I am looking at a Marx Disney train set from the 1950’s that does not have the key to wind it. It is a 5 piece set and on EBay. This may not be the place to ask but where can I get information on this set? Thanks.
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Hi, I just looked on that website. Are you talking about one of the clockwork sets? Steve Eastman is an expert on Marx, but is not currently on the forum. If you PM me with more info, I will contact him and get you more info.
Bob
If it is the Mickey Mouse Meteor train set, here is an article about it.
Andy
@Nick DiSandro posted:I am looking at a Marx Disney train set from the 1950’s that does not have the key to wind it. It is a 5 piece set and on EBay. This may not be the place to ask but where can I get information on this set? Thanks.
There's an active email listserv/group of Marx enthusiasts: https://marxtrain.groups.io/g/main Lots of friendly people, including some true Marx experts. See you there!
What kind of information are you looking for? The Disney windup sets are found in the 1950 & 1951 Montgomery Wards catalogs, and have the locomotive, tender, boxcar, gondola, and caboose. The description from the catalog says that it came with a loop of 2-rail windup track, 8 curves and 6 straight sections. I've found three variations of the windup Disney locomotives as well. Reproduction keys are available from Grossman's train parts, although original Marx keys are pretty easy to find.
Edit - That is in reference to the O gauge set. Mark also made a smaller Disney windup set that was part of the Ranger line. Not sure which set you are referring too... just assumed you meant the O gauge set.
It has a number 376 on the engine and the seller is asking $299 OBO. There is no track just the 5 cars. I am not very familiar with Marx but the set just fascinates me. Without a key and not knowing if the windup mechanism works what is it worth?
I think I see the set you are looking at, and it is the smaller Ranger line that Marx produced. I'm not very familiar with the smaller windups, so I really can't speak to the value of the set. Hopefully someone else will be able to chime in...
What gauge would this be considered?
I haven't ever heard of anyone referring to the gauge of a Marx Ranger train... they are their own unique size. Search EBay for "Vintage Ranger Steel #410 Model Mechanical Railroad Toy Train Set with Box" to see an example of the "track" they run on. This listing shows them next to a tape measure: "Vintage, RANGER RAILROAD, TIN WIND-UP TRAIN SET (Working Condition)". They are small...
