Panier
The Trix 23221 brings together four M2 series coaches from the Belgian State Railways in HO scale, all finished in the characteristic moss green livery of Era IIIa. The consist includes two second-class B11 coaches, a mixed-class A5B5 with first and second class seating, and a B8D second-class coach with a luggage compartment — each carrying its real fleet number tampo-printed: 42.312, 42.427, 41.118 and 44.021 respectively. At 1106 mm over buffers, the set takes up a generous stretch of track and immediately reads as a complete suburban train.
Factory lighting and body detail
All four coaches feature warm white LED interior lighting fitted directly at the factory, with independent wheel pickups per vehicle to stabilise current collection on dirty track or over frog sections. The window frames are individual stepped inserts that break up the flatness of the side panels and add visible relief even from low angles. The bogies reproduce brake cylinders, coil springs and axle boxes moulded separately, with a level of detail that holds up equally well on the move or in a display cabinet.
Consist and layout integration
With a minimum radius of 358 mm, the set fits comfortably into medium-sized layouts without compromising the look of the train on curves. Märklin Kurzkupplung pocket couplers reduce the gap between coaches on straight sections, bringing the consist closer to the compact appearance of a real train. On a station scene with a long platform, the four coaches together fill the space naturally: the B8D with its luggage section at one end and the A5B5 marking the class distinction inside give the train a varied reading without breaking the uniformity of the moss green along the entire formation.
Compatibility and equivalent reference
The set is designed to run on two-rail DC systems. Trix conceived it as a companion to the Belgian Series 1 steam locomotive under reference Trix 25480. For AC layouts with centre-contact pickup, the equivalent version in the Märklin catalogue is reference 43546.