remember, too much oil is as bad as not enough!

Our service charge is set at $16.75 per hour and is one of the lowest rates in the industry. Generally we are able to service a smaller locomotive, such as the 3000, 3001 or 3078 in an hour or less. On more complex locomotives we may run into the next hour. but we do NOT charge for the next full hour, merely for the time actually used. Whether we do your service work or not, sooner or later all locomotives need service. When they lose power, run sluggish or lose their traction, it's time to do something about it and enjoy them at their peak performances!

Helmut & Crew

Top of Page.

3. Notice to dealers:

We are welcoming service work from dealers who do not wish to keep a part time or full time technician on their payroll.

We do service work for several dealers now and, being of European ancenstry, and brought up they way my staff and I was, we turn out only high quality work, we couldn't do it any other way. Our hourly rate is $16.75 and that is enough time to go over a standard locomotive. Locomotives such as the Crocodile and other more complex machines require up to 1.5 hours. For detailed information as to what we do with a locomotive and other motor driven equipment brought to us for service, see our "Service Procedure" in this chapter.

Top of Page.