Look at this pic of what I believe is a Marx prewar crossing gate, and tell me why you think they added the eyelet near the center of the arm, allowing it to bend as you see in this picture?
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most likely for packaging purposes...….easy for them to get it in a smaller box.....
Recently saw a Pennsylvania Railroad video that had a very similar crossing gate where the gate was 2 pieces with an extension joined where the two pieces meet at the end.
I think it wasn’t intentional that the Marx Gate has the ‘bend’ rather the eyelet rivet probably loosened from use over time. I’ve seen gates in great condition that aren’t loose.
I think it was designed to mimic real crossing gates. In some places there may have been clearance issues. Other than that I think it is a structural problem solution. Even today here in South Texas I have seen a few bent in half because of the winds we have.
Very common to droop as they age. Just tighten the eyelet.
Steve
Bill DeBrooke posted:I think it was designed to mimic real crossing gates. In some places there may have been clearance issues. Other than that I think it is a structural problem solution. Even today here in South Texas I have seen a few bent in half because of the winds we have.
Ha ha. Yeah, right. "The wind." 
Pete
Texas Pete posted:Bill DeBrooke posted:I think it was designed to mimic real crossing gates. In some places there may have been clearance issues. Other than that I think it is a structural problem solution. Even today here in South Texas I have seen a few bent in half because of the winds we have.
Ha ha. Yeah, right. "The wind."
Pete
In Lockhart the wind may not be as fast as it is in the Valley and the bar-b-que may not be as good as in the Valley but as I recall the water is just as bad with all that sulfur in it. Everyone in Northern Mexico flushes their toilet into the Rio Grande which supplies our water.
You guys have oil and we have wind farms. Sorry folks, inside Texas ribbing.
Almost every one I saw as a kid in the 50's was like that. That's why I wanted a Lionel crossing gate for Christmas. I got the crossing gate and an operating Lionel log car. Don
"You guys have oil and we have wind farms."
With enough retirees and snowbirds, any place can be a wind farm.
GeoPeg posted:Look at this pic of what I believe is a Marx prewar crossing gate, and tell me why you think they added the eyelet near the center of the arm, allowing it to bend as you see in this picture?
Yeah, my Dad bought a Marx crossing gate in the early Fifties, for our Lionel Christmas-platform layout, and it loosened and started flapping around exactly as you say, before the holidays were even over. Personally, I don't think it had anything to do with duplicating prototype -- pretty much the only reason Marx did anything at all was to reduce cost (and no, I'm not anti-Marx; I have a small collection of it, and I enjoy it and appreciate it).
Just tightening the rivet doesn't work for long. It loosens up again in very short order, leaving you no better off than you began. The only thing I ever found that helped was to run a small steel machine screw through the rivet hole, put a nut on it, and screw it down firmly. It's not an ideal solution -- I'm still searching for that -- but so far it's worked fairly well.
That joke fell flat, You.... and since; I'll work to expell it forcefully 
Dont blow GASket.. me than-gs it is always a wisper of funny 
I think there really is a prototype. I recall this being asked before. But I'm not sure about the why.
Maybe the goal was so an oil lamp could be used, remaining more level is needed, and semi extended so as to not be hitting the vertical base.
It could also be to provide a smaller break away section to be replaced as folks usually strike the ends when going around them. (You know folks were just as stupid back then too...likely more so )
