Marx Train pictures

@PW53inVa posted:

Here's a few Marx pics from around the layout.

Finally rearranged a few things to fit the Trucking/Freight terminal.

New MAR Toys Sign for train room

Let's see more of your Marx.

Dean

Love the layout and accessories, where did you buy the sign? I’ve been looking one with the Marx logo for a while now.

                                                   Trainfam

Trainfam

Thank you. I got the Mar Toys Sign here https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vinta...p2057872.m2749.l2649

Dean

@PW53inVa posted:

Trainfam

Thank you. I got the Mar Toys Sign here https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vinta...p2057872.m2749.l2649

Dean

Thanks dean, I’ll have to check into buying one.

                                                         Trainfam

@PW53inVa: That Marx freight terminal is a great piece but it is SO BIG!.  Like the way you found to place it on your layout.  On mine I finally had to put it against a wall...tracks in the front with trains but the "trucking" side sort of left to the imagination. 

Great pictures guys, will try to post some more of mine this weekend

Don McErlean

@PW53inVa & @Don McErlean

I had to put mine on the shelf, don is right, it is huge. Hopefully I will be able to upgrade my layout this summer, been planning on doing it for years now, made the blueprints (if you want to call my “highly detailed” drawings blueprints) a while back, .

                                                    Trainfam 

Don & Trainfam

I had my Trucking Terminal sitting on the bench in my workshop and then under the layout table for a while. It does take up some real estate but I just decided it was just too nice to not be on the layout so I put some other buildings away and made room for it. It gave me a chance to get some of my trucks out of boxes and on the layout too. 

Speaking of trucks for the Trucking Terminal, I know some sets originally came with plastic trucks and accessories. I was reading up on the Trucking Terminal this past winter and found that some versions came with metal/diecast Marx trucks. These original semi trucks and pickup seem to be very rare and very expensive if found. Here are a few pics I found showing these.

The set below, with the metal trucks, looks like it came with the uncommon Maroon roof Truck Terminal. I believe Steve Eastman had a Maroon roof one on his layout. 

This shows the trucks and accessories a little better.

I found an old issue of Plastic Figure & Playset Collector #39 PFPC magazine which had a great article on the Marx Trucking Terminal.

It would be great to see pictures of others Marx Truck Terminals and pictures of these old rare metal Marx trucks. 

Dean 

PW53inVa:  Wow...I don't think I ever saw a complete set or even one with a few of the pieces that you have displayed.  I have a number of Marx lithographed trucks from the 50's and 60's but most are too big for 0 gauge trains.  I used to put a few around my Standard gauge trains when I set them up at Christmas but there has not been room for that recently.  I do have some smaller Marx trucks with sheet metal cabs (I will try to get some pictures later this weekend) but again they seem out of size to use with the freight station.  The cabs are very"modern" (at least what modern was pictured as in the 1960's) so they never looked too good with my 40's-50's dated layouts.  Anyway your picture is fabulous...leave it to Marx to make a complete play world in the same box.  They were famous for that for sure.  My only real examples of this are a "Battle of the Rhine River" playset (complete with soldiers of both sides) and a "Fort Apache" playset with a complete lithographed fort / walls / buildings plus soldiers and indians (likely not too politically correct today ).  Anyway thanks for posting.

Don McErlean

PW53inVA/ Dean:  Well you got me started today in searching out some trucks (at least partially authentic) that might go with the Marx freight station.  I mentioned above that I had two Marx trucks from the 60's but I thought they were too big.  Well here is their picture.  It is interesting that they don't look all that big in front of the freight station, but they are more or less pickup trucks and these would be nearly 11 ft w in 0-scale compared to a 1/2 ton PU at about 5-6 ft wide.  So they are quite wide for 0 scale.

I did find some smaller trucks, not actually too much physically smaller but they represent much larger truck types hence their size seems more realistic for the scale.  Here is a REA truck, likely by Wyandotte although it is not marked, I am guessing because of the shape of the cab.

Here is a Santa Feb pkg delivery truck.  Clearly "made in Japan" as marked but no manufacturer trademark.  It is rubber tired and friction drive. 

Here are three smaller trucks at the freight station.  The yellow, Ryder rental truck is a Tonka truck, while the name sounds oriental, Tonka trucks were made starting in 1946 in Mound, Minn. It is a little small for 0-gauge, again not in physical size but because it represents a pkg delivery truck and should be larger to be true scale...but I like it and it looks good.

Finally just to illustrate the size difference, here is a picture of one of the Marx trucks compared with the Santa Fe pkg delivery truck.  While they are not all that different in physical size overall, the cab on the Marx truck is substantially larger and the Marx truck is a pick up which should be substantially smaller than a package delivery van like the Santa Fe.  So its size in 0-scale not physical size that makes me favor the smaller trucks.  The picture above is the one I plan on going with, using the three smaller trucks which I think are closer to 0-scale, although they are toys and not really scale models.

Trying to find trucks that work with the freight station, always open to better ideas, these just happened to ones I had in my "truck" collection.

Happy Sunday, Have a good week, stay healthy

Don McErlean

Don

Thanks for posting pictures of your freight terminal with your trucks.  Those 2 Marx trucks fit right in with the truck terminal. The REA, Santa Fe , and Tonka also work. I think I read somewhere that the Marx Truck Terminal was sized for standard gauge but would work with O gauge. What I like the most about Marx is they are toys and supposed to be fun so a little too big or little too small, it all works. 

Marx really did provide a lot of "play" value in their play sets. The complete Marx Truck Terminal with all the accessories would keep a youngster busy for quite a while.  It was a lucky kid who got the Truck Terminal for his birthday or Christmas. You are lucky to still have your Fort Apache and Battle of the Rhine sets. Years ago when my grandson was 5 or 6 I found some of the MPC plastic army play sets I had when I was a boy. We had great fun on the floor setting up our armies with tanks, rocket launchers, and jeeps. I have another grandson now that is 16 months old so I look forward to some more floor time with him, just a little harder now to get back up off the floor than it was 14 years ago. 

I really like seeing that Boxcar parked next to your freight terminal with the 3 trucks to deliver or receive freight, makes a cool picture. 

Thanks again Don for sharing, always enjoy seeing your pics and layout. Have a good evening and stay safe too.

Dean

A challenge is finding this version of the freight depot.

Steve

I like using my terminal with my standard gauge trains.But, I have lots of Marx trains too.

@POC914NUT posted:

I like using my terminal with my standard gauge trains.But, I have lots of Marx trains too.

Looks nice, I like using “universal gauge” (I.e. toys that can be used with multiple gauges) accessories on my layout. I sometimes use Marx tinplate accessories with my standard gauge trains.

                                                    Trainfam

@Steve "Papa" Eastman posted:

A challenge is finding this version of the freight depot.

Steve

Boy I guess. I thought it was custom. I have 2 of the regular ones. My favorites by far. Where'd you end up with that one? Is it still the same number? Now I need to find one.

PWA53inVa:  thank you for the comments and complements.  I also played with the "Fort Apache" with my grandson, in fact for a time he had a small Marx layout and one of the Fort's buildings served as the "station".  I agree it was great fun.  Of course after quite a  number of play sessions, I fear some of the Indians may have left the reservation   !.  He was 7-8 at the time but it was great fun.  Another idea for you for future play with the little guy, my grandson and I had good times with some old but still playable trains.  I found an old  model F-3 (no motor just a dummy A from a plastic model kit but it had serviceable trucks and a compatible coupler) and we laid all my spare sectional track / switches out all over the floor and pushed around that F-3 with every conceivable freight car I could assemble (mostly old Lionel cars that got picked up over the years).  You might try that with your grandson, we had fun with it.   I suspect any dummy engine would do.

Thanks again for your comments

Don McErlean

Let's see some more of your Marx Trains.

Here are 2 recent additions I have always wanted and finally was able to get. 

Dean

@MattR posted:

Boy I guess. I thought it was custom. I have 2 of the regular ones. My favorites by far. Where'd you end up with that one? Is it still the same number? Now I need to find one.

I found mine on eBay and had to pay dearly for it. Not sure of the number, but it’s contents were different. The figures were much taller, 3-4 inches which I have but I was told it did not come with the plastic trucks, but metal ones. I have never got a firm confirmation on that.

Steve

@Steve "Papa" Eastman posted:

I found mine on eBay and had to pay dearly for it. Not sure of the number, but it’s contents were different. The figures were much taller, 3-4 inches which I have but I was told it did not come with the plastic trucks, but metal ones. I have never got a firm confirmation on that.

Steve

I can't even locate pictures or ANY info on it. Nothing on Google. If anyone has any info I'd like to hear about it please.

MattR and Steve

If you scroll back up in this thread I have posted some pictures of what might be a complete set of the trucking terminal with the maroon roof like the one Steve has. 

Here's a few pictures of the set box.

Dean

@PW53inVa posted:

MattR and Steve

If you scroll back up in this thread I have posted some pictures of what might be a complete set of the trucking terminal with the maroon roof like the one Steve has. 

Here's a few pictures of the set box.

Dean

Bet that's it. Need to see what all is in it.

Steve

Wow...not only the set but in the box!  Don't know where you guys shop, but I want the name of the "store" 

Don McErlean

Don

Just to be clear, I do NOT have the maroon set shown in the pics I posted. I probably shop the same place you do, the bay, and have never seen the maroon one or the friction trucks that came with it for sale. It probably does not matter because I would probably not be willing to pay what it takes to win them anyway, I have the common green one, which I am happy with,  like you and most people have. Steve is the only one I know of that has shown one of the maroon one's on his layout.  Another good read on the Marx Trucking Terminal that references the Magazine article I showed a picture of earlier is https://www.marxwildwest.com/truck%20terminal.html

Have a good Saturday

Dean

PW53inVA / Dean...Got it shipmate!  I thought maybe you folks had found a new source   

My contribution to the Marx weekend pictures: 

Switching things up a little, this week I scored two pretty neat and unusual (I never say "rare" with Marx) passenger cars.  These are "cut window",  very early,  Bogota / Montclair cars.  These are what are usually referred to as "short wheelbase" cars with a distinctive lithographed silver design on the side of the frame and very small diameter axles.  These are the very earliest configuration that Marx developed and still have the "Joy Line"  couplers from the Girard Model Works designs.   These couplers were used by Marx for only about one year on their new designs, most likely only in  '34 and maybe a part of '35.  Sometime before '36 Marx went to what would be considered the more usual tab / slot couplers and the standard 4 wheel frame with a longer wheelbase and larger diameter axles that lasted on the 6" cars almost unchanged into the 1950's.

I have coupled them up with a very early Commodore Vanderbilt (CV) engine of the about same era including a 6" / 8-wheel tender.  The CV  was the earliest locomotive designed by the Marx folks following the "Joy Line" era of the Girard Model Works.  These items were not acquired as a set they are just of the same time period and were shown in the advertisements as a train, however in this era you could buy the separate components for the train and make up whatever set you wished.  Mr. Marx acquired the assets / designs of Girard in their bankruptcy in '34 although he had been the exclusive distributor of their toys since '28.  Once that was accomplished, Mr. Marx and his brother (66/33 split) ran the entire enterprise from New York for about the next 40 years. 

Here are the cars, notice the cut out windows, short wheel base, and silver lithographed frame

Here they are behind an early CV locomotive with a 6" type 1 style tender with 8 wheels.  Most references agree that the 6" 8 wheel cars did not reappear post war.

So you might ask, at 86 years old, does the loco still run and pull the cars?  OF COURSE!  It's Marx you see.

Have a nice weekend

Don McErlean

Don

Good looking passenger cars and engine and interesting read on the history. Learning about the history of Marx and other train companies is half the fun. 86 years old? It's just getting broke in. Marx is like that old timex watch, it just keeps on ticking. 

Thanks for sharing

Dean

Love the photos everyone. All this tinplate talk reminds me of my favorite Marx tinplate accessory, the number 417 crossing signal. I was lucky enough to find one with the original paint and close to no damage. Usually the lithograph wares off due to the stop sign rubbing against the “caution high speed trains” sign, but somehow the lithograph on my signal is not worn. My best guess as why the signal is in such great shape is that the signal was put in storage and not used for decades. This is further proven by the little rust and the box being in immaculate shape and not faded. Here are some photos:

                                                   Trainfam 

Here is the only Marx I own.

@ogaugetrains23 posted:

Here is the only Marx I own.

Call me crazy, but I prefer Marx’s Santa Fe super chief over Lionel’s version. No cheap plastic, just crazy good detail and magnificent tinplate. And even when Marx used plastic, it was strong and almost bulletproof. 

                                                Trainfam 

TrainFam: Crossing signal is really great.  Not sure I have ever seen one before IRL.  Great find!

ogaugetrains23:  Well if you are only going to have one Marx loco, the tinplate, lithographed, #21 Santa Fe is near the top of my list, they are beautiful.  For some additional fun, take a look at your label, it contains some interesting information.  First it gives you the address of the Marx home office, 200 Fifth Avenue, NY city.  Marx kept the office for his entire enterprise in NY city and ran all operations from there.  Remember Marx was one of the largest manufacturers of toys in the US, perhaps the world, and not just trains.  Trucks, doll houses, play sets, animated figures, pull toys, floor toys, toy cars...you name it and Marx made an example of it. Many of these examples contain some of the finest lithograph artistry I have ever seen.   Next, you can see it says "Shipped from the factory in Girard, Pa"  This was in part the original facility occupied by the Girard Model Works, the folks who designed the first toys and trains (Joy Line Trains) that Marx marketed.  He acted as their commissioned selling agent from about 1927 until 1934 when they declared bankruptcy and Louis Marx and his brother acquired the assets and took control.  Almost all US Marx trains were made, designed, and produced in Girard for the next 40 + years.    Finally, note that  the Marx home office, Girard Factory, and the address of the Higbee company does not have a ZIP Code.  That dates the label as a minimum to the late 60's as Zip Codes were mandatory for commercial accounts beginning in 71.

Thanks for posting everyone.  Great fun!

Have a good week, stay healthy, and safe.

Don McErlean

<quote> That dates the label as a minimum to the late 60's as Zip Codes were mandatory for commercial accounts beginning in 71. <end quote>

The Marx 21 was made from 1951-1954.

Roy Boy :  Right you are!!  But I always like to look for the Zip on labels to sort of set an "outer bound"as to when items were made.  No zip means that you really cannot be later than about 1970-71 of course as you point out, you can be earlier.  Marx produced trains at Girard, under the auspices of Louis Marx and Company from 1934 (although the Girard Model Works had produced Joy Line trains at Girard since 1927 and Louis Marx had sold them as a commissioned agent) until March 10, 1972 when an agreement was reached with Quaker Oats Company for the sale of the domestic toy plants.  Metal train production only carried on until about 1973 when it switched to all plastic.  In September 1975, Quaker announced the end of all Marx toy production in Erie and Girard.  References say that the 428C Crossing Gate was the last train item made at Girard ending nearly a 1/2 century of toy and train production at that site.

To me, the #21 represents one of Marx's finest products with just beautiful lithography.

Don McErlean

@ogaugetrains23 posted:

Here is the only Marx I own.

Wow, right where the movieA Christmas Story was filmed.

Lou N

@Don McErlean posted:

References say that the 428C Crossing Gate was the last train item made at Girard ending nearly a 1/2 century of toy and train production at that site.

Don McErlean

Wow, I did not know that 428 was the last train item produced at Girard! Quite the Interesting topic...

                                                    trainfam 

Here’s another one of my tinplate lithograph Marx pieces. This time it’s a full set, it was truly an incredible find. I found the set at an antique mall for (what I believe to be) $76.00, it’s been too long for me to remember correctly but that’s just an rough estimate. anyway here are the pictures:

The box is complete with all the dividers and little fading on the cover. The paint on the engine and lithography on the tender and passenger cars are amazingly clean. The only thing that has been replaced in the set is the track and the wires in the third picture. Somehow the controller did not need the cord replaced. I believe this is another case of the train set being put away in an attic or basement in the set box and being preserved from the elements. I also remember the first time that I had touched the engine for the first time, I had oil on my fingers so there’s no doubt in my mind that the seller/previous owner kept the set in good shape. I have to say this set is one of my all time favorites. 

                                                    Trainfam 

Steve, Where did you find a 440N signal bridge in that condition?

This is a link to a YouTube video with the soundtrack of a Marx-trains cover of Hank William's Jr.'s "Country boy Can Survive:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vj2e80r8YMk&t=16s

The trains, the video, and the music are NOT mine, but the link is freely available on YouTube.

PWA53inVA / Dean :  Thanks for the link to the web site on the Marx freight terminal.  I really appreciated a chance to view the "accessories" I bought my terminal (a long time ago) which is the green roof variety as just a single building at a train show from a vendor who knew very little about it.  My 2 sons played with it (using their "Hess" trucks) for a few years before I put it on the shelf. Luckily it is Marx, so although it picked up a dent or two it handled two energetic boys really well.

Trainfam: Great set in wonderful condition.  A few questions you might post answers to...1. Does the observation car have an illuminated drum head?  Marx made cars like you pictured both ways. The illumination was done with a single bulb in a cylindrical like housing behind the drum head.   2.  I can't really see the passenger cars too well but assume that they are the "Bogota / Montclair / Observation red/cream litho cars...right?  3. Do the cars have lights ? and 4. What is the engine number ?  All of these can allow dating of the set (although Mr. Marx was never all that good at dating sets and did not produce an annual catalog).   I have a pretty good reference on Marx "sets" and will post any data I find.  Thanks

Good pictures guys, stay safe and healthy

Don McErlean

@Don McErlean posted:

 

Trainfam: Great set in wonderful condition.  A few questions you might post answers to...1. Does the observation car have an illuminated drum head?  Marx made cars like you pictured both ways. The illumination was done with a single bulb in a cylindrical like housing behind the drum head.   2.  I can't really see the passenger cars too well but assume that they are the "Bogota / Montclair / Observation red/cream litho cars...right?  3. Do the cars have lights ? and 4. What is the engine number ?  All of these can allow dating of the set (although Mr. Marx was never all that good at dating sets and did not produce an annual catalog).   I have a pretty good reference on Marx "sets" and will post any data I find.  Thanks

Good pictures guys, stay safe and healthy

Don McErlean

Good afternoon don, here are the answers to your questions:

Question number 1: The observation does not have a illuminated drumhead.

question number 2: You are correct, the cars are named “Bogota, Montclair, and observation.

question number 3: No, the lights are not illuminated.

question number 4: the engine is a number 898 with a reverse unit and illuminated headlight. Ive never seen another set like this before but I’m 99% percent sure it’s original and not a “married” set as the condition of the cars match the engine, box, etc. I’ll be glad to hear the data you find.

                                                     Trainfam

TrainFam:  I agree, I have not seen a set like yours.  I looked in my Greenberg reference on "Marx Sets" and could not find an exact  match.  I found sets with the Bogota type cars but not with the 898 and sets with the 898 but not Bogota cars.  This does  not mean too much with Marx as he made thousands of sets per year and substitutions were rampant, often by the seller who changed things to satisfy a customer or to replace something that might have broken.  Here is one more piece of data that would help.  DO YOU HAVE A SET NUMBER?  Typically printed on the box, usually on the sides.  Marx, strangely enough, was reasonably particular with his set numbers unlike almost everything else.  So did I find nothing...OH NO! 

Here is what I got.

First I reviewed Marx catalogs - actually these were called "Accessory Catalogs" by Marx although they pictured some trains.  I have several of them, starting with the '35 "Timely Table" which showed your cars in a  train but pulled with a Commodore Vanderbilt (CV) engine, then the 1941 catalog showed nearly your exact train pulled by an 897 loco which is very similar to the 898  HOWEVER  this listing is for a mechanical loco.  Marx did make 897/898 CW locomotives as well as electric.  The price for this set which in fact included two trains (one freight + your passenger train+ an extra baggage car), lots of track, a set of switches, and a lithographed passenger terminal at a price of $2.79 !!  The '52 catalog, the '54 catalog and the '55 did not show any trains like yours. After this point 6" cars of any kind start to be hard to find in Marx offerings as he began to switch to plastic and more scale like cars.  

Next I took the two largest sellers of Marx trains, Sears and Montgomery Wards and looked in their Christmas offerings which is when they traditionally sold trains.  Sears was an enormous customer of Marx, in the peak years they took nearly 1/3 of Marx's total train production.  So what did I find...

Montgomery Wards:

I checked  '50 to '70 Christmas Book... and only two years had 6" passenger cars like yours but not ever with your engine.  '50 - had your cars with a wind up (clockwork) Mercury Engine and '56-had your cars pulled with a NYC plastic 70 ton diesel switcher.  So no joy here.

Sears:

I checked Sears Christmas "Wish Book" from '50 to '70 and they had your cars more often but more importantly ONCE I found a set that closely resembles yours.

Here are all the entries

Nothing between '50 and '55

1955 - Train described as a "sheet metal" locomotive and tender which visually resembles the 898, pulling 2 Pullman coaches and an Observation, track, and a 50 Watt transformer (you should check to see if this is the transformer you have as the transformer can be a good hint as to the dating of the set)...the transformer shown in the Sears catalog does look like the one you posted.  The problem is that in this time period Marx had introduced a second lithography scheme for these 6" cars, an all silver / black lettering and trim,  NYC theme.  Unfortunately the Sears Book is not in color and they do not show or describe much of the cars, just an artists conception or sort of a sketch so these Sears cars could be your red ones or the silver ones, cannot say for certain and the text gives no clue to color.  Sears assigned their own inventory numbers to the sets they sold so I cannot trace their listing to the Marx listings I have. In fact, Sears was such a big customer that it is said that sometimes Marx printed their set numbers on the boxes of the sets they ordered before they left the factory as a service to a very important customer.  OBTW...just for your info, this set was priced by Sears at $9.89 ! By comparison, in the same Sears catalog, the cheapest Lionel set, a 4 car freight was $19.95.  Remember this is 1950 when $10.00 was real money so its easy to see why many middle class folks bought Marx trains.

This is the only time the Sears book shows your 6" Bogota cars with a steam engine.  Other listings are

'56 - cars pulled by a Monon AA F-3

'57 - cars pulled by a Kansas City Southern AA F-3

'58,'59,'60'& '61 cars pulled by a NYC 70 ton diesel switcher  (given the engine, these are likely the NYC silver cars although again you can't really confirm that with the illustration in the Sears book)

No further listings from '62 until '70.

Anyway, if you find the SET NUMBER send it out to me and I will see if that leads to any more info

This was great fun!!  Hope the info is useful to you.

Don McErlean

Hi don, I do have a set number, it’s number 8994. But be forewarned, I remember searching for the set on google using “Marx 8994” and the only thing I got was a freight set NOT a passenger set.

                                                     Trainfam 

Oh and by the way, I’m going to start a new form thread called “Marx 8994 mystery” so we can keep this thread just over Marx train photos. 

                                                    Trainfam 

TrainFam:  ok I will try my references on the set number and post what I find out. Likely be tomorrow before I can get it. 

Don McErlean