345 - Märklin 3117 tank locomotive SNCF 232 TC weathered on a base, gauge H0, orig. packaging

Märklin 3117 tank locomotive SNCF 232 TC weathered on a base, gauge H0, orig. packaging Tank locomotive of gauge H0 by Märklin, article number 3117, model of the 232 TC series of the SNCF in a factory-weathered version. Black with running gear picked out in brown, wheel arrangement 2'C2', twin-light headlamp signal at both ends. The model is mounted on a wooden presentation base with a lettering plate. In original packaging with the print 'patiniert' (weathered), the box with storage marks. The electrics respond (light illuminates, motor hums), however the drive is seized and gummed up due to the long period of standing; servicing and cleaning are required. Played-with condition. The absence of smaller, delicate add-on parts cannot be entirely ruled out. Behind the French designation series 232 TC stands the Prussian T 18, the last tank locomotive developed for the Prussian State Railway. From 1912 to 1927, 534 machines were built, predominantly by Vulcan in Stettin; designed for 100 km/h, they shaped fast suburban traffic. The SNCF took over 27 examples from the Reich Railways in Alsace-Lorraine and used them from Strasbourg, Haguenau, Colmar and Mulhouse; the last was withdrawn from regular service in 1966. Märklin issued article number 3117 in 1986 exclusively as a factory-aged special model on a wooden base - a weathered delivery ex works was unusual at the time.