Back to HO after 25 years... is Marklin still a thing?


B

BostonJohn

New Member
When I was a younger man, I started a small Marklin collection. At that time Marklin was a high-quality brand with a wide selection of locomotives, stock, etc. I've been away from the hobby for 25 years, but am now returning. I finally have the space, time, and money to go in on a larger basis than before. However, I'm not convinced Marklin is brand I should run with. They seem to have a more limited selection and I am unsure of their current quality. I also know they had some financial issues many years ago, and I'm uncertain about their future.

I'm looking to setup a moderate size layout (about 90 sq. ft). What brand(s) would you suggest... or would you stay with Marklin?

I'm interested in...
  1. wide variety of steam locomotives and stock (prefer metal over plastic where possible especially in the locos)
  2. High quality, reliable performance.
  3. A good track system (the marklin c-track seems OK, not great)
  4. A solid digital control system for locos, turnouts, accessories
Bonus would be if the control system allowed me to interface my own PC and do some coding to control things (my other hobby is python coding)

I'm fortunate enough that money isn't the limiting factor at this time.

What would you suggest? Thanks for your help (this is my first post here!!!)
 
OP:

Is the Marklin stuff you have 3-rail (AC) or 2-rail?

Won't 3-rail severely limit what's available to use (you'd be pretty much limited to Marklin equipment, and how much of that is oriented towards American railroads?)...?

If you're in the USA, and want to model USA railroads, you'd probably do best to leave the Marklin stuff packed and start over fresh with 2-rail and dcc.

I've read that -some- Marklin stuff can be converted to 2-rail. Not sure if Marklin used AC or DC for their 2-rail, perhaps someone will jump in and say?
 
BostonJohn said:
When I was a younger man, I started a small Marklin collection. At that time Marklin was a high-quality brand with a wide selection of locomotives, stock, etc. I've been away from the hobby for 25 years, but am now returning. I finally have the space, time, and money to go in on a larger basis than before. However, I'm not convinced Marklin is brand I should run with. They seem to have a more limited selection and I am unsure of their current quality. I also know they had some financial issues many years ago, and I'm uncertain about their future.
Click to expand...
Yes, Marklin is still a thing, and in my opinion Marklin is still a high-quality brand. The real decision would be whether you want to model European trains or North American. Marklin is primarily European, but does make some North American 2-rail equipment. It is marketed under the brand name of TRIX.

I don't know about the stability of the company but I just have a gut feeling it is just as strong as any other model railroad company is in these days and times.
 
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Can't help with Marklin but if you want high quality then I will recommend, without reservation, the following:

Track = Kato Track or Peco Flex Track
Engines = Kato definitely for diesels and probably BLI for Steam
DCC = No question NCE
Rolling Stock = Micro Trains or Wheels of Time for 1800's era Pax Cars
 
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