show off some pictures of YOUR Marx plastic trains!
Trainfam
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show off some pictures of YOUR Marx plastic trains!
Trainfam
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Maybe a dumb question but - Will a Marx engine run on Lionel track?
Dewman51 posted:Maybe a dumb question but - Will a Marx engine run on Lionel track?
Yes, Marx will run on any type of O gauge track.
But... SOME Marx locos do not like switches. Some Marx locos have a gear that comes all the way out to the flange on the drive wheels. These so called "fat wheel" Marx locos do not like switches with guard rails.
Marx fat wheel locos work with Marx switches, Prewar American Flyer switches, and any switch that has a swiveling set of rails that look like the slice of an orange. Not a very precise description of the switch, but maybe someone else will chime in with the correct terminology.
Here is my UP F-3 A-B and a string of plastic freights going around my Grandson's lay out . The green roof in the background is a Marx " Old Frontier" lithographed log cabin we used as a station.
Here is my latest acquisition, Marx 999 moving out this afternoon with a 3/16" Marx scale consist. Like most of my Marx engines I buy, this one ran great dispite being almost 80 years old...even older than me and I don't run at all!!
PALALLIN: The picture of your 999 set posted so small I could not see it clearly, I am not sure if it can be enlarged or not. The "Walgreens Army set " is fabulous, that must have been quite a time ago as Walgreens (at least ours in here locally) does not carry trains anymore. What was the date on the set?
P.S. I am glad someone started a thread on Marx, while I guess I am primarily a pre-war tinplater, I just love the Marx stuff and it almost always runs and works and looks great!
Don
Don McErlean posted:PALALLIN: The picture of your 999 set posted so small I could not see it clearly, I am not sure if it can be enlarged or not. The "Walgreens Army set " is fabulous, that must have been quite a time ago as Walgreens (at least ours in here locally) does not carry trains anymore. What was the date on the set?
P.S. I am glad someone started a thread on Marx, while I guess I am primarily a pre-war tinplater, I just love the Marx stuff and it almost always runs and works and looks great!
Don
Don,
Here are two better pics of the 999 set on the layout; I had to repair the searchlight car, but the rest of the set was in great shape and came with the box bottom:
Here are two pics of a work/wreck train I have cobbled together out of broken cars and rejects; I have also put a Marx Switchman's Tower on the layout in place of the usual Lionel one at Notch Junction:
The Army set--#24965--is mid- to late-'50s. If only one could buy such a thing at Walgreens today! The box is with the set in great shape; a few of the soldiers/tents/accessories are still with it; I am replacing the ones lost as I figure out what I need (I have already replaced the flag with a 48-star US).
One of the great things about Marx is that a great deal of fun can happen on a 4' x 4' board. Tough times were Marx's boon: they really were economical fun. You had some really nice pieces!
PALALLIN: Thanks for the new pictures. The really interesting thing with your 999 set is that the tender is a Santa Fe long coal tender. The 999 at least most often came with a NYC wedge type coal tender. I agree with you about Marx dominated tough times. I looked in my compendium of Montgomery Ward Christmas toy catalogs and found something close to your set that appeared in the 1953 catalog ( exact sans searchlight car). This set, with a transformer and a 155 inch oval outside and 120 inch oval inside (it came with a pair of manual switches and an uncoupling ramp) cost $19.75. Equivalent 1953 Lionel set (from Sears) except no switches and no uncoupler and only a 114 inch oval cost $24.95. Remember in 1953, 5$ filled your car with gas...TWICE.
The Walgreens set is super! Even the box says "Walgreens". Finding this with the flatcar loads intact is really super!
Hope we might keep this thread on Marx going, I will put some pictures together this week to post.
Don
I only own an A-B in plastic for Marx O; the rest is all tin.
But I do have an HO Marx set now. The track is "tube track" on pressboard... maybe asbestos, lol. ( seen flipped over) Really cheap and flimsy track, but a decent runner/ decent cars.
and it also has a very cool little litho powerpac; good throttle control (needed a new cord)
Don McErlean posted:The Walgreens set is super! Even the box says "Walgreens". Finding this with the flatcar loads intact is really super!
3 out of 4, anyway: the tank is a repop. Eventually, maybe, I will find an original to replace it with. For now, it's hard to tell as the train rolls along.
I am trying to focus my Marx habit. I am sticking with 8-wheel plastic with tilt couplers (to match my very first set). I like the military sets, and I want to get the ICG work train and some Rock Island sets. At least one Allstate set, too. Maybe go just far enough afield to get a passenger set (Adriatic has a nice one!). I like boxes. . . .
And then the accessories!
Drat! I just don't have room for "all of them"!
Guys what super pictures...Franktrain - great looking RI F-3's paint still looks super.
Adriatic: Santa Fe looks super, and HO set looks interesting, don't see much Marx HO and that Power Pack is wild!!
PALALLIN - Wreck train looks great, something Marx might have made, really like the work caboose with the tank. You mentioned a " Switchmen's Tower". Marx actually produced two of these, one somewhat higher than the other. The higher one, in some variations, actually had one side that was a flexible plastic (red plastic) membrane that moved to interrupt the power circuit to the tracks. It was designed to move when you spoke into the tower, thus moving the membrane and stopping or starting the train. So it appeared that the spoken command was obeyed. I have seen some of these but have never tried to see if they work. In regard to the 8 wheel plastic freight sets...I found one recently in an Antique store that is from 1963. Picture below
Based on the data I have it is Marx set # 15765 and its all correct except it has a 25 watt transformer vice a 50 watt and is missing the log bin to catch the logs and a "Uncouple Here" sign. It also had 2 extra straights (all track is Marx) which someone obviously put in the box sometime in its life. It does have the original "logs".
Bill T: I love 6" cars and your set is really cool. Did you know that the CRI&P Gondola is Pre-war? Most likely date of mfr by my data is 1938...great find. If you happened to have the little cardboard boxes of "groceries" that came with it, you might be able to retire early! (P.S. I don't !!) I did find a UP Battery set, Marx # 2508, only 2 cars (including caboose) and a circle of track. Kind of neat, its from 1972. Sounds recent but now that I think about it that is nearly 1/2 century ago
TaycoTrains : Those were cool pictures of your Marx collection and the 4X4 layout. By any chance do you have a track diagram of that? I am thinking of putting together a small Marx lay out to complement my Lionel set up but it has to be small and that sounds about the right size. Thanks.
Well guys that's all for me this afternoon...its cold and rainy here in Texas so I guess I will just have to run the trains and not do any work outside...(HA!)
Best Regards, Don
I'll take more pictures when I get home but 1.) haven't posted in awhile and 2.) All these Marx train pics are making me remember why I always end up with something Marx when I leave a train show
Plastic New Haven B-unit. Was on sale for anice price. Don;t have any of the A-units or any of the Marx E-7s, though.
Marx armed forces training center. Won at auction for about $10. While initially I thought it'd be oversized, when it's next to some of MTH's buildings(their row houses, the Public works building, their work house,), certain prewar European and American items(see pic below) and/or Lionelville in prewar, postwar and modern form- it actually doesn't look bad.
Examples of pretty good fits: 20s-early 30s Bing station. The 2 SWAT figures are O-line repro or K-line and the station workers(one next to SWAT figure on the right and one on the connecting boardwalk)are Preiser- these figures are about 1.25 inches. Notice how those figures look next to the two open doors versus the 2 AC Gilbert Flyer station workers(about 1.1 inches-porter in red hat, guy in middle by ticket window). The height and width of station doors aren't far off from the Marx building.
Same goes for this prewar AF "Flyer Town" Station on the right with the green roof next to a very "plain jane" K-line station platform and in front of that platform is 2 inch deep, 12.5 inches wide Bing platform that can either connect with it's larger platform counterpart or be on the other side of the tracks with a 'glass' dome/roof overhead. The woman in red is Bachmann)only 55-60% of door height, the closer figure in gray is Johilco(1.5 inches).
Example of what wouldn't work- from left to right- Lionel Watchtower Kit, mid-30s Karl Bub gütherhalle(good's station) and Lionel the kit. All are a bit too small for the Marx army building.
The green baggage car with gray roof is a 1934 Bing/Karl Bub(when Bing started/was forced to make items with Bub due to the Nazis) and a white roof, slightly older Bing baggage car. There have been a few times I have found ways to attach these to Marx consists via transition cars with a tab/slot coupler on one end and a Bing "hook and latch(?)" type coupler. The car on the left fitsthe profile of lower Marx cars(slightly wider) and the one on the right looks better with their 7 inch cars.
While maybe a bit off topic, I wanted to demonstrate the versatility of certain Marx accessories and an ability to blend modern with tin. More pics to come(Especially trains!)
@Don McErlean , to load pics you need to use the attachment tool that appears in the lower right of the composition box when you begin typing.
Find file, choose it, wait for "processing" to become "success", then check off "insert large size" line that appears mid box, hit finish, then finish posting. If you forget to insert you get a second insert into text chance located in each pictures box at the very bottom.
(as is you can likely see your pics, but we can't. we cannot access the file at your house, OGRF needs a copy for that)
STEVEFROMPA: In the picture of your lay out I noticed what appears to be a Hafner lithographed station, in yellow and brown. Attached above is my example of what appears to be the same building but in a blue/red pattern with different lithography. The use of the same name, "Glen Ellyn" makes me think that the manufacturer is the same. Unfortunately, I know almost nothing about my station, I was told once by an experienced collector that it was Hafner (no marking on the station) and pre-war but I can't confirm any of that. What data do you have on your station?
Respectfully
Don
ADRIATIC: Forgot to add this...in my response on the Hafner station I tried to use the directions you provided and it appeared to work. Please let me know if this was done the right way...Thanks for the help
Don
Don,
The pics in your last post don't show up on my end.
Does anyone else see them?
PALALLIN: thanks for the heads up...I tried to put in pictures per directions on how to include the file, obviously operator error. Here is the one I referred to in my prior post, the Glen Ellyn station. Its obviously a different litho scheme than the one on STEVEFROMPA's layout but the building looks similar and the station name is the same and unusual. My data (only by word of mouth) was that it is Hafner and pre-war but I cannot confirm this. Looking for inputs.
Don
Marx bought out Hafner’s tooling and lithograph so they look the same on some cars, most of the tooling was sent to the Mexican subsidiary. So many of the Mexican Marx is very similar to Hafner and can sometimes be confused for one brand or the other.
I also wanted to let you know that The Marx pieces you post don’t have to be plastic... I just thought that it would be a broad post if we see all Marx.
Don,
I should have been more clear: it's the multiple pics in the post just above that one that don't show up. I don't know why.
Here are some pictures of a Marx Wind Up...could be either pre or post war. Can't tell but it works well, pulls its little consist easily.
Regards Everyone Don
For some reason in the above posting, one picture showed up as large size in the post and the other did not, so I will repeat
the one which did not show up. Don
Don - That is a very nice Red Flyer set. Those were sold postwar in 1947-48, with the '47 set having three passenger cars while the '48 set only had two (like yours). Your Commodore Vanderbilt has the motor with black sideplates and drivers (without siderods), which is another indication that it was made in the 1947-48 range. Thanks for posting the pictures!
James: Thank you for the information on the Marx set. I tried to figure it out but just couldn’t get the data. Now I know it’s a “Red Flyer”. Super Thanks again.
Din
PW53inVa posted:
Like the South Shore caboose! Is that stock American Flyer or did you make it up?
Hi franktrain
The CSSB caboose is an American Flyer that I purchased online from a gentleman in Michigan named Rich who painted it and detailed it to CSSB. I just replaced the AF trucks with Marx scale trucks. He is a big fan of the CSSB and the EJ&E and I also have a EJ&E caboose he did that I need to add Marx scale trucks to. I started a thread here a while back for the CSSB and EJ&E and posted a few more pictures at https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/...and-ejande-railroads if you are interested.
Thanks for sharing your pics of your Rock Island Diesels, they are sharp.
Dean
franktrain
If you would like to see more of Rich's CSSB and EJ&E work he has posted some pics at https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/clips?fileType=IMAGE here on the forum. Scroll down until you see the picture of his CSSB little joe and you will see photos of his other CSSB and EJ&E Motive and Rolling Stock. He does very nice work,
Dean
PW53INVA / Dean: Well that Marx train pulled by the UP streamliner is really cool, it does not seem to have any problem moving that plastic freight consist...COOL! I don't know too much about the CSSB caboose except to say its a real nice job. However if that is a blue B&O 504 caboose in your 2nd picture along with the PC twisted worms and the red NYC you have a pretty valuable car. The Greenberg Marx guide prices that single car as $180 for good and $230 for excellent. That's astounding for Marx !!
Thanks for the pictures Dean. Really neat to see the Marx operating.
Respectfully, Don
Hi Don
Yes that is a blue Marx 504 B&O caboose. It has a broken smoke stack, chip off of one of the roof corners, and missing piece on one wheel covers. Hard to find these in any form, and if perfect then very pricey. This one is far from perfect but works for me. Must be really rare to justify the prices in the Marx guide book.
Here are a few links to a fellow on youtube that really has some great videos with Marx trains running set to music. I really like these and maybe you will too.
This is my favorite with the 504 caboose at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKJbdLPUKBg
Marx 3/16 Tin Passenger Trains at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QETdsW3u_Xk
Marx B&O Boxcars Running at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nzn6maTlRs
He has other videos with his Lionel and Marx and they are all well done and fun to watch.
Glad you like the pictures Don. I wish more folks would post videos and pictures of their Marx as it is fun to see.
Take Care
Dean
SHPX did, indeed, have some very small tankers (I'd post the photo I worked from, but it's not mine, so...), and the excellent 3/16"/S Marx steel tanker was so close:
Marx cheating - I've posted this here and there before. Modern can-motor K-Lionel-Marx 3/16" Pacific chassis and 2 sliced and diced 666 boilers. Some detailing, and a Lionel coupler on the Marx tender. Runs real slowly, and the 666 had a husky girth anyway, so "scale world" doesn't scare it. It really should have ERR command put in it and be used as a switcher.
Here's a couple hasty pics of accessories (which, I suppose, are fair game).
1st: the #1392 manual drawbridge. Really quite nifty. You can use it on the floor with the black side stiffeners attached or remove them and actually bridge a gap! One up; one down:
Next, a selection. A later, plastic #0416 Floodlight Tower, a #438 crossing signal w/gate, and three #061 telephone poles. Nothing exciting but still very necessary parts of an operating Marx layout:
Here's three pics of the early '70s Big RailWwork Train in box. This set is not mint, but it is at least Ex (the box is a little rough on the sides). It is complete to the inspection slip, has minimal run time, shiny track, and a full bottle of smoke fluid. There is even a spool of thread for representing wire along the telephone poles! I don't have time or room to set it up and the moment, but, when I can manage it, I'll post more pics here.
I started my train hobby with Marx, but the past few years have moved to primarily std Gauge tin. Still have a bit of Marx and have been running it a bit the last few weeks.
Steve
Guys...been under the weather for the past few days confined to bed but will try to post some pictures this weekend. Loved the video's...OBTW if someone has a "technique" for posting video that they could share I would appreciate it, I can't seem to get my smart phone video's to transfer to the site.
D500 - super modeling and great way to take advantage of some cool Marx cars, I collect tanks (why I don't know) and I agree the Marx tanks were just about scale size for the day.
PALALLIN - neat accessories...I also have the manual lift bridge, have not found a way to integrate it into a layout yet. Big Rail boxed set is really cool, I have the box and the trains/transformer but little else, now I can see what is missing.
PapaEastman : Well it sure looks like the Marx Mopac Eagle express wins the race!! The first train I bought for my son in the 70's was a Marx So. Pacific 4 wheel switcher and 4 wheel cars and he loved to run the wheels off it! Still works though - those guys were made to withstand a child's playing with them.
PW53INVA - loved the layout. figure 8 inside a loop gives plenty of action and "cookie box" houses fit in with the theme perfectly. I am thinking a building a 2nd layout for a place the family spends the summer, since many of my nieces and nephews who come and go all summer have little children, I think a layout like yours would really be a hit...so with your permission I may just copy it!! Tin diesels go perfectly with the theme.
Best wishes to all and thanks for the pictures
Don
Don McErlean posted:PALALLIN - neat accessories...I also have the manual lift bridge, have not found a way to integrate it into a layout yet. Big Rail boxed set is really cool, I have the box and the trains/transformer but little else, now I can see what is missing.
If you have any questions, let me know. I can make up a list and provide pics of specific pieces.
PALALLIN: Wow thank you, even a list would be great. You know Marx, you never could be entirely sure what went into the box sometimes it was just what happened to be handy
In the long compartment on the upper right is the station platform with its 4 upright posts. In the small one at the top between the platform and the tender is the track trip to dump the logs. Below it, next to the log car, is a non-illuminated bumper. To the left of the caboose is the newsstand with 6 x 35mm station set figures and 2 x "Uncouple Here" signs under it. There are 6 x 061 telephone poles, the lump bin, and the spool of thread below the boxcar. A 2-connector lock-on and two connecting wires are in the compartment with the transformer cord. To the left of the transformer are the two pieces of the all-plastic banjo crossing signal; to its left is the plastic crossing gate, both activated by the weight of the train. Under the base of the crossing gate is the bottle of smoke fluid. Under the switch in its cardboard tray are 6 x (3-tie) straight track, 2 x straight track with uncoupler ramps, and 9 x 027 curves. In addition to the instruction sheet (Form IS - 634), there is a sheet on the automatic uncoupling ramps (Form IS - 118), another on the smoke unit in the loco (Form IS - 264), and, as I noted, the inspection tag/packing slip (Form IS - 71).
That's quite a bit packed into a single set that went for a very reasonable price!
Let me know if you need pics of anything.
Don
Thank you for the kind words on my little Marx Layout. I got the idea for the inside figure eight with the loop outside from fellow forum member HandyAndy. When I saw his nice Marx Layout a few years ago I thought that it would be fun to have something like that in my spare bedroom. I had a spare fold up table to use so I painted a 4 ft by 6ft 6 inch by 1 inch thick piece of foam board green and went to work.
So Don, no permission needed, copy away, and I have HandyAndy to thank for the original idea. Wish HandyAndy would post more pictures of his layout and trains running as it is always fun to see what he has done in a small space and he has some nice looking print out buildings that look great with Marx Trains.
Happy Training
Dean
Wow guys. Still struggling with the flu here but your Marx pictures make my day!
Palallin. Thank you for the list, man Marx really packed that set, When I am up and about I will compare with mine but I think mostly mine is just the trains
PW53INVA thanks for the data and your permission to copy on the layout. The video is so cool. Looks like I need to start assembling material for the summer project. I have 4 nieces / nephews who I really think will love playing with it on those rainy “no beach” days
Best wishes guys and thanks for the responses
Don
Dean
An oval and figure 8 was the track plan of my childhood 5ft x 9ft Holiday layout. I had to have it for the basis of my layout I build starting in 1977 and added a loop outside the oval and figure 8 to allow two train operation.
Below is the diagram control panel showing the track plan and the $10 Homemade turntable. Layout building details are at OGR forum https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/...ra-027-layout?page=1
Here a little Marx 467110 box car, a rare train garage sale find today for me around here. It was real cheap and is missing the plastic spade part of one coupling. I may have one I can J B weld on.
Charlie
Guys it been awhile since anyone posted in this thread but I don't want to lose it - so send in some pictures. This was a "find" right within my own home. A Marx 333 die cast 4-6-2 and die cast tender (man is this thing heavy) pulling the NYC streamlined passenger cars...a coach, a vista dome, and an obs. I was conducting a search for some other items in my storage area and I encountered this set...Its from the Allied Toy Distributor Catalog of 1950. I bought it at a train show in Sydney Ohio in 1978!! (Yes, I leave little notes in boxes to track when I got things, OBTW I paid $40 for the set). We lived in Dayton at the time. It got put into a box, stored, and mostly forgotten for the next 40+ years!! Moved around but never run, so today when I "found" it, i put her on the tracks to see if my view of Marx motors remained true...AND IT DID. After all that time, the headlight came on and off she went around my layout with her consist. Unbelievable! Smooth as well and fun to see. The 333 might be one of Marx's top steamers, it is die cast, has a lot of detail, 2 position reverse, complex valve gear, and headlight. The tender is a wedge type, all die cast, and heavy enough to be a paperweight. All run on "scale" trucks.
Well I hope we can keep this going
Don McErlean
Picked this up at a train show $20.00 runs great.
Pulled out all my Marx Plastic rolling stock for some running time.
Nice Great Northern
Some more run time with the Rocket!
Frank train: great pictures and video. Those engines are pulling quite a consist ! Great Northern box car is unusual as well. Thanks for contributing to this thread.
Don McErlean
It was mentioned that any Marx could be posted, so here is my Marx set from my first Christmas at age 10 months (1947). I added an extra gondola recently just to have it. I need an (idler) gear between the drivers as a few teeth are stripped & it will sometimes jam & stop Does anyone sell these?
(Too much instant reversing at high speed when I was young. Hey! It was fun).
Dennis
The Robert Grossman Co should be able to supply the gear. http://www.trainpartsformarx.com/shoppingcart.htm
Hartman. Great set amazing you still have it that is super!! Thanks for contributing to this thread we need more folks to show off their Marx
Don McErlean
Frank train. I never knew there were so many 99 configurations. I have 2 and considered myself lucky. Great picture
its spring break for Tx schools so I am away from home and more or less limited to my phone. I have some sets I will post when we get home. Have a great week all and thanks for keeping our Marx thread alive.
Don McErlean
Back in the 80s I had a large Marx collection, I sold it off in the 90s, but I just can't seem to get it out of my system. About 2 years ago I started buying again, this time I am buying the later plastic trains. Last year I stumbled on a bunch of the roadbed track at a hobby shop and decided to build a small layout to showcase the joy of Marx trains. The layout is all Marx or Marx derived K-line items.
Don McErlean posted:Frank train. I never knew there were so many 99 configurations. I have 2 and considered myself lucky. Great picture
its spring break for Tx schools so I am away from home and more or less limited to my phone. I have some sets I will post when we get home. Have a great week all and thanks for keeping our Marx thread alive.
Don McErlean
And there is the clockwork version as well as a number of Mexican production variations.
Steve
MILNYC. Great layout. You have some unusual pieces (hard to say rare with Marx). The white 3 dome tanker and the green PC E-7 certainly fit that description.
Super layout. OBTW we have a Marx Train Pictures thread under. “Misc Forums ... Photo Albums “. With your new interest you should take a look.
Steve I have a battery set Rock Island” 70 toner diesel powered with 4 wheel freights It was made in Mexico and the engine clearly has a circular indentation right where Marx put it on their similar diesels but the center where the Marx symbol would be is blank. I am surmising this is Mexican Marx would you agree?
Don McErlean
A few shots of a Marx set of mine.....I took these in 2016 when we were getting ready for "classic train day" on the modular layout....
Peter
Steve Eastman: What a super military train, I did not know that "modern Marx" had put such a thing out.. Now all you need are some 6" , 4 wheel flats, painted olive drab with a tank and a cannon on them ! Tootsitoy made a great armored car with a turret and a gun, one rides on one of my flat cars.
Peter: The 7" cars look great and the AA Monon units are really a nice mate to the set. The layout is really cool as well. You know, we have some fabulous modelers in this forum and their art is so realistic that its hard to discern it from actual life. However, the "toy train" world is also really neat and it has an "art" all its own. Its this kind of diversity that makes our hobby so cool. Thanks for posting.
Thanks everyone for posting and keeping our Marx thread viable.
Don McErlean
Guys: Finally got to where I can get my computer back up...we are in the Colorado Rockies vice the "pool table" of Central Tx. Here is my Marx " Work Train" set. The diesel and cars in the set were (I believe) unique to this set and the most hard to find is the searchlight car with the yellow generator and the yellow fences for the flat. The crane seems to be the most common as I have seen them at a number of train shows. The flat itself is fairly common but the yellow fences were tough to find. The wonderful box has been mostly ruined by the plastic shipping tape, likely added by the fool now using the keyboard to secure the box in one of our many moves around the country. I tried to remove it but no joy!
Regards everyone!
Don McErlean
Don McErlean posted:Guys: Finally got to where I can get my computer back up...we are in the Colorado Rockies vice the "pool table" of Central Tx. Here is my Marx " Work Train" set. The diesel and cars in the set were (I believe) unique to this set and the most hard to find is the searchlight car with the yellow generator and the yellow fences for the flat. The crane seems to be the most common as I have seen them at a number of train shows. The flat itself is fairly common but the yellow fences were tough to find. The wonderful box has been mostly ruined by the plastic shipping tape, likely added by the fool now using the keyboard to secure the box in one of our many moves around the country. I tried to remove it but no joy!
Regards everyone!
Don McErlean
This is one of my favorite Marx sets. I have the loco and cars but no box. Have you tried to heat the tape with a hair dryer, that may loosen it enough to get it off.
Don McErlean posted:Steve Eastman: What a super military train, I did not know that "modern Marx" had put such a thing out.. Now all you need are some 6" , 4 wheel flats, painted olive drab with a tank and a cannon on them ! Tootsitoy made a great armored car with a turret and a gun, one rides on one of my flat cars.
Peter: The 7" cars look great and the AA Monon units are really a nice mate to the set. The layout is really cool as well. You know, we have some fabulous modelers in this forum and their art is so realistic that its hard to discern it from actual life. However, the "toy train" world is also really neat and it has an "art" all its own. Its this kind of diversity that makes our hobby so cool. Thanks for posting.
Thanks everyone for posting and keeping our Marx thread viable.
Don McErlean
I am selling a number of Military cars. Cutting way back on my Modern Marx.
Steve
milnyc posted:Don McErlean posted:Guys: Finally got to where I can get my computer back up...we are in the Colorado Rockies vice the "pool table" of Central Tx. Here is my Marx " Work Train" set. The diesel and cars in the set were (I believe) unique to this set and the most hard to find is the searchlight car with the yellow generator and the yellow fences for the flat. The crane seems to be the most common as I have seen them at a number of train shows. The flat itself is fairly common but the yellow fences were tough to find. The wonderful box has been mostly ruined by the plastic shipping tape, likely added by the fool now using the keyboard to secure the box in one of our many moves around the country. I tried to remove it but no joy!
Regards everyone!
Don McErlean
This is one of my favorite Marx sets. I have the loco and cars but no box. Have you tried to heat the tape with a hair dryer, that may loosen it enough to get it off.
The Work Train was the later version. The year before it was the Yard Master. The two were identical.
Steve
Milnyc. Good idea about hair dryer. Might work. Will try. Sure would like to get it off but pulling it did not work for sure. Will let you know if it works.
Steve thanks for the data on a prior name. You know when I learn stuff like that you have to wonder why Marx changed the name? Likely never know but Mr Marx was a superb businessman so I bet he had a reason.
Regards everyone. Don McErlean
Don McErlean posted:Milnyc. Good idea about hair dryer. Might work. Will try. Sure would like to get it off but pulling it did not work for sure. Will let you know if it works.
Steve thanks for the data on a prior name. You know when I learn stuff like that you have to wonder why Marx changed the name? Likely never know but Mr Marx was a superb businessman so I bet he had a reason.
Regards everyone. Don McErlean
I wonder if it was to avoid confusion. Other makers had used the name Yard Master.
Steve
Well everyone how are you doing in this world of semi-quarantine! Me, I have been doing some layout construction (posted to "what did you do on your layout today?") and today I think I will just run some trains. milnyc your little lay out really interests me, as best I can tell it is almost "pure" Marx, not just the trains but the buildings and accessories as well. COOL!
Well here is a picture for what is likely a slow Sunday morning. It is a Marx set# 4316 likely from the 1960's due to the plastic knuckle couplers.
Here are the contents, including track and a 25 watt transformer. The # 490 has a mechanical "chugger" for sound, pretty unsophisticated compared with today's sound.
Here are a couple of Marx plastic sets...
I believe I received this as a gift in 1974. It uses a 6 volt battery in a controller, connected to conventional 3-rail O27 track. Yes, the box is a little worse for wear:
This is a #530 mechanical set. This set would typically come with a yellow gondola, but they can occasionally be found with the green Erie flatcar, and some of the sets with the flatcar have the orange/yellow Penn Central caboose and Penn Central tender. Marx certainly provides a lot of variations to collect:
I know that very few people pay attention to Marx plastic body mechanical steamers, but there are some hard to find variations in this niche of Marx collecting.
For instance, the 400 version of the mechanical "puffer" is pretty common... it utilizes a rubber bulb that is pumped by a flap on the motor to puff a white powder out of the stack. However, the 490 version of the puffer was reportedly only made one year, and was made out of a brittle plastic that tends to crack and break easy:
Although Marx 401 mechanicals are probably one of the easiest locomotives to find, the puffer version - like the 490 puffer - was also reportedly only made for one year, and it is also hard to find:
I received a marx trolley and trailer for my 80th birthday. I have a trolley but had never seen one with a trailer. Here it is running on the trolley line on my layout.
I hope you had a great 80th birthday, David! Thank you for posting, I really enjoyed watching the action on your trolley line, they look great!
Rusty
Dave : Happy 80th Birthday ... I am getting close (76 next Oct) and I will admit I have never seen a Marx trolley - with or without a trailer. I have a Marx RDC which I think is sort of common but that is as close to Marx Rapid Transit that I get. It really looks like a neat toy. Thanks for posting
Don McErlean
Most of my Marx was packed away so I finally found some wall space to put up some shelves from Glenn Snyder Display Systems. Excellent product and service, and very fast shipping!
Hi Guys...milnyc that is a super display. I agree about the Glenn Snyder display systems shelving. I just put up a segment of shelving in my train room and concur about a great product and great service from the company. I loved the Marx display. We share many of those trains except I have a "hole" in my collection for the "Wild West" trains, I just have never encountered an opportunity to secure those. Trainfam...same there, thanks for posting. We also share some of the same trains except the grey NYC 70 Tonner. I have the NYC version in Maroon with Yellow lettering and Black with white lettering but do not have the grey color variant. I personally really like the small diesels, there were many variants and they are normally modest in cost for us collectors. In addition, they usually work well as well. As an additional sentimental fact, the green and gold WP set was my younger son's first train and we ran it a lot on his bed room floor nearly 40 years ago.
Here is a "medium" plastic box car for the B&O in red withscale type trucks and plastic pickle fork couplers. It is not all that rare or unusual, but I purchased this one at a local hobby shop due to its condition. It appears that it has never been on the track, it is nearly perfect as though it was right from the factory. So...of course I took it home and ran it around the track!!
Sincerely Don McErlean
milnyc posted:The Robert Grossman Co should be able to supply the gear. http://www.trainpartsformarx.com/shoppingcart.htm
Thanks milnyc for this info. I ordered the gear, & replaced it today. I set it up on a section of track with no switches and it ran great! (Its loop for Christmas is put away.)
D.
Hartman posted:milnyc posted:The Robert Grossman Co should be able to supply the gear. http://www.trainpartsformarx.com/shoppingcart.htm
Thanks milnyc for this info. I ordered the gear, & replaced it today. I set it up on a section of track with no switches and it ran great! (Its loop for Christmas is put away.)
D.
That's great! I'm glad you got it going!
Found that photo of the 4 wheel Marx hopper I put on MPC trucks, and apparently it was next to one of the Lionel ones as well when I took the photo. Think it went to a forum member along with 4-5 of the little Lionel hoppers. Some patching was done with pipe glue and scraps of an MPC boxcar I had turned into a single door car. When I’m feeling a little better I’ll dig some of the Marx I have in the collection currently out
I was able to pull out some more Marx today. The picture below is of the finest example of a number 0416 light tower that I have ever seen. It is in mint condition with original box, packing insert, and what I believe to be the original lightbulbs. Overall the accessory is in excellent condition and I was very lucky to have purchased it.
Trainfam
TrainFam: I would agree, i have not seen much if any Marx that is that "pristine" ad original. Normally I count it as a victory if even the box shows up and of course much of Marx (6" cars especially) were sold at Woolworth's for 25Cents and where just gathered up on a section of the counter and had no box. What a great find! milnyc - great display in front of the bill boards, liked the Juke boxes in the background too! What do they play, country or rock and roll? Robert S. Butler - that is about the strangest 4-4-4 I have ever seen although it resembles "old rivets" one of the early PRR electics (before Lowery got the job of designing the streamlining).
Well, I'll be switched. Growing up, I thought all my equipment was Lionel, but based on the picture of the light tower above, it seems a Marx piece somehow found its way into my acquisitions. Now, I will have to learn a little bit more about Marx. As if I didn't still have enough other stuff to learn about.
Chuck
OK I messed up and posted the above response too soon. Here is a set that I have that dates from about 1965, in fact it was in the 1965 catalog. It is set 4353 and as you will see contained an unusual tank car (Rocket Fuel) that was normally associated with the Cape Canaveral Sets but with Marx what is unusual is normal!!
Here is the top of the box and it (sort of) illustrates the "village" that was originally packed with the set. It was all cardboard and had to be assembled (of course) and alas is long gone at this point.
Here are the contents packed in the box, including track and transformer.
Here is the envelope that (at one time) contained the village. Note the big "34" which was the fact that the village contained 34 pieces. This number of pieces was common marketing at the time, and you often saw advertisements especially at places like Sears and Montgomery Wards about an "X-Piece" train set. To boost the number of pieces I have a few sets where seemingly at the 11th hr a half dozen telephone poles were thrown in the box.
More paper work that is part of the set. The instructions and an order form. Wow it would be great if I could order today, especially at those prices !! I note you cannot read the numbers but you can see that most of them are only 2 figures...!
Here is a close up of the trains. They are nearly new even if not all that rare. The set still has the lock on and a set of wires although they may not be original. Hey they are 65 years old and still run with their original transformer.
Thanks for posting on our Marx thread guys.
Don McErlean
PRR1950 posted:Well, I'll be switched. Growing up, I thought all my equipment was Lionel, but based on the picture of the light tower above, it seems a Marx piece somehow found its way into my acquisitions. Now, I will have to learn a little bit more about Marx. As if I didn't still have enough other stuff to learn about.
Chuck
Chuck...Welcome to the Marx fan club. You know growing up in the late 40's and 50's many a kid (I know it included me) found a Marx item under the tree instead of a Lionel one. Marx's prices were considerably below those of Lionel and the quality was excellent, in fact from a durability perspective equal or better. They sometimes didn't have the detail or the "heft" of Lionel and the operating cars lacked the complex mechanisms (sometimes being hand operated - but I can remember that increased play value). Things like light towers and beacons would be an easy substitute. Now, go get yourself one of the many many steam powered freight sets - Marx motors almost always run- and enjoy the show ! "Welcome Aboard" as we used to say in the Navy !
Don McErlean
Don McErlean posted:OK I messed up and posted the above response too soon. Here is a set that I have that dates from about 1965, in fact it was in the 1965 catalog. It is set 4353 and as you will see contained an unusual tank car (Rocket Fuel) that was normally associated with the Cape Canaveral Sets but with Marx what is unusual is normal!!
Here is the top of the box and it (sort of) illustrates the "village" that was originally packed with the set. It was all cardboard and had to be assembled (of course) and alas is long gone at this point.
Here are the contents packed in the box, including track and transformer.
Here is the envelope that (at one time) contained the village. Note the big "34" which was the fact that the village contained 34 pieces. This number of pieces was common marketing at the time, and you often saw advertisements especially at places like Sears and Montgomery Wards about an "X-Piece" train set. To boost the number of pieces I have a few sets where seemingly at the 11th hr a half dozen telephone poles were thrown in the box.
More paper work that is part of the set. The instructions and an order form. Wow it would be great if I could order today, especially at those prices !! I note you cannot read the numbers but you can see that most of them are only 2 figures...!
Here is a close up of the trains. They are nearly new even if not all that rare. The set still has the lock on and a set of wires although they may not be original. Hey they are 65 years old and still run with their original transformer.
Thanks for posting on our Marx thread guys.
Don McErlean
That’s what I love about Marx, they were cheap and had so much play value. To think of it... the fact of a whole town being included in the set. Along with a engine with an immortal motor. If only the box, houses, stamps, plastic shells, and the people who played with them when they were new were immortal too.
Trainfam
Trainfam: Agree with you. There is a story about Mr. Marx. It goes that during one year of the famous New York toy show he directed that one of his trains be put into operation at the beginning of the show (it was 5 days long) and never turned off, it was to run continuously. Well the story goes along near the very end of the show the loco gave out and stopped. Mr. Marx summoned his Chief Engineer into his New York office and demanded to know what went wrong. The engineer told Mr. Marx that after all that time the brushes in the motor just wore out. It is the story that Mr. Marx looked at him sternly and simply said..."Build better brushes ! ". That to me about sums up Marx and the fact that no matter how ratty or bad a Marx engine looks when I see one at a show or an antique store, I bring it home, put it on the track, and "off she goes". Sparking and bobbing around the layout.
Don McErlean
I’ll have to figure out how to post some pics of my Marx train set
Some, not all, of my Marx pieces. How many times have I regretted giving my Marx sets to neighbor kids in the '80s so, they too, could run trains of their own. Sounded great at the time, then found out how they really tore them up and parents threw them away. Oh well...….. I do have quite a bit more, but only have inventory pics, and to show everything would be too much...… I enjoy anything in O Gauge. From Bing and Hafner, to Marx, KLine, Lion, MTH, Atlas, Williams, Weaver, AmFlyer Pre, Unique, and more. It is all TRAINS!!! And run on the same layout!! All diff makes from many diff years for the past 100 years...…… Hope to have more display pics, but need to do a lot of work on layout scenic and ballasting.
Jesse
texastrain posted:Some, not all, of my Marx pieces. How many times have I regretted giving my Marx sets to neighbor kids in the '80s so, they too, could run trains of their own. Sounded great at the time, then found out how they really tore them up and parents threw them away. Oh well...…..
Jesse
That's a nice collection you have there!
John
JBuettner: Thanks for posting the pictures of the Marx toy factory. In another segment we were talking about the dilemma of Schrodinger's Cat and I have that dilemma with my Marx factory. It sits on the shelf in an unopened box and I have debated with myself for years about what it looks like and whether or not I should open it...NOW I at least know what it looks like.
Thanks ! Don McErlean
JBuettner posted:texastrain posted:Some, not all, of my Marx pieces. How many times have I regretted giving my Marx sets to neighbor kids in the '80s so, they too, could run trains of their own. Sounded great at the time, then found out how they really tore them up and parents threw them away. Oh well...…..
Jesse
That's a nice collection you have there!
John
Agreed. I love the New York central F-3’s. Been looking for a pair or just one for about a year now. Marx made in my opinion the best F-3’s, don’t get me wrong, Lionel had a great highly detailed line of F-3’s too. But Marx was the best because of all the different road names and beautiful toy like appeals. And that could be said about every toy they made too. That’s what made Marx the toy king.
Trainfam
Don McErlean posted:JBuettner: Thanks for posting the pictures of the Marx toy factory. In another segment we were talking about the dilemma of Schrodinger's Cat and I have that dilemma with my Marx factory. It sits on the shelf in an unopened box and I have debated with myself for years about what it looks like and whether or not I should open it...NOW I at least know what it looks like.
Thanks ! Don McErlean
Hi, Don,
I got mine in a roughed up original box with the original instruction sheet about 10 years ago at Seaside Hobbies in Bethany Beach, DE, during a vacation. Traded some trains, got some store credit for them, and picked this little dandy up along with some other things. As it turned out, I think it is mostly complete and in great condition. There are 5 or 6 other figures with it as well as other little pieces such as, hand trucks, crates, etc.
The ****ed thing about this COVID-19 is that I can't go out now, hunt and find all these little toy treasures at train shows and shops. But I can bring out the stuff I have stored in my own collection. I like used books stores and trading old books in for credit towards others--can't do that now, either!
John
J.Buettner: Ha! had to laugh, you and I seem to be in the same place. Most of my recent posts to OGR forum are actually "finds" from my storage area that I haven't touched for about 10 years (our last move into this house). So I am "discovering" all kinds of neat stuff that I had forgotten I had!
Don
TrainFam: Now that is a cool accessory. I consider myself reasonably familiar with Marx and had never even seen a 403 marker light. Neat find!
Last Sunday, for "boxcar Sunday" I posted my 999 with a string of Marx boxcars. Sorry for the repeat but thought I would post it here to for us Marx fans!
Red B&0 and Blue B&O both from 60's, Orange S.F.R.D. Santa Fe from the 70's and a Green Great Northern from the late 50's.
and a Tuscan PC (twisted worms) from the 70's.
Don
Ive always have had a love for the 999 and Marx boxcars. They were simple like a toy should be, but also strong had a great motor! And the boxcars have great details. On top of all of that they are dirt cheap, I recently purchased a 999 with its tender for a grand total of only $29.99. Great deal if you ask me. Thanks for posting!
Trainfam
@Steve "Papa" Eastman posted:I have two on my layout.
Steve
They are one of my favorite Marx accessories, besides the 434 target signal.
Trainfam
Oh, on Hafner, before Marx got into them,(p#1) Wyandotte had the line.
I want a Wyandotte Indian head streamliner shell; to re-power if need be. Let me know before you toss one; I'm not too picky Headlight optional 🤔
Here’s a interesting find that you definitely don’t see everyday, a Marx prototype of the number 234 army caboose! It appears that a factory worker took a regular red caboose and hand painted olive drab with the army star and number 234. You can still see the grease pencil on the roof, but it’s hard to make out what it says. Take a look:
Trainfam
I posted this one awhile back in one of the other OGR threads but since we're talking just Marx I thought I'd go ahead and re-post it here.
What great pictures...Trainfam: The prototype Army caboose is a find, just finding the caboose itself is hard enough!
Robert...great picture. You obviously sure do like the 10961-10976 Fruit Growers Express yellow refers. Lots of cool cars... I see you have a brown "Route of the 400 Streamliners" from 1938-39, I have the orange variant. There is rumored to be a blue and a yellow variant as well, 4 colors, one year of production, not like Marx to waste that kind of money.
Don McErlean
@Robert S. Butler posted:
What a beautiful array of boxcars that you have Robert, it’s just like a bokay of flowers.
Trainfam
@Don McErlean posted:What great pictures...Trainfam: The prototype Army caboose is a find, just finding the caboose itself is hard enough!
Robert...great picture. You obviously sure do like the 10961-10976 Fruit Growers Express yellow refers. Lots of cool cars... I see you have a brown "Route of the 400 Streamliners" from 1938-39, I have the orange variant. There is rumored to be a blue and a yellow variant as well, 4 colors, one year of production, not like Marx to waste that kind of money.
Don McErlean
I suppose that Mr. Marx was having a little bit of a brain fart when he decided to do a one year production And four different colors.
Trainfam
@Don McErlean posted:What great pictures...Trainfam: The prototype Army caboose is a find, just finding the caboose itself is hard enough!
Robert...great picture. You obviously sure do like the 10961-10976 Fruit Growers Express yellow refers. Lots of cool cars... I see you have a brown "Route of the 400 Streamliners" from 1938-39, I have the orange variant. There is rumored to be a blue and a yellow variant as well, 4 colors, one year of production, not like Marx to waste that kind of money.
Don McErlean
I have blue, orange, brown and red Route of the Streamliner cars.
Steve
Thanks Don. I have a complete run of the FGEX reefers - I'm still working on a complete run of the other three - State of Maine, Pacemaker, and Pennsylvania Merchandise.
Haven't visited the photo section of the site in awhile and was excited to see all the posts on this particular thread.
I've always had a soft spot for Marx and have collected a few over the years .
My first experience with model trains was dragging my late Dad's Marx trains out of the attic when I was six years old and him setting them up on the floor of my bedroom and running them for me .That was 45 years ago in 1975. I got my first train set for Christmas that year which I still have .
Unfortunately for some odd reason my dad traded off or sold those Marx train's ,but I can remember they were a 666 steam engine and the solid body Santa -Fe passenger cars,which I have replicated .
I'm just fascinated by all the different combinations/variations of the Marx lineup.
Enjoying everyone of these posts folks !
@PW53inVa posted:
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
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
@POC914NUT posted:
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:
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
@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.
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
TrainFam: Well you are right indeed! The "8994" mystery is upon us...Here are a few things I found:
1. Marx was particular about his set numbering system (even if to us collectors it seems he wasn't particular about much else) and the number 8994 DOES fall in the sequence 8990-8999 which Marx designated for sets with the 898 engine. So the engine is most likely correct for the set number.
2. As you have found out before set number 8994 is indeed at least partially (Marx did use some numbers more than once) assigned to a freight set...in fact its assigned to two ! The following information is from Greenberg's Guide to Marx trains, Volume III, Sets, 1991.
8994 (A) Steam Freight Set with a CP type locomotive, black with a silver pilot, 951 Black wedge NYC tender, 59 UP Cattle car, 552 CRI&P Green (also reported as Blue) gondola, 553 SF Tank Car-silver,556 NYC caboose-red.
8994 (B) 898 0-4-0 loco, black, reverse, lighted, 551 Black NYC tender with rivets, 552 CRI&P gondola-blue, 553 ST tank - silver, 556 NYC caboose - red.
Cars have tab / slot couplers. Set includes track and transformer (Watts not specified in this reference)
Now to me part of the mystery is that this reference does NOT seem to show the 1955 passenger set from the Sears Christmas Book, regardless of whether the cars are the red/cream Bogota or the silver NYC, as that set very clearly DOES exist. In fact I cannot find a passenger set listed with any set number with the 898 electrical engine, even though as I mentioned above there are at least 3 sets with that engine although 2 are mechanical. (late entry) I did find a mechanical "combination" set from the 1939 Wards catalog that included an 897 engine (note the 897 and 898 were numbers often used interchangeably on the same basic loco) . This set included 2 Bogota type, red/cream Pullmans and a red/cream observation and ALSO included some freight cars (and a beautiful lithographed station).
Just for your reference, the 1955 Sears Christmas Book, which does show your set (assuming the cars are red/cream) has for its number (i.e. Sears number)...49N U9604 "Passenger Set. Shpg wt 8 lbs"
According to the text in the Sears book... "It came with 2 sections of straight and 8 sections of curved track to make an oval of about 129 around". It came with a "UL approved 50-watt transformer with circuit breaker, 2 posts for 110-120 volt, 60 cycle AC and a track connector".
So there you have it, I admit for the moment I am out of reference sources that might help. We have a number but no set and a beautiful set with no number or ???? One thing about Marx and all these reference books say it more or less, he was CONSTANTLY changing, substituting, improving, altering etc. Lionel did not get to this stage until the 1960's after fair trade laws were repealed. Marx did it all the time. If you were a big buyer, tell Mr. Marx what you wanted in your sets (or more often the price point you were looking to fill) and Marx invented a set for you. If you wanted a "8-piece" or a "10 piece" or a "30 piece" set , Marx would fill up the box with whatever it took to bring the count up to where you wanted it. I have original sets that clearly had 6 telephone poles thrown in at what appears to be the last minute to raise the count level. He was producing toys not collectables and he was a genus at it.
Best of Luck with 8994, I have it entered the number into my mental data base and will continue to try and find information that might help
Don McErlean
A custom Hiawatha set. Coaches and tender are made from prewar Cleveland Models balsa kits. The graphics are the original paper cutouts. The locomotive is a modified Marx CP.
Steve
Hi Marx Fans! Its been awhile since anyone posted to this thread so I thought I would try to re-awaken the interest. Wife and I were in the process of moving for the summer months and I have some young nephews at the summer location. So I spotted a Marx set # 4205 on the Bay and decided to try and get it. It was free or modest shipping and the minimum bid was $14.95 so I threw in a min bid and WON! So the little jewel arrived at our summer location and it was nearly perfect, looked like it had hardly been run. Set it up last night and used its little 25 Watt transformer which still had the lock on and the spiral wound red/greed wires in the box. It's Marx of course so it runs like new. PK couplers so that makes it at least middle 50's. My Marx "Sets" reference places the 4205 in the 1958 Allied Toy Distributor Catalog. My set has one discrepancy...it came with a 4 wheel 715100 NYC blue gondola and the reference lists the 347100 PRR red gondola. Since the tender and caboose (as correct for the set) is NYC perhaps the gondola was a sub or just a late replacement. All of the cars have nearly no wear so it could have been a replacement at the factory or by Allied but who knows. Anyway for $14.95 here is my "new" Marx freight set - set up on our front porch.
Here is the set coming at you...on my elaborate, one loop layout! No Plasticville yet, but I am looking in all the local antique stores for a few pieces. Coastal Georgia is not too well populated with "train stuff".
Better picture perhaps with somewhat better lighting. You are getting a first look at the Gondola load. That was the "jewel" of the set buy. Those little boxes were used by Marx in many loads, often provided as flat pieces of cardboard you had to cut out and fold. It really didn't come with this set originally but these boxes are devilishly hard to find in good shape and these are near perfect. If I check e-bay when they have been offered, they command a price larger than I paid for the entire set!
Here is a close up of the Caboose (NYC) and the Gondola and the box load. Some of the products depicted on the boxes are still around today like "Rice Krispies" some like "Tru Rise Flour" are more era products not too common today if still available at all. These boxes are really in fine shape, still fairly crisp and not torn.
The engine and tender...typical plastic #400/#490 type with a "chugger"
Well Marx fans, not particularly rare or unusual but a well preserved product of the late 1950's . Like most of Marx, still runs and operates as designed.
Don
Hi don, that’s an excellent train set you have there. I found a Marx set similar to yours at an antique mall a couple of weeks ago. Didn’t buy it although due to the cowcatcher being broken, seems the 490 shells have a specifically brittle shell. But hey, at least the motors work!
Trainfam
Trainfam: Thank you for the comment. You are absolutely correct, that 490 cowcatcher is sort of stuck out in front with no real structural support and is vulnerable, especially to children who like to run them fast and have them leap off the table . I hooked mine up and my 6 year old immediately twisted the throttle of that little 25 watt transformer all the way! Luckily mine held course at least long enough for me to provide a little adult supervision. But like so much Marx, it runs like a champ and the reverse works fine. Give its age, it was made in roughly 1958, so that makes it about 62 years old...ready to collect social security! The transformer worked fine, the only slight difficulty is that the track (which is not as stiff as Lionel 0-27) had a bit of a twist in some of the curved sections. However, since this is my "one loop - summer porch layout" a bit of duct tape on the ties kept that in check. This morning I saw a much later set on e-bay (likely 1970's) but very similar (three 4 wheel plastic cars, transformer, and type 490 loco but in a much later era plastic window type box) on e-bay for $199.00 so I feel pretty good about my $14.95 price!!
Again, thanks for the post and good hunting. I will admit that while I collect prewar tinplate for the most part, I really love Marx because it almost always runs, gives solid value, and makes even today's children smile.
Happy Tuesday
Don
@franktrain posted:Picked this up at a train show $20.00 runs great.
Pulled out all my Marx Plastic rolling stock for some running time.
Nice Great Northern
Some more run time with the Rocket!
I like the Tom Swift books in the corner.
My latest video is running a bunch of my Marx collection. I have a bunch of other videos also on Marx for anyone wanting to check out my channel.
@RamblerDon posted:My latest video is running a bunch of my Marx collection. I have a bunch of other videos also on Marx for anyone wanting to check out my channel.
Excellent video Don, I love the layout also.
Trainfam
@TrainFam posted:Excellent video Don, I love the layout also.
Trainfam
Thank you. The layout is in pieces right now though. Torn apart to put in o-72 curves. Should be back together in a few weeks.
My favorite Marx is the 1998 diesel switcher. I consider it the best running of all my Marx trains. It will easily out run all others racing through O27 oval and figure 8 really sticking to the curves. Has quick reversing 2 way eUnit.
Original Marx 1998, 2-4-2 diesel switcher
Marx 1998 body bought with out shell, added a shortened repainted Lionel SW -1 shell. The paint job is of a Bauxite and Northern switcher. That railroad is an ALCOA company owned short line railroad from Bauxite, Arkansas to the major railroad tracks the area and is about 30 miles long and operated by ALCOA. I worked at the ALCOA alumina refinery and alumina chemical plant there in the 1980s.
Charlie
TrainsRMe
I really like your colorful Western Pacific and Rock Island Marx F7s diesels. I have a couple of sets of the Santa Fe F7 with plasticy gray and dull red and yellow, by far the most popular color. I wound up repainting one set silver and red and yellow.
Charlie
Do you have a photo of your repainted ATSF? I've seen one that was done, and it really improved it - As we all know, Marx tended to be a little short on details. When I did customs of the diesels, I tried not to overdo it, lest it take away the essential Marx character.
Nice job on your B&N switcher. That looks like it was a pretty tricky project.
The ATSF passenger set was my third train set, in 1957.
Great pictures and diesels guys. ChooChooCharlie - I agree the 1998 switcher is a wonder, I have the maroon ATSF and the UP versions, tried to get a black/white ATSF version recently on e-bay but it went well over $100 + shipping, too pricey for me. The amazing thing about the 1998 is that it is a 4 wheel switcher (like the 588 GE 70 ton) masquerading as an 8-wheel switcher. The motor drive is the same as in the 70 ton series with attachments giving it a front and rear extra "truck". Ingenious - and so like Marx to come up with a solution like that. Great videos too guys.
I scored some cool early freights recently (note admittedly my opinion ). History says that in 1934 when Marx took control of the Gerard Model Company he produced one train, an M1000 articulated lithograph stream liner. Then in 1935 he brought out the first version, "Series 1", of his 6" lithographed cars (which in a reasonably constant form he would continue to make until nearly 1960). The key is that in 1935, for one year only, the cars had some unique differences with what became the normal 6" car. First it had a silver lithographed design on the frame (SLF), it was a very short wheelbase, had thin axles and finally it still had the Joy Line (JLC) couplers. These where produced in this configuration in one year only, 1935. Marx made substantial changes after that, especially in 1936 (Series 2) and 1938 (Series 3) - which came with multi color lithography vice the base color/black system of the earlier cars. This was in fact the beginning of the Marx dynasty in trains, sold under his name. Here is the group.
The green 1935 Baggage is obviously not a freight in the normal sense but it is a companion to 2 Bagota type Pullmans of the same era which I posted a few weeks / month ago. The freights show the silver lithographed frame, Joy Line couplers (note round hole instead of slot) and the 2- color design. All the couplers are slide type mounted in a horizontal slot in the floor of the frame and secured with a tab twisted post installation except the gondola which had a shortened JLC riveted to the floor.
If you want to see some close ups. I intend to post a picture of each car on the "Tinplate" thread later today.
Happy Saturday Marx Fans
Don
Don, you have some lovely rarities there. They look to be in really nice shape. The 6-inch tin Marx are just so charming. This picture shows a Commodore Vanderbilt, my second train set. A friend of my father's said his son had outgrown it and wanted to sell it. We went to his house, where it was running around the Christmas tree. Father asked if I wanted it. I was like "It's a train, isn't it?".
I hadn't outgrown it sixty-some years later.
TrainsRme: Thank you for your comment. The CV was one of Marx's longest produced locomotives and was his FIRST. Believe it or not, in 1935 he produced 5-6 variations of the CV. Black, Red, Green (CW only) and Silver most in both clockwork and electric. Closer to the war years, he also produced one in olive drab military colors. He produced the CV from 1934 until 1952 ! You could build a real nice collection just using CV loco's alone (although the Green CW, Silver, and Olive ones can be VERY expensive - beyond me for sure). Great set, a classic 6 " consist, although the dump car is a bit more unusual.
Thanks for posting
Don
Me = Sucker for Marx trains! (Had a set when young.)
Don't own any, but I did come across this and thought it odd:
First, I suspect this was an HO set (two rails are depicted). Note that the diesel appears to represent a GE U25B. Here's the odd part: I don't think Marx ever made a U25B in either O or HO. Am I correct?
If I'm correct, then I wonder: Was Marx designing/contemplating one at the time?
Hmmmm.
Andre
@laming posted:Me = Sucker for Marx trains! (Had a set when young.)
Don't own any, but I did come across this and thought it odd:
First, I suspect this was an HO set (two rails are depicted). Note that the diesel appears to represent a GE U25B. Here's the odd part: I don't think Marx ever made a U25B in either O or HO. Am I correct?
If I'm correct, then I wonder: Was Marx designing/contemplating one at the time?
Hmmmm.
Andre
Hi Laming,
I believe that you are correct, Marx never did produce a GEU25B. However I do believe that Marx could have at one point considered producing one. Interesting...
trainfam
TrainsRme: what a great set and in beautiful condition. I was told by another forum member that this set is called the “Red Flyer”. Made in 2years. ‘46 and ‘47. Yours with 2 Pullman’s was ‘ 46 mine only has 1 Pullman and was ‘47. The rest of the train including that super red loco and tender was the same. Love it Great find.
Don
Question for the Marx experts. Christmas of 1948 Santa brought me a 2026 Lionel frights set. Around 1951 or so my Grandmother who had never given me a Christmas or Birthday gift decided she was going to get me something for my trains. I think is was a Marx wind up set. I remember the engine was black with a wide silver band down the side somewhat like the Daylight skirts. Something would hit the ties and the bell would ring when it was running. Was that a Marx train set or something else. Thanks Don
@scale rail posted:Question for the Marx experts. Christmas of 1948 Santa brought me a 2026 Lionel frights set. Around 1951 or so my Grandmother who had never given me a Christmas or Birthday gift decided she was going to get me something for my trains. I think is was a Marx wind up set. I remember the engine was black with a wide silver band down the side somewhat like the Daylight skirts. Something would hit the ties and the bell would ring when it was running. Was that a Marx train set or something else. Thanks Don
Sounds like a Hafner set.
Thanks Steve, I'll look that up. Don
Steve you are right. The train is long gone but found a picture of it and that looks just like it. Funny folks of those years were not big on gifts. My wife's Grandfather also gave her only one gift at Christmas. The only thing he ever gave her was a little wind up monkey that played a drum. Those people went through hard times and just didn't understand gifts. Thanks again. Don
TrainsRMe
Pictures of painted Marx F7 Santa Fe ABA 1095s. I had some Santa Fe hood decals. This was done 30 plus years ago and probably used cheap Kmart silver spray paint. I later found Testers silver spray paint is not so bright silver and handles better. I used the Testers silver on several paint jobs on Lionel 2400 series passenger cars made from junk bodies and replacement roofs and window with shadow people. I made the bottoms form sheet metal and added trucks from junk cars.
Charlie
@TrainsRMe posted:Don - Thanks for all the kind comments. Marx sure packed a lot of fun into their toys.
Since we're on to steam locos, how about a Marx battery powered one? Two D-cells do the powering; a
simple switch atop the boiler controls it.
Interesting. I have that locomotive shell but never knew where it came from. Thanks.
Robert the Green CV and consist is great and the short wheelbase tender is also really hard to find. TrainsRMe the battery powered loco is a fun item. I do have one like it and it works great Scalerail. I agree with Steve the engine is a Hafner they were always clockwork, Hafner never made an electric train. This engine in several color schemes was made between 1938 and about 1951. Charlie, that silver paint really does improve this Santa Fe units. I have several of these and may try that myself.
Great Marx guys. I am a big fan. Thanks for posting
Don
This is a fun thread with its photos, comments and education. Balidas - Marx got a lot of mileage out of that shell. I believe it was used in a number of locos. Charlie - Thanks for those great photos of your early work. The extra decorating sure makes the old 1095 look good. It's quite a fussy procedure masking around all the raised detail on those diesels. Below are some of the same that I repainted. Don - I agree on your assessment of the performance statistics of the D-cell rocket. It will pull quite a lot of 6" cars, too.
I have searched all over, and couldn't find an answer, so I thought I would ask the people more familiar with Marx. Will the motor from a 400 locomotive fit in any other Marx boiler. Thanks, Clarence
My answer would be yes. Marx used a common motor for many of his loco’s. You do have to check the mounting which varied somewhat. To give you an example I have several Hornby CW locos that were refitted with Marx drives and motors and they work great. Almost all the diesels should work reasonably well Of course the 490 will work with the 400 motor as they are nearly identical loco’s.
Don
Thank You, much appreciated. I ask because in a box of "junk" I bought, there was a Marx 400 with the shell beat to death. I pulled the motor, cleaned it up, and of course, it ran great. On the off chance that I find a Marx locomotive that doesn't run -not likely- I was wondering if the motor would fit.
The plastic bodied #198 gets my vote as the cutest Marx steamer. This clockwork one was fitted with a double reduction motor and weighted to #1666 weight. What a little hotrod! I removed the dummy headlight and put in a working one, added a metal #591 pilot, painted it and added engineer and fireman figures.
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