Marx 1938 or 1939 trians.

[c50truck]

I previously posted under general discussion. It was suggested I post under this forum instead. Can anyone help ? I have my fathers two train sets. I'm trying to set up and enjoy. But I'm also trying to nail down time lines and other questions. I know the trains are Marx. A Marx Canadian Pacific, and a Marx #999. But I do not understand why the transformer says mfg by Gilbert, and American Flyer on the top of it. Can some one explain, or is this just a collection of pieces. The date of 38 or 39 is because I remember him telling me he got his first triain at the age of 5. He is deceased, so I'm looking for answers.Thanks Rod.

[thor CNJ]

Gilbert was a competitor to mMarx. Obviously, your father got his transformer somewheere else.

The 999 and CP were two popular Marx locos. You should have an easy time getting them going again.

For Marx info, check out some articles in the O/O27 section of my All Gauge Page, listed in my signature.

[Dave Farquhar]

The CP was made from 1936-52, so if I had to wager, I'd say that was probably your father's first train. The 999 was designed before WWII but most of them were produced after the war.

The Marx transformers that came with train sets weren't always especially powerful or reliable. It's possible what you have is a collection of parts, or just as likely, the Marx transformer was replaced with an AF transformer at some point. AF transformers were (and still are) a bit more expensive, but Marx trains run well off them, they're more reliable, and today it's easier to find an AF transformer of 75-100 watts than it is an equivalent Marx. Presumably that was true in the '40s-'50s as well.

There's a very active discussion group on Yahoo that's dedicated to Marx trains. You can find it here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MarxTrain/ If you have more specific questions, there are lots of very knowledgeable and helpful people there who can answer just about anything you might ask. I've been trying to stump them for 2 years and still haven't come close to succeeding...