Ballast Märklin M-Rail Track

Is it possible to ballast and weather Märklin M-Rail realistic?

Many of us started in the fifties and sixties of the 20th century with Märklin M-Track. This was a very robust and strong product and was a great success. For many it was the first generation H0 track and is still in use but no longer in production since the C-Track was developed. With attic clearance many boxes of M-Track are still found or come back in use when retired. There is still a lot of this rail for sale and can easily be found at actions and trade shows. The quality is most of the time still from acceptable to very good and never used.

A standard reaction is: It is not possible to use the M-Track for a digital system or it doesn’t look nice or it is not for sale anymore. All 3 are not true. Yes you can use it digital because it is still the same idea as C-Track or K-Track. The only thing is that it is more susceptible to malfunctions such as a short circuit in a digital system. The second one it doesn’t look nice, that depend on a personal taste but thats with everything. It is obvious that you can also ballast and weather this track and it is hardly not visible anymore that it is the metal track. A good example is the layout of Märklin of Sweden (can be followed at Youtube) which is for a big part build using this M-Track. But be aware this weathering and to ballast the M-track is more time consuming as with K-Track. The Third one it is not for sale anymore is true when you go to the Märklin dealers and shops but there is still so much for sale at fairs and actions that it is easy possible to find everything you need to make even a large layout.

Not convinced??

Here below you see a part M-Track which is weathered and ballast the same way as the other Märklin rail types. With this pictures it is easy to judge for yourself if it is nice and doable. Have fun with this great hobby. Do you want to see this example part in real? You could see this sample at Modelspoorclub Bergen op Zoom where it can be seen in the shop window. We are open at Tuesday evenings and the door is than open to walk in and see what we are building. Feel free to visit us.

At page Ballast and Weather Rail it is visible and described how Märklin K-Track is done.