Marx Design and Art Department

since the basic Marx philosophy seemed to be geared toward keeping the price low, i can imagine those discussions did not last very long.  why not pull out the red Sharpie and give it a little touch-up?

Yeah, it's pretty weird.  When I customize a junker E7, I countersink the hole, glue in a flathead screw, and putty over it.  But of course I wouldn't do that to a nice original like you have there.

Unfortunately Lionel sometimes did the same. It seemed to be the technology of the times.

At least this was flush mount.

Is that an ORIGINAL screw in the front?  The slotted head looks larger than original...posssible replacement?  Seems more obstrusive than most...

probably not. Louis Marx was making toys. that front end screw isn't any different that the screws through the cylinders on Marx steamers.But at least they blend in some what being black.

I thought the screw was wrong also but I have another unit with the same screw.

To bad the put it right in the Rock Island logo.

franktrain

I stand corrected.  I just dug out a set of Rock Islands, and then some New Havens,

and the screw IS obstrusive, especially in the white field on the front of the New

Havens, and I think both these screws are original.