Marx semaphore

[Steve1964]

Hi everybody,

I hope someone besides myself got to go to the Nashville Train Show Today!

I picked up a Marx 439 semaphore, complete with brass track clip. It is a beautiful piece, and when I wired it to my track, it lit right up and worked. However, when the train is passing, it moves from green to yellow, and never goes completely to red. After the train passes, it will not return to green, so it just stays on yellow. I then have to manually reset it to green. It has a small rod inside the post that operates the signal, there is not much to it. I see no springs, or any place for one.

Do I need to lubricate this signal to make it work a little better? If someone has an idea for a fix or an adjustment, I would appreciate it!

Thanks

Steve

 

[TrainLarry]

 Make sure nothing is bent or out of alignment. A drop of oil or dab of graphite on anything that moves or pivots will help free up a sticky mechanism.

Larry

[Steve1964]

I put a few drops of my light Atlas oil on the pivot points, and now it moves all the way through to red. However, it still will not return back to green on its own.

If anyone else has any ideas, I would welcome them.

Thanks Steve

[TrainLarry]

Could you post pictures of the semaphore and details of the mechanism? That would help in the diagnosis of your problem.

A link to the instructions is here.

Larry

[marxalot]

Whoops, this is same link as given  in previous post. Sorry.

Link for connection for some Marx semephores. Maybe it will help.

http://www.thortrains.net/maracc7.html

 

 

[sir james I]

Most of Marx signals use gravity to drop back in position so I would exam it manually and try to figure out why it won't drop.  

[Steve1964]

The signal looks so simple, I figured that gravity is what made it return to the green position. By the way, it is the signal with a 74 on the post.

I may experiment with some weight, to see if that may help.

Steve

[sir james I]

 Careful about adding weight or too much voltage, Marx solenoid's have very thin wire and will burn out if they get hot.

That signal should move freely up and down on it's own.

[marxalot]

Just wondering if a resolution was ever found to this issue? Marx often did things differently but as mentioned they liked to use old reliable gravity where possible.

Thanks

[Steve1964]

The thing that has helped the most was simply spraying the mechanical parts out with Deoxit contact cleaner, and manually working the semaphore mechanism. I have not used any oil or grease on it at all, and it is working great.

Steve

[fifedog]

Steve, my next layout will have working semaphores (I hope).  I like the looks of the MARX "74" signal.  Could you post a few pics of yours with some rolling stock, so that I can get a sense of scale?

[Steve1964]

Hello Fifedog,

I do not have the capabilities of posting photos at this time. I can give you the dimensions on my O gauge layout. The cars, sitting on the tracks, are 3 3/4 inches tall. The 74 Marx semaphore, is 9 1/2 inches tall in the clear position.

I took a model railroading class once, and most of the teachers were ho scale guys, and having everything to scale was of the upmost importance. I prefer to collect and run old pieces, and the scale size between pieces has never bothered me. I have let people watch my trains in action, and no one has ever criticized my layout because of scale issues with trains or accessories.

The Marx semaphore is a great looking piece that evokes a long gone era. All my Marx accessories work good with a little maintenance,  and were priced right. If you like antique toy trains the way that I like them,  the Marx semaphore will suit you just fine.

Steve

[fifedog]

Thanks Steve.  I do try to keep everything between 1:43 and 1:50.  I particularly like the design of the signal and blade on the Marx.

[fifedog]

Wanted to add a little "update" on this thread.  This Christmas, I hooked up a Marx 74 (metal mast/plastic base) on the loop of tubular track, utilizing a Railking MT-1037, around the tree.  Using a Lionel LW, it operated flawlessly (blade activating up-and-down) for approx. 1 hour, then all at once acrid-smelling smoke came pushing out of the mast seams.  A kitchen table post mortem revealed that the solenoid did fry to a crisp as sirjames had warned.