Marx Train pictures

@Steve "Papa" Eastman posted:

Most Marx fans will get it.

If they don't get it, they need to work on their memory exercises. 

Another H0 set running. I had to swap out locomotives. Still waiting parts for the original one. I’ve been told I was running the loco backward, but Marx put the headlight in the long hood end of the GP-7’s.

Sears set 9930, 1959-60.

@Steve "Papa" Eastman posted:

I’ve been told I was running the loco backward, but Marx put the headlight in the long hood end of the GP-7’s.

Sears set 9930, 1959-60.

Depends on the railroad.  Some railroads had their GP's set up for long hood first.

Rusty

@Rusty Traque posted:

Depends on the railroad.  Some railroads had their GP's set up for long hood first.

Rusty

I know it’s an often discussed topic. I’ll settle for the way Marx designed the 😝

Steve

My  big Marx Army set...I ran out of traction before I ran out of cars.

Bob...looks like the Commander of Engines is going to have to give you another for a double head!!  What a great set.  Thanks for posting.

Don

@Don McErlean posted:

Bob...looks like the Commander of Engines is going to have to give you another for a double head!!  What a great set.  Thanks for posting.

Don

Either that or something on the back to shove it !

Thanks Don !

Here’s a Marx set I bought a long time ago in a faux alligator skin carrying case.

@taycotrains posted:

Here’s a Marx set I bought a long time ago in a faux alligator skin carrying case.

Wow! That is gorgeous!!!!

@WRW

Wow! That is gorgeous!!!!

This is my suitcase set.

Steve

I'm a Marx fan and I understand the 666 implication, but I don't get the point of the cartoon. I've been trying to make some sense of it but I am too dense to understand it I guess.

@Prototyper posted:

I'm a Marx fan and I understand the 666 implication, but I don't get the point of the cartoon. I've been trying to make some sense of it but I am too dense to understand it I guess.

I think it has to do with the fact the 333 is only "half" as good as the 666 it replaced ??? ( just a dumb Aussie guessing ?)

As new finds have been depressingly absent in my life the last month or so I can at least update a few new Marx in the collection here downunder ..

A 999 and tender .. ridden hard and put away wet to steal a horsey analogy

and a (gasp) plastic wagon Monon set ... the first and likely last plastic in my collection lol .. its perfectly fine to be a plastic collector but I am pure tin in reality ...Does this make me a bigot?

But look at the glorious bits O tin dragging them round

And here is one in the collection that has stirred debate in the past ... it is a Wells Brimtoy , but it appears to be Marx based . There was indeed a British Marx connection with Brimtoy , as Brimtoy produced many of the buildings and track-side accessories for inclusion in the British Marx sets of the time, however this particular locomotive set was a defining departure from the usual Brimtoy offerings of the period , and the motor and wheels especially look to be Marx "Inspired" . They were not Marx per se , most notably being nut and bolt frames rather than the Marx riveted ones , but the similarity is definitely there I think .

It was postulated that Marx at one point "owned" Brimtoy , but I think that is pure "Marx owned everything" mentality , and there is no record of it happening ... I put it forward that perhaps when Marx acquired Unique Toys ( to put them outta the train business) they had the tooling etc which they would never use in the States and perhaps passed it on to Brimtoy along with some other motor components as part of a deal ... a quid pro quo to save some money for Brimtoy bits and bobs in future British Marx sets ?

This was the only example of this style of train set from Brimtoy who usually just made cheap and colourful sets with smaller units and great litho in place of sturdy mechanicals .

One of the great train mysteries of our age , with theories abounding but no actual facts ( so far)

Fatman...first Brimtoy or not that is a fantastic set, beautiful litho tin for sure.  Now as to your other points...I had heard from a Marx expert, one who worked with Mike Foster on his book sections that covered Marx, that in regards to UK Marx, ALL the motors were made in the United States, hence the similarity of the motor / drive to Marx.  Not sure if this only applied to the electric motors or the clockwork as well.  Now to the question as to whether or not your Brimtoy locomotive / tender were in fact made with the Unique Line tools.  I have included some pictures of my Unique line loco / tender below and I must admit that there seems to be a similarity.

This view showing the basic shape of the cab area seems to be the most similar to your Brimtoy loco.

The Unique Lines tender is similar in shape but much longer than the one you showed but I suppose length would have been easy to alter.

The loco is also very similar in basic shape although the Unique Lines engine is longer being a simulated 4-4-4 vice a 4-4-2 for the Brimtoy.  However making it shorter would not be an "extra" expense since the pilot would have to be changed anyway in order to eliminate the very obvious American "cow catcher" and replace it with a buffer plate and buffers.   It is very possible that making the engine and tender shorter was needed for two reasons...to make the loco / tender more compatible with the very short passenger cars available and to make it more compatible with the Brimtoy radius of curves.  Which I don't know but with Hornby they could be as small as 1 ft. whereas with Marx / Unique Lines they did not normally go below 27".

Well that's my 2 cents...as I said, I loved the Brimtoy train that you pictured, I have never seen one like it and its beautiful.  Thank you for posting.

Don

One of my favorite Marx H0 sets. Love the UP colors marked for AT&SF.
Set 71553. Wish I had got it for the price marked on the box top.

Steve

Steve:  Great Marx HO set...Love that $8 price!!

Don

@Steve "Papa" Eastman posted:

One of my favorite Marx H0 sets. Love the UP colors marked for AT&SF.
Set 71553. Wish I had got it for the price marked on the box top.

Steve

Oh, man...  That MARX Geep is one ugly spud!  The designer must've forgotten his glasses that day.

Regardless of MARX's design work, (their F3 was better) I find these these photo's fascinating from a historical perspective.

BTW, Most of MARX's freight cars are now in Lionel's HO lineup.

Rusty

@Rusty Traque posted:

Oh, man...  That MARX Geep is one ugly spud!  The designer must've forgotten his glasses that day.

Regardless of MARX's design work, (their F3 was better) I find these these photo's fascinating from a historical perspective.

BTW, Most of MARX's freight cars are now in Lionel's HO lineup.

Rusty

I do have one of the Lion Chief H0 freight sets. I may order some loose cars.

Steve

I really like that Santa Fe Flyer PA ABA and passenger set,wow!

@Don McErlean Yes its true that the British Marx locomotives used USA motors supplied by Marx in the U.S. , it just made sense rather than have a dedicated motor workshop/workforce in the UK ... Loius Marx was all about saving a dollar when he could , and the motor tooling etc would have had to be duplicated at a high cost to make the motors in the UK ...however the UK demanded different locos and running stock from the usual American offerings so the coachwork was done on the ground in the Dudley and then Swansea Marx plants . However the only confirmed relationship between Marx and Brimtoy was the inclusion of Brimtoy bits and bobs in Marx UK sets , accessories, as again it was cheaper for Louis to outsource ready made UK tin than devote a proportion of his workforce to it  ( and the tooling etc which cost way more than labour at the time )

Most of you Marx fans know that when they were bought out by Quaker Oats, they produced some of their most colorful sets, especially the Great American Railroad series. They also did it in H0. Set 79537 has a couple hard to find pieces. The red/yellow tank car and bright green boxcar are though to find. Also the 6096 Hudson got renamed for Santa Fe. Also note the unusual display type box. This set is like new. The original grease had locked the motor up. Some applications of oil has now loosened it up.

Steve

Fatman:  Thanks for your input.  I find the on-going relationships among the early toy train manufacturers to be a fascinating bit of history.  It seems that they competed for business but were willing to share when the outcome made business sense for both parties (like sharing accessories that one had already developed the tooling for).  Somehow it seems a little less "cut throat" over today's climate.  I have one UK Marx set, a store set from Gamages' as I recall the store name is on the box.  I shall post it at some point (its a bit inaccessible at the moment as it is in storage).  Interesting to confirm by prior information that the motor came from the US.

Don

Marx H0 Sears set 9977, 1959-60. I like this so much I have two.

Steve

Marx H0 set 16542. Wish I had paid the Taubman’s discounted price.

Steve

Marx H0 set 9979, 1959. Box top is garbage, but nice set. The NYC boxcar is tough to find.
I love the smoking Hudson’s.

Steve

Marx H0 set 17557. The packaging style puts this in the early 70’s, shortly before Marx called it quits.

This set is not mine, on loan to photograph.

Steve

Marx H0 set 9930, 1962.

Steve

Marx Ho set 63850.

Steve

Super enjoying the Marx HO sets and info!

Marx was my first electric train back in '58. I received a very simple little Santa Fe Warbonnet F with three cars and a caboose. Here's the catalog pic. My little Marx set is at the top of the page (Set "A"):

Another Marx set played a major part in my Christmas of '62. Seems I had "hinted" (asked) for a modestly priced Marx set out of the Sears Christmas catalog for Christmas of '62. The engine and cars in the advertised set were the same as the set "Papa" posted above:

However, the set I was interested in had a bridge and ramp set that I thought cool at the time. Here's the catalog pic of that sold me on that particular Marx set (Set "2"):

Well, Sears was out of that set. Nowhere to be found. SO, my mom and dad went to a hobby shop to find a set. Talk about trading UP! What I received for Christmas '62 was a top of the line Lindberg Line set that I LOVED immediately. It had realistically painted cars (like the ones I saw around KC MO) in railroad colors that used FLAT paint. AND, it also had a SWITCH ENGINE for power... just like the types I would see around KC MO! Here's a replica set I purchased several years ago of the set I received in '62:

SO, my Marx set I had hoped for didn't materialize, instead, it was replaced by a top of the line (for its time) Lindberg Line set. That Lindberg Line train set did indeed set the model railroading hook forever in me. (By the way, one car from my original Lindberg Line set cars, the C&NW box, survives to this day and has seen service on every HO layout I've built since... including my current HO layout!)

Now, it would NOT take much for me to become a Marx HO collector. In fact, I saw that same Northern Pacific set on eBay that Papa shared photos of and was interested... but the set didn't appear to contain the ramps w/bridge... so that cooled my fires. I now regret that. I wish I would have seriously considered picking up that set for my "HO Nostalgia" collection. Could have been the bridge/ramps were a separate package that went with the set and I could have found a set "some day" on The Bay.

Oh well!

Andre

@laming posted:

Super enjoying the Marx HO sets and info!

Marx was my first electric train back in '58. I received a very simple little Santa Fe Warbonnet F with three cars and a caboose. Here's the catalog pic. My little Marx set is at the top of the page (Set "A"):

Another Marx set played a major part in my Christmas of '62. Seems I had "hinted" (asked) for a modestly priced Marx set out of the Sears Christmas catalog for Christmas of '62. The engine and cars in the advertised set were the same as the set "Papa" posted above:

However, the set I was interested in had a bridge and ramp set that I thought cool at the time. Here's the catalog pic of that sold me on that particular Marx set (Set "2"):

Well, Sears was out of that set. Nowhere to be found. SO, my mom and dad went to a hobby shop to find a set. Talk about trading UP! What I received for Christmas '62 was a top of the line Lindberg Line set that I LOVED immediately. It had realistically painted cars (like the ones I saw around KC MO) in railroad colors that used FLAT paint. AND, it also had a SWITCH ENGINE for power... just like the types I would see around KC MO! Here's a replica set I purchased several years ago of the set I received in '62:

SO, my Marx set I had hoped for didn't materialize, instead, it was replaced by a top of the line (for its time) Lindberg Line set. That Lindberg Line train set did indeed set the model railroading hook forever in me. (By the way, one car from my original Lindberg Line set cars, the C&NW box, survives to this day and has seen service on every HO layout I've built since... including my current HO layout!)

Now, it would NOT take much for me to become a Marx HO collector. In fact, I saw that same Northern Pacific set on eBay that Papa shared photos of and was interested... but the set didn't appear to contain the ramps w/bridge... so that cooled my fires. I now regret that. I wish I would have seriously considered picking up that set for my "HO Nostalgia" collection. Could have been the bridge/ramps were a separate package that went with the set and I could have found a set "some day" on The Bay.

Oh well!

Andre

Andre, I did not show the lower level of the box. It does have the curved ramp/bridge.

Steve

I check this forum now and then to see if there are any pictures of Marx items my brother, Jim Tucker, had.  I have always regretted not taking any pictures of his Marx trains or the small layout he would take to shows in the California area.  I'm not a Marx collector but he sure was.  He was on the Marx Standards Committee for TTOS.  He had most, if not all, books, catalogs and paper related to Marx.  I remember him references one of them as he tried to explain why a Marx piece he had was so expensive.  I think he wrote it.  I need to go through a box of old photos to see what is in there; maybe a picture of one of his Marx trains I can post.

@Steve "Papa" Eastman posted:

Andre, I did not show the lower level of the box. It does have the curved ramp/bridge.

Steve

Really? Would it be possible for you to upload a pic of it?

I think that's the same set I looked at on eBay recently? Did you purchase it, or just harvested the pics for your photo collection?

Andre

Papa:

Okay, I may be mistaken. I searched for "Completed/Sold" Marx train sets on eBay and did not see the above set. SO... either it was a different set, or I dreamed the whole ordeal after eating spicy pizza.

Andre

A very good friend of mine gave me his -either early postwar- or late prewar Marx set with goodies. They are in very good shape. Haven't run the Canadian Pacific loco, but wouldn't take much to return it to service. Hope you like checking out some really cool Marx train items. PS: there are a few HO (non Marx) items on the right.

!

@laming posted:

Really? Would it be possible for you to upload a pic of it?

I think that's the same set I looked at on eBay recently? Did you purchase it, or just harvested the pics for your photo collection?

Andre

Andre, here’s the lower level. I did get this a couple of months ago on eBay.

Steve

Dadgum! That's an example of the very set I asked for back during Christmas of '62!

I should'a bought that set before you snapped it up.

Just goes to show 'ya: "Ya snooze, 'ya lose"!

'Ya done good, Papa.

Andre

@Viginian65 : Marx 6" cars are sometimes difficult to date as the production stemmed across the war years.  This is especially true of tab/slot coupler cars which were made on both sides of the war.  I have looked at some of your cars and my results are below:

554 4-wheel high sided gondola :  Given the color / lithography likely pre-war, 1937-38

548 CR&P Gondola with 4 milk cans (really hard to find complete with the cans so this is a "keeper") & 552 "groceries and sundries" yellow / tan gondola...both very likely pre-war.  The 548 as early as 1939-1940 and the 552 as early as 1937 but the exact date is very difficult as the 552 had numerous configuration changes in the details.

555 C&S Refer with blue roof / sliding doors - most likely pre-war 1937-1942

553 Santa Fe tank car - this car could be either pre or post war and a lot would depend on the diameter of the dome.  Most early silver cars had a 14mm dia dome with rounded edges while later ones had a 18 mm dia dome that was more squared off.  I can't tell from the picture.  Given all the other cars are pre-war I suppose the tank car would match

The "3000" type Canadian Pacific locomotive had many, many variations and was sold from 1939-1941 and 1946-1952. So it could be either pre or post war.  However the 451 "Canadian Pacific" tender appears to be from 1938-1940 so assuming the engine came with that tender, it would date the pair to pre-war.  I have no definitive data on the stations, Marx made many variations of that type station so the details in the livery are important.  I could not find one in my references that had the notation "day and night service" which almost seems more like a petrol station than a RR station but who knows.  Marx was a genius at re-arranging and using up parts and making "new" toys from them.

Best wishes, great trains, you have a VERY GOOD friend indeed.

Don

@laming posted:

Dadgum! That's an example of the very set I asked for back during Christmas of '62!

I should'a bought that set before you snapped it up.

Just goes to show 'ya: "Ya snooze, 'ya lose"!

'Ya done good, Papa.

Andre

🤪😜😎😝😜

@laming posted:

Papa:

Okay, I may be mistaken. I searched for "Completed/Sold" Marx train sets on eBay and did not see the above set. SO... either it was a different set, or I dreamed the whole ordeal after eating spicy pizza.

Andre

How do I search for “completed/sold” anything on eBay? I’d love to be able to do this. Thank!

Do a search and then scroll down the page, on the left side there are check boxes for "show only" items, one being completed listings another for sold listings