As far as I am concerned, you will be awarded a professorship at the Märklin University of Model Train Fun. Really great videos. What I still do not understand is whether you can also use a contact rail when changing turnouts or signals. Or do I rather need a circuit track in that case.
Wow, thanks - glad you like the videos! As for your question: You need a way to detect trains on the track, there are several methods: infrared, reed switches, circuit track and contact track. In this series I will focus on the contact track as I think it is the better option. I might also look into the other methods in a future video. In episode 4 of the automation series we will look at basic events in the CS3 and it will be shown how a contact track can trigger e.g. change of signals and turnouts using the L88/S88. Enjoy ;-)
Je découvre votre chaine et cette premiere vidéo, c'est tres clair et vous etes tres agréable à écouter ! Je débute et votre expérience sera tres précieuse, merci !
Hi Mike, Yes - the same piece of track can be both a contact track and a stop track. With contact track you disconnect the rails, and you isolate one rail. With stop track you isolate the center rail ("B" or red wire) and provide power through a signal or the m84 that can turn off the power to the center rail. In the future I intend to make a video showing how to make a shadow station with the m84 automatically stopping and dispatching trains. In this case you need to combine contact and stop track as well. Enjoy ;-)
Fantastically presented. I’m always glad to see your video on a topic I like. I always admire how you explain a topic and problems in a simple, picturesque and detailed way as if you were a professor by profession. Thumbs up! Be that way still! Can you give me some advice for my problem? I recently bought a starter set Marklin 29074 and it happens to me that when driving slowly the locomotive knocks or completely stops in 5-6 places. Is it possible that the new rails have some kind of bug or maybe they haven’t been worked out yet? Does anyone have the same problem? That makes me very sad. Sorry for the grammatical errors if there are any because I use Google Translate.
Glad you liked the video! As to your problem - to me it sounds like you need to clean tracks, locomotive wheels or both. @Marklinofsweden has some good videos on how to do this: - track cleaning: th-cam.com/video/0olM5Zq1zlY/w-d-xo.html - locomotive maintenance: th-cam.com/video/41Cts-OvNHs/w-d-xo.html Hope this helps your problem. enjoy ;-)
Hi Lars, glad it was helpful! hope you have fun with automation. Remember it requires lots of patience, testing and troubleshooting. Always focus on reliability. Enjoy ;-)
excellent explanation. But I have a question. When I use 2 tracks to make a contactrail (to be sure that the trains stop), where do I need to put the insulators? Ore is it neccesairy to always use 1, 3, 5 , 7, ... rails. So the insulators are always on the inner rail. I hope you will understand what I try to say. Greetings from Belgium
Hi Tasha The method for train detection for 2-rail is not entirely the same as for 3-rail. For 3-rail you detect a short circuit of the two rails - however you dont want to short circuit your 2-rail tracks. Hence, on a 2-rail layout you detect the presence of something using power e.g. an engine or a resister on a car. This means you use the S88 DC (Märklin 60882) instead of the S88 AC (Märklin 60881). Note if you have a CS3 (not CS3+) you still need the Link 88 (60883) to connect the S88 DC to the CS3. You cannot use the connections on the Link 88 to detect DC train presence, so I suggest using the Link 88 connections for making a keyboard/contacts. You can see in the manual of the S88 DC how to connect it (page 11 in English): static.maerklin.de/damcontent/f3/d4/f3d441f7cb397501154cd11d49346e751579266054.pdf The idea is that you insulate one of the rails (as for the 3-rail tracks). So if you are using Trix C-track, then just consistently insulate the same connectors/rails e.g. inner or outer rail. Hope this helps! Enjoy ;-)
Hi Tasha, I just realized that you were actually asking about Stop Track and I was replying about making train detection. To make a stop track for a signal you just need to insulate one rail. The rule of thumb is to always put the insolation either consistently to the left or to the right on the tracks ensuring same rail. Hence if the track is from left to right and you want to insulate the track closest to you. Then you put the insulator on the first track in the stop section from the left and on the first track to the right of the stop section. This is illustrated in the manual for the Märklin signal page 33 in English: static.maerklin.de/damcontent/80/3e/803e565a406f08748a0372953b6c39721616401922.pdf Hope this is a better answer to your question. Enjoy ;-)
If I want to have a contact section that is 8 pieces of track long will each track in the section have to have the 2 pieces of track separated? In other words will there be 8 contact sections? Or will it just have to be the piece of track at each end that has to be cut - track 1 and track 8 in this case?
You can make it as you like and it really depends on how you intend to do the automation. I intend to cover this in a later video - as a preview I suggest this: Just as the real world you will design your layout with blocks. A block must be able to contain your entire train. This was also illustrated in the signal series - see the video on "Where to place signals". th-cam.com/video/FLx2k9syjdQ/w-d-xo.html Depending on how you do automation a block can be 1 or more contact secions. Using the CS3 with a block where trains are going one way you will probably have one contact area for where to stop and one contact area for the rest of the block. In this way the CS3 can start slowing down when it hits the block and accurately stop in the "stop" contact section. The "stop" contact section can also just be the "stop" section for the signal if you have smart signals. If you need to go both directions you should have a "stop" contact section in each end, so 3 contact areas. If you do not want to see the train slowing down, but just stopping then you could get away with just a "stop" contact section - in this case circuit tracks or reed switches might also be an option. Using software automation you can get away with one contact area per block as the software will calculate where to stop. The software will start slowing down when it hits the block and will calculate how to slow the train to make sure it stops at the end of the block. So the trick is - mirror the real world operations for blocks and design the contact areas as needed by the automation. Did this answer your question? Enjoy ;-)
I really like your videos and they help plan me my lay out, i’m going to use the dcc++ station because it is cheaper for me and i like the challange it provides. I actualy understand now what all these items from marklin do haha.
Glad you like the videos and it helps you! However, be careful some of these videos show features unique to the Märklin/3-rail system. The contact tracks shown in this video is an example. If you are using 2-rail the technique is slightly different as you will detect trains by measuring current draw from the tracks - not when rails are "connected"/"short circuited". The principle of dividing into blocks is the same the big difference is the S88 device used and how you connect wires to the rails. Enjoy ;-)
I really like your videos and they are helping me to decide if I'll decide for Märklín or Trix (I'm not really fun of the central track). The current draw method will not allow to know the total length of occupied track since it only detected the Loco and not the wagons, correct?
@@joaosampaio2015 This is true, but I have see that people then put a resistor on the last car - then you will get the same effect. In addition to that the total lenght of occupied track is not esential to be able to do automation - it just makes it nicer. Enjoy ;-)
You can only make straight and curved track into contact tracks, so you need to isolate the contact track from the turnouts using the "little red isolator". You can see it at 16:36 (click on 16:36) in the video. Here I illustrate how to isolate between two contract tracks. You need to to the same between the contact track and the turnout. I hope this helps. Enjoy ;-)
I usually connect power to the track only one place on my small temporary layouts. Generally, you should have a power bus and connect the power to the track on several points on the layouts to ensure good power distribution. This is independent of the contact tracks. Basically you should power the layout where it makes sense - not taking into consideration if it is a contact track or not. If it's a contact track, then the trick is to wire it correctly, so it is still a contact track with a detection rail while getting power. To be honest as I have a temporary layout I do not have much experience with power bus' and where to power the layout. I often see videos of people saying every 2-3 meters. Sometimes I see a recommendation of every track between turnouts. If this is true I cannot say. But reliable stable power is important for a digital layout. Did this help? Enjoy ;-)
I greatly appreciate your “tutorials”. I want to convert my analogue system to digital and would like to have your comments on how to start and what Performance I would miss by using my original tracks instead of buying the new ones I have 7 analogue locomotives and plenty of tracks. Thank you.
Hi Viktor, I have not tried the conversion from analogue to digital myself, so I do not have a lot of experience with it. As I understand it you should be able to use digital with the older Märklin M-track. The C-tracks are the best for digital, but many people are using M- or K-track on their layouts with digital. As I understand it K-track also work well with digital. You even see layouts with a mix of M-, K-, and C- track - so it is possible to mix as well. Märklin has tracks that can connect M to K, M to C and K to C. When converting a layout from analogue to digital you need a digital control station. You can go for the Mobile Station 2 or the Central Station 3. I would suggest starting with the Mobile Station 2 as this is the cheapest option and you can discover what you need over time. However, if you have a bigger wallet and want to jump into it consider the Central Station 3. If you want to get started with the Mobile Station 2 consider a starter set as this would enable you to get started right away with a digital locomotive, a little track and some cars. You can see this video as an example: th-cam.com/video/slJZoMWZ248/w-d-xo.html Buying a starter set is usually a good option as the price usually is lower than the price of all the individual pieces added together. Be aware that analogue locomotives will not work on a digital layout. You need to convert all your locomotives to digital to make them work on a digital layout. This can be some fiddly work and is not for everyone. In addition to this the parts are not cheap either, so consider for which locomotives you want to invest the money and time. I have seen layouts with a mix of analogue and digital e.g. on different parts of the layouts. The track, cars, signals, turnouts can be re-used as is. Overtime you will want to upgrade signals and turnouts with decoders - or replace with new ones. However, you can continue with the manual switching you already have for the analogue layout. To get started with digital the minimal needed is a Mobile Station 2 with a connector box/power supply and a digital locomotive. Then you can connect this to your existing layout (disconnect analogue power supplies). Hope this helps. Enjoy ;-)
Hi Viktor, I also have a community post on converting locomotives refering to other TH-cam videos: th-cam.com/users/postUgkxR9HXTnaIjMhsk1QZbZBLN9eZZLEZ71Vp Enjoy ;-)
The other end of the grey cable is connected to the S88 device. This will be covered in the next video in the Automation series. I do agree it is a little unfortunate it is not all in the same video. I was even thinking I should have done the S88 before the contact track, but they both depend on each other. Enjoy ;-)
Thanks for the tip - I believe it will reduce the "touching rail" issue. Indeed - I believe you are right - it should be turned up. I have always wondered about the little tab and how to turn it. I relooked at the manual for the Märklin 74030 insulator: the funny thing is that on the frontpage it is turned down and no text really says what direction it should be. However, the picture on page 2 - although difficult to see - seems to indicate the tab should be turned up (towards the rails). When experimenting it seems to make sense that it will create just a little space between the tracks - although I must admit a side-by-side comparison did not reveal a visual difference. What is your experience? Do you still get a touching rail issue - or is it completely removed? Guessing it could still happen at the beginning of inclines? Enjoy model railroading ;-)
I stumbled across the manuals for the signals - to me it seems that the tab clearly has to be down (page 32): static.maerklin.de/damcontent/80/3e/803e565a406f08748a0372953b6c39721616401922.pdf After more experimentation I do not see any benefit in the tab being up - but I might be wrong ;-)
Hi Junias - awesome you like the channel and thanks for the super thanks! All supert thanks are re-used to make more videos happen on the channel. Enjoy you trains ;-) Bo
Thank you for a very thorough explanation with clear illustrations of the actions that are needed to create and use this specialized track. I would like to take advantage of this feedback message to ask that you create a video on installing and using the Märklin brake module. I really need to see the specific procedures of installation. My attempt to install has led to a spontaneous shut-down of my CS3+. Also, at first glance it appears that a brake module could be used within an extended section of contact track; or, on the other hand, a shorter contract section could be incorporated within a braking section. Is that correnct?
Hi Fred, I have resisted to do a tutorial on the braking module as I find it expensive and complex. However, I will do a video on it in the future as it actually is a really useful feature. If you have a shutdown of the CS3 I assume that you have a short circuit of some kind. Did you remember to include the section 1 in the manual? See static.maerklin.de/damcontent/a2/e9/a2e9f739a75dab8f95b1c75bdcb21b441572012932.pdf Section 1 is a transition section that prevents short-circuits. Don't forget section 1 must be longer than the slider/pick-up shoe. Try with a simple small locomotive first. If you have a long rail car with pickups in both ends you might hit other issues. I believe you can mix the braking module with contact tracks as well. I have not tried it myself, but it makes sense as the contact track is to be the two rails, while the braking module works on the center rail. If you need additional help try sending me an email (see channel page -> about) and I can try to help over email. Hope this helps! Enjoy ;-)
I like your suggestion, but I have never found a use for it. Do you have any ideas? The closest I have found is to use it for "electrical automation" without a control station (CS3 or PC). As I am not doing "electrical automation" I always end up using either the m83 or the m84. Only example I have seen is @The 3rd Rail that has some interesting video's on his automation. The cool thing is what he does can be done with both digital and analogue layouts - if you use the equivalent modern components. He uses the old style 7244 to solve a signal issue in his "electrical automation" - check it out here: th-cam.com/video/vgxNKeMd38U/w-d-xo.html Really interested in ideas for using the 7244 in a Märklin digital layout automated with a control station (CS3/PC). If anybody have any ideas on this, then let me know. Enjoy ;-)
@@ModelTrainFun seems to be used in a 2 track schattenbahnhof. As I dont own a central station only Ms2 and delta controls im intrested in how to build automatic schattenbahnhof on a digital layout where you dont have to press Buttons to stop and switch manually.
I did a little research and it seems that the Märklin 7244 will do the job, but the disadvantage is that all 4 relay switches are connected together - essentially all relays shift at the same time and cannot be controlled individually. Unfortunately, I did not find a good description for this. It seems you could control one turnout and two stop sections with 2 ports leaving the two others empty. I did see some hacks on the net turning the 7244 into 2x2 ports, but would not recommend it unless you are brave... I am thinking the m84 might be a better option for a shadow station. It is more expensive, but all 4 outputs can be controlled individually. As I see it - using 1 it seems to be possible to use it for one turnout and two stop sections... The 3 remaining ports could be used for other stuff on your layout... I even seem to recall I saw somewhere years ago somebody making 3 or 4 track shadow station with the m84 - but I cannot find it again... What do you think? Note: I am not sure I would do a video on the Märklin 7244 universal relay as I am not entirely sure it would work. However, a "electrical automation" of a shadow station using the Märklin m84 sounds intriguing... Enjoy ;-)
OK - I will make a video on this. However, it may take a little while as I have multiple videos in the pipeline. If you get impatient contact me on my email (see the About). I might be able to explain how to without a long video. Enjoy ;-)
My idea for to power the stop track when the loco is going the opposite direction of the stop track. Use a circuit track 24994 to turn the stop track power to on (green) just before the loco hits the stop track. Once the loco proceeds over the stop track put another circuit track to switch the power in the off or Red. As for how to wire this I have not figured that out yet.
Hi Michael, You could use the M84 and use the inputs to choose outputs shifting between stop power and/or track power. I think this could be possible, but might require some fiddling... Enjoy ;-) Bo
Hi Bo, I have watched your video on contact tracks but am still having problems as my trains lose power on the contact section. What i am doing is taking power from another circuit of track but i am not using feeder cable. This feeds the two tracks both before the first 24995 contact track and it provides power last tr to the last track after the 24995 contact. The contacts i am using are the 24995. Then i place six tracks seperated by isolators between each in between the 24995's. I have not cut any of the bridges on the c tracks as you did on your video. Please tell me do i have to definately break the bridges or is there something i am doing to cause the loss of power by something i am doing. The trains pick up power outside the contact area. It is the method shown in the manual of the 24995. I appreciate any help you can give me as i need to set up four contact sections .
Hi Alf, I seem to remember that you have a Mobile Station 2 (MS2), so I am unsure why you are making contact track? Are you trying to use the Märklin 74924 railroad crossing? What are you trying to do? If you are using the Märklin 24995 contact track you do not need any isolators. They are available to make it easier, but the cheaper and more flexible option is to make the contact track yourself as illustrated in the video. For the Märklin 24995 you do not use the isolators. The manual gives good pictures of what to do: static.maerklin.de/damcontent/0a/3d/0a3da96b1c15614d4d6d58afdad7c3b01512382695.pdf On page 2 the first important item is that you need two Märklin 24995 and the small arrow must be on the same side. You can try to connect the two Märklin 24995 directly together without any track in between - does this work? On page 3 you can see how to cut the track that you can put in between the two Märklin 24995 (also shown in this video). Page 4 shows you that all track between the Märklin 24995 must be cut - otherwise it does not work. Note: no isolators are used. Hope this helps! Enjoy ;-)
To quote your words YIPEE YIPEE. At last after buying a new set of tracks and following your advice my contact tracks work finally. Thank you very very much Bo for the help. Can i just ask one question more please. If i buy circuit tracks do i need to purchase more than one if i have three circles connected by turnouts. What is the purpose of circuit tracks and are they really necessary? Thanks again
Hi, Great to hear that you succeeded! Circuit track can be used as an alternative way of detecting where the train are. The contact track detects presence of something that connects the two rails, while the circuit track detects that something with a slider passes. This means that the circuit track can detect either a locomotive or a car with a slider. The benefit of the circuit track is that it can detect the direction while the contact track just detects if something is there. I prefer contact track as circuit track only comes in a few types of track pieces making it a less flexible solution. The circuit track may detect a train multiple times if there are more than one slider. Finally, it is a little more cumbersome to detect if the track is vacant. As for your question on the 3 circles. This really depends on what you are trying to achieve and how you intend to automate. Note sure how to answer this easily. What do you have in mind? Hope this helps! Enjoy ;-)
Very nicely explained the Marklin Contact Tracks. I have an issue that I'm dealing with which I'm not able to understand. I am using the marklin 74924 fully automatic grade crossing which comes with a pair of contact tracks. However instead of adding C tracks in between I decided to add more contact tracks to extend the detection section for the crossing but it doesn't seem to work. The grade crossing doesnt detect the farthest contact track but only detects the one connected to the crossing. Do multiple contact tracks not work?
Hi Prashanth, Yes you can add more contact track to extend the "detection area". There is an example in the manual on page 25: static.maerklin.de/damcontent/bc/9b/bc9ba952d41d8eaa9f7a5a1fe68834461682510322.pdf Looking at your explanation of the issue it seems to me that you might not have put the special track that comes with the grade crossing furthers away from the grade crossing at the end. Check out the drawing on page 25. Alternatively, it could be an issue with the contact track where the rails are not proberbly separated - try the troubleshooting in the video 30:17 . Alternatively, the train you have does not short the rails where you think it wil - try with just a Märklin locomotive or a Märklin car. Hope this helps! Enjoy ;-)
How do we if we are using marklin's Trix C track DC locomotives and wagons. Have you done a video on this or would you consider doing a video on this subject please; because some of us have purchased the Trix C track system and the Marklin central station 3 plus.
Hi Earl, Train detection is special with the Märklin 3-rail system as the principle is detecting the short-circuit of the rails when the train passes. For 2-rail (Trix) the train is detected by "current draw" as you do not want to short circuit the rails. When current is being used on the track this is because a locomotive is on that track section. Using the Central Station 3/3+ you can use the Märklin 60882 S88 DC to detect trains on a Trix layout. If you have a CS3+ you can connect the S88 DC directly. With the CS3 you need the Link88 (Märklin 60883), then connect the S88DC to the Link88. Unfortunately you cannot use the S88 input on the Link88 for DC. Consider using it for physical buttons. Do remember that even with a CS3+ you might want the Link88 to offload the CS3+ - check the "Getting Started with CS3" video on differences between CS3 & CS3+: th-cam.com/video/wANbrR0fdJk/w-d-xo.html Additionally, the Link88 has can use 12V. You can see on page 11 of the S88 DC manual (Märklin 60882) how to wire it: static.maerklin.de/damcontent/f3/d4/f3d441f7cb397501154cd11d49346e751579266054.pdf Unfortunately, I have not tried the S88 DC myself. Hope this helps! Enjoy ;-)
Found a Märklin video that shows how to use it. Unfortunately, in German and a different scale, but it might still help you? th-cam.com/video/NjF1pqAL8nU/w-d-xo.html
Hi Riccardo, The C-track system was designed to be backwards compatible with older Märklin locomotives and cars. I have not tried myself, but as I understand it everything should be compatible. I suggest asking at your local train dealer and at Märklin forums - there might be something interesting to know. Suggest trying this forum www.marklin-users.net or Facebook facebook.com/groups/Maerklin.H0.Forum Hope this helps. Enjoy ;-)
Thank you so much for your detailed explanations. So clear! I have K rails. Can I convert them into contact rails well or should I buy the 2295 contact rails? Thank you beforehand.
Hi Baudouin, You can also convert K-track into contact track. However, I do not have K-track and have never tried it. I did find the following description that might help you: members.ozemail.com.au/~rossstew/rms/pdf/solder_track_cutting.pdf Hope this helps. Enjoy ;-)
That’s indeed very helpful. However, to make things easier, I was wondering if it would be a reliable option to use the isolation clips 59090 (which allows to avoid the cutting of the rail) together with the connection clips 7500 ( allowing to avoid soldering). Maybe not sufficiently reliable? Thank you beforehand for your answer. Cheers, Baudouin
@@baudouinvancaubergh4336 The 59090 are for 1 gauge - not for H0 tracks. Hence, you cannot use them with the Märklin K-track. You can use the 7500 to connect power and I see there is a 7522 for insulating center rail. I did not find any item for insulating the rails themselves?? Not sure what the best option is. You can find K-track contact track such as Märklin 2295 (there should also be one for curves?). I do not have K-track, so not sure what the best solution is... Another thought - if you want to do a temporary layout, then I would recommend C-track. Even for a permanent layout may prefer to use the C-track. If you are making a permanent layout with K-track your focus should be reliability. In this case the best way to ensure reliability would be soldering and cutting track as described in that guide. I do not have K-track, but that is what I understand is the preferred method. Hope this helps! Enjoy ;-)
59090 oupsss… ! Was going to place a useless order! In fact I have a permanent layout on which I want to organize automatic routes. Soldering is certainly the most reliable option but I am a bit reluctant… fear to damage the rails. 2295 might be the better option for me despite the price. Cheers Baudouin
I think TH-cam is playing games with me - I have gotten notifications that you have put comments on some videos asking about 24997 before, but when I clicked on the notification it never showed me where. I apologize if I have missed this question before. You cannot connect the turnout decoders to the 24997 without modification to the cables. I have not tried that and would not recommend it as you have to cut the cables. This video shows it done - th-cam.com/video/1Nw1Rqjs8TI/w-d-xo.html It looks like just cutting the connector to the turnout mechanism and using the correct cables... My guess for the 74492 would be using the yellow and blue cables - but I honestly have no idea. The other challenge is that you have to change the time that the decoder activates - don't know how to do this... This method is not recommended by Märklin and I would not do it, but it seems it can be done. I intend to make a video on the 24997, but unfortunately it will be sometime in the future. In the meantime you can consiter experimenting yourself. I would use the m83 as shown in the video on how to connect the 74490 to the m83: th-cam.com/video/eGexwTEeFZE/w-d-xo.html As far as I can see you need to connect the yellow and blue wire of the 24997 to the m83 as you would the turnout. You only have one blue which means that the uncoupler track only would work on either Red or Green. However, the challenge is that it will not work optimally as the m83 is optimized for the turnouts with short bursts. The 24997 uncoupler track needs longer bursts in order to uncouple every time. If you have the uncoupler track blue wire in the red of port 1 on the m83 you need to change CV 114 to 15. This is easy on a CS3, but difficult on a MS2. You can see on the Märklin channel how to change the CV - unfortunately it is in German. Turnon TH-cam auto-translation to English and it is actually understandable. The video is here: th-cam.com/video/3AikocHI1yE/w-d-xo.html Hope this helps. Enjoy ;-)
@@ModelTrainFun well thx for your long answer, I`m delighted but but I have followed this clip you recommend cutting/changing the yellow and blue cables, the green one have to go but with no result, however the symbol reacts in CS3 but how and when I will programing/adressing the article I am not awear of so after all it is still a mysteri however maybe I can mail Märklin and ask them...the best from Rune in just now a snowy enviroment which is excellent for indoors activity, smile
@@runeljungstrommer331 Just make it a turnout and use either red or green. However, as far as I can see in the manuals you cannot change the duration of the switch for the 74460/61/62 - so this will not work with the MS2. For the CS3 I can see you can change the switching Time on the 74462 - however, it does not seem to work. If you cannot change the switching Time, then I fear it will not work reliably. Also remember this is completely unsupported. However, let us now if you succeed ;-)
great movies! quick question, when you want to connect a contact rail to a turnout, do you need to do some extra isolation then? Thanks for your support
Hi jorgen, Unfortunately, you cannot split the rails on turnouts like you can on straight and curved section. Hence, turnouts cannot become contact tracks. So indeed you would insulate before/after turnouts . Enjoy ;-) Bo
@@ModelTrainFun thanks for info, it seems like 24997 isn’t functioning either I even needed to add an extra rail between the 997 and the en of my contact track, or am I missing something and does the 997 need extra isolation to connect to a contact track?
@jorgendp1 I believe 24997 needs extra insulation. Basically you can make contact track of all normal straights and curves. I might miss one but that’s the basics. Enjoy ;-) Bo
Hi, me again. I had few problems with the contact tracks. first everything was ok (checking the contact track with only the freight car) but later I got in problem, no longer recognize the contact track ( 1, 2 etc ) with the freight car. How can I do to delete the S88 Link from the CS3+ and reconnected again ?. Thank you in advance. My best regards. Carlos
Hi Carlos, Not sure why you think deleting the S88 Link and reconnecting it again will help? If the detection is not working it is usually electrical, bad connections, slight touch to something acting as ground or dirty wheels. I suggest you start with: - Check all wires: all good - no touching wires? - Check that everything has good connections and preferably soldered. - Check the wire from the S88 to the track is not too long. - Check the wheels of the trains and rolling stock you want to detect. - The S88 is very sensitive, and you can have an issue if there is the slightest touch to anything that can act as ground. As an example, if you have a table that slightly conducts electricity (or rather sucks out electricity and acts as ground) then it can falsely trigger. Check the wire attached to the bottom of the track and the track itself - if any metal touches the table, then this is enough to trigger. I have a wooden table with paint - this is enough for false detection. Sometimes it only touches when a train moves over, but unstable and it took me a long time to find the issue. I put cardboard in between - or used insulation tape. - Individually check each connection to the S88 by touching the wire to brown. Is it stable connection when firmly connected? Did you check all other things in this video? Right now, I do not know how to remove the S88 Link (except CS3 reset) - I can look into later if needed. Hope this helps! Enjoy ;-)
Good video but this changing over isn't for young kids getting in to this once loved hobby. The manufacturers have almost ruined this hobby with such nonsense.
Hi Robert, The great thing with Märklin is that they also have a startup series for kids (6+years) and even a MyWorld (3+ years) series for the very young. The MyWorld series is with batteries and specialized for very young kinds, but the startup can directly be transitioned into the regular Märklin. Great way to get kids started and is really successful as well. Enjoy ;-) Bo
Thank you for the great video!
Hi Pedro, Glad you liked it. Enjoy ;-)
You are the Best, love Your Kind of Videos.
Glad you like them! Enjoy ;-)
just finished watching the video. as usual it easy to understand with graphic diagram that you provided to us. thanks
Glad you liked it! Enjoy ;-)
As far as I am concerned, you will be awarded a professorship at the Märklin University of Model Train Fun. Really great videos. What I still do not understand is whether you can also use a contact rail when changing turnouts or signals. Or do I rather need a circuit track in that case.
Wow, thanks - glad you like the videos! As for your question: You need a way to detect trains on the track, there are several methods: infrared, reed switches, circuit track and contact track. In this series I will focus on the contact track as I think it is the better option. I might also look into the other methods in a future video.
In episode 4 of the automation series we will look at basic events in the CS3 and it will be shown how a contact track can trigger e.g. change of signals and turnouts using the L88/S88.
Enjoy ;-)
Je découvre votre chaine et cette premiere vidéo, c'est tres clair et vous etes tres agréable à écouter ! Je débute et votre expérience sera tres précieuse, merci !
Hi Jean Philippe, welcome to the channel I hope you enjoy ;-) Bo
Can the same piece of track be a contract track and a stop track?
Hi Mike,
Yes - the same piece of track can be both a contact track and a stop track.
With contact track you disconnect the rails, and you isolate one rail. With stop track you isolate the center rail ("B" or red wire) and provide power through a signal or the m84 that can turn off the power to the center rail.
In the future I intend to make a video showing how to make a shadow station with the m84 automatically stopping and dispatching trains. In this case you need to combine contact and stop track as well.
Enjoy ;-)
Fantastically presented. I’m always glad to see your video on a topic I like. I always admire how you explain a topic and problems in a simple, picturesque and detailed way as if you were a professor by profession. Thumbs up! Be that way still!
Can you give me some advice for my problem? I recently bought a starter set Marklin 29074 and it happens to me that when driving slowly the locomotive knocks or completely stops in 5-6 places. Is it possible that the new rails have some kind of bug or maybe they haven’t been worked out yet? Does anyone have the same problem? That makes me very sad. Sorry for the grammatical errors if there are any because I use Google Translate.
Glad you liked the video! As to your problem - to me it sounds like you need to clean tracks, locomotive wheels or both. @Marklinofsweden has some good videos on how to do this:
- track cleaning: th-cam.com/video/0olM5Zq1zlY/w-d-xo.html
- locomotive maintenance: th-cam.com/video/41Cts-OvNHs/w-d-xo.html
Hope this helps your problem. enjoy ;-)
For me as a beginner in automation it was a very good presentation, clear and informative. I really liked your illustrations.
Hi Lars, glad it was helpful! hope you have fun with automation. Remember it requires lots of patience, testing and troubleshooting. Always focus on reliability. Enjoy ;-)
Terrific video, learned a lot. Thank you! Looking forward to your next one.
Awesome, thank you! Enjoy ;-)
excellent explanation. But I have a question. When I use 2 tracks to make a contactrail (to be sure that the trains stop), where do I need to put the insulators? Ore is it neccesairy to always use 1, 3, 5 , 7, ... rails. So the insulators are always on the inner rail. I hope you will understand what I try to say.
Greetings from Belgium
Hi Tasha
The method for train detection for 2-rail is not entirely the same as for 3-rail. For 3-rail you detect a short circuit of the two rails - however you dont want to short circuit your 2-rail tracks. Hence, on a 2-rail layout you detect the presence of something using power e.g. an engine or a resister on a car. This means you use the S88 DC (Märklin 60882) instead of the S88 AC (Märklin 60881). Note if you have a CS3 (not CS3+) you still need the Link 88 (60883) to connect the S88 DC to the CS3. You cannot use the connections on the Link 88 to detect DC train presence, so I suggest using the Link 88 connections for making a keyboard/contacts.
You can see in the manual of the S88 DC how to connect it (page 11 in English): static.maerklin.de/damcontent/f3/d4/f3d441f7cb397501154cd11d49346e751579266054.pdf
The idea is that you insulate one of the rails (as for the 3-rail tracks). So if you are using Trix C-track, then just consistently insulate the same connectors/rails e.g. inner or outer rail.
Hope this helps! Enjoy ;-)
Hi Tasha,
I just realized that you were actually asking about Stop Track and I was replying about making train detection.
To make a stop track for a signal you just need to insulate one rail. The rule of thumb is to always put the insolation either consistently to the left or to the right on the tracks ensuring same rail. Hence if the track is from left to right and you want to insulate the track closest to you. Then you put the insulator on the first track in the stop section from the left and on the first track to the right of the stop section. This is illustrated in the manual for the Märklin signal page 33 in English: static.maerklin.de/damcontent/80/3e/803e565a406f08748a0372953b6c39721616401922.pdf
Hope this is a better answer to your question. Enjoy ;-)
If I want to have a contact section that is 8 pieces of track long will each track in the section have to have the 2 pieces of track separated? In other words will there be 8 contact sections? Or will it just have to be the piece of track at each end that has to be cut - track 1 and track 8 in this case?
You can make it as you like and it really depends on how you intend to do the automation.
I intend to cover this in a later video - as a preview I suggest this: Just as the real world you will design your layout with blocks. A block must be able to contain your entire train. This was also illustrated in the signal series - see the video on "Where to place signals". th-cam.com/video/FLx2k9syjdQ/w-d-xo.html
Depending on how you do automation a block can be 1 or more contact secions. Using the CS3 with a block where trains are going one way you will probably have one contact area for where to stop and one contact area for the rest of the block. In this way the CS3 can start slowing down when it hits the block and accurately stop in the "stop" contact section. The "stop" contact section can also just be the "stop" section for the signal if you have smart signals. If you need to go both directions you should have a "stop" contact section in each end, so 3 contact areas. If you do not want to see the train slowing down, but just stopping then you could get away with just a "stop" contact section - in this case circuit tracks or reed switches might also be an option.
Using software automation you can get away with one contact area per block as the software will calculate where to stop. The software will start slowing down when it hits the block and will calculate how to slow the train to make sure it stops at the end of the block.
So the trick is - mirror the real world operations for blocks and design the contact areas as needed by the automation.
Did this answer your question? Enjoy ;-)
I really like your videos and they help plan me my lay out, i’m going to use the dcc++ station because it is cheaper for me and i like the challange it provides. I actualy understand now what all these items from marklin do haha.
Glad you like the videos and it helps you! However, be careful some of these videos show features unique to the Märklin/3-rail system. The contact tracks shown in this video is an example. If you are using 2-rail the technique is slightly different as you will detect trains by measuring current draw from the tracks - not when rails are "connected"/"short circuited". The principle of dividing into blocks is the same the big difference is the S88 device used and how you connect wires to the rails.
Enjoy ;-)
@@ModelTrainFun i will be using marklin 3 rails
Ahhhh - I read dcc++ and thought you were talking about 2-rail. Got it ;-)
I really like your videos and they are helping me to decide if I'll decide for Märklín or Trix (I'm not really fun of the central track).
The current draw method will not allow to know the total length of occupied track since it only detected the Loco and not the wagons, correct?
@@joaosampaio2015 This is true, but I have see that people then put a resistor on the last car - then you will get the same effect. In addition to that the total lenght of occupied track is not esential to be able to do automation - it just makes it nicer. Enjoy ;-)
Gracias por tan detallada explicación, es de gran utilidad para mi primera maqueta.
Hi Heriberto, I am glad this video helped you - enjoy ;-)
Hello! Is there something to do on the turnouts for the contact track like cutting the little bridges between power/contact track?
You can only make straight and curved track into contact tracks, so you need to isolate the contact track from the turnouts using the "little red isolator". You can see it at 16:36 (click on 16:36) in the video. Here I illustrate how to isolate between two contract tracks. You need to to the same between the contact track and the turnout.
I hope this helps. Enjoy ;-)
You say you also have connect the rail to power. Do you have to do this to every contact track?
I usually connect power to the track only one place on my small temporary layouts. Generally, you should have a power bus and connect the power to the track on several points on the layouts to ensure good power distribution. This is independent of the contact tracks. Basically you should power the layout where it makes sense - not taking into consideration if it is a contact track or not. If it's a contact track, then the trick is to wire it correctly, so it is still a contact track with a detection rail while getting power.
To be honest as I have a temporary layout I do not have much experience with power bus' and where to power the layout. I often see videos of people saying every 2-3 meters. Sometimes I see a recommendation of every track between turnouts. If this is true I cannot say. But reliable stable power is important for a digital layout.
Did this help? Enjoy ;-)
I greatly appreciate your “tutorials”. I want to convert my analogue system to digital and would like to have your comments on how to start and what Performance I would miss by using my original tracks instead of buying the new ones I have 7 analogue locomotives and plenty of tracks. Thank you.
Hi Viktor,
I have not tried the conversion from analogue to digital myself, so I do not have a lot of experience with it.
As I understand it you should be able to use digital with the older Märklin M-track. The C-tracks are the best for digital, but many people are using M- or K-track on their layouts with digital. As I understand it K-track also work well with digital. You even see layouts with a mix of M-, K-, and C- track - so it is possible to mix as well. Märklin has tracks that can connect M to K, M to C and K to C.
When converting a layout from analogue to digital you need a digital control station. You can go for the Mobile Station 2 or the Central Station 3. I would suggest starting with the Mobile Station 2 as this is the cheapest option and you can discover what you need over time. However, if you have a bigger wallet and want to jump into it consider the Central Station 3. If you want to get started with the Mobile Station 2 consider a starter set as this would enable you to get started right away with a digital locomotive, a little track and some cars. You can see this video as an example: th-cam.com/video/slJZoMWZ248/w-d-xo.html Buying a starter set is usually a good option as the price usually is lower than the price of all the individual pieces added together.
Be aware that analogue locomotives will not work on a digital layout. You need to convert all your locomotives to digital to make them work on a digital layout. This can be some fiddly work and is not for everyone. In addition to this the parts are not cheap either, so consider for which locomotives you want to invest the money and time. I have seen layouts with a mix of analogue and digital e.g. on different parts of the layouts.
The track, cars, signals, turnouts can be re-used as is. Overtime you will want to upgrade signals and turnouts with decoders - or replace with new ones. However, you can continue with the manual switching you already have for the analogue layout. To get started with digital the minimal needed is a Mobile Station 2 with a connector box/power supply and a digital locomotive. Then you can connect this to your existing layout (disconnect analogue power supplies).
Hope this helps. Enjoy ;-)
Hi Viktor, I also have a community post on converting locomotives refering to other TH-cam videos: th-cam.com/users/postUgkxR9HXTnaIjMhsk1QZbZBLN9eZZLEZ71Vp
Enjoy ;-)
Excellent tutorial!
Hi Michel, I am glad you liked it! Enjoy ;-) Bo
you have not showed and told where to connect the grey contact cables...
That is going to be in a next video i think he said.
The other end of the grey cable is connected to the S88 device. This will be covered in the next video in the Automation series. I do agree it is a little unfortunate it is not all in the same video. I was even thinking I should have done the S88 before the contact track, but they both depend on each other. Enjoy ;-)
you inserted the insulator in the wrong way. The little tab must be up to prevent contact between the rails...
Thanks for the tip - I believe it will reduce the "touching rail" issue.
Indeed - I believe you are right - it should be turned up. I have always wondered about the little tab and how to turn it. I relooked at the manual for the Märklin 74030 insulator: the funny thing is that on the frontpage it is turned down and no text really says what direction it should be. However, the picture on page 2 - although difficult to see - seems to indicate the tab should be turned up (towards the rails).
When experimenting it seems to make sense that it will create just a little space between the tracks - although I must admit a side-by-side comparison did not reveal a visual difference.
What is your experience? Do you still get a touching rail issue - or is it completely removed? Guessing it could still happen at the beginning of inclines?
Enjoy model railroading ;-)
@@ModelTrainFun I am just a beginner who learns thanks to people like you, and thru documentation, . Thank for you time
I stumbled across the manuals for the signals - to me it seems that the tab clearly has to be down (page 32): static.maerklin.de/damcontent/80/3e/803e565a406f08748a0372953b6c39721616401922.pdf
After more experimentation I do not see any benefit in the tab being up - but I might be wrong ;-)
Thanks!
Hi Junias - awesome you like the channel and thanks for the super thanks! All supert thanks are re-used to make more videos happen on the channel. Enjoy you trains ;-) Bo
Thank you for a very thorough explanation with clear illustrations of the actions that are needed to create and use this specialized track. I would like to take advantage of this feedback message to ask that you create a video on installing and using the Märklin brake module. I really need to see the specific procedures of installation. My attempt to install has led to a spontaneous shut-down of my CS3+.
Also, at first glance it appears that a brake module could be used within an extended section of contact track; or, on the other hand, a shorter contract section could be incorporated within a braking section. Is that correnct?
Hi Fred,
I have resisted to do a tutorial on the braking module as I find it expensive and complex. However, I will do a video on it in the future as it actually is a really useful feature.
If you have a shutdown of the CS3 I assume that you have a short circuit of some kind. Did you remember to include the section 1 in the manual? See static.maerklin.de/damcontent/a2/e9/a2e9f739a75dab8f95b1c75bdcb21b441572012932.pdf
Section 1 is a transition section that prevents short-circuits. Don't forget section 1 must be longer than the slider/pick-up shoe. Try with a simple small locomotive first. If you have a long rail car with pickups in both ends you might hit other issues.
I believe you can mix the braking module with contact tracks as well. I have not tried it myself, but it makes sense as the contact track is to be the two rails, while the braking module works on the center rail.
If you need additional help try sending me an email (see channel page -> about) and I can try to help over email.
Hope this helps! Enjoy ;-)
Please make a video about the märklin 7244 universal relay.
I like your suggestion, but I have never found a use for it. Do you have any ideas? The closest I have found is to use it for "electrical automation" without a control station (CS3 or PC). As I am not doing "electrical automation" I always end up using either the m83 or the m84.
Only example I have seen is @The 3rd Rail that has some interesting video's on his automation. The cool thing is what he does can be done with both digital and analogue layouts - if you use the equivalent modern components. He uses the old style 7244 to solve a signal issue in his "electrical automation" - check it out here: th-cam.com/video/vgxNKeMd38U/w-d-xo.html
Really interested in ideas for using the 7244 in a Märklin digital layout automated with a control station (CS3/PC). If anybody have any ideas on this, then let me know.
Enjoy ;-)
@@ModelTrainFun seems to be used in a 2 track schattenbahnhof. As I dont own a central station only Ms2 and delta controls im intrested in how to build automatic schattenbahnhof on a digital layout where you dont have to press Buttons to stop and switch manually.
I did a little research and it seems that the Märklin 7244 will do the job, but the disadvantage is that all 4 relay switches are connected together - essentially all relays shift at the same time and cannot be controlled individually. Unfortunately, I did not find a good description for this. It seems you could control one turnout and two stop sections with 2 ports leaving the two others empty. I did see some hacks on the net turning the 7244 into 2x2 ports, but would not recommend it unless you are brave...
I am thinking the m84 might be a better option for a shadow station. It is more expensive, but all 4 outputs can be controlled individually. As I see it - using 1 it seems to be possible to use it for one turnout and two stop sections... The 3 remaining ports could be used for other stuff on your layout... I even seem to recall I saw somewhere years ago somebody making 3 or 4 track shadow station with the m84 - but I cannot find it again...
What do you think?
Note: I am not sure I would do a video on the Märklin 7244 universal relay as I am not entirely sure it would work. However, a "electrical automation" of a shadow station using the Märklin m84 sounds intriguing...
Enjoy ;-)
@@ModelTrainFun a video about how to build a shadow station using m84 With a ms2, sounds really great to me! Thank you for responding
OK - I will make a video on this. However, it may take a little while as I have multiple videos in the pipeline. If you get impatient contact me on my email (see the About). I might be able to explain how to without a long video. Enjoy ;-)
My idea for to power the stop track when the loco is going the opposite direction of the stop track. Use a circuit track 24994 to turn the stop track power to on (green) just before the loco hits the stop track. Once the loco proceeds over the stop track put another circuit track to switch the power in the off or Red. As for how to wire this I have not figured that out yet.
Hi Michael, You could use the M84 and use the inputs to choose outputs shifting between stop power and/or track power. I think this could be possible, but might require some fiddling... Enjoy ;-) Bo
Hi Bo, I have watched your video on contact tracks but am still having problems as my trains lose power on the contact section. What i am doing is taking power from another circuit of track but i am not using feeder cable. This feeds the two tracks both before the first 24995 contact track and it provides power last tr to the last track after the 24995 contact. The contacts i am using are the 24995. Then i place six tracks seperated by isolators between each in between the 24995's. I have not cut any of the bridges on the c tracks as you did on your video. Please tell me do i have to definately break the bridges or is there something i am doing to cause the loss of power by something i am doing. The trains pick up power outside the contact area. It is the method shown in the manual of the 24995. I appreciate any help you can give me as i need to set up four contact sections .
Hi Alf,
I seem to remember that you have a Mobile Station 2 (MS2), so I am unsure why you are making contact track? Are you trying to use the Märklin 74924 railroad crossing? What are you trying to do?
If you are using the Märklin 24995 contact track you do not need any isolators. They are available to make it easier, but the cheaper and more flexible option is to make the contact track yourself as illustrated in the video. For the Märklin 24995 you do not use the isolators.
The manual gives good pictures of what to do: static.maerklin.de/damcontent/0a/3d/0a3da96b1c15614d4d6d58afdad7c3b01512382695.pdf
On page 2 the first important item is that you need two Märklin 24995 and the small arrow must be on the same side. You can try to connect the two Märklin 24995 directly together without any track in between - does this work?
On page 3 you can see how to cut the track that you can put in between the two Märklin 24995 (also shown in this video). Page 4 shows you that all track between the Märklin 24995 must be cut - otherwise it does not work. Note: no isolators are used.
Hope this helps! Enjoy ;-)
To quote your words YIPEE YIPEE. At last after buying a new set of tracks and following your advice my contact tracks work finally. Thank you very very much Bo for the help. Can i just ask one question more please. If i buy circuit tracks do i need to purchase more than one if i have three circles connected by turnouts. What is the purpose of circuit tracks and are they really necessary? Thanks again
Hi,
Great to hear that you succeeded!
Circuit track can be used as an alternative way of detecting where the train are. The contact track detects presence of something that connects the two rails, while the circuit track detects that something with a slider passes. This means that the circuit track can detect either a locomotive or a car with a slider. The benefit of the circuit track is that it can detect the direction while the contact track just detects if something is there.
I prefer contact track as circuit track only comes in a few types of track pieces making it a less flexible solution. The circuit track may detect a train multiple times if there are more than one slider. Finally, it is a little more cumbersome to detect if the track is vacant.
As for your question on the 3 circles. This really depends on what you are trying to achieve and how you intend to automate. Note sure how to answer this easily. What do you have in mind?
Hope this helps! Enjoy ;-)
Very nicely explained the Marklin Contact Tracks. I have an issue that I'm dealing with which I'm not able to understand. I am using the marklin 74924 fully automatic grade crossing which comes with a pair of contact tracks. However instead of adding C tracks in between I decided to add more contact tracks to extend the detection section for the crossing but it doesn't seem to work. The grade crossing doesnt detect the farthest contact track but only detects the one connected to the crossing. Do multiple contact tracks not work?
Hi Prashanth,
Yes you can add more contact track to extend the "detection area". There is an example in the manual on page 25: static.maerklin.de/damcontent/bc/9b/bc9ba952d41d8eaa9f7a5a1fe68834461682510322.pdf
Looking at your explanation of the issue it seems to me that you might not have put the special track that comes with the grade crossing furthers away from the grade crossing at the end. Check out the drawing on page 25.
Alternatively, it could be an issue with the contact track where the rails are not proberbly separated - try the troubleshooting in the video 30:17 . Alternatively, the train you have does not short the rails where you think it wil - try with just a Märklin locomotive or a Märklin car.
Hope this helps! Enjoy ;-)
How do we if we are using marklin's Trix C track DC locomotives and wagons. Have you done a video on this or would you consider doing a video on this subject please; because some of us have purchased the Trix C track system and the Marklin central station 3 plus.
Hi Earl,
Train detection is special with the Märklin 3-rail system as the principle is detecting the short-circuit of the rails when the train passes.
For 2-rail (Trix) the train is detected by "current draw" as you do not want to short circuit the rails. When current is being used on the track this is because a locomotive is on that track section.
Using the Central Station 3/3+ you can use the Märklin 60882 S88 DC to detect trains on a Trix layout. If you have a CS3+ you can connect the S88 DC directly. With the CS3 you need the Link88 (Märklin 60883), then connect the S88DC to the Link88. Unfortunately you cannot use the S88 input on the Link88 for DC. Consider using it for physical buttons. Do remember that even with a CS3+ you might want the Link88 to offload the CS3+ - check the "Getting Started with CS3" video on differences between CS3 & CS3+: th-cam.com/video/wANbrR0fdJk/w-d-xo.html Additionally, the Link88 has can use 12V.
You can see on page 11 of the S88 DC manual (Märklin 60882) how to wire it: static.maerklin.de/damcontent/f3/d4/f3d441f7cb397501154cd11d49346e751579266054.pdf
Unfortunately, I have not tried the S88 DC myself.
Hope this helps! Enjoy ;-)
Found a Märklin video that shows how to use it. Unfortunately, in German and a different scale, but it might still help you? th-cam.com/video/NjF1pqAL8nU/w-d-xo.html
Hello, I would like to ask if i can run an old locomotive Marklin from the 60s on an ordinary C track system? Many thanks. Riccardo
Hi Riccardo, The C-track system was designed to be backwards compatible with older Märklin locomotives and cars. I have not tried myself, but as I understand it everything should be compatible. I suggest asking at your local train dealer and at Märklin forums - there might be something interesting to know. Suggest trying this forum www.marklin-users.net or Facebook facebook.com/groups/Maerklin.H0.Forum Hope this helps. Enjoy ;-)
@@ModelTrainFun thanks so much 🙂🚂
Thank you so much for your detailed explanations. So clear!
I have K rails. Can I convert them into contact rails well or should I buy the 2295 contact rails? Thank you beforehand.
Hi Baudouin, You can also convert K-track into contact track. However, I do not have K-track and have never tried it. I did find the following description that might help you: members.ozemail.com.au/~rossstew/rms/pdf/solder_track_cutting.pdf
Hope this helps. Enjoy ;-)
@@ModelTrainFun thank you again, that helps me a lot. Today I watch your rpisode 3 🤙
That’s indeed very helpful. However, to make things easier, I was wondering if it would be a reliable option to use the isolation clips 59090 (which allows to avoid the cutting of the rail) together with the connection clips 7500 ( allowing to avoid soldering). Maybe not sufficiently reliable? Thank you beforehand for your answer. Cheers, Baudouin
@@baudouinvancaubergh4336 The 59090 are for 1 gauge - not for H0 tracks. Hence, you cannot use them with the Märklin K-track.
You can use the 7500 to connect power and
I see there is a 7522 for insulating center rail. I did not find any item for insulating the rails themselves?? Not sure what the best option is. You can find K-track contact track such as Märklin 2295 (there should also be one for curves?). I do not have K-track, so not sure what the best solution is...
Another thought - if you want to do a temporary layout, then I would recommend C-track. Even for a permanent layout may prefer to use the C-track. If you are making a permanent layout with K-track your focus should be reliability. In this case the best way to ensure reliability would be soldering and cutting track as described in that guide. I do not have K-track, but that is what I understand is the preferred method.
Hope this helps! Enjoy ;-)
59090 oupsss… ! Was going to place a useless order! In fact I have a permanent layout on which I want to organize automatic routes. Soldering is certainly the most reliable option but I am a bit reluctant… fear to damage the rails. 2295 might be the better option for me despite the price. Cheers Baudouin
Please, can you show me how to install digital function in a 24997 with a decoder 74460/61/62 under a nearby track, thx!
I think TH-cam is playing games with me - I have gotten notifications that you have put comments on some videos asking about 24997 before, but when I clicked on the notification it never showed me where. I apologize if I have missed this question before.
You cannot connect the turnout decoders to the 24997 without modification to the cables. I have not tried that and would not recommend it as you have to cut the cables. This video shows it done - th-cam.com/video/1Nw1Rqjs8TI/w-d-xo.html It looks like just cutting the connector to the turnout mechanism and using the correct cables... My guess for the 74492 would be using the yellow and blue cables - but I honestly have no idea. The other challenge is that you have to change the time that the decoder activates - don't know how to do this... This method is not recommended by Märklin and I would not do it, but it seems it can be done.
I intend to make a video on the 24997, but unfortunately it will be sometime in the future. In the meantime you can consiter experimenting yourself. I would use the m83 as shown in the video on how to connect the 74490 to the m83: th-cam.com/video/eGexwTEeFZE/w-d-xo.html As far as I can see you need to connect the yellow and blue wire of the 24997 to the m83 as you would the turnout. You only have one blue which means that the uncoupler track only would work on either Red or Green.
However, the challenge is that it will not work optimally as the m83 is optimized for the turnouts with short bursts. The 24997 uncoupler track needs longer bursts in order to uncouple every time. If you have the uncoupler track blue wire in the red of port 1 on the m83 you need to change CV 114 to 15. This is easy on a CS3, but difficult on a MS2.
You can see on the Märklin channel how to change the CV - unfortunately it is in German. Turnon TH-cam auto-translation to English and it is actually understandable. The video is here: th-cam.com/video/3AikocHI1yE/w-d-xo.html
Hope this helps. Enjoy ;-)
@@ModelTrainFun well thx for your long answer, I`m delighted but but I have followed this clip you recommend cutting/changing the yellow and blue cables, the green one have to go but with no result, however the symbol reacts in CS3 but how and when I will programing/adressing the article I am not awear of so after all it is still a mysteri however maybe I can mail Märklin and ask them...the best from Rune in just now a snowy enviroment which is excellent for indoors activity, smile
Are you trying to use the 74460 directly or the m83? Using the 74460 is tricky... Enjoy ;-)
@@ModelTrainFun I will use 74460/61/62 NOT m83 because I have no cables underneath...
@@runeljungstrommer331 Just make it a turnout and use either red or green. However, as far as I can see in the manuals you cannot change the duration of the switch for the 74460/61/62 - so this will not work with the MS2. For the CS3 I can see you can change the switching Time on the 74462 - however, it does not seem to work. If you cannot change the switching Time, then I fear it will not work reliably. Also remember this is completely unsupported. However, let us now if you succeed ;-)
great movies! quick question, when you want to connect a contact rail to a turnout, do you need to do some extra isolation then? Thanks for your support
Hi jorgen,
Unfortunately, you cannot split the rails on turnouts like you can on straight and curved section. Hence, turnouts cannot become contact tracks. So indeed you would insulate before/after turnouts .
Enjoy ;-) Bo
@@ModelTrainFun thanks for info, it seems like 24997 isn’t functioning either
I even needed to add an extra rail between the 997 and the en of my contact track, or am I missing something and does the 997 need extra isolation to connect to a contact track?
@jorgendp1 I believe 24997 needs extra insulation. Basically you can make contact track of all normal straights and curves. I might miss one but that’s the basics. Enjoy ;-) Bo
@@ModelTrainFun i’ll give that a try
Thx for your support
Hi, me again. I had few problems with the contact tracks. first everything was ok (checking the contact track with only the freight car) but later I got in problem, no longer recognize the contact track ( 1, 2 etc ) with the freight car. How can I do to delete the S88 Link from the CS3+ and reconnected again ?. Thank you in advance. My best regards. Carlos
Hi Carlos,
Not sure why you think deleting the S88 Link and reconnecting it again will help? If the detection is not working it is usually electrical, bad connections, slight touch to something acting as ground or dirty wheels.
I suggest you start with:
- Check all wires: all good - no touching wires?
- Check that everything has good connections and preferably soldered.
- Check the wire from the S88 to the track is not too long.
- Check the wheels of the trains and rolling stock you want to detect.
- The S88 is very sensitive, and you can have an issue if there is the slightest touch to anything that can act as ground. As an example, if you have a table that slightly conducts electricity (or rather sucks out electricity and acts as ground) then it can falsely trigger. Check the wire attached to the bottom of the track and the track itself - if any metal touches the table, then this is enough to trigger. I have a wooden table with paint - this is enough for false detection. Sometimes it only touches when a train moves over, but unstable and it took me a long time to find the issue. I put cardboard in between - or used insulation tape.
- Individually check each connection to the S88 by touching the wire to brown. Is it stable connection when firmly connected?
Did you check all other things in this video?
Right now, I do not know how to remove the S88 Link (except CS3 reset) - I can look into later if needed.
Hope this helps! Enjoy ;-)
Creating and Troubleshooting Märklin C-track Contact Track (Automation Episode 2)(Like, like, like, like)
Hi Chen, Glad you liked the video. Enjoy ;-) Bo
Good video but this changing over isn't for young kids getting in to this once loved hobby. The manufacturers have almost ruined this hobby with such nonsense.
Hi Robert, The great thing with Märklin is that they also have a startup series for kids (6+years) and even a MyWorld (3+ years) series for the very young. The MyWorld series is with batteries and specialized for very young kinds, but the startup can directly be transitioned into the regular Märklin. Great way to get kids started and is really successful as well. Enjoy ;-) Bo