Marx Layout

[S&G Rute of the Silver River]

I am planning to build a layout for some marx trains but would also like to run some lionel (both old and new) any recomendations to track, consruction, clearences, etc. Thanks for the replys! 

[lionelsuperotrack]

If you are interested in Marx you have got to take a look at the MarxTrains Group with over 900 members:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MarxTrain/?yguid=24679421

You will find this group most helpful.

Very best, Mike

[Dr. John]

Like Mike said, the Yahoo Marx group is a great source of information and inspiration.

One word of caution - while Marx and Lionel will run on any brand of O or O-27 three rail tracks, switches (track turnouts) are another matter. Many of the older Marx locomotives (as well as some Lionel pre-war) have a large gear that runs to the edge of  one of the drive wheels. This gear will not clear modern switches by Lionel or other manufacturers. You can use old Marx switches (the all-metal ones are superior in my opinion) but you may have issues with more modern equipment. Sometimes shimming with strips of brass can help with this problem. You might consider a loop of track in your layout planning without turnouts to alleviate this problem, then design the rest of your layout and switches for the type of trains you will run most - old Marx or newer brands.

[S&G Rute of the Silver River]

See I was hoping that I could run modern Lionel during the year but pull out the Marx and  maby an old lionel train for holidays and birthdays. So use the new stuff and just get low releaf machines? How dosen't it clear its behind the wheels which should clear it right?

[Anonymous]

All of my Marx trains are the "New Marx" variety made a few years back by Jim and Debby Flynn.  I previously operated them on Lionel O27 track and switches (without any problems), but when I construct an all-tinplate Marx layout in the future I'm contemplating using Lionel's FasTrack.  Still debating that, though, because I really want to keep a toylike look and feel to that layout, which will have nothing but tinplate items featured--trains, accessories, structures, figures, vehicles, etc.

All I need now is a house big enough to handle that all-tinplate layout with room to display all the boxed sets I have.  My current abode already houses Standard Gauge, O gauge, Large Scale, and Z gauge layouts (all very modest in size), and I just can't fit in anything else.

All the "New Marx" locomotives have more modern mechanisms (including gearing) than the original Marx, so operating over switches is not a problem.

[dwiemer]

One thought would be to use a newer track for the new stuff and run it during the year.  Then, you could just have a loop that you set up for the Marx and prewar Lionel.  If you stick with tubular track, it will be inexpensive and can run everything, except as Dr. John has stated, the turnouts.  The problem, is that the gears go to the end of the wheel flanges, so going through the turnout causes the whole wheel to ride up and derail.  As they mentioned above, the Marx group is full of help, they are amoung the most active groups, so you should be able to find sources for Marx turnouts, etc.

Good Luck

Dennis

[pbjwilson]

This picture shows the geared wheels on old Marx engines. Note that the gear teeth go right to the bottom of the flange on the wheel. These geared wheels will hang up on Lionel switches and crossings. Some pre-war Lionels also have this feature. The 1688 engine is one of them.

[S&G Rute of the Silver River]

I currently have a 40-41 marx tinplate set (#666) with the gears behind the drivers. I was hoping to use ither fast track or use a small welth of tube rail, but its all rusty and I don't know if it can be saved. amazinly I have no switches, but plenty of track.

[JamesPH1966]

On my old layout I used Marx switches exclusively (the older tin O27, along with some newer plastic O27 and O34) and never really had any problems with anything I ran - and that includes pre-war Lionel and 3/16" Flyer, post-war Lionel, lots of 1970's-80's vintage MPC and some very early Williams.  There is a moinor issue with the frog shorting out on the metal switches - easily fixed with a scrap of paper. There is also supposed to be a problem with center rail pickup over the gap on the metal switches - although I never experienced the problem myself, there is an easy fix using a track pin.  Some of my pre-war 3rd rail sliders would catch occasionally on the center rail - but again that is also easily fixed and not an issue if running post-war ot MPC era Lionel or any Marx. 

Being stuck in the stone age, I'm not sure how modern electronics would deal with the quirks of older Marx trackage - so I'd agree with the above advice and have special trackage just for the older equipment and modern track (and, more importantly, a modern power supply) for modern equipment.

 

 

[palallin]

If manual switches will serve, Lionel 1024 O27 switches will accomodate the large gears.

[jimhaleyscomet]

I am running an old Marx Commodore Vanderbuilt through MTH Realtrak switches and do not have a problem with the gear. 

Go figure.

Jim H

[Trey]

I found an E-train article by Dick Reichard that talks a little about this.   This article also talks about how you can build your own.  He offers the manuals to do it.   Looks like he has done the hard part with all of the engineering.   He also has plans for 15 degree, Wyes, and curved switches. 

http://www.tcamembers.org/articles/operating/marxsw/index.html 

Has anybody here tried building these?  I've got the manuals on the to-buy list...

 

Trey