Please help!!!

[Anonymous]

We have a Louis Marx and Co. Diesel Type Electric Train that my husbands father handed down to him. We do not know the exact date but it has to be somewhere between 1945-1955. Most likely early 50's. We don't know anything about trains or their value! The train set is in it's original box and is in working condition. It wasn't played with much and just needs to be cleaned. The only info we have is:

(found on box)
CAT No. 1669
PAT No. 2019 196
No. 44564

2 Locomotives both gray w/ red and yellow accents
Both say Santa Fe in black w/ No. 1095 in yellow
Both are 8 wheel
One has engine w/ working headlight

2 Passenger Cars both silver and light up
Both say Santa Fe in red w/ No. 3152 in red
Both 8 wheel

1 Caboose, silver, lights up
Also says Santa Fe in red w/ No. 3197 in red
Has 8 wheels

The Locomotives are both plastic with metal undercarriages. The others are all tin (I guess) w/ plastic accents.

If anyone has any info on the value of this train it would be appriciated!!!

[Anonymous]

you may end up having to do a google search...

I found a site at http://mywebpages.comcast.net/marxtin/site/marxtin.htm


or you could look on ebay for similar sets

good luck

[Dave Farquhar]

I don't have the Greenberg Marx Price Guide or I'd look it up for you. You might check your library; my local library does have that particular book. It's not in most bookstores but you can get it from Amazon.com.

I'm no expert on Marx but hopefully I can get you pointed in the right direction.

The bad news is that Marx stuff generally isn't worth as much as Lionel. The good news is that interest in Marx is growing. That's not surprising; although realism wasn't their strong suit, Marx definitely has charm. They're nice trains. More good news: If you're wanting to get it working, Marx stuff tended to be very durable, and it's usually not much work at all to get them going. Frequently they just get back up and go even after sitting in the box for years. Also, if the set is complete (or very close to it) and in the original box, it's worth more.

The early '50s time frame sounds reasonable.

To clean it, the safest way is to use a soft paint bru***o brush away the dust. For stubborn dirt, use water and a very, very small amount of dish soap. Harsher cleaners can damage the paint. If your intent is to sell it, you're probably better off leaving it as you found it; most collectors prefer to clean the items themselves. If your intent is to hang on to it (like to put around the Christmas tree or enjoy with the kids), then feel free to clean it.

I could be off base here, but I'm going to guesstimate the set's value at $100-$125. I usually see the Marx Santa Fe diesels sell for around $50 for the pair (1 powered and 1 unpowered). Tin Marx cars vary pretty widely in price. Common stuff can go for as little as $4. Really rare stuff can be much higher, of course. Average is $10-$20. Assume a value of $15 per car, and add a bit of a premium for it being a complete set in a decent box, and that's how I'm arriving at the $100 figure.

I definitely recommend checking out the price guide, and be sure to read and understand the condition guide at the front. I see poor condition Marx priced at Mint (like new) prices all the time.

Many Marx trains weren't to scale; if you're wanting to get accessories to go with it, they're designed for O27 Gauge track. Lionel and K-Line track (available in many hobby shops) works just fine with Marx track. O and O27 Gauge accessories look good with most Marx trains. K-Line acquired a lot of Marx's tooling when Marx went under in the 1970s; many K-Line branded buildings, etc. are old Marx, so they're perfect for accessorizing a Marx set. Plasticville works well also.

One thing to keep in mind: If you're thinking of buying more track and want something more complex than a loop or figure 8, don't buy a modern Lionel or K-Line switch unless you can return it. Many, if not all, Marx trains can't negotiate a modern Lionel or K-Line switch. Vintage Marx switches are durable though; you can find them easily on eBay, or if you have a hobby shop that deals in vintage trains, they may very well have some.

I hope this helps.

[lionelsoni]

Marx locomotives generally cannot get through old Lionel switches either. The gear teeth on the back of the drive wheels were made to the full diameter of the flanges, creating effective "fat" flanges on one side of the engine that don't fit through the flangeways of Lionel switch frogs. The Marx switches have special spring-loaded flangeways that move out of the way.

[Anonymous]

The set number would be the 44564. I can't find anything for it online. You can search for references to set 44544 and find a few photos.

The 3152 cars can fetch $50 apiece if they're in very good shape. A powered 1095 in great shape might get you $30, a dummy maybe $10. The 1669 transformer goes for around $30. Now, I don't collect Marx, so I don't know what all these items together in an original set box would bring. A good 44544 set seems to sell between $200-$350 depending on how raggedy the box is.

[Anonymous]

For some more information the engines are Marx E7 type diesels and the passenger cars are of the Marx 3/16" scale variety of cars. The 3197 car is a dome observation car, not a caboose. The prices given by Rick H. are about right except that the powered and dummy engines are both worth the same. The Greenberg price guide lists them as being worth $30-$50 each, depending on their condition. They were always sold together as sets and so neither one is harder to find than the other and so that's why they're both worth the same.

[Anonymous]

roberts1:
There is a MARX expert on this and the OGR Forums who can answer your questions as well as anyone. His screen name on both forums is Thor. Look up one of His posts and get his E-Mail address, You can ask Him directly then. Hope this helps.
Walt Cameron

[Anonymous]

TrolleywAlt, are you the owner of Western HobbyCraft?

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by TrolleyWalt

roberts1:
There is a MARX expert on this and the OGR Forums who can answer your questions as well as anyone. His screen name on both forums is Thor. Look up one of His posts and get his E-Mail address, You can ask Him directly then. Hope this helps.
Walt Cameron

Of course with Thor, expect to get a lesson on plastic Army men as well!!