Marx ?

[mackb4]

 But why was the Marx name dropped ?

 I hate to see an old name dropped like that.Did the couple who owned the company before Ameritrains retain the Marx name for future use.Or did Ameritrains just simply change the name ?

[Anonymous]

If anyone is interested, they added a fifth roadname to the Allstate Motor Oil twin tank cars. It is now available in NYC. I understand this road name is in limited quantities.

 

Steve Eastman

[Anonymous]

I've never had the fortune of meeting either of them, but we do exchange e-mails occasionally as I pester them for info or help. The opening of the Yahoo site does not say much at the moment. Jim has agreed to write something up for the site, then I will incorperate it. He's busy at the moment with moving.

 

Steve Eastman

[Anonymous]

I'll look in on your new group, Steve. I'm not a terribly big fan of Yahoo Groups (belong to about four of them already), but I am a big supporter of New Marx, with a closet full of their sets and other items, awaiting the day when they can have a layout of their own.  And Jim and Debby are dear friends--two of the nicest folks you could ever want to know in the hobby.

[Anonymous]

Yes the new Allstate Motor Oil twin tank cars ahave arrived. I got all four roadnames and they are very nice. The new oil storage accessory came out late last year is also very nice. The 2006 Christmas Diner was so-so.

Sandi at Ameritrains said the tooling for the long awaited diesel turned out to be much more trouble than they anticipated, but they do hope to get it done this year. Also planned for this year is a new Christmas loco. The North Pole Express from 1996 is getting impossible to find.

Join us at a new group didicated to the New Marx/Ameritrains products. You will see lots of photo's of the products plus more photo's coming. We just started a few days ago, so bear with us as we get going. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MarxAmeritrains/

Steve Eastman 

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the heads-up, Bob!  I'll check that item out!  I can always use a few more tinplate accessories to add to the growing collection for my planned New Marx layout.  Thus far I have several MTH Villa Sets, some MTH tinplate signals and telegraph poles (most appropriately sized for O27), a Flyer "Mystic" station, and several tinplate vehicles, as well as a few other appropriate items--all still new-in-box and awaiting the day when I have the layout underway (and some space to put it in).  That, along with some 20 New Marx locomotives and sets.

I do wish they had come through with that long-promised diesel, however, since I'm up to my ears in Marx tinplate steamers.  I didn't buy the "Thor" boxcab (kind of wish I had), and sold the only "El" set I had, figuring I probably wouldn't make use of it on a small layout like the one I have planned. 

[Bob Keller]

Actually, I just received today a new two tank oil depot from Ameritrains. Check out their website at ameritrains.com.

[LL675]

thats too bad. I've really takean a liking to the tin litho marx trains and pick up some whenever I see a decent piece. I work in a litho plant (we make jar caps, Gerber Baby Food,etc) so the litho work is really interesting. The Flynns' seemed to have a passion for Marx that showed in their products. Hadn't heard they sold the company. Can you give me any details on what happened? Thanks !

[c50truck]

The company changed its name to Ameritrains and the Flynns sold it. They're still producing stuff, and it still looks like Marx, but there hasn't been a lot in the way of new items. You can find them at http://www.ameritrains.com if you want to have a look-see.

The current AmeriTrains is just a shadow of the New Marx firm that Jim and Debby owned and operated for a number of years.  They produced some very nice stuff, and I sure was sad to see them sell the business, even though I fully understood their reasoning and agreed that they probably made the right decision.

Unfortunately, the new owner--AmeriTrains--has failed to live up to early promises.  For example, they had planned, and announced, a Marx tinplate diesel repro back when they assumed ownership, but that was some years ago and they still haven't produced anything new, aside from different graphics on some of the cars that Jim and Debby had already made.

I'm lucky enough to have a fairly large collection of New Marx trains made by Jim and Debby--most still new in box--along with a growing collection of tinplate accessories (from various manufacturers and all brand new) that I add to whenever I spot something that I think will work well with an all-tinplate Marx layout that I hope to have in the not-too-distant future.  I also have stockpiled O27 track components for that layout, since I think that track will most closely maintain the look and feel of the original Marx layouts of the past.

I never had Marx when I was a kid, aside from a bunch of Marx toys and some train accessories on my Lionel layout, but got interested in the New Marx when I first met Jim and Debby back in the late 80s or early 90s.  They are wonderful folks, and they produced some wonderful products that are faithful recreations of the original Marx, but purposefully made so they do not precisely duplicate the original items.  They were costly, to be sure, but well worth the money, in my opinion.

I came in to late. Have a few of there items. Hope to find more.

Rod L. 

 

[Anonymous]

The company changed its name to Ameritrains and the Flynns sold it. They're still producing stuff, and it still looks like Marx, but there hasn't been a lot in the way of new items. You can find them at http://www.ameritrains.com if you want to have a look-see.

The current AmeriTrains is just a shadow of the New Marx firm that Jim and Debby owned and operated for a number of years.  They produced some very nice stuff, and I sure was sad to see them sell the business, even though I fully understood their reasoning and agreed that they probably made the right decision.

Unfortunately, the new owner--AmeriTrains--has failed to live up to early promises.  For example, they had planned, and announced, a Marx tinplate diesel repro back when they assumed ownership, but that was some years ago and they still haven't produced anything new, aside from different graphics on some of the cars that Jim and Debby had already made.

I'm lucky enough to have a fairly large collection of New Marx trains made by Jim and Debby--most still new in box--along with a growing collection of tinplate accessories (from various manufacturers and all brand new) that I add to whenever I spot something that I think will work well with an all-tinplate Marx layout that I hope to have in the not-too-distant future.  I also have stockpiled O27 track components for that layout, since I think that track will most closely maintain the look and feel of the original Marx layouts of the past.

I never had Marx when I was a kid, aside from a bunch of Marx toys and some train accessories on my Lionel layout, but got interested in the New Marx when I first met Jim and Debby back in the late 80s or early 90s.  They are wonderful folks, and they produced some wonderful products that are faithful recreations of the original Marx, but purposefully made so they do not precisely duplicate the original items.  They were costly, to be sure, but well worth the money, in my opinion.

[Dave Farquhar]

The company changed its name to Ameritrains and the Flynns sold it. They're still producing stuff, and it still looks like Marx, but there hasn't been a lot in the way of new items. You can find them at http://www.ameritrains.com if you want to have a look-see.

[LL675]

was going thru some old issues of CTT, and read about the Flynn's making Marx a few years ago. I remember the agrement they had expired. Are they trying to get a new one, or has that ship sailed?