Hello everyone, one of my friends bought this at a garage sale and it’s a wind up train and works great. The problem is there’s no lettering on this set. It’s all tin cars that works with a key to wind the engine up. Please see attached photo. It looks very old. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Mark
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It is Marx.
Thanks for answering. Does it have any value to some collector?
Sure. Lots of folks like Marx. Not everyone is fixated on Lionel only.
Set appears to be in very good condition
Roughly what year was this set built? It actually has the circle track that needs some simple repair. Luckily he kept the wind up key with it. I just oiled it up and it took off. What a solid wind up spring they put on these.
Marx wind-up trains have a following all there own. The set came with 2 rail track but will run fine on 3 rail o gauge track. As far as value goes I have seen boxed sets in very good condition sell in the 75 to 100 dollar range.
Unless someone has a catalog listing of that particular set you won't get an exact year, however, you can bracket the year of production by examining how the couplers are attached to the underside of the car frames.
Tab and slot eyelet rivet - 1936
Tab and slot twisted-tail -1938
Tab and slot punched tail - 1946
Plastic knuckle - 1953 and after
Hard to tell a lot from the picture, but that style of Commodore Vanderbilt was used from about 1939 - 1946, give or take a year (no production from 1943-45). The hopper appears to have been made from 1940-1952, and the gondola in 1938, 1940-42, caboose is 1938-1952. I think based on all of that, it is safe to say that the set dates from just pre-war, 1940-1942. That is assuming that this is an original set. Didn't find a Sears or Wards ad with this exact train in those years, but of course that isn't definitive. A similar set without the hopper car was available during that timeframe.
Looks to be in very good condition. Worth about $5o.
Does anybody want it. Just pay for shipping. I will show shipping receipt?