Märklin Swiss Coaches Query

[Nathan]

About a year ago i went on a trip to Switzerland and brought three HO 4 wheel coaches from a distributer of Märklin. A year on ive been looking for a set of plastic wheels to replace the current metal ones as the coaches pick up the power and transfer it through the couplings to the locomotive, which my locos cannot. Now after spending £90 on those coaches i went against buying a loco for them as they were as we know over £100 for even the smallest engine. If these coaches are ever to run i need a solution to isolate the power to the coaches so that they dont pick it up before the loco.

 

[Simming]

surely as long as the power aint going anyway, the coaches are fine to pick up power, it wont reduce the power going to your loco, as the coaches themselves are drawing anything are they?

wiered system though to get power to a loco, you sure its not for internal lights?

 

[Nathan]

Nope, its not for internal lights. The coaches take all the power from the track so none of my engines will move. For example, a train with interior lighted coaches and a locomotive are running around as soon as i place any one of the my coaches onto the track the lights and locomotive stop, the coach begins to make a small buzzing noise (like when you put in a small amount of power into a loco ie. snail pace) and as soon as you take the coach off again everything resumes as before.

 

[Simming]

Hmmm, odd, sounds like its short circuiting

I dont know whether thats got anything to do with voltage, as I believe we use DC and they use AC or something like that, so its shorting out, although dont quote me on that, or how true that is.

http://www.marklin.com/

Go through that site, see what you can find. personally I dont like that site, had to use it at work, its naff for looking for stuff.

 

[Nathan]

Ive looked already before and i found nothing, remember i have HO coaches trying to run on a OO layout. If i had a HO loco for my HO coaches on a OO layout it would run fine still.