New to German modelling -- useful resources to help with identifying models?

[Bloodnok]

I'm new to German modelling, and I'm getting a bit lost in the many options on the market. I wonder if anyone can assist me a bit.

 

I think I've got my head around the various German liveries and how they relate to epochs courtesy of this site. I'm still working out exactly which coach types worked in trains together, as DB seems not to have ordered a complete set of anything in one go unless they absolutely had to. Is there a good resource for recorded train formations? I'm looking for trains from the end of Epoch IVb and the beginning of Epoch Va.
 

I'm more lost when it comes to model history though, in terms of what was made, when, by which manufacturers, and to what accuracy levels and standards.
I did find this site which (Am I right in thinking "GS"==2-rail DC, "WS"==Märklin AC, "MM"==Märklin Digital?) which has some useful information in to help avoid some obvious pitfalls of a market with multiple incompatible control systems. One thing it doesn't tell me though is the tooling date -- e.g. for a loco released in 2015, say, was this an actual new release, or a re-number of an earlier release on the same tooling? This would be rather useful information to know.
 

Also, while that site seems fairly comprehensive on locos (I haven't encountered a loco on eBay that I've been sufficiently interested in to look up that /isn't/ listed there ... at least not yet), it's very spotty on coaches. Very little of those I see on eBay are featured on the relevant pages. As an example, I have a Eurofima Avmz 207 (Roco catalogue number 45256), which isn't listed on the relevant page.

The key bit of information I really need for coaches is the scale or length -- as there's 1:87, 1:93 and 1:100 variants all of coaches which are different lengths to start with, and combined with historically higher standards of modelling. It's nowhere near as easy as filtering out Hornby's short Mk3s, for example.

[michl080]

14 hours ago, Bloodnok said:

I'm new to German modelling, and I'm getting a bit lost in the many options on the market. I wonder if anyone can assist me a bit.

 

I think I've got my head around the various German liveries and how they relate to epochs courtesy of this site. I'm still working out exactly which coach types worked in trains together, as DB seems not to have ordered a complete set of anything in one go unless they absolutely had to. Is there a good resource for recorded train formations? I'm looking for trains from the end of Epoch IVb and the beginning of Epoch Va.
 

I'm more lost when it comes to model history though, in terms of what was made, when, by which manufacturers, and to what accuracy levels and standards.
I did find this site which (Am I right in thinking "GS"==2-rail DC, "WS"==Märklin AC, "MM"==Märklin Digital?) which has some useful information in to help avoid some obvious pitfalls of a market with multiple incompatible control systems. One thing it doesn't tell me though is the tooling date -- e.g. for a loco released in 2015, say, was this an actual new release, or a re-number of an earlier release on the same tooling? This would be rather useful information to know.
 

Also, while that site seems fairly comprehensive on locos (I haven't encountered a loco on eBay that I've been sufficiently interested in to look up that /isn't/ listed there ... at least not yet), it's very spotty on coaches. Very little of those I see on eBay are featured on the relevant pages. As an example, I have a Eurofima Avmz 207 (Roco catalogue number 45256), which isn't listed on the relevant page.

The key bit of information I really need for coaches is the scale or length -- as there's 1:87, 1:93 and 1:100 variants all of coaches which are different lengths to start with, and combined with historically higher standards of modelling. It's nowhere near as easy as filtering out Hornby's short Mk3s, for example.

hi there,

 

lot of question:

You are right GS = Gleichstrom = DC; WS = Wechselstrom = AC; MM is Märklin genuine digital system that was incompatible with DCC. Historically, all DC systems evolved to DCC.  I am not familiar with the Märklin digital systems, but wikipedia may help.

 

The coach scales come from the past where most model railways had very tight curves of 400mm or below. As German coaches were 26,4m long (86 foot), it was impossible to build scale length coaches. Gradually, as model railways became more prototypical, the curves became wider and manufacturers started to provide more scale length coaches.

 

Coach colors is a huge thing in German modelling. You may want to take a look at wikipedia to get an idea when different colors came into use. Sorry, German language, google may help. You may also want to see Bundesbahnzeit . They have a lot of pictures of recorded train formations.

 

Modellbahnwiki is a great source to get an idea about what was produced at what time. I have been using that extensively to get an idea if an ebay article was worth the money.

 

If your are in doubt, just send me a message, I might be able to help.

 

Michael

[D9020 Nimbus]

It's also worth looking at the Railways of Germany forums: https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/germanrailfr/index.php. There is a sub-forum specifically dedicated to train formations. All in English, too!

[Allegheny1600]

Hello Bloodnok,

Welcome to the world of German railway modelling!

You have found some good information for yourself and been shown some too. I didn't know that "MM" meant Märklin digital, I wish I had known it was not compatible with regular DCC when I was starting out! One fairly expensive mistake, never repeated.

I think that if you hunt on the RoG forum for @adecoaches26point4s various topics, he does cover some era IV train formations but they may be a little earlier than you really want.

I'm sorry I can't be of further assistance with that but may I wish you Good Luck!

Cheers,

John.

[Bloodnok]

 

12 hours ago, michl080 said:

The coach scales come from the past where most model railways had very tight curves of 400mm or below. As German coaches were 26,4m long (86 foot), it was impossible to build scale length coaches. Gradually, as model railways became more prototypical, the curves became wider and manufacturers started to provide more scale length coaches.

 

Any advice on how to spot a scale length coach compared to a non-scale coach?

 

12 hours ago, michl080 said:

Coach colors is a huge thing in German modelling. You may want to take a look at wikipedia to get an idea when different colors came into use. Sorry, German language, google may help. You may also want to see Bundesbahnzeit . They have a lot of pictures of recorded train formations.

 

That site is a very useful pictorial record. Much of it seems to be earlier than the era I'm interested in, but photos like this one are still very inspirational:


 

 

12 hours ago, michl080 said:

Modellbahnwiki is a great source to get an idea about what was produced at what time. I have been using that extensively to get an idea if an ebay article was worth the money.

 

Seems great for locos. Most of the ones I look up are there, and those that aren't seem to be current models, where information is still available from the manufacturer. I haven't had such luck with coaches unfortunately.

 

12 hours ago, michl080 said:

If your are in doubt, just send me a message, I might be able to help.

That's a kind offer, thank you.

[Bloodnok]

4 hours ago, D9020 Nimbus said:

It's also worth looking at the Railways of Germany forums: https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/germanrailfr/index.php. There is a sub-forum specifically dedicated to train formations. All in English, too!

That's a great recommendation. I've looked through some of the suggested formations, and something instantly stands out -- it appears perfectly acceptable in Germany to run a train with no brake coach. I was assuming I'd need one in every formation, but apparently not. Interesting.

[Bloodnok]

2 hours ago, Allegheny1600 said:

You have found some good information for yourself and been shown some too. I didn't know that "MM" meant Märklin digital, I wish I had known it was not compatible with regular DCC when I was starting out! One fairly expensive mistake, never repeated.

 

Yes, I bet that was an expensive mistake. Not just a change of chip, either, I believe they have different motors and axles too?
 

2 hours ago, Allegheny1600 said:

I think that if you hunt on the RoG forum for @adecoaches26point4s various topics, he does cover some era IV train formations but they may be a little earlier than you really want.

A bit earlier than what I'm looking to model, yes.

[Allegheny1600]

8 hours ago, Bloodnok said:

 

Yes, I bet that was an expensive mistake. Not just a change of chip, either, I believe they have different motors and axles too?
 

A bit earlier than what I'm looking to model, yes.

Correct!

Everything was wrong, the whole train was completely incompatible with my 2 rail DCC setup, forcing me to sell the set.

 

Anyway, another website for your perusal;

http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/de/car/pix.html

It needs a lot of "clicking" to get through the various folders but you can see what kinds of coaches were used.

 

Oh, yes - in Germany, it appears, coaches are 'wagons' too (as well as freight wagons!) but I think they do differentiate them by calling them passenger wagons - then splitting them into various types;

A - first class

AB - first/second composite

B - second class

C - third class (no longer used)

D - fourth class (no longer used)

W - restaurant

 

Then, there are LOTS of suffixes - can't help with them, sorry.

[Allegheny1600]

 

 

 

 

9 hours ago, Bloodnok said:

 

Any advice on how to spot a scale length coach compared to a non-scale coach?

 

The length of it!!

A scale length 26.4m long coach is 303mm long in 1/87 scale.

In 1/93 scale, it becomes 282mm.

In 1/100, it becomes about 260mm.

NOTE: with the old Hornby MkIII coaches, as well as being shorter, you could easily spot a missing window? Not so with Continental coaches - they are usually made to the reduced scale so everything is there, just reduced!

A recap of the general scales recently (30 years or so) used by manufacturers;

ACME, Ade, Brawa, ESU, Lilliput, LS, Tillig (Sachsenmodelle): 1/87

Fleischmann: 1/93 (very old 1/100 or worse)

Lima, generally?

Piko: 1/100 and 1/87

Rivarossi, generally?

Trix(Märklin): 1/93 usually, sometimes 1/87 (very old 1/100 or worse)

Roco: 1/100 and 1/87

 

Speaking of Roco, when they first introduced full scale length coaches, they proudly emblazoned "1/87 full scale" as a sticker on the LHS of the box window and compared to their then 1/100 range, it was obvious. However, not to me in the mid eighties, I thought they were just different types of coach (another mistake!).

Of course, now that Roco and Fleischmann are under one umbrella, there is further mixing, hopefully the box/catalogue tells you the scale but without running a rule over the coach, how else could you know?

 

You may find further information here: http://www.tcawestern.org/manufacturers.htm

 

I think it's fair to say that most current manufacturers generally use either 1/93 or 1/87 and not being a purist, I can quite happily mix my coaches together with no real worries. Sometimes I can mix the scales within one train, sometimes just on adjacent trains, sometimes I run all one scale then the other - it doesn't bother me too much! But then, I'm more of a freight man, sorry!

Even my purist friend has to run some 1/93 coaches as no-one makes that particular type.

 

That is the limit of my knowledge regarding Continental makers of coaches, I hope someone can confirm or deny its accuracy? If so, maybe I should re-write this and 'pin' it as a "coaches primer" for this section of the forum?

Cheers,

John.

[michl080]

1 hour ago, Allegheny1600 said:

That is the limit of my knowledge regarding Continental makers of coaches, I hope someone can confirm or deny its accuracy? If so, maybe I should re-write this and 'pin' it as a "coaches primer" for this section of the forum?

John,

 

that is all 100% correct.

 

Only one more issue. There were older coaches that were shorter than standard 26m size, most of them pre-war coaches. Examples would be the Eilzugwagen or the Umbauwagen .

The Umbauwagen were actually rebuilt prussian coaches. Both types are significantly shorter than more recent coaches, so they were always to scale.

 

Michael

[michl080]

1 hour ago, Allegheny1600 said:

Oh, yes - in Germany, it appears, coaches are 'wagons' too (as well as freight wagons!) but I think they do differentiate them by calling them passenger wagons - then splitting them into various types;

A - first class

AB - first/second composite

B - second class

C - third class (no longer used)

D - fourth class (no longer used)

W - restaurant

 

All correct as well, except the "D" which is a luggage department. In many cases, these letters were combined, so that a BD would have a second class and a luggage compartment.

 

Michael

[michl080]

11 hours ago, Bloodnok said:

That's a great recommendation. I've looked through some of the suggested formations, and something instantly stands out -- it appears perfectly acceptable in Germany to run a train with no brake coach. I was assuming I'd need one in every formation, but apparently not. Interesting.

 

Morning,

that is because continental railways use Westinghouse pressure operated brakes. All coaches are linked and have their own brakes. It appears as if the Westinghouse system allows  higher brake forces, so no extra brake coach is required. It surprised me a lot to learn that every British train actually needed brake coaches. :-)

 

Michael

[SRman]

I too have been dabbling with Danish and German HO models in the last year or so, and have found it to be a steep learning curve, particularly as I understand only a smattering of either language, and speak none of either! Google translator helps a bit, but sometimes comes up with faintly ridiculous translations, probably where jargon or more specific modelling terms come up.

The links Bloodnok provided in the first post have been of interest to me too, and also some in the following posts (thanks for posting them, guys).

I am very cautious with choosing models online, particularly from eBay: unless I can identify them properly, and ascertain they are 2-rail DC or DCC, I don't look at them any further. Checking prices to ensure a reasonable value is also a minefield. Adding to that, I would like to get another DSB IC3 unit, something only Heljan have made, but there are two versions, one with Tenshodo motor bogies (avoid like the plague!), and one with a central can motor and flywheels, which has known problems that are fixable with a bit of work (I have got the first unit running extremely well and reliably with these mods). Online descriptions when these models come up for sale can be rather lacking in detail, making it difficult to identify whether to bid or to avoid, not to mention the language barriers.

I have tried to limit my budget for European stock, as British Southern Region and London Transport are still my primary interests, but even so, I have had to push the boat out to get the IC3 unit and a DSB ME diesel electric locomotive, plus some very expensive Brawa and Hobby Trade double deck coaches as push-pull sets. Piko have been saviours for some reasonable quality locomotives at low prices, as well as a super-detailed one (a BR 112 for the push-pull operations) that was somewhat dearer, but with many extra features.

Fortunately for me, several of the more reputable model shops in Germany I have dealt with have staff with very good English skills, and just about everyone in Denmark speaks English.

[michl080]

You may also want to visit the German language forums like

 

https://stummiforum.de/

https://www.h0-modellbahnforum.de/

https://www.eisenbahnmodellbauforum.de/

https://www.drehscheibe-online.de/

which are mainly focussed on H0 or

 

https://forum.spurnull-magazin.de/

https://www.argespur0.de/forum/

for 0 scale.

 

The spurnull-magazin forum has a dedicated English language group, but all other forums have English speaking members that try to help.

 

Michael

[Bloodnok]

2 hours ago, Allegheny1600 said:

Anyway, another website for your perusal;

http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/de/car/pix.html

It needs a lot of "clicking" to get through the various folders but you can see what kinds of coaches were used.

That's useful -- lots of historic dated photos. I'm surprised to find all over green coaches like this:



... in a picture dated as late as 1990.

I'm assuming it's a late survivor, sitting as it is between two blue/cream coaches.

[Bloodnok]

1 hour ago, Allegheny1600 said:

The length of it!!

A scale length 26.4m long coach is 303mm long in 1/87 scale.

In 1/93 scale, it becomes 282mm.

In 1/100, it becomes about 260mm.

 

So far the advice I've seen is:

* See if the seller quotes a length
* Check the manufacturers information to see if it says (you mention this further down in regards to it saying so on the box for Roco models)
* Compare it to the size of a standard object (e.g. the box itself) -- manufacturers will often use a standard size box, so a scale coach will fill the box, whereas a sub-scale coach will have more spare space at the end.

 

1 hour ago, Allegheny1600 said:

NOTE: with the old Hornby MkIII coaches, as well as being shorter, you could easily spot a missing window? Not so with Continental coaches - they are usually made to the reduced scale so everything is there, just reduced!

 

There are 7-window and 8-window short mk3s. The real obvious issue is the bogies. They are to scale versus the side of the coach which of course isn't. As a result they don't line up where they should. Compare the outer axle position with the bodyside detail between a scale and non-scale Mk3. Once you know what to look for it's quite obvious in even the most awful eBay photos.

Plus there's the not so small issue of the massive D coupling bar, which kinda gives it away, too...

However, not so obvious with German stock. There are 1:100 coaches with NEM coupling pockets and close coupling mechanisms, and everything seems much better proportioned despite the less than scale length.
 

1 hour ago, Allegheny1600 said:

Speaking of Roco, when they first introduced full scale length coaches, they proudly emblazoned "1/87 full scale" as a sticker on the LHS of the box window and compared to their then 1/100 range, it was obvious. However, not to me in the mid eighties, I thought they were just different types of coach (another mistake!).

 

The 1:87 on the box is very helpful if a) it's a boxed model, and b) it's in the right box!

 

1 hour ago, Allegheny1600 said:

Of course, now that Roco and Fleischmann are under one umbrella, there is further mixing, hopefully the box/catalogue tells you the scale but without running a rule over the coach, how else could you know?

 

Here's a worked example:

This is a coach listed as 303mm in the description: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Roco-DB-1st-2nd-Class-Express-Coach-in-Cream-Turquoise-ABM-225-44748/283627803167 ... and priced like the seller knows what they have and what they are selling.

Here's a pair of coaches, one of which looks similar to the last one: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Roco-H0-2x-div-Personenwagen-1-2-Klasse-der-DB-WI-L0528/133239387193 

No length listed, no box pictured, no dead-side-on shot for looking for axle/window alignment issues. Which length are they? I'm *guessing* they are 1:100, purely because 1:87 would be worth mentioning, but ... I don't know for sure.

[Bloodnok]

5 hours ago, michl080 said:

that is because continental railways use Westinghouse pressure operated brakes. All coaches are linked and have their own brakes. It appears as if the Westinghouse system allows  higher brake forces, so no extra brake coach is required. It surprised me a lot to learn that every British train actually needed brake coaches. :-)

UK railways use continuous air brakes too -- the "brake" part of the name is referring to the handbrake, which was only fitted to coaches which have a guards van from which to operate it. You don't leave a rake of coaches without a handbrake set somewhere in the rake, as there's a risk the air brakes bleed off, and it can roll away.

[adecoaches26point4]

These links should prove useful and can be translated.

 

http://www.rheinmodellbahn.de/pages/eisenbahnepochen-iii-bis-v/rollmaterial-epoche-iv.php

 

http://www.rheinmodellbahn.de/pages/eisenbahnepochen-iii-bis-v/rollmaterial-epoche-v.php

 

 

Edited November 17, 2019 by adecoaches26point4

[Allegheny1600]

 

 

 

 

4 hours ago, Bloodnok said:

This is a coach listed as 303mm in the description: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Roco-DB-1st-2nd-Class-Express-Coach-in-Cream-Turquoise-ABM-225-44748/283627803167 ... and priced like the seller knows what they have and what they are selling.

Here's a pair of coaches, one of which looks similar to the last one: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Roco-H0-2x-div-Personenwagen-1-2-Klasse-der-DB-WI-L0528/133239387193 

No length listed, no box pictured, no dead-side-on shot for looking for axle/window alignment issues. Which length are they? I'm *guessing* they are 1:100, purely because 1:87 would be worth mentioning, but ... I don't know for sure.

I would be quite confident with the first coach as that is sold by Ken Eaglesham, former proprietor of MG Sharp models - he knows his stuff!

I would *guess* it is former shop stock but I'm not trying to sell it for him!!!

 

I would stick my neck out with the second two coaches and say Yes - definitely 1/100! I know this listing has finished now but personally I'd shy away from such an item and that's me now (unless I were specifically looking for 'shorties').

As a newcomer, I'd stay well away from such things, you need to be very confident that what you are buying is actually what you want.

 

Again, not trying to sell stuff for other people but Geoff at Contikits had some very nice, very similar 1/87th coaches at Harrogate today for about £22-£25 each!

His website: http://www.contikits.com/European HO.html

Both Geoff and Alison are knowledgeable and approachable, maybe see what else they have in stock?

Cheers,

John.

[Calnefoxile]

Bloodnok,

 

I'm in the same boat as you but I've started in German TT, just to be different 

 

I'm also in the roughly same period as you as well, around Re-unification which should hopefully give me the opportunity to run both DR & DB liveried stock together, I might even push the time-frame back a wee bit to allow me to run a late DR Steam loco or 2.

 

At the moment I'm finding it difficult to work out whether older Zeuke/TTBahnen stock is acceptable when roughly compared to more modern stock, especially as the more modern stuff is more expensive. I do have a couple of friends who are assisting but I can't keep asking them every-time I want to buy something, they'll soon get fed up 

 

I'll keep tabs on this thread and maybe we can assist each other. I can satrt by sharing something that I was sent from a German Railway Society member, hope this helps??

 

Regards

 

Neal.

[Bloodnok]

18 hours ago, Allegheny1600 said:

I would stick my neck out with the second two coaches and say Yes - definitely 1/100! I know this listing has finished now but personally I'd shy away from such an item and that's me now (unless I were specifically looking for 'shorties').

 

That was my feeling -- there were several pairs of coaches like that and I was suspicious of all of them...

 

18 hours ago, Allegheny1600 said:

As a newcomer, I'd stay well away from such things, you need to be very confident that what you are buying is actually what you want.

 

Yes -- there's nothing quite so demotivating than buying a load of stuff and finding out it's not what you should have bought.

 

18 hours ago, Allegheny1600 said:

Again, not trying to sell stuff for other people but Geoff at Contikits had some very nice, very similar 1/87th coaches at Harrogate today for about £22-£25 each!

His website: http://www.contikits.com/European HO.html

Both Geoff and Alison are knowledgeable and approachable, maybe see what else they have in stock?

That ... seems to be much more what I was looking for, both in terms of availability and prices. I must now resist the urge to go order about 20 coaches immediately.

[steve1]

You might want to consider joining the German Railway Society 

 

https://grs-uk.org/

 

They have an excellent International exhibition each year with specialist trade you might find useful.

 

Keep an eye on Continental Modeller too for useful articles and shopping .

 

I have built a German HO layout in the past, Starker Verkher, but that was freight only set in Epoch V. Fully intend to build another!

 

steve

Edited November 18, 2019 by steve1
Extra info

[Bloodnok]

4 hours ago, Calnefoxile said:

I'm in the same boat as you but I've started in German TT, just to be different 

The HO decision was made for me -- I have plenty of places I can run HO, whereas other scales ... not so much.
 

4 hours ago, Calnefoxile said:

I'm also in the roughly same period as you as well, around Re-unification which should hopefully give me the opportunity to run both DR & DB liveried stock together, I might even push the time-frame back a wee bit to allow me to run a late DR Steam loco or 2.

 

My chosen time period is because I have slightly hazy memories of travelling around the Cologne area by train in what was probably about May '94 ... ish. This is just months after the formation of DBAG, but before the visual impact of it's existence in the form of Verkehrsrot on everything. I didn't realise at the time just how much a time of upheaval this period was...

 

4 hours ago, Calnefoxile said:

At the moment I'm finding it difficult to work out whether older Zeuke/TTBahnen stock is acceptable when roughly compared to more modern stock, especially as the more modern stuff is more expensive. I do have a couple of friends who are assisting but I can't keep asking them every-time I want to buy something, they'll soon get fed up 

 

Yes, the "When did the tooling change?" problem. I'm looking at nearly 40 years of history of BR103s at the moment asking myself that exact same question...

 

4 hours ago, Calnefoxile said:

I'll keep tabs on this thread and maybe we can assist each other. I can satrt by sharing something that I was sent from a German Railway Society member, hope this helps??

That's a useful summary. What it doesn't say is ... how widespread was the application of this colour scheme, and how long did they last?

As I understand it, "Popfarben" was an experiment which wasn't fully applied across the fleet. Some specific vehicle types were delivered in these colours, leading to odd vehicles mixed into trains otherwise in previous all over green/blue livery. A few entire trains were also painted with a specific colour band as an experiment.

The cream/blue (and cream/red) livery that came afterwards seems to have been much more thoroughly applied, but as above there is photographic evidence of plain green survivors in 1990. Were there Popfarben survivors that late also?

I'd also like to know how quickly the new DB-AG logo was applied? When did they start applying it, and when did it become ubiquitous?

[Steamysandy]

Popfarben was applied in the mid 1970s (1974 onward but was very short lived  in most cases) I visited Rheine - Emden in 1975/6.

The Expresses to Norddeich  Mole were in Popfarben being formed of 3 blue banded 2nds and an orange banded1st.A fifth vehicle was noted in three different colours  ( Green,Pop Blue band and Torquoise and Cream)

I believe repainting was carried out by 1980 or shortly thereafter

[Vinedusk]

 

On 16/11/2019 at 03:54, Bloodnok said:

I'm new to German modelling, and I'm getting a bit lost in the many options on the market. I wonder if anyone can assist me a bit.

I always found this site useful to provide any missing info:

 

DBTrains

 

The menuing is simple, just follow your nose. 

Not many pictures, but a lot of history, including stuff like coaches types and the different manufacturers used to make them.

 

Quote

e.g. for a loco released in 2015, say, was this an actual new release, or a re-number of an earlier release on the same tooling? This would be rather useful information to know.

 

The manufacturers will boldly promote this when it happens.  Sadly, you will need to invest your own time in researching when any new mold was introduced.

Assume it's a re-release until you can prove otherwise.  Here's why:  Wurttemberg C class appears as itself; then DRG 18.1; and later as a DB model. 

Most times when a re-release occurs, the item will have a different road number. 

Other times, it will be a technology change.

 

Quote

"MM"==Märklin Digital?

 

Marklin/Motorola format.  Most digital control stations and decoders these days offer several protocols.  DCC and MM are usually included.  MFX and MFX+ are the latest of Marklin's proprietary digital systems. Usually MM on a decoder will mean MFX also.

 

Usually.

 

A fundamental aspect of digital control is that a digital signal, by definition, is direct current (DC). It's a square-wave signal.

Marklin is still known and promoted as "AC", but the current that hits the C-track is 18V DC with a maximum of 2Amps.

 

Quote

The key bit of information I really need for coaches is the scale or length -- as there's 1:87,

 

NEM standards (I think...) define standard radii for curves: R1; R2; etc.  Some true 1:87 models will not run on R1 curves.  This is why some models will come as 1:93 or 1:100.  AFAIK Brawa is the only German manufacturer to make to true to scale models.  It's why their catalogue has more of the earlier prototypes than other makers.

 

 

On 17/11/2019 at 18:33, Allegheny1600 said:

Then, there are LOTS of suffixes - can't help with them, sorry.

 

I think the DBTrains site cover this somewhere.

I do know that the u (with the umlaut) signifies a covered connection to the next car

A numeral will describe the number of axles.

 

Therefore an AB4u coach has 1st and 2nd class seating, four axles and a covered connection to the next carriage, i.e. an express coach.

 

Try also searching in german language.  Google is racist and somewhat recalcitrant.

 

 

Edited January 7, 2020 by Vinedusk
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