In a spate of cleaning frenzy, I have unearthed a box of 027 track. I know that some is Lionel, and I know that some is MARX. If for no other reason than a mild case of OCD, I would like to separate them.
Some are easy to identify: the all brown and gray tie are Lionel. Some of the black tie pieces are stamped with the Lionel name. 5-tie straights are obviously MARX. Switches and diamonds are easily distinguished. However, some Lionel track was black tie; to the best of my knowledge, all MARX was black tie. I have not seen any MARX track stamped with the name or logo . . . .
Does anyone know of a foolproof method (me being a pretty accomplished fool) of telling black tie Lionel that is NOT stamped with the name from MARX? Pins might be a good indicator, but I am not convinced that some haven't had pins changed over the years. (Am I correct in remembering that Lionel has always used 027 pins that are indented, while MARX are all straight, smooth pins?)
Is there a clear distinction between ties or insulators or rail forms?
