MÄRKLIN H0 conventional driving and electromechanical automatisation
The Prototype Märklin-H0-Knowledge Layout-Building Modelstock
Märklin-H0-Knowledge A: The very first basic knowlege about conventionally controlled Märklin H0 model railways A8: Which vehicles are suitable for the conventional Märklin H0 system?
First a note on the terms "gauge" and "scale": This section of my homepage deals with tracks and models in the scale 1:87. This means that, for example, the length of the model is 1/87 of the length of the prototype. 1 cm in the model corresponds to 87 cm in nature. Everything is 87 times smaller. If you want to know how small something must be in the model, you measure the original and divide the measured by 87. Of course, this scale also applies to the tracks. The standard gauge (the internal distance between the rails) is 1435 mm in Germany and in most countries worldwide. If you divide 1435 mm by 87, you get 16.5 mm. This dimension is called H0 gauge (pronounced Ha-zero). There are other tracks in 1:87 scale, but they are not meant on this page. Article about model scales and tracks at Wikipedia. Traction units (motorised models) Only traction units that are suitable for AC voltage and the Märklin H0 system can run on Märklin H0 tracks (see the page "What do the tracks of the Märklin H0 system look like?"). Apart from Märklin, many other manufacturers have/had traction units for the Märklin system in their delivery programme. Therefore, one does not have to limit the search for used models to the Märklin brand. You can find these with search terms like Ø (for) Wechselstrom, Ø (for) WS, Ø (for) alternating current. Ø (for) AC. By the way: For the experienced model railway enthusiast it is not difficult to convert a non-Märklin model to the Märklin system.
The clearest external feature on a traction unit for the Märklin system is the slider in the middle of the underside (see example picture).
Märklin traction units were initially available with conventional, electromechanical (analogue) control; these run without restriction on conventional layouts. You can recognise purely conventional models by the noise and possibly the twitching when changing the direction of travel. This "twitching" is a "jumping" on very old traction units. At the time these models were built, the technology to stop the "buck" had not yet been invented. You can hear and see the switching very clearly. Conventional models of the penultimate generation had an electronic aid that prevented any movement when switching. You hear the electromechanical switch, but you don't see any unwanted movement. The last pre-digital generation then had a fully electronic change-over switch, so no noise and no movement. About the direction switch, see the page "The direction switch - buck jumps, springs, variants". The digital age began at Märklin under the term DELTA. Traction units with DELTA control may have to be prepared for conventional control: If the model does not respond, unscrew it and you will find a "mouse piano", a DIP switch with 4 switches. These must all be switched to 0 for conventional operation. (DELTA models with 8 DIP switches automatically recognise conventional operation). The DELTA models were followed by the DIGITAL models in various generations, all of which recognise themselves when they are to run on a conventional layout. CAUTION: The digital control boards are sensitive to too high voltages. Old transformers can emit these "deadly" voltages as a switching pulse. See the page "White - blue - orange ... Transformers between good and evil". Trailers, wagons Everything works! – In principle… Electrically, no problems. Whether the wagon has DC wheelsets, i.e. wheels that are insulated from each other, or completely conductive AC wheelsets is - for the time being - irrelevant. On the page "Tracks with functions" the sense of the conducting wheelsets is explained. Mechanically, it may be that some non-Märklin wheelsets tend to derail. About the reasons for changing the wheelset, see "Changing wheelsets? If yes, why?". There is a wide variety of types of couplings. Some types of couplings harmonise with each other, but not all. See the page "Couplings - Who can with whom?". There are different interpretations of the fidelity of passenger coaches.Older models are in scale 1:87 in height and width, but shortened in length so theat they can pass the turnout laterns without colliding. The length scales 1:100, 1:93 were and are used, 1:87 for very prototypical models. The latter often collide with the turnout laterns of the M tracks, even with the small laterns. There can also be problems with older K track turnouts with fixed drives. No problems are known with C track turnouts.
The Prototype Märklin-H0-Knowledge Layout-Building Modelstock
state: 23.12.2023 17:31
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