Märklin vs Fleischmann - Let's compare!

A 1980s head-to-head:
2 DB BR50 available to buy new between 1987 and 1995
Fleischmann 1179 vs Märklin 3315: Which one is the best?

If you enjoy this video, please consider subscribing to my channel and hitting the like button. It helps me reach a wider audience and create more content like this. If you'd like go a bit further and contribute to the upkeep of the collection, "Super Thanks" are activated.

Thanks for watching!

#modeltrains #märklin #mgleis #tmrguk #fleischmann

[stevepople]

Thank you so much for your English speaking German topic railway series. I've been a Marklinista for 50 years and the lack of detailed prototype information in English has been a real hindrance. So much so that I'm slowly learning Deutsch. Your channel is a breath of fresh air. Best wishes to you.

[finncarlbomholtsrensen]

In school, as now 76, a friend had a huge Marklin Set and a room for the purpose, so we produced a large landscape in it, and with its controls in the middle, with houses, a ferry, mountains and tunnels! We had great fun finding solutions for all problems! Also building houses. Finn. Denmark

[geordieceltic]

I have 6 Fleishman locomotives operating on my UK layout. I bought them in the 1990's and they still run perfectly with minimal maintenance. They by far, out perform all my UK manufacture products both in operation and detail. Great video, thank you.

[Consolidation]

Een hele mooie video.
Mooi om te zien die twee massadonten BR 50ers.
Bedankt voor deze fantastische video.

[FordGranada]

A very surprising locomotive that Fleischmann 1179 is! It could be a very welcome addition to my track, I'll have to look out for it at auctions (locally or the internet). I love that it runs so smooth and quiet.

[TwistedMacGyversTrains]

I really enjoyed the comparison between these two beautiful locomotives. I’m new to your channel and looking forward to watching your future content and passed. 👍

[mountainmanpedro]

This brings back memories. Among my young friends in the early 80's, the detail of both Fleischmann and Roco was considered better. But we all also had brand loyalty to marklin. I think we conceived of the metal construction of marklin as being higher quality even if it was less detailed. And, at ages 10-12, slow speed running was not a priority!

[gordonholtshausen]

Excellent and informative video as always. Thank you.

[hansgrasmaijer]

Nice and interesting video, thanks for sharing your test.

[pedalcarguy]

Thank you for this interesting comparison! I am now subscribed to your channel. On the subject of windows, I think you could remanufcacture the yellowed window plastics with a resin 3D printer using clear resin. The window plastics would have to be 3D modeled, which would be a very simple task. Btw, I love your correct pronounciation of Märklin and Fleischmann, a rare occurrence in English language model railway videos. I learned German at school as my third foreign language after English and Swedish. My mother tongue is Finnish. I am a translator by trade. A working knowledge of German is great to have. Keep up the good work!

[TimsBitsnPieces]

I have always liked the Fleischmann range and this shows me why. Thanks for another great video.

[izhdsim]

Back in the 60's I had jumble sale find, a Hornby Dublo three rail A4 with smoke feature. Only having a Tri-ang layout, I tried it out on my friend's the 'rail' layout, well, studs. Placed on track, power on, no movement but lots of smoke!

[jeanricard]

As always a great review even though I don’t share your conclusions, to be honest I am Märklin al the way into my hart.and I really dislike tender drives In my opinion they are just not right. But that’s a matter of taste. Great video thanks for sharing.

[johnandrus]

Interesting. I like the Marklin a bit better. To me, it replicates normal operation better than the Fleischmann. The worm-gear drive on the smaller wheels, give the Fleischmann a bit more torque and slower speed operation, but the Marklin, with its main drivers powered, acts more natural on grades, with a more steam locomotive-style operation. Both are quite nice, though. I'm an O gauge operator, but I enjoy watching all scales. An excellent video.

[christophetardivat]

Great analysis! From a Marklinist point of view a tender driven steam engine is unthinkable.This setup may explain the low noise and low speed running but i prefer the gear noise and the realistic power transmission. I have two fleischmann 3rail, a BR 65 (1d2) and a sncf 68001 which are great engines from the 70's I guess. The lilliput 3 rails (P8 in po midi and alsace lorraine are not quite the same quality)

[cf]

My father selected Fleischmann for me. My understanding was that Marklin was way more expensive. And I knew quickly that the locomotives would not run on Marklin and vice versa. I did a lot of building as far as my allowance would permit. Loved it..but grew out of it. Some stayed on…I graduated to building model aircraft with small diesel powered engines. And ended up in the airline industry. Did get around to get my trains out when my son was at the appropriate age…he moved on to computers…times change.

[hz]

Hello,
Enjoyable fun video (and interesting), thanks!
I'm back into Märklin since 14 months after some 40+ years of absence. In my early days, I only had LFCM and SFCM motors, which are reliable and enjoyable when given proper TLC, and provide much better speed control.
Over the past year I first got acquainted with the DCM motor and Märklin's rudimentary loco electronics. I was shocked at the way these respond to the transformer setting, the ugly sound they make and such. Speed control is much like you demonstrated with this steam loco today.
All of this led me to experiment with PWM control again, as I did in the early days, including modifying the models a bit to match my system. I mean extremely subtle and reversible modifications, above all still fully analogue! Anyway I hope to be able to enjoy the DCM models better this way. The LFCM and SFCM models happily comply already and are a joy to operate this way.
In any case, thanks and enjoy summer!

[VixNoelopan]

The one and only (small) disadvantage of the Fleischmann loco that I spottet was in the Walschaert's gear: The eccentric rod almost doesn't move, perhaps because the eccentric crank wasn't mounted properly.

[peterkordziel]

I noticed that you said that the Fleischman model was DC. All my Märklin HO is AC. But some is not? I know of their two-rail Hamo line, but I don't have a lot of experience.
You are right about Fleischman being slightly larger than HO scale (1:87).
I have some wagons made in US Zone Germany by Fleischman that are even larger than 1:85! Keep in mind that early models by Märklin and Trix Express in the 1930s are scaled under 1:87, being something like 1:90 or so.
Over the years, I have aquired a few items of this sort, and although the gauge is HO, the scale is not!😅
Great video! I'm subscribed!
(By the way, I know that the models in your analysis are from a later period, but offer some early possible origins to odd issues of scale discrepancies).😊

[RonSchuurman-tdyj]

Model railways was almost a given amongst the males in my family, Like many I started at 14 with a simple starter set . And for me in the early to mid 1980's I picked up a second hand AC Roco loco which led to me being unfaithful to the Marklin brand when something interesting came along, with Can motor cardan shafts worm gears and near silent drive compared to the grinding motors and buzz jerk reversing as was common at the time from Marklin, but best of all I had access to models I was interested in that were not in the Marklin range. I'm now in my 60's and building my 4th layout but due to available space it will be smaller than the last two, but will contain an Analogue line a digital line and a separate analogue block for independent shunting operations using two small electric units operating independently from catenary and able to cross the two main lines unhindered. Your videos are a great source of information.