Whats the deal with Marklin?

[leestevenson]

I've always wondered why they are so expensive, and quite frankly looks anything but prototypical in quite a few models. Am I missing something?

 

[DairyStateDad]

I've always wondered why they are so expensive, and quite frankly looks anything but prototypical in quite a few models. Am I missing something?

Well, RE whether they look prototypical, perhaps that reflects the European prototypes they follow. A lot of European rail equipment looks very different from what we see here. The most striking example is the predominance of much smaller freight cars with only two wheels at either end instead of four-wheel trucks at either end. They looked like full-size toys when I saw them in real life.

 

[Selector]

Marklins are a bit overpriced, but not much. They once produced N. American style steamers and a GG1, and I think they are planning on entering our market once again according to their website. However, that was in their offshoot Trix line. I have two Trix locos, a Mikado in NYC livery and a GG1. They are really nice and worth every cent...discounted. In my case, while the Mike retailed for $600, I got mine for $225. Similarly, the GG1 ran over $600 and I got mine for about half that. Marklin is the parent company, and I would say if you can find a way to like their mostly European mixture, and can afford them, there's none better. Think of the proverbial Swiss watch. Incidentally, there is one advantage to the Marklins...they run on VERY tight HO radius curves. The European market is small, but not in terms of sales and enthusiasm...it's the space they have in their homes that determines how well the Marklin locomotives and rolling stock do.