These layouts look fantabulous and I wish I could contribute more but my camera decided to self destruct.What I like about all of them is that the "toys" themselves are the focus and not the setting as the accessories and the trains are the scenery.. In Tinplate Times there was an essay on this philosophy, which also is prevalent in Standard Gauge. The colors are what strikes me. I just acquired a .Unique Art steamer and the lithography is amazing..They share the same couplers as my Hafner wind up rolling stock. The one pictured below looks like mine.. condition is very good. Cost? $15.00 What doe not show up is the striking blue colors that look dim in this photo. It is closer in scale to standard O than the smaller Marx which is like S on O track. If you spot one, my advice is to get one. After two years in this, I am still on a learning curve..I guess I am slow.
Becky, those wonderful creations look fantastic as you appear to have a natural talent for that. I am still flummoxed to account for that other wonderful creation, the tropical tinplate layout.
Nothing is more fairly distributed than common sense: no one thinks he needs more of it than he already has.
Looks really good! On my Marx layout, I'm planning on using 4" wide "no-slip" tape for roads. I'll probably paint it gray, since the Marx roadbed is black. I just use Matchbox or Hot Wheels cars. Here's a shot of mine; we've got quite a few items in common:
American Flyer made quite a few manual accessories that fit quite nicely with Marx tinplate. The semaphores and the orange RR crossing sign are by them, as well as the #90 station.
J White
David, for tin cars try here
www.tintoyarcade.com
Layout looks great, look forward to seeing progress
Have fun with your trains
Here is an update on my temporary Marx tinplate layout. I have aquired a few more accessories, 2 Main St. lights, floodlight, dump station, 2nd crossing gate, 2nd crossing signal. The final size will be 3 1/2' x 5' and will fit on top of the table that sits in the space between my Lionel and HO layouts. I have modified the track layout again. The road is designated by white paper strips. I know this doesn't look like much, but the whole layout is just a prelude to building a final layout table with permanent wiring. I'm leaning toward a painted table top as opposed to felt or green carpet. For trees and people, I'm using profile images that I printed on thin cardboard. Tin automobiles would look really nice, but they seem to be very collectable and expensive, so I might settle on plastic ones.
nickaix I bet pool table felt would look great--expensive, but for a small area, tolerable.
I bet pool table felt would look great--expensive, but for a small area, tolerable.
Pool table? Interesting fact, in the very first episode of The Addams family when Gomez is first seen, he's playing with his now infamous train set....interstingly the layout, based on a Lionel display layout, is set up on a large pool table which can be clearly seen in the opening shot, so it has been done. I'd do it if I had the dedicated room for a permanant non movable layout, pick up a second hand pool table, one that can no longer be used for pool, be alot cheaper, as long as the woodwork is in good shape, be a nice starting point for an old school style layout.
On the other hand, you might consider going with natural wood--even the bare table you have right there really complements the colors of the trains, to my mind anyway. Add a gloss finish, and you have a table to match your beautiful, shiny, "un-weathered" tinplate.
Looks good to me! Nice and colourful. My girlfriend loves Marx so we've been "shopping" for her now.
Looks great. I am glad to see the shop crews take good care of the rolling stock ! The trolley looks wonderful..are you taking orders? My equipment is er..naturally weathered, at least that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. .Keep us posted..between you and VS..you have proven that an attractive, colorful and fun layout has nothing to do with square footage. Right on, fellow Marxist.
Fantastic quality of tinplate David, and very nice layout. Almost looks like it came off the assembly line down the street!
patrick
vsmith Very nice! I like the trolley. Are you planning to permanently fix the track down? On my mechanical layout I used paint for grass, roads, ballast, etc. gave it a neat 'old school' feeling
Very nice! I like the trolley.
Are you planning to permanently fix the track down?
On my mechanical layout I used paint for grass, roads, ballast, etc. gave it a neat 'old school' feeling
Yes, I am planning on screwing the track down for a permanent but portable layout. I'm trying to decide whether to paint the board, cover it with felt or use green carpet. Right now I'm thinking that a painted board might give the best "feel" for an old tinplate layout. The board that I'm using now is just to get the concept of the layout down. The final layout will use 1/4" plywood over a 1 x 3 frame.
I love tinplate!
Trains, trains, wonderful trains. The more you get, the more you toot!
Wow! Those are beautiful. Other than the Wabash, I've never seen Marx trains like those. I did find one of those whistling stations over the winter - I just love the colors on it.
For the past 3 years I have been collecting a little bit of old (1940's - 1960's)lithographed Marx engines, 6" tin freight cars and accessories and have used them in my Christmas tree layout. Marx ligthographed tinplate has a toylike charm, they operate well(with a little coaxing)and are inexpensive to collect. Recently I have been thinking of making a very small permanent portable layout that will incorporate most of the Marx. In our basement there is a table that sits between my Lionel 027 layout and my wife's HO layout and I would like the layout to sit on the table when it is not being used. Very small layouts are a challenge because you need to try and make the most out of very little space. Here is what I've come up with so far in the design phase.
I'm not aware that Marx ever made a tinplate trolley so I came up with an old toy trolley and replaced the insides with a Lionel handcar motor. The lithographed tin and size of the trolley fit perfectly with old Marx.
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