One of my favorite sets, so one of the few 4 wheel sets I have kept. Work Train Set 3999S has the electric sparking Mercury and an unusual mixture of black frames and red litho frames in the same set.
Steve
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I can see why this is one of your favorite sets. The graphics are very crisp and very colorful. I love the sparklers too.
Very nice!
Peter
great looking set.
What year is the catalog picture?
1938 Montgomery Wards
Steve
Originally Posted by RoyBoy:
What year is the catalog picture?
Steve,
Now that is a great old train set!
PCRR/Dave
I don't collect six inch, but I (and everybody else, it seems) really do like the Marx
3/16" work train sets, which seem to have several variations.
That is a great set, and nine cars in it too; if only today's starter sets were so large!
Is that the yellow C&S reefer with the lower Vanderbilt set?
Yes it is. I find it interesting the the set on the top has all multi color litho cars and the set on the bottom is the earlier 2 color litho.
Steve
Originally Posted by Firewood:
That is a great set, and nine cars in it too; if only today's starter sets were so large!
Is that the yellow C&S reefer with the lower Vanderbilt set?
Montgomery Wards was offering "Switch Trains Sets" about that time. I see an oval
with a switch which I assume is with the #1.98 wind-up set. Oval, switch, and all
those cars for $1.98?! Marx was probably using the older, plainer, cheaper cars in the wind-up set.
Just for fun, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has an inflation calculator HERE.
$1.98 windup set in 1938 would be $33.24 in 2014 dollars. I would gladly give that for everything pictured there... brand new in box, to boot! ...and with a reversing mechanical CV, too!
Steve's set would cost $107.29 in 2014 dollars. Again, quite a bargain... 
