Pictures

Great Stuff

Hey, Craig

I am a nut over those squirrel finds.

If I may,  You might just blow a little air into and around the cars & power pack.

Would not try to restore if for sale.

Hope this helps.

Boudreaux,  Records keeper,  B.C.E.  R.R.

Not for resale

I wasn't planning on selling these. I just would like to see if I can get them operational with limited effort.

It's interesting stuff coming from the large scale side of the hobby.

Gently

Get some Q-Tips. and 91% Alcohol or 70%, and gently rub away the residue... They'll look like new.  In areas that very heavy, a little goo be gone will work well too........

Some Info

Craig,

I ran Marklin for 40 years before switching to US two rail systems -

The track is old M track. You can pick this up for cheap on Ebay in good shape. I wouldn't bother cleaning it as you won't get the rust off well enough to justify the effort. When the track gets like that its pretty much toast. Toss the rusty stuff... 

The cars and the loco are also in pretty bad shape. You can try a variety of methods to get the rust off, alcohol might be a good start. You wont be able to fix the damage to the paint, but at least they can be cleaned up a bit.

In order to run the loco at minimum needs a new pick up ski (see pic 4). Marklin sells replacement parts and a bit of research should turn up the loco number to get the part. Get some new traction tires while you are at it. Note that two of the wheels have traction tires on them ( Hard to tell on the opposite end from all the gunk). Take the shell off the loco and take a look at the guts to see what shape they are in. Marklin designs the parts to come apart easily, so this won't be difficult. You may need to replace the brushes on the motor as well (also pretty easy).

I would pick up a cheap used Marklin three rail transformer on Ebay rather than chancing it with the one included with this lot...If it has internal rust, its probably toast anyway...

Marklin gear is very sturdy and well made. Not sure how well your stuff will run given its condition but it might be fun to try. Call Scott at Helmuts hobbies for more specific help. He is very good at this stuff.

Have fun,

Guy

Clean Up

Try using a Dremel tool with a soft wire brush to clean the wheels and nastier looking rust spots.  A spot of oil on each wheel bearing would be in order before trying this operation.  Set the Dremel at low speed, then let the wire brush spin the wheel while your gloved finger provides resistance to spinning overly fast.  Don't forget your eye protection as loose detritus will come flinging off!