Marklin HO

[Anonymous]

I received a 30 year old Marklin Electric Trolley with three passenger cars for Christmas. The set is complete but the transformer is 125 volts 50 hertz. I have two questions:
1) Will plugging it into 125 volts 60 hertz be a problem?
2) Is this AC or DC? It doesn't say on the nameplate.

[BR60103]

2) If this is Marklin HO, it is almost certainly AC. You need a Marklin controller because the reversing is done by a shot of high voltage.
(Marklin did make some 2-rail DC trains, but I think they used a different brand name for them.)
1) I've always wondered that myself. I know when areas converted from 25 hz to 60 hz they had to replace most of the electrical equipment.
--David

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I am a European model railroader, so my experience with Märklin equipment may be limited regionally. But I think they used very simple, analog devices thirty years ago. You should not endanger much if you simply try to plug the transformer. If the difference is really just between 50 and 60 volts, your train should only run a little faster. Only if it runs very fast, i wozld refrain from top speed and the reversing function.

Yours

[Anonymous]

This AC transformer will run ok on 60 Hz.
Hertz is a measure of frequency, the current cycles at 50 or 60 cycles per second. The range of 50-60Hz is known as ELF, or extreme low frequency.
The fact that the transformer is 125 volts means it was probably meant for North America, as European household voltage is 220v.
regards / Mike

[Anonymous]

Hi Mister X (NA),

Your transformers' input is 125 volts 50 hertz so it's AC.
DC hasn't cycles, as a result no frequency can be measured in Hertz.
The output must be VAC for Marklin 3 rails or VDC for Marklin-Hamo 2 rails.
Hamo (previously to Trix) was Marklins' brand for 2 rail DC.

50 or 60 Hertz can't make a significant difference on 125VAC.

Regards,

Andre
Brussels, Belgium

[Supermicha]

I also think there might be no problems with the transformator. But be careful with the old train, older maerklin trains are very expensive today, and many collectors would pay much money for them.

The two rail line of maerklin was called hamo, it included standard maerklin locos equipped for use on normal dc layouts. today trix is the dc section of maerklin.

micha

[Anonymous]

If you are in North America power is supplied to homes at 60 cycles and from 110 to 120 volt depending upon the source generating plant. If you plug a meter (VOM) into your wall outlet you'll find that the voltage will most likely vary throughout the day by as much as 5 volts. This flucuation is due to the amount of current being used at any given time. When I lived in CA it was fairly stable at 115-116 volts. Here in AZ the voltage varies from 112-116 volts.

The 50 or 60 cycles won't make much of a difference unless it states "50 cycles only". As stated before the motor will spin a bit faster on 60 cycles. The cycles are the number of alternating "pulses" (positve to negitive) the electricity generator sends. The greater the alternating "pulses" the faster the motor will spin. Some older "50 cycle only" motors, due to motor design, will not work on 60 cycles and for some it may make the motor over heat.

If the power source does not state 50 cycle only then you should be fine. If it does state 50 cycle only then you should replace the older motor before you run it on 60 cycle current.

[cacole]

As several people have already pointed out, the transformer should be alright on 60 Hz current, but your train motor may run faster than normal, so you will have to keep the throttle set to less than full speed or you could damage it. The only significant problem with trying to run 50 Hz equipment on 60 Hz, or vice versa, is with large capacitor-run motors, such as in a refrigerator. I was in the U.S. Army for 26 years and spent six of those years in Germany and five years in various parts of the far east, where household current ranged from 80 Volts at 400 Hz to 220 Volts at 50 Hz. U.S. manufactured refrigerators and some clothes washers and dryers could not be taken overseas because of these differences in voltage and cyclage. Smaller appliances with motors, such as vacuum cleaners and hair dryers were OK, as were non-motorized items such as toasters. In Germany, U.S. 110 Volt appliances had to be operated from a step-down transformer that lowered their 220 Volts down to 110, and in the far east you needed a step-up transformer to boost their lower voltage up to 110.

[nfmisso]

NA;

In North America, you will have no problems.

There seems to be some mis-conception as to the type of motor used in Marklin trains. Most (all?) use what is referred to as a "Universal" or "AC/DC" motor, much like Norelco used in electric shavers more than 10 years ago (I have no idea what they use now, may be the same). These motors have stator windings to generate the magnetic field instead of magnets like most of our train's motors (PM motors) do. They have brushes just like PM motors. They'll run on DC too. DC, 50Hz, 60Hz, even 100 Hz will have little effect on thier speed and operation. Like PM motors, thier speed is controlled by the voltage applied, and has nothing to do with the frequency - at low frequencies.

Lionel uses similar motors (or used to) too.

(PS I have designed small motors for a living)