stona
New Member
Posts: 2
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Post by stona on Dec 22, 2023 14:45:51 GMT -5
Hi everyone and happy holidays
I recently purchased a used z scale lot from an older gentlemen. It had some old Marklin locos, rolling stock, and a layout made with Marklin track anchored into foam.
Now, I already have an oval Marklin track from a new Christmas set I bought a few years back. I've tested out all the new used locos and they work on my current track.
But on the used layout I purchased things don't run at all or well. I haven't dug into wiring or joiners to verify continuity yet. But is there anything that can "go bad" with older track? Some of it may be from the late 80s as some of the locos were made in western Germany. Ideally I'd like to remove all the old track and reuse it if I can.
I just ordered some AZL GP7s so I look forward to running those . I'll also need to figure out either a coupler conversion car or swap out the knuckle couplers on the GP7s to marklin style.
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Post by CNE1899 on Dec 22, 2023 20:56:08 GMT -5
stona,
Can't help at the moment, no track set up.
But I have acquired old Marklin track due to budget constraints, and plan on using it.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
Scott
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Post by rgs455 on Dec 23, 2023 1:00:57 GMT -5
Hi
I've had some troubles with old Maerklin track, this is my own conclusion.
Depends on
- type of track ( do not buy old Maerklin electric switches!!)
- how old ( physical age) the track is
- stored box or installed on layout
( if installed in layout , glued or nailed, painted/ ballasted.)
Example
Perfectly fine factory fresh boxed 1980,'s track ( guessing from the box)
with no oxidation in the track profiles or any sign of warping.
Use directly as is.
Bought in bags second hand:no traces of glue or enlarged nail holes.
Worn out sleepers and oxidation on track profiles:
Clean and tweak.. use fibreglass eraser to clean sleepers for bettee contact and a wood block an a rag ( old T-Shirt) with Goo Gone for track profiles. If track is straight and not " bowed" use
Good to go
Then the worst case
Track that has been glued with the wrong glue and or improperly nailed. Painted + ballasted track= no go.
Do not buy or re use. Some glues attack the plastic and / or make it brittle.
Using the wrong nails or pressing them down to much can cause bending of the tiebed.. resulting in the gauge being more or less than the 6,5mm.
BR and happy Railroading
Boris
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Post by bapakbob on Dec 23, 2023 3:09:09 GMT -5
"on the used layout I purchased things don't run at all or well" Better training through Chemistry. Buy a bottle of DeOxit red D100L - (Maybe Rail Zip is the same.) Get a toothpick, or get 1mm cylindrical dental pics with fuzzy ends (minature qtips - 400 pieces for around $7 with free ship on ebay, buy from a us supplier so you don't have to wait for a slo boat from china) Dip the toothpick or dental pic end in the deoxit, then liberally apply to the gaps between the track sections, let the deoxit soak down into the gaps to permeate the rail joiners. Do the same for the terminal clips for your wiring to the track. You have just deoxified your rail joiners allowing much better conductivity. Does it run now? Better training through sweat equity: get a hobby knife from dollar tree (3 for $1.25) extend the blade and snap off a piece at least two sections wide. Careful don't cut yourself! Straddle the rails with the sharp end of the knife piece, and move the sharp end all around scraping the top of both of the rails. Does the track look nice and shiny now? Marklin track tarnishes like your wife's fine silver. you need to keep after this. See the million and one ways here: www.zscale.org/articles/cleaning.htmlSeal the track for good continuity: Buy a container of NO-OX-ID "A SPECIAL" Get one of your wife's makeup appliers: a small stick with a foam tip. Dip the tip into the NO-OX-ID grease. Grease the entire track with it. Let it set a bit to dry, then take a piece of chamois or a square of microfiber and wipe the track. You have just sealed the track with a conductive film. Cleaning the track will eventually remove the film so reapply as necessary. Better training through the "electric chair for gunk" Buy a Gaugemaster HF1 track cleaner. Get a separate trafo for the gaugemaster only with at least a 16v-20v AC (accessories) outlet. Marklins 10V ac outs on their Z trafo will not provide enough juice to power the gaugemaster effectively. Follow Gaugemaster instructions to install. If you touch the track and it stings like a bee, you got enough juice. Run your trains, completely safe for DC ONLY trains. When the train hits a dirty spot, the gaugemaster zaps the dirt/grunge by applying power to the voltage resistance, this zaps the voltage resistant dirt/gunk it into soot which falls off the track. Simply amazing. Don't tear up old marklin track, it busts the rail joiners, bends the track, etc etc and replacing the Marklin rail joiners is about as much fun as assembling you own MTL couplers. Use the old layout as a test track, or play it forward to another potential Z head receiving a perfectly running Z layout! Start your next layout using Rokuhan ballasted track exclusively. |
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Post by tjdreams on Dec 23, 2023 10:21:40 GMT -5
I strongly recommend everyone watch Larry Puckett's Youtube Video
I Was Dumb Enough To Put This Stuff On My Track
While others may have different results, I can tell you my personal experiences were pretty much the same as Larry Puckett speaks of in his video.
As for cleaning the glue off the track I have had some success cleaning up Marklin track that had been glued down with White Glues. By soaking it in a dish filled with warm water and a few drops of Dawn dish detergent. Let it set over night then the next morning i used a tooth brush to gently scrub the ties clean while holding it under the outside hose with the sprayer nozzle set-to a medium stream. DO NOT DO This in your house the softened glue and gunk can reharden and clog up your drains.
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stona
New Member
Posts: 2
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Post by stona on Dec 23, 2023 19:29:22 GMT -5
Holy cow, thank you all for the great replies!
I took a closer look at the layout last night and it was in rough shape. Cracking in the foam/base material beneath the tracks, large sections of track were lifting, and some sections did not join smoothly to adjacent sections (like the curves were misaligned). As one of the replies above mentioned, it seems like it is old and poorly laid. All of the track looks dark and tarnished - very different than my currently running loop of track which looks bright. And nails of two different sizes were used. Some sections used a very fine nail, others used a heavier gauge nail which deformed the sleepers. I only saw glue in a couple of locations at some turnouts and the tracks were not ballasted.
Anyways, when I bought the lot I didn't anticipate being able to re-use the layout. So I removed all the nails and carefully lifted off all of the track sections. The majority still look true. I will try some of the techniques listed above on different pieces of track and see what I can do. My little girl has been asking to play with the layout/scenery so I've turned over that to her to go to town with haha. She's already started moving around and re-gluing trees and cars. We removed the structures as well.
The lot also included a dozen pieces of MTL and Marklin straight track new in box. I tried out one of the unused Marklin straights and it also looked darker than my existing track, but not nearly as tarnished as the track on the layout. My locomotives ran on it, albeit poorly with a lot of start/stop. I'm curious to see how it performs once "refreshed".
Lastly, the lot has some unopened Rokuhan track. Nothing to feed power to, but there's a few turnouts, straights, etc.
I'd like to simply clean up and build a layout out of the old Marklin since I now have plenty of that stuff and it would be easy on the wallet. So I will start there and if that ends poorly, I'll move to the Rokuhan track.
Does the track have a "lifespan"? Or does it simply boil down to keeping the rails clean and free of oxidation, along with the joiners? And if properly cared for in that regard, could it last many years? I'd hate to have to build a nice working layout and have to rebuild it in 5 years.
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Post by rvn2001 on Dec 23, 2023 20:45:38 GMT -5
I have modules that I built in 2001 that I still use today. The Marklin track is from the original construction. Everything still operates well. I also have a box of used Marklin track that I play with from time to time.
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Post by rgs455 on Dec 24, 2023 1:19:18 GMT -5
Holy cow, thank you all for the great replies! I took a closer look at the layout last night and it was in rough shape. Cracking in the foam/base material beneath the tracks, large sections of track were lifting, and some sections did not join smoothly to adjacent sections (like the curves were misaligned). As one of the replies above mentioned, it seems like it is old and poorly laid. All of the track looks dark and tarnished - very different than my currently running loop of track which looks bright. And nails of two different sizes were used. Some sections used a very fine nail, others used a heavier gauge nail which deformed the sleepers. I only saw glue in a couple of locations at some turnouts and the tracks were not ballasted. Anyways, when I bought the lot I didn't anticipate being able to re-use the layout. So I removed all the nails and carefully lifted off all of the track sections. The majority still look true. I will try some of the techniques listed above on different pieces of track and see what I can do. My little girl has been asking to play with the layout/scenery so I've turned over that to her to go to town with haha. She's already started moving around and re-gluing trees and cars. We removed the structures as well. The lot also included a dozen pieces of MTL and Marklin straight track new in box. I tried out one of the unused Marklin straights and it also looked darker than my existing track, but not nearly as tarnished as the track on the layout. My locomotives ran on it, albeit poorly with a lot of start/stop. I'm curious to see how it performs once "refreshed". Lastly, the lot has some unopened Rokuhan track. Nothing to feed power to, but there's a few turnouts, straights, etc. I'd like to simply clean up and build a layout out of the old Marklin since I now have plenty of that stuff and it would be easy on the wallet. So I will start there and if that ends poorly, I'll move to the Rokuhan track. Does the track have a "lifespan"? Or does it simply boil down to keeping the rails clean and free of oxidation, along with the joiners? And if properly cared for in that regard, could it last many years? I'd hate to have to build a nice working layout and have to rebuild it in 5 years. Hi Nickel Silver track generally oxidizes to some degree when not used but from what I observed it is far less present when stored at room temperature in a " closed" box/ bag or on a layout in climate controlled environment like your appartement. I've had a large HOn3/HO dual gauge layout in a climate controlled ( ex Server Room) which was so dry that plaster castings dried in half the time than normal.. we rarely ever cleaned track other than having the cleaning car run every 6 months.. and we ran old Athearn Blue Box Diesels and HOn3 brass engines. My old HOn3 modules in my Basement fared less even though the floor is above ground level.. the oxidation is really visible but comes off with standard non abrasive methods. My buddy who lives in the Alps has his modules stored in the Cellar in which temperature and humidity changes and the track has gotten really dull und oxidized and stubborn to remove. It also depends on the brand of track. I found that Rokuhan oxides a bit faster when unboxed than Maerklin Z. Rule of thumb if it looks clean but the color changes to a slight yellow or it's dull it's oxidation. Methods for removing vary.. I'v also tried some conductive industry cleaner with good results. In HO times I liked Peco and Shinohara, Roco was not that great.. BR Boris |
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