I’m trying to decide what to do with a rather collectible HO-scale electric train that I have, and I’m hoping to get some guidance from SF members who understand and appreciate the hobby well enough to appreciate this particular set that I own!

First and foremost, it is a Marklin from Germany, easily one of the oldest and finest model train makers on the planet. Secondly, the primary locomotive in the set is either 1st or 2nd year production, placing its manufacturing date at 1952 or 1953. Not surprisingly the locomotive still runs extremely well, and despite its age, is very close to mint condition cosmetically! The little rubber traction rings on the drive wheels while still intact could use replacing since rubber hardens with age, and these are well over 60 years old. All lights still function properly also.

The balance of the main set, including matching tender, luggage car, three passenger coaches with internal lighting are again in near mint condition!

In addition to all of that is a little “electric” commuter-type train with 3 cars total if memory serves, a bunch of track including multiple turn-outs, and the original Marklin power controller, all in the original box it came in!

Now I’m a bit of a train freak, but really prefer N-scale over HO, plus I just don’t have a dedicated space to set this up, and probably wouldn’t want to if I DID have room! I grew up seeing this train get setup and run a bit for 1 or 2 evenings each year at Christmas. My mother won it through a drawing at some department store in Memphis before she and my father met. She had no interest in trains, though her side of the family was ripe with engineers and various other forms of railway workers, so it was almost never used until she and my father married, and then us boys came along... but again, only at Christmas. By the time I was 13 or 14, the train didn’t come out any more as I had my own stuff, and my older brother wasn’t really interested.

Now I’m wondering what the future holds for it. Everyone in my family who had any interest in it is deceased, my daughter has no interest, and the way life is developing, I’m not thinking it’s likely I’ll ever have grandkids to pass it on to, and if I did, the chances of me getting the opportunity to teach them proper care and respect for such an item / family heirloom, well... I just don’t see it happening! I’m thinking maybe it belongs in a true collection or museum somewhere... or maybe just sell to someone who appreciates such fine things and will take good care of it! I just don’t know what to do or how to proceed, and hopefully can receive some guidance on it here!

Thanks in advance...

I bought a set from a guy that had been set up on a 4x8 platform and had rmoveable legs. HO set with two engines and a bunch of cars.
My grandson was 11 and little guy was 3 and I thought it would be fun for them to do something with Papa. The little guy just wanted to break things and the first thing the older boy did was put a matchbox car at the RR crossing and run into it. Boys will be boys.
Both engine have since broken and it sets in my way in the basement. Looking for someone to give it to.
Good luck.

Difficult. You have great stuff, but in any of the most common scenarios it's very difficult to find good homes for this equipment any longer. The best luck I've had is to set up a table at a local club sale event & sell items. It may be more difficult with what you have, but you only have to find one buyer per each item. I found it easier to handle these sales, if even not getting top dollar than to stress with the hassles of shipping, online buyers, etc..

Link with upcoming event

Another club nearby

I hate the thought of breaking up the sets, but you’re right in that it may be the only reasonable way to handle it!

On the other hand, it sure would make pricing and shipping easier!

Based on fairly recent research, the two locomotives alone should bring over a grand easy; about $250 on the commuter, and $750-900 on the steamer, so I’m just gonna have to sleep on this one a while! It’s not your typical toy electric train, but it doesn’t belong at Sotheby’s either..

Edit to add: That second link is my local club. The huge downside for visitors is it’s located ON Redstone Arsenal, so you have to possess arsenal access to stop by... or go through a huge hassle every time as a “normal civilian”. A 10-minute drive for me, plus another 45 of red tape per visit to get a one-time pass from security. <blech>

I was big into HO trains around the time I outgrew LEGO and GI Joe but before girls were a big pastime. My dad had built a nice 4x8 table for my 6yr older brother but he never really got into it. I inherited it and went gangbusters with it, frequent stops to KB Toys and the like to get random Bachman, Lifelike, and other entry grade stuff. I still had most of it boxed up in my parents' basement and looking back on the antisocial time I had dwelling in the basement those years, have no real desire to have it in my house and don't see the kids getting that into it. Our model train museum opened up back home and I've been donating to it, if they don't use it for their layouts, they sell it online or in their shop to raise money. A local hobby store also does consignments, but the stuff I have really wouldn't be worth the time. Food for thought.

If I were you, I'd eBay that stuff, its not that hard so long as you can get past setting up a PayPal account and their general anti-gun stances.

Märklin HO from the early '50s would be a spectacular set to have. Sadly, it seems that most kids these days aren't very good at keeping themselves entertained. Maybe if they had a Märklin app for their cell phones or a version of Candy Crush that had trains instead of those stupid fat headed things bouncing around on the screen? I dunno.

I didn't have much room for a layout, so I went with Z scale. The trains are smaller, but the prices aren't. Later I got into customizing the locomotives and rolling stock, adding different sized wheels to make them faster, 5 pole motors to make them run slower, packing epoxy to make them climb a better grade, etc...

I can understand the hesitation of not wanting to break up a 60+ year old set. Good luck.

Yeah, I have a few boxes of HO suff sitting the basement myself. Lot of Rock Island stuff.
It's my understanding that a lot of the current stuff uses digital control and the older stuff won't run on it.

Well as I've been digging into this equipment and researching its value, I've come to realize the original estimates I'd received were optimistic... VERY much so! While I still have a LOT of info to uncover, including ANY kind of value on the commuter train, it looks like the value of the steam loco and its set of cars, plus all track and transformer is only going to be about $500-600 at best. Not exactly what I was hoping for, especially since the loco is a Version 1 that was only made for 2 years, 1954 and 1955!

Oh well, the research has been fun, as well as frustrating. In the end I don't know what I'll end up doing with it, but time will tell; I'm in no hurry.

Just for grins, here are 3 quickie photos of the main steam loco...





Cheers!

Do a search on eBay. You can see what sellers are asking, and, if you check the "Sold items" box down near the bottom in the left margin, you can see what they actually get for them.

Another option is - if you can get to a train show - bring the items with you, leave them in the vehicle, and walk around the show with a sign or talk to the vendors who have the older stuff.

Oh, I've been working on eBay from the beginning!

First big issue is people selling stuff they don't really know what they have, and they underprice what SHOULD have sold for more. That sets a precedent for all future sales for that item. Secondly, the second locomotive set that is included doesn't show up on eBay ANYWHERE... sold or unsold, USA or worldwide. No way to set price without finding the little sucker for sale somewhere...

Finally is this being a set, and everything on eBay like mine is being sold as individual units. One would think being part of a complete set would make it worth more, but I could be totally wrong.

Will see what I can find regarding train shows, but I suspect the only place close to me would be Chattanooga, TN, about 100 miles away.

Model Train Forum maybe?

https://www.modeltrainforum.com/

Dayyng!

Just about the most minty steamer I've seen in a long time. By the time I get one that I can buy, I have to repaint the red lines back on.

That is a nice one. The only HO Märklin that I have is a class 85 tank locomotive. Sold a bunch of other HO stuff, but this one stays.

Nice treasure there. A DB Class 23 steam loco. If the tender is plastic (kunststoff) and the wind protectors are not screwed in it's 1954 vintage -https://www.lokmuseum.de/showartikel.php?Wg1=Spur%20H0%20M%E4rklin&Wg2=&SArt=1584&SBez=DA%20800%20Spur%20H0%20M%E4rklin%20Dampflokomotive%20mit%20Schlepptender&Seite=3&SID=

My Class 23 passenger steam loco is from '68 3005 model number - last year of this type, until '71 when they changed / reissued it. I put a c80 digital decoder in her back in 2000 or so when I went digital. I also have the 3047 Class 44 freight steam loco from that time frame, a DHG 500 and a DB 89 (the last 2 do not run any more; well the DHG 500 can on AC mode only).

Anyway, you have a real collector's item.

Understand the N vs HO scale. Lots of real train nuts like to really get in to prototypical operation and N scale is well suited for it. HO scale is a bit too large for it in most instances.

Me. I just love trains and never get bored watching them move around the layout. With digital its so easy to run 8 trains concurrently, even without feed back mechanism to automate some of it.

If you want to see the monster in HO, get a UP Big Boy. This sucker dwarfs my other Maerklin trains. Mine is the 1999 or 2000 version for insider club members only back then. Runs very smoothly. I love my SWISS Crocodile, but the Big Boy is almost next to it.

The best I can tell, the tender is indeed kunststoff, and will have to double-check but don't think the wind protectors are screwed in. I'm recovering from a kidney procedure and can only do a little at a time, so just digging the box back out from under the bed to take a look is a chore at the moment!

After I've finished my coffee and gathered up a bit more steam (pun intended), I'll have a go at it and take a closer look.

When I was a kid and had my own HO-scale stuff, I always wanted the UP Big Boy but never got around to buying one. Most definitely a monster locomotive!

Around here, the Reading Railroad was a big thing. My Grandfather was a welder for the railroad and then Conrail when they took over. We have a small train museum in Hamburg, PA and of course there is the Strasburg Railroad and museum in Ronks, PA. If you want someone that will treat it well, these are the places or types of places that will.

http://www.readingrailroad.org

https://rrmuseumpa.org

If they are not interested in it, they may know someone that is.

Never got a chance to shop for a Big Boy, but I did come across an O scale Centennial from MTH.

Running an HO scale Shay with about 26 timber cars never gets old.

I have Lionel trains dating back to the late 1950's and a bunch of N scale trains. I think I'm going to sell off all of the O scale stuff and make a nice N scale layout.

What about mounting a couple pieces of track in a Lucite show case, place the train inside it, and display on a mantle or shelf?

I wish I were into trains but no room. anyplace. except maybe for the attic space, but I'd rarely get up there.