MARX Trains: Post WWII

[Anonymous]

This is a duplicate of a post I put up in the survey section. I am very interested in seeing some illustrations of the cars I discuss below.

I know I lusted in my heart for Lionel and American Flyer, both, but we were poor and I had MARX. As I remember now, though, the lithography on the freight cars of my train was outstanding.

I have recently started a project to recreate in HO the cars, at least, from my MARX train which probably dated from about 1945. If anybody can share pictures I'd be very appreciative.

• New Haven box car with the big script New York New Haven and Hartford on the side.
• Santa Fe stock car. This was an addition a year or two later.
• Leigh & New England open hopper. I believe this was a quad hopper.
• Nickel Plate flat car with a timber load. I just finished a Red Caboose model in HO for this car and it does bring back memories.
• A silver tank car. I don't remember the reporting marks but I know t was marked to carry glacial acetic acid. That sounded so interesting to me.
• A caboose -- but I can not remember now if Reading or New York Central. I probably won't recreate this exactly, but may do a model of one of the Rock Island Northeastern cabooses.
These were all metal cars with 4-wheel trucks and metal couplers. Beautiful!

Sometime after the original train I got the MARX station. The station name was Girard (after Girard, Pennsylvania when MARX was headquartered). In 1952 when my parents were searching for a middle name for my new baby brother I suggested Girard -- and they accepted it.

After 1953 I got the two-unit Santa Fe F-units -- in plastic with plastic couplers. It was all down hill after that.

Towerman
Tom

[Algonquin]

Hi Tom,

Kalmbach publishes guides for Marx trains. These have color photos of most of the cars Marx produced. The cars you list were fairly common. I would expect the guides would provide good color photos of the cars.

You can search this site for the availability of these books or you can ask at your local hobby shop. I currently have the Greenberg Guide to Marx Sets. There are lots of clear color photos showing the trains sets.

Regards,

Tim Pignatari