Marx 1666 Help

[trains2353]

Thanks for all the info. It is working well; better the more I run it. I'm going to add a rear truck and just run and enjoy it.

The smoke output is really neat!

[arkady]

trains2353

Off topic, but does a Marx 1666 have an e-unit switch somwhere?

The axiom is "Never say never, with Marx."  But I've never seen a 666 or 1666 with an e-unit cutout, no.

I just picked one up and it only goes in reverse.

Not unusual.  Marx reverse units are very rugged but also very susceptible to dirt and oil contamination.  When I buy a locomotive with a stuck reverse unit, I have to repeatedly douse the internals of the unit with electronic contact cleaner.  In one extreme case (a prewar Commodore Vanderbilt), I had to disassemble the motor frame completely to get at all the parts of the reverse unit and thoroughly degrease them all.

NOTE WELL: If you use spray-on contact cleaner to free your reverse unit, do NOT use the kind with added lubricant.  It will only make things worse.  Use the kind that is cleaner-only.

 

 

[trains2353]

Off topic, but does a Marx 1666 have an e-unit switch somwhere? I just picked one up and it only goes in reverse.

Sorry for the interuption. 

[jimtone]

Which smoker unit is it, does it only smoke thru the stack or does it smoke from both the stack and the bottom chests under the smoke unit?

[baberuth73]

I followed johnnyt's instructions to the letter and all went well. In fact,maybe a little too well. The smoker worked so well I had to raise a window!!

[jimtone]

I know this is a very old thread but did you ever figure this smoker out and find what style it was?

[8ntruck]

I've worked on two Marx 666's in the last year or so.  Both had inoperative smoke units.  Both had broken solder joints on the power wire for the smoke unit.  Re-soldered the wire, and everything worked as is should.

[johnnyt]

Hi,what is it that is wrong with your 666?Does the smoke unit not work?The Marx trains are very easy to disassemble!Remove the two small screws on each side down by the push rods,pull up and forward(slightly) at the same time being careful to not bend the copper bracket that supports the front of the smoke unit!The smoke unit will slide up out of the groove in the copper bracket,this bracket is fairly flexible,just take it slow,(be careful to not break the head light as you pull it out!The back of the motor chassis has two slots that will release when you slide the whole thing forward and the whole chassis will come right out!!Your smoke unit just probably needs to be cleaned(does it smoke at all?)Spray the whole thing,motor,up in the smoke unit and in the e-unit with electrical contact cleaner you can get from any car parts store,be sure and let the cleaner evaporate good,lightly lube the armature shaft, wheel bearings and gears and put 10 drops of smoke fluid in the unit before hooking it up to test it on your transformer!!If the smoke doesnt work you will have to take it apart and put a new element and wick in it,not hard to do either!!Marx trains are very resilient and it just probably needs a good cleaning,hope this helps you!

[rtraincollector]

I just sent

[baberuth73]

Is there a website that shows schematics for marx locomotives? I found one back when I was repairing a Lionel product and it was a great help but have had no luck finding a Marx one. I'd love to have the book mentioned above but I can't justify spending 40 bucks on something I may never use again. The parts for Marx site seems to be only for ordering parts and not for supplying information about how to disassemble particular models.I thought for sure one of you guys would have some expertise on this locomotive.

[cpsteamer]

As suggested go to http://www.trainpartsformarx.com/ .

It is Robert Grossman's web site and he's the premier seller of Marx parts(and a CTT advertiser). Best of all he sells a book called MARX TRAINS REPAIR MANUAL. Everything you need to know is in there. Your 1666 has it's own section including smoke assembly repair. Just about every Marx Train item is covered in this manual.

Beware though of buying this manual on Ebay. Some ebay sellers list it at exhorbitant prices preying on uninformed buyers.

 

Ken

 

[choochin3]

There was an article in CTT in the late 80's,or early 90's on the servicing of Marx smoke units.

 

Carl T.

[rtraincollector]

http://www.trainpartsformarx.com/ try this site  you may also try amazon.com and a few other sites maybe ubid might have something also . If you need a repair guy I know a few as does about everyone else in here and theres even a few marx guys in here that probally have a lot more help than I have

[baberuth73]

I recently acquired a Marx 1666 that has what I believe is a smoking unit ( a large grey piece located above the lead truck). I'm not familiar with the larger Marx steamers so I  hope one of you fellows would offer some advice on complete disassembly so I won't damage anything in the process. I tried the archives to no avail.