I have looked to buy a Guide to Marx Trains book for several years. They are hard to find at train shows and even on internet book sellers. I finally got this one at a reasonable price. Normally this Greenberg’s Marx Trains Guide book costs about $70 - $85 each and this older 1978 book is the only one that has motive power, rolling stock and accessories included in one volume. The newer published 1990 "Greenberg,s Guides to Marx Trains" have three separate (Volumes, I, II and III) books to cover these topics, all still cost about $70 – $80 or more each if you can find them.
The "Greenberg’s Guide to Marx Trains" book by Eric J. Matzke 1978 was written from Mr. Matzke’s notes on his Marx trains and his research of Marx trains. 79 of the books 135 pages are tables of Marx trains giving car/engine title, description, and sometimes prices in 1978. There are 47 pages that have one or more black and white picture and six of the pages are in color, the best being a double page showing all Marx F 7 Diesel 1095’s and my favorite running engine, the Marx 1998 switcher, in various road names and colors. I have an old "Greenberg’s Price Guide to Lionel Trains of 1945 - 1979" for engines, cars, accessories and train sets that have mostly color pictures of all items on most pages.
This book has good write ups on the history of Marx’s trains, Louis Marx and Joy Line of trains. Its lists the six inch four and six wheel cars, six inch cars with eight wheels, seven inch cars, three-sixteenth scale cars, tinplate and plastic cars, locomotives, tenders and Diesels and research and development cars.
I was disappointed at the lack of pictures and detailed train equipment descriptions in this book. I have 31 Marx 1590 switches on my layout and these switches were not even listed although the older lighted model Marx 1610 switch was with a small B&W picture. Later I looked at a 1978, 15 page supplement, loosely included in my book and I found 15 more pages of tables in which my Marx 1590 was included.
There was little discussion of the these switches which could have pointed out some of these Marx switches superior features to the more costly Lionel switches (use no power when not in operation, lower switch machine profile, less expensive and but did point out it will pass Marx fat geared wheel engines like Marx 999).
If you buy a copy of this book make sure the 1978 supplement is included.
A major short coming of this book is it lacks an Index. The Index should include a listing of each Marx item like engine, car or accessory by number and show what page it is on. It takes a lot of looking to find an item even when you have the number. I am sure the newer 1990 Volume I and II of "Greenberg’s Guide to Marx Trains" book are better, with more pictures and descriptions. The Volume III is on Marx train sets. There are also copies of DVDs of these newer books readily available.
Charlie
