Still messing around with the German-made Marklin "Maxi" line of all-metal tinplate trains, made in the 1990's. These are originally made for G Scale (1 Gauge). Earlier, I converted a small steeple cab locomotive from this series, here.
The Maxi line includes some 4-wheel freight cars, without "boggies" or trucks. These would be harder to convert to standard gauge, so I have avoided them: I used only the 8-wheel cars, it's fairly straightforward to just swap out trucks to make them standard gauge. The line also includes both American-style and European freight cars. Of the ones I have picked up over time, most are the American cars: in this train, only the flatbed with the pipe load was a Euro car: I removed the buffers so it matches the others - all it's missing now is a brake wheel.
In G Scale configuration, the couplers are integral with the trucks: so when you remove the truck, you lose the coupler also. I used Lionel 200 series trucks, because I had several in a junk/parts box. I didn't want to drill holes in the frames or bodies of the Maxi cars for standard gauge couplers, so I used the old Ives "snake-pull coupler" idea. I made some extensions to solder on to regular standard gauge Lionel latch couplers, and mounted them on the same screw that holds the truck; both the coupler and the truck pivot from the same point.
The caboose comes through in G Scale with no lights: I used 200 trucks with roller pickups on this one, and rigged interior and end-of-train lights: again, no drilling, so all of these can be returned to original in a few minutes with a screwdriver.
These cars are big - about comparable to Forney standard gauge, a little bigger than McCoy. Something a little different in tinplate on the standard gauge track.
- david
