Where did the MARX tooling go?

If you are talking about the tooling for the plastic era trains, much of it went to K-Line and after that, some went to RMT. the things I am thinking about are:

333 steam engine

1829 steam engine

tender for 1829

deluxe box car

deluxe stock car

deluxe depressed center flat car

deluxe three dome tank car

deluxe bay window caboose

If you are talking about metal trains, I think most of that tooling has not surfaced. I think Ameritrains had to make their own tooling and used lighter gauge metal.

I also read in the other O-gauge mag years ago an interview with one Jay Horowitz, owner of a Florida plastics company, who was pictured with many of the original plastics molds.  I wrote him a letter suggesting that it would be nice to remake some E7s, but to no avail.

I don't remember when this was, (after 1985)   but in a Marx meet at York, Jim Flynn

(who made New Marx) was there with somebody from an outfit in Florida that supposedly owned a lot of the old Marx molds.  Flynn there announced he was going

to be making if not re-making some "new" Marx. (I don't think that announcement was

well received there, as re-do's, such as of "Girl's Trains" etc, are considered a threat to the original's value) I bought very little New Marx, as I was only interested in the

Marx with the tilt fork coupler, and much New Marx was tab and slot, so I lost interest fairly quickly).  However, as widely known, Flynn went ahead and produced New Marx.  I do not know how much, if any, of the molds from the Fla. company, who I understood

invested in and dealt in old molds, were used by Flynn.  I don't thnk Flynn made any

plastic rolling stock.  There are people attending the York Marx meet who probably know all the details, as might that Wheeling, W. Va. Marx Museum.

Yup!  Jay Horowitz IS the guy who was with Flynn in that Marx meet.

AFAIK, most of the Marx plastic molds found their way to China during the K-Line era. Apparently RMT is reissuing cars and accessories made on that tooling. I don't see a large market for Marx as you can buy comparable Lionel, MTH, and Atlas for about the same cost. As their accessories were cheaply made, Marx was always priced 30-40% less than Lionel in the 1950's which would be hard to duplicate today.  Perhaps that's why we don't see more Marx products being reissued.

Jim and Debbie Flynn made "New Marx" lithographed tinplate trains, although they are no longer in production. These were not strict reproductions of old Marx trains, but more like what Marx might be making if they were still in business making tinplate.  Traditional Marx styling but really great new ideas and bright litho graphics.  Some examples:

Although they no longer manufacture new Marx, Jim and Debbie still buy and sell trains; they have a presence on eBay where they sell as "jdpltd".

Jim Flynn provided me the following for the opening page of my New Marx/Ameritrains Yahoo Group.

Steve

The idea to start Marx Trains, was more of an opportunity presenting itself, than a grand, well thought-out inspiration. We knew the owner of the Marx name, and he was willing to license it. We discovered a company that could lithograph on metal in our home town of Addison, IL. I had graphic arts training that I was not using. The owner of Marx thought that the existing train tooling, then in a warehouse in Buffalo, NY, could be purchased, reasonably. We determined (Debby and I), that a line of Marx-compatible trains could be developed that would compliment, not compete with vintage tin Marx Trains. With Marx Toys' support, we developed the tooling for the Canadian Pacific cars, based on the St. P & P old-time cars. Names were chosen for the 8 cars, that were not used on the prewar 6" Canadian Pacific cars. The names chosen were also places that we had visited on a trip the year we got married. I hand-drafted the artwork and Marx Trains was rolling.
I believe that we achieved our goal of making compatible, not competing trains. Trains that were logical progressions or off-shoots of what Louis Marx had begun, but discontinued when train production went to die-cast locos and plastic cars. Thanks to the support of Al Osterud , we were able to study archives models such as the "Girard Dinor" from in 1939, but never produced for sale, until we did it over 60 years later.
I could go on, but this has already exceeded the paragraph you requested. We decided to sell the company in 2004, as we were not able to move the company forward at the pace we wanted. We continue to support the owners of Ameritrains, and hope that they will be able to produce diesels, streamliners and other new products that our resources could not.
James R. Flynn 2/21/2007 

While I, as some feared was about to happen at the announcement, was hoping that

New Marx was going to, at least, duplicate the style and form of the old Marx. But

NOT the graphics, and the fact that New Marx, as I feel is shown by the cars above, did

not do that but went down a new and different path, was a disappointment to me.  I

did not want the Pa. stock car duplicated in brown, and numbered 53942, but would

have liked a very similar car in other road names, and such new things as an extended

box car with double doors, etc., in the old Marx style. Given how expensive they must have been to produce when mfg. seemed to be being sent out of the country, I found the redone 3/16 trucks and couplers highly acceptable, but only liked the flat cars they appeared on, which seemed most closely to match the old Marx (with new road

names).  As my interest was only the 3/16, these are the only ones in my eyes that

were "compatible".  However, getting anything, and much more than that was actually

done, is no mean achievment, and put New Marx in the tinplate history books.

Thanks Steve, that about sums it up.  Jim & Debbie did a fine job making some very high quality tinplate and made a great contribution to the hobby.  And the Flynns are still wonderful people to do business with and a valuable source for vintage tinplate.

A year ago I bought some "new" Marx cars at an antique store in Va. They are nice looking cars. At the time I didn't know what they were.  Have a mix of vintage and old Marx engines and cars plus buildings.  I keep my eye open for Marx items if they are in devcent shape. I like the plastic cars, I think thy are well done.

great info Steve.

The main reason why I asked about Marx tooling was that I was hoping one day to buy the Marx tooling and attempt to rebuild the Engine that built the Louis Marx Company engines like The Commodore Vanderbilt, Canadian Pacific engines, 999, 666, 1666, 333, 1829 and many other rememberable engines and rolling stock. I have A feeling that it will be A rough road but I am will to try it.

Marx also made a ton of other stamped steel toys, action sets, trucks, etc.  Wonder what happened to all that tooling?  Probably sold as scrap.

some of the tooling ended up in Japan as well, as evidenced by the Marusan copies of the Lumar Lines 93 floor trains in about 8 different versions and the number 5 turnover tanks. I suspect some of the Line Mar toys must have also used some of the original tooling.

The owner of Marx thought that the existing train tooling, then in a warehouse in Buffalo, NY, could be purchased, reasonably.

Does anyone know where or the name of the warehouse in Buffalo?

OK, I did some quick googling.  It looks like Fisher Price ended up with the Marx tooling when Quaker Oats purchased Marx.  Fisher Price is based out of East Aurora, NY outside of Buffalo.  I doubt there are any Marx Tooling stored there though.  I would guess the story about the Buffalo warehouse comes from the late 70s and 80s when the Fisher Price factory in East Aurora was actually operational.  Today it is basically offices and a small store / play area.  They may produce a few items on site but it is not the production facility it once was.  The store itself is disappointing and the site has been overhauled a few times since the 80s.  I remember visiting it as a kid on a field trip and they were actually producing the fisher price little people.  Every kid got one to take home.  this was in the early 80s.  It may be worth a call to Fisher Price in East Aurora.

Scott

I believe the tooling for the 999 went to Mexico before Marx went out of business. They made the 999 out of plastic for awhile.

K-Line, I think, did a Marx 333 bodied engine, and then was that not followed by Lionel, who may own or have leased that perticular engine's tooling?   Being the fourth user of that tooling, with Lionel at least having rights to it, will indeed be a challenge.  Hard for me to believe people were standing  in line for the New Marx, but I guess I just want what I want, and they were not producing that.  (problem I have with almost

all the new catalogs)

Okay....who's on first, or, more broadly, which team is at bat?   Marx/Ameritrains?

had (has?) a space in the dealer (Toyota, once) hall, but I have not seen anything

that looked new in that space when passing it in several Yorks.  I have seen a lot of

old Marx, sets, etc. offered there.  Is Ameritrains still producing trains....??  I thought I read they were not, but, for reasons noted above, did not pay a lot of attention,  although I have wondered if something I might have wanted got by me?

I wish someone would reissue that ge 70 tonn switcher.

Well, coincidentally, and not to get off subject, but I have just found a flyer for Rich

Yoder TWO RAIL GE 70 tonners.  Since RY offered one finished for the Frankfort

and Cincinnati, once noted for its gas electrics (and which roadbed I have tracked,

with rails long gone!), I was going to ask in another posting if RY had done any three

rail (I thought he had)? Of course, if PRRHSC above wants a 3 rail GE, we are both out of luck from this source.