The prototype

The prototype is a goods wagon of class R, which means "ordinary flat wagon with bogies". The classification of the wagons in this set is Rils. Which roughly translates into "Ordinary flat wagon with bogies, fixed front wall, moveable cover, no stakes and permitted in trains up to 100 km/h".

The wagon is used to transport large pieces of weather-sensitive goods. The sliding cover makes it easy to quickly load and unload the wagon.

The model

The set contains three wagons with different liveries from the French State Railways, SNCF. FRET is the company's freight division. The wagons have a robust feeling to them, and they weigh in at 150 grams each (5.3 ounces). The design is similar to other Märklin wagons of the same type. The printing is fantastic, the letters are crisp and clear and the detailing is exquisite.

The couplers are the standard Märklin short couplers, and the wagon has short coupler kinematics. I will, of course, change the couplers to my favorite coupler, the Roco universal coupler, as soon as possible. My Märklin dealer changed the wheel sets to DC for free. This is a service from the Märklin factory, and your dealer will do it for free as well.

Here are the pictures with the wagon numbers:

31 87 354 5 504-6

31 87 354 6 150-7

31 87 354 6 513-6

I am very happy with the set, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone running a modern layout.

Happy modelling!