Märklin's old G 10 with Crafting Fun

The old DB freight car of the type G 10 with the epoch III lettering valid until 1964 bears the lettering "zur Viehrampe" (to the cattle ramp) at one side. Such markings were made with chalk in shunting service to signal the location. In the packaging there is a bag with brake hoses and screw couplings, as well as a bag with two large and two small goats.

At the very back of the Märklin box is hidden the crafting fun. The kit of laser cut plywood boards, cardboard and paper only looks a bit simple at first glance, but it will keep you busy for hours. The illustrated building instructions leave no questions unanswered.

But let's have a look inside the car first, because it contains a gate that was clamped between the two door openings and fits into any other Märklin G 10. If you pull the clipped roof off the car with a jerk and some force, you can remove the insert. You have to push the walls a little bit apart. The gate in the door opening only makes sense if the temporary cattle car with open doors is provided with or without animals or is on the way. During the ride, I suppose the sliding doors were opened a little bit and fixed with the lock, which unfortunately cannot be moved here, so that the wagon is ventilated.

In a loading scene the access must of course be open. For the photos I turned the gate by 90 degrees, so there is enough space for "getting in". If you have access to a laser or suitable boards, you could build an interior with doors in the gate. The floor would be covered with green fodder and long fibres in beige and grey to simulate straw.

Following are 20 photos and a detailed assembly instruction with tips for patinating before assembly and ideas for designing loading scenes, for subscribers only.