Marklin Loco conversion to DC ops ?

[BR60103]

Gary:
here's the web site.
http://www.theplatelayers.org/gbts2004.htm
I don't know anything about Indian railways myself. There will be dealers there that handle Dapol and Hornby.
I'm going to be helping on a layout called Alum Chine and Upper Leaside.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by BR60103

Gary:
I'm going to plug our club show this month. We are scheduled to have an Indian prototype railway in O gauge. We also have Hornby & other British dealers.
The Great Briti***rain Show, April 24-25, Brampton, Ontario. We are 3 1/2 to 4 hours east of Windsor. (more details if desired)

Thanks David, That sounds very interesting to me. I'm just minutes away from Windsor so I could do that on a Saturday. Can you give me specific details on time and location?
You wouldn't happen to know where I can get decals for the Great Indian Peninsular Railroad (G.I.P.)? In OO scale?
Also can you point me to some Indian Railway prototype resources especially for G.I.P.? I have the National Geographic Great Indian Railways video. The Black Beauty contest was pretty bazaar!
I've been looking for a OO scale 0-4-0 saddle tanker OF class "Pug" shifter engine. I haven't had much luck finding any Hornby or Dapol dealers in the US, only in the UK and one in Canada. What I've seen on eBay is a bit too much for a used model plus shipping across the pond.
.
A PUG

[BR60103]

Gary:
I'm going to plug our club show this month. We are scheduled to have an Indian prototype railway in O gauge. We also have Hornby & other British dealers.
The Great Briti***rain Show, April 24-25, Brampton, Ontario. We are 3 1/2 to 4 hours east of Windsor. (more details if desired)

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Trainnut1250

Gary,

Scott at Helmuts hobbies in West Virginia. Look him up in MR. He advertises there most months. He is great at all things Marklin and may be able to help you out with some ideas or perhaps some old parts from his parts box. He does excellent repair work and if any one has old parts that you might be interested in, he does. Let me know how it goes.
Guy

Hi Guy
Just to let you know Scott found a new Marklin shell but didn't have any used. Unfortunately I've been spoiled by Athearn shells costing only a few dollars. It was quite a bit more than I expected. But with the exchange rates as they are, I should expect that. The next time you speak with Scott, tell him I do appreciate his help.
Hornby makes a little 0-4-0 tank engine called a "Pug" which the prototype was used in India. Even though the Hornby models are slightly over sized at 1/76 scale, they run on 2 rail DC, so now I'm headed in that direction.
By the way, have you seen their live steam OO scale loco? Too cool!

[Anonymous]

Gary,

Scott at Helmuts hobbies in West Virginia. Look him up in MR. He advertises there most months. He is great at all things Marklin and may be able to help you out with some ideas or perhaps some old parts from his parts box. He does excellent repair work and if any one has old parts that you might be interested in, he does. Let me know how it goes.

Guy

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Trainnut1250

Gary,

In my 30+ years experience running Marklin, I would have to say that conversion either way - 3 rail AC to 2 DC rail or 2 rail DC to 3 rail AC is a lot more work than it first appears. In my opinion it is not worth it. In addition to the points Terry makes, there is the fact that the flanges will bottom out on all but code 100 track, the wheel sets are slightly narrower than NMRA standard (which can cause problems in switches) and most of the parts Terry is talking about are expensive. Marklin has made HAMO two rail DC for at least 30 years. I think you can probably find what you are looking for on Ebay or through the MEA (Marklin Enthusiasts of America) at a reasonable price.

Guy

Thanks Guy
I looked into the avalibility of parts to do a conversion and I concluded it isn't worth it. The Marklin site is frustrating to navigate searching for parts. I would like to find a shell and maybe kitbash with parts from my scrap box.. I have my eye on eBay, but you know how that goes. Wait for days for the auction to end and get out bid in the last half second.
Do you know of a source for part such as shells in the U.S.A.?
Thanks again.

---

update 4/3/04
Thanks for the tip Guy. I e-maild Helmuts Hobbies and waiting for a reply.
I placed a bid on a Marklin 0-6-0T engine on eBay, that I thought by they way it looked, wasn't worth more than a cheap Model Power loco of the same size. About $20. It sold for over $113!!! [:0] Go figure.

[Anonymous]

Gary,

In my 30+ years experience running Marklin, I would have to say that conversion either way - 3 rail AC to 2 DC rail or 2 rail DC to 3 rail AC is a lot more work than it first appears. In my opinion it is not worth it. In addition to the points Terry makes, there is the fact that the flanges will bottom out on all but code 100 track, the wheel sets are slightly narrower than NMRA standard (which can cause problems in switches) and most of the parts Terry is talking about are expensive. Marklin has made HAMO two rail DC for at least 30 years. I think you can probably find what you are looking for on Ebay or through the MEA (Marklin Enthusiasts of America) at a reasonable price.

Guy

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by MReditor

Gsetter,
Because Marklin locomotives use a center-rail pickup, the wheels are not insulated. Marklin has offered many of its locomotives in 2-rail versions under the Hamo and Trix names, so Marklin USA (www.marklin.com) may have the insulated wheelsets and pickups you would need. Make sure to order insulated wheels for the entire locomotive and tender, not just the drivers. As far as the motor, in many cases they'll also offer a permanent magnet that replaces the field coil on the motor you have now. With new wheels, pickup wipers, a new magnet, and some rewiring, you'll have a DC locomotive. Unless you really want to convert this particular locomotive, however, it might be simpler to find the number of the DC version, buy one of those, and sell the locomotive you have to a Marklin guy.
Terry

Thanks for the tip Terry !
I'm helping someone get started in model railroading in India and "planting a seed" to see what grows from it.
I looked into finding a DC version of the locomotive and, so far, a similar Brawa model sells for over $350.
My challenge is to put together a train set including track, rolling stock, power pack controller, voltage adaptor and a few odds and ends and ship it to India on a $150 budget! I thought it would be great if I could include equipment that is more prototypical to Indian Railways. .
The World's Greatest Hobby is rare in India.

[MRTerry]

Gsetter,
Because Marklin locomotives use a center-rail pickup, the wheels are not insulated. Marklin has offered many of its locomotives in 2-rail versions under the Hamo and Trix names, so Marklin USA (www.marklin.com) may have the insulated wheelsets and pickups you would need. Make sure to order insulated wheels for the entire locomotive and tender, not just the drivers. As far as the motor, in many cases they'll also offer a permanent magnet that replaces the field coil on the motor you have now. With new wheels, pickup wipers, a new magnet, and some rewiring, you'll have a DC locomotive. Unless you really want to convert this particular locomotive, however, it might be simpler to find the number of the DC version, buy one of those, and sell the locomotive you have to a Marklin guy.
Terry

[IRONROOSTER]

Your first step is to insulate one wheel of each axle, then swap the AC motor for a DC motor and and rewire the center pickup to the insulated wheels for pickup. You could check and see if Bowser or others sell their rim inuslated drivers separately (and if they use the same size axle). Then if the wheels are the same size you could swap, using NSWL puller. You might have to redo or modify the rods though.
Enjoy
Paul

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by carpenter matt

Gsetter, Maybe try www.portlines.com they remotor ac flyer stuff to DC. It's a can motor conversion.

Thanks Matt !
Are the electrical pick ups on the A.F. loco insulated from each other?

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Jacktal

I'm not absolutely sure,but I believe that I read somewhere that Marklin locos use the outer rails for one polarity while the center rail takes care of the other polarity,so converting to DC would need redesigning the current supply to the motor.Not always easy,if not impossible.I suggest you verify this carefully before buying..........

Thanks Jacktal. I suspect that is the case also. It's a El-Chepo loco and maybe I can swap the shell with a DC loco if the electrical pick-up can't be modified.
I'm helping a friend model the Indian Railway.

[Jacktal]

I'm not absolutely sure,but I believe that I read somewhere that Marklin locos use the outer rails for one polarity while the center rail takes care of the other polarity,so converting to DC would need redesigning the current supply to the motor.Not always easy,if not impossible.I suggest you verify this carefully before buying..........

[Anonymous]

Gsetter, Maybe try www.portlines.com they remotor ac flyer stuff to DC. It's a can motor conversion.

[Anonymous]

Marklin steam locomotives. Can they be converted or re-motored to run on 2 rail DC? I just need to know if the wheels on both sides pick up the same polarity.
Thanks!
G.