2013 New Items Report - Part II - Marklin/Trix/LGB

Marklin

Following the release of many locomotives and cars in 2012 with completely new tooling, Marklin initially appeared to have cut back in some respects for their 2013 New Items announcements. But that was not the the case - the 2013 New Items brochure is packed with 190 pages of new item announcements in all gauges with several items to highlight for you.

Of course in late 2012, Marklin announced the first of their 2013 new tooling commitments by announcing a complete new Swiss Crocodile Set # 37565. This represents both an Era II Version Ce 6/8 II and an Era III Version in Pine Green livery. Both models are highly detailed full metal construction with MFX Sound Decoders with 12 functions. What’s interesting is that each locomotive will have 2, yes TWO high-efficiency motors with flywheels.

Marklin then offered a Toyfair edition of the new Crocodile in black livery for both HO # 37967 and Z Scale # 88561. Of course, while the prototype never ran in a black paint scheme, the models look really cool. These are unfortunately now sold out at the factory and we only have a couple left of each to order so if interested, reserve now. The other very popular model is the edition of the Austrian Crocodile # 37566. This is a limited edition run of 2500 pieces worldwide, packaged in a wooden case, and sure to sell out by summer.

2013 New Items Report - Part I - Roco/Fleischmann

This year’s Nuremberg Toy Fair was an interesting show with many of the manufacturers focusing on technical and digital innovations in addition to the usual announcements of new model tooling (and of course the seemingly endless repaints and versions of existing models!).  This focus on innovation combined with the industry-wide budget tightening of the last few years has meant we are seeing slightly fewer (and to some, less exciting) completely new models. That does not mean there are not some exciting models to report on though! From Fleischmann’s all-new scale-length BR407 ICE set and Marklin’s new Scandinavian heavy ore locomotives and Swiss Crocodiles, to Minitrix’s V100 with digital sound (in N-scale!!), there are still many highlights to report.

2013 New Items Brochures from Roco/Fleischmann. We are still not quite sure
what to think about Roco's "It's a Man's World" theme this year (?????)

This installment will cover Roco and Fleischmann’s new item programs as announced at this year’s fair.   Don’t forget our annual pre-order discount program for Roco/Fleischmann 2013 New Items ends Sunday March 17th! In most cases our prices for these items will NEVER be lower than the pre-order pricing offered so take advantage of pre-ordering to make the most of your hobby dollar with Euro Rail Hobbies & More.  And as always, we never charge your credit card until the products actually ship from our store!

Roco/Fleischmann smartRail - THE executive desk accessory!!

With the end of our annual pre-order discount program for Roco and Fleischmann new items ending this weekend, March 17th, we wanted to feature one of the most exciting releases from these firms at the Toy Fair - the smartRail rolling track stand.  Many of you may be familiar with existing locomotive roller test stands - where you set you locomotive wheels on a stand with small rollers to support each wheel or axle. These are mainly used for testing locomotives and in most cases only the powered wheels of the locomotive are in motion - for tender driven steam locomotives this means roller stands never show the amazing action of the running gear and large driver wheels!

The smartRail system is a completely new experience in that the rollers have been replaced by a continuous steel band for each rail, allowing the locomotive to run exactly as it would on your layout. The smartRail features a complete Roco Z21 digital system with WiFi built in to control the locomotive via touch controls on the stand or via you smartphone or tablet with the Z21s wireless features.  All of these features and more add up to make the smartRail the best locomotive stand we have come across.  We have one in our store and simply cannot stop playing with it. 

Order your smartRail package before March 17th and save $$$ with out pre-order discount program for 2013! Click here for our full list of Roco/Fleischmann smartRail packages.

More details and video from Roco Fleischmann below!