Need Help with repair of Marx train

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone.

I'm not a train collector, but have a vintage train that was originally my fathers. I remember playing with it when I was a kid and it worked great. It has, however, taken some abuse in recent years from some nephews. I now have it back in my possession and set it up this Christmas for my son to enjoy. He's loved it, but I've been disappointed and frustrated trying to get it running correctly. As I said, I'm not a collector and not knowledgeable about the detailed operation of the train. But it seems pretty basic. Any help in getting it running again would be appreciated.

It’s a Louis Marx train with a 50 W transformer which says catalog number 1239. The tender car has Nickel Plate Road printed on it. The engine seems to be losing contact with the track and will stop moving. Sometimes, doesn’t move at all. When it does move, there are more sparks than I seem to remember there being when I was kid. I’ve re-soldered the wire from the contact pad to the housing of the front bulb – it seemed lose. That resulted in no improvement. The contact pad itself has a bit of a groove worn in it and so I also added some solder in the low places. Also, no improvement. Finally, I went through the track and made sure the connections were tight. Still, intermittent running. The reset button on the transformer does not trip when it stops moving.

Thanks in advance for any help. Let me know if I need to provide additional information.

Happy Holidays

K.C.

[Jim Duda]

K.C. - Let's see if we can direct the problem(s) to the engine itself or the track...lay the engine upside down on a towel and connect the leads directly from the transformer to it: one to the contact pad and the other to another part of the engine. If it operates steadily then we can suspect the track. If it turns out to be the track, have you cleaned it? I prefer to wipe it down with DENATURED alcohol. You could lighly sand it with 600 grit paper but you'll have to vacuum it well to remove any minute metal residue. Then wipe it clean with the alcohol.

That's where I would start...more definitive comments will follow from the other experts.

[Anonymous]

Jim,

Excellent! The train runs like a champ connected directly to the transformer. I'll clean up the track and see if it will run constant.

Thanks.

K.C.

[Jim Duda]

Pay careful attention to how well the pins mate with the female part of the connections. Are any pins rusty looking? If you don't have track pliers you can carefully squeeze the openings for a snug fit. Also squeeze the track around the pins. Betcha' that does it!

Merry Christmas and enjoy the MarX...!

[lionelsoni]

I would try cleaning with Scotch-brite before sanding. The track is tin-plated steel; and, if there is any tin left on the tops of the rails, you don't want to sand it off if you don't have to.

If you have a 3/32 punch or a loose track pin, you can put it into the rail and squeeze the web together with long-nosed pliers to pull the metal tight around the pin, then take the punch or pin out and squeeze the web again just a tiny bit higher, to make the hole slightly smaller so that the fit is tight.

[Dave Farquhar]

Vinegar on a Scotch-brite pad does an excellent job of removing rust and any other crud on the surface. Denatured alcohol does a better job on dirt but the vinegar does wonders on rust, if it's slightly rusty.

[Jim Duda]

K.C. I'm not sure how much track you're talking about but if it's primarily a Christmas Train setup, you can still get O27 track very reasonably or whatever brand and style of track suits you best. I think everyone will agree new track makes a HUGE difference!

Anyway, I hope you and your son spend many hours enjoying grampa's train set - that's what they're for...