Yours Truly is fascinated. This summer you could hear whispers through the grapevine how much the new deliveries from LGB Europe were guaranteed to arrive " very shortly". There was so much anticipation that the LGB (market) would continue to offer new locos and cars - after all, the new Märklin/LGB catalog was promising quite a lot - that offers on eBay simply halted for a while. Prices stagnated and there was not much movement in selling locos. Then, by end of summer, activity increased. More offers, more sales, and prices were showing interesting shifts. Some were priced according to their market value, some where completely overpriced and some where pure bargains.
Now we are 4 weeks away from Christmas and eBay shows a complete different face. Boy - have prices gone up!!! Somebody listens to the pros. A lot of really vintage LGB locos are offered and the prices are representing their collector's value. Moguls are still a little bit underpriced. But at the same time, the newer Moguls will never catch up as much in price as those made between 1983 and 1990. Plus, a theoretical collector's value does not necessarily coincide with current market demand. Vintage (passenger) cars have suddenly found their true collector's value as have the older F7 units and manufactured-in-small-volume locos ( under 600 ). Estate sales seem to increase which is mirroring the sad truth that longtime LGB fans/collectors have passed away. After all, when you started this hobby in your mid 50's in the 1980's and carried it on, by now more than 30 years have passed---you do the math... And no, there will be no more young people and children to join into the hobby (in big numbers) -- too expensive, too outdated, too sophisticated, too much discipline required in operating these fine trains. Plus the fact that it is becoming harder and harder to continue the hobby when no new merchandise is offered and spare parts can only be found at your "Famous Klaus" or by going on a scavenger hunt.
The signs are clear: LGB trains ARE collectors items. Let me stress that one more time: LGB trains !!! are collector's items when manufactured before 2006. And NO (!) , my dear friends out there in the G-Scale world, a Hartland loco, no matter how nicely it was made - is NOT an LGB loco. Don't even try that comparison on eBay as a seller.......
Don't quote me literally on " no new merchandise". LGB did ship some new locos and cars. Focus on "some": of 67 LGB locos offered by Walthers (the exclusive LGB distributor in the USA) only 21 are in stock. And what did Yours Truly mean by "too outdated"? Children and young people theses days are growing up in a digitalized world with instant everything by I-Phone,I-Pad, PC, Laptop, e-book, note book, Xbox, you name it. To digitalize a hobby whose Original Archetypes became successful due to the invention of the steam machine is an anachronism already. Figures that there are live steam operators in this hobby. But: once you started - go all the way. And it is with still a year to spare until we will see fully "I-Phone/Pad" operated digital systems for your train layouts. It is the future and it will be cheaper than ever before to control your (LGB) locos. Yours truly does not expect Märklin to be the trailblazer for this new digital operating system... there will be others who are already warming up in the starting blocks. Needless to say that only completely modernized decoders will fit those "new" systems. In anticipation of one of the next blogs' contents: Your Famous Klaus has already switched to this new generation of decoders (ESU+ Lenz) and is installing them into LGB locos as we speak. Fine technology already prepared for the (near) future - something that has been missed (out) by some other German decoder makers.
Back to the growing collector's market for LGB: older and old locos are coming onto the market with price requests that show the growing scarcity of the brand as well as the growing education of the sellers. That said, as of this week the buyers' side has not bowed to these new price levels. In the price range from US$ 4,000.00 to 2,000.00 (representing roughly 25 locos or loco sets) no visible bids were made. And it didn't get much livelier in the category from US$ 2,000.00 to 1,000.00 either.
To all of you dear followers and readers out there: in case you want to know excactly what your LGB train collection is worth, item by item - call Klaus. He does appraisals and valuations (and Yours Truly is helping him a bit) and issues certificates. And when you start to set up your LGB layout for this Holiday Season treat your LGB locos and cars especially nice this year. They might finance your future Christmas(es) to come.... Happy Thanksgiving y'all
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Mikado 1, 2 , 3
The Mikado locomotive has been a greatly beloved loco by LGB fans from the start, being created and manufactured in 2001/2 and manufactured and delivered until 2004/6. It is the most challenging design of the LGB locomotives and the loco with the largest wheels and also the heaviest LGB loco. The engine design requires an articulated drive train. This calls for a fully suspended drive with three kardan shafts.
During the very first production series the kardan joints consisted of a star-like brass gear wheel and a plastic pick-up which would fit this gear wheel. This type of joint was used throughout the whole drive train. The motor carried the brass star wheel connected to a plastic pick-up. At the end of the first axle there was another star-like brass gear wheel being connected to the second axle with a plastic pick-up. At the end of the middle shaft there was yet another plastic pick-up which would connect to the third and last axle that carried the star-like brass gear wheel. Huge worm drives were mounted on the first shaft very close to the motor and on the last shaft driving the first loco axle.
Basically, only the first and last axle of this locomotive were and are actually driven by the motor as the two middle axles are just coasting along, kept in sync only by the side rods. To manage the mechanical load of the drive train two ball bearings (small = 10mm) were used in close proximity of the worm gears.
During the first series problems arose with the first plastic pick-up that was jointed to the motor: the plastic pick-up was basically pressed on the round axle with no further locking feature. This resulted in the loco to stop moving as the motor kept on running. As a consequence the plastic pick-up was improved to have a square pick-up for the axle. And the axle was altered accordingly to fit the new square pick-up.
Next, the first joint between the motor and the first kardan shaft proved to be the weakest part of the design as the plastic pick-up was not able to handle the torque of the motor and carry the mechanical load. Consequently, the joint between the motor and the first kardan shaft was completely redesigned: the star-like brass wheel on the motor was replaced by a rectangular brass bolt. The kardan shaft got a plastic pick-up shaped to fit the brass bolt.
This new design however had a flaw of its own. As the star like connection provided guidance (in the center line) for the first axle the new design did not. As the first axle tended to wobble this wobbling movement was transported to the other end of the first kardan shaft which was only kept in place by plastic guides within the motor block and its top lid. These plastic guides pretty early on wore out giving the axle more play than designed. Resulting in a constant rattling noise from the motor block.
The ultimate and last design called for a total rework of the two motor blocks. The first and last kardan shaft were equipped with two ball bearings that now measured 12mm (compared to 10mm, see above). With the first axle being properly guided the rattling noise was completely eliminated giving the whole drive train an exceptionally smooth operation. Production numbers of the first designs vary between 500 and 800. That means that there are a lot of Mikados out there that already do or will produce one of the following failures:
As you know by now: Do Not Fear- Klaus Is Near! In his workshop he reworks Mikado motor blocks, converting axles to the two-ball-bearing design. This is a precision reworking since it requires a computer controlled mill (CNC mill). Klaus - of course - has and works on a CNC mill in his workshop as well as (on) a CNC lathe.
During the very first production series the kardan joints consisted of a star-like brass gear wheel and a plastic pick-up which would fit this gear wheel. This type of joint was used throughout the whole drive train. The motor carried the brass star wheel connected to a plastic pick-up. At the end of the first axle there was another star-like brass gear wheel being connected to the second axle with a plastic pick-up. At the end of the middle shaft there was yet another plastic pick-up which would connect to the third and last axle that carried the star-like brass gear wheel. Huge worm drives were mounted on the first shaft very close to the motor and on the last shaft driving the first loco axle.
Basically, only the first and last axle of this locomotive were and are actually driven by the motor as the two middle axles are just coasting along, kept in sync only by the side rods. To manage the mechanical load of the drive train two ball bearings (small = 10mm) were used in close proximity of the worm gears.
During the first series problems arose with the first plastic pick-up that was jointed to the motor: the plastic pick-up was basically pressed on the round axle with no further locking feature. This resulted in the loco to stop moving as the motor kept on running. As a consequence the plastic pick-up was improved to have a square pick-up for the axle. And the axle was altered accordingly to fit the new square pick-up.
Next, the first joint between the motor and the first kardan shaft proved to be the weakest part of the design as the plastic pick-up was not able to handle the torque of the motor and carry the mechanical load. Consequently, the joint between the motor and the first kardan shaft was completely redesigned: the star-like brass wheel on the motor was replaced by a rectangular brass bolt. The kardan shaft got a plastic pick-up shaped to fit the brass bolt.
This new design however had a flaw of its own. As the star like connection provided guidance (in the center line) for the first axle the new design did not. As the first axle tended to wobble this wobbling movement was transported to the other end of the first kardan shaft which was only kept in place by plastic guides within the motor block and its top lid. These plastic guides pretty early on wore out giving the axle more play than designed. Resulting in a constant rattling noise from the motor block.
The ultimate and last design called for a total rework of the two motor blocks. The first and last kardan shaft were equipped with two ball bearings that now measured 12mm (compared to 10mm, see above). With the first axle being properly guided the rattling noise was completely eliminated giving the whole drive train an exceptionally smooth operation. Production numbers of the first designs vary between 500 and 800. That means that there are a lot of Mikados out there that already do or will produce one of the following failures:
- the engine runs slow or stops while the motor is audibly still working ( the first plastic pick-up turns on the axle)
- the engine simply stops with the motor running with grinding noise ( first plastic pick-up is worn out)
- rattling noise in the drive train ( plastic guides are worn out )
As you know by now: Do Not Fear- Klaus Is Near! In his workshop he reworks Mikado motor blocks, converting axles to the two-ball-bearing design. This is a precision reworking since it requires a computer controlled mill (CNC mill). Klaus - of course - has and works on a CNC mill in his workshop as well as (on) a CNC lathe.
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