Marklin 55526 - Class Ce 6/8 I Electric Locomotive

Prototype: Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) class Ce 6/8 I of SBB Historic in a dark brown paint scheme as it currently looks in Era VI. Road number 14201.Highlights

Model

Model: The locomotive is completely new tooling. The running gear with the main frame and locomotive body are constructed of die-cast zinc. The locomotive has many separately applied parts of centrifugal cast brass. It also has an mfx digital decoder with up to 32 functions, a built-in current buffer, controlled high efficiency propulsion, and extensive sound functions such as running sounds, vent blowers, locomotive whistle, multiple stop announcements, station announcements, background sounds at the station, and much more. The locomotive can be operated with AC, DC, Märklin Digital, and DCC. It has centrally mounted powerful motors with propulsion to all driving axles. Double-arm pantographs can be raised and lowered with servomotors in digital operation.

The white LED headlights change over with the direction of travel, will work in conventional operation, and can be controlled digitally. There is white LED lighting in the cabs that changes over with the direction of travel. The engine room lighting can be controlled. The Swiss headlight / marker light code can be done in red and white, and the oncoming train light on the front can be controlled separately.

The cab doors can be opened, there are interior details, and the cab has a figure of a locomotive engineer. The locomotive has metal grab irons and many other separately applied parts such as signs, windshield wipers, whistle, and much more. The buffer beams have sprung buffers and separately applied brake lines. The locomotive has a factory-installed, remote controlled Telex coupler on the rear and a prototype coupler on the front. Each of the couplers can be replaced by the other type of coupler (included with the locomotive).

Minimum radius for operation 1,020 mm / 40-3/16".

Length over the buffers 60.3 cm / 23-3/4".

Weight 6.1 kilograms / 13 pounds 7 ounces.

Publications

Prototype information

In 1919, the Swiss industry delivered four test locomotives for various uses to be selected as suitable units for electric operation on the Gotthard, among them freight locomotive Fc 2x3/4 (starting in 1920: class Ce 6/8I) 12201. It was a 2-6-6-2 freight locomotive taking into special account the line conditions on the Gotthard. It could pull a maximum of 860 metric tons up a 1.2% grade. Its locomotive body rode on two three-axle power trucks, each of which was driven by two traction motors using jackshafts, driving rods, and side rods. Originally planned only as a six-axle unit, the electrical part turned out to be so heavy that two additional pilot wheel sets as well as small hoods became necessary. Due to these hoods, the unit was quickly given the nickname "Köfferli-Lok" / "Little Suitcases Locomotive", but "Schlotterbeck" or (approximately) "Shuttering Tank" also gained popularity due to its rough riding.

Between 1921 and 1938, road number Ce 6/8I 12201 (starting in 1930: 14201) ran on the Gotthard. Then it went to Basle having proved itself in heavy freight train service. With increasingly scarce use being made of it by 1967, it was pulled from normal service. As an historic one-of-a-kind, however it was in line for preservation and was assigned to the Bern Depot for brake testing. A brilliantly executed overhaul of the running gear in 1968 at the main shops in Yverdon suddenly gave this veteran better running characteristics than ever before.

After a running performance of around 2,500,000 kilometers / 1,562,500 miles, this locomotive was finally retired at the end of May 1982 as the last Gotthard prototype. For many years, it reminded people of the pioneering period for electric motive power on the SBB in the Lucerne Transportation Museum. Since then, it has also been at the depot in Erstfeld as an exhibition piece, where it is cared for superbly by the SBB Historic Team in Erstfeld.

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