Marx Train pictures

My Rock Island diesels, great runners.  

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.

Some of these pics have been posted before, but here are a few of my Marx sets.

First, my very 1st train set, thanks to my grandfather:

Next, a nifty 999 set I picked up this past year:

Finally, a Walgreens Army set I got for Christmas:

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).

My pics from1989...sold my Marx collection in 1995.

The layout was all Marx equipment and was only 4’x4’...(things where tough back then.)

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)

Marx UP freight running on the S&Y RR.

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

Enjoy seeing all the Marx. Here are a few of mine.

The caboose above is an American Flyer with Marx Scale Trucks. I have a few more of the Marx Plastic freight with scale trucks, I will have to look for the pictures.

Dean

Here's a video of Marx UP tin pulling Marx plastic freight on scale trucks. 

Dean

PW53inVa posted:

Enjoy seeing all the Marx. Here are a few of mine.

The caboose above is an American Flyer with Marx Scale Trucks. I have a few more of the Marx Plastic freight with scale trucks, I will have to look for the pictures.

Dean

 

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.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.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

I posted this on another thread but thought others might like to see it here. This is my little Marx layout in my upstairs spare bedroom/study. Southern Pacific has a load of new Dimestore vehicles to deliver. 

Dean