This might not be the most exciting accessory by Marx but it certainly added a lot of play value to their trains and options for layout building.
Meet the Marx trestle:
Enjoying the World's Greatest Hobby
Northwoods Flyer
The Northwoods Flyer Collection
of
American Flyer Trains
"The Toy For the Boy"
#653 Hopper by Lionel
Set #482 Southern Special 1929 by Ives
Here is set #4010 The Northern Pacific Freight from American Flyer. The sibling to set #4009 that I posted earlier.
And here they are together.
Major,
I travelled back and forth to Circle too. I worked at Marshall Field for two years while going to college. The factory for "Affy Tapples" was on Fullerton, sometimes I walked all the way home just so I could stop for a treat. I agree, the view of the city was amazing.
Wow I too also caught the EL at Logan Square to ride down to U of I at Circle. On the walk home in the fall I always purchase a Taffy Apple at the vendor in the station. When the EL went over the elevate train tracks you had a fantastic view of the whole downtown Chicago. You know where I always sat coming and going.
Very smart of Marx to come out with those CTA El trainsets! Considering the size of Chicagoland that was a big, neglected market just waiting to be tapped. And unless I'm mistaken no-one else would try the same until MTH came along.
While this entry is not a vintage piece of Marx it does illustrate how the new Marx Trains company carried on the heritage while innovating.
This set holds quite a bit of nostalgia for me. I grew up in Chicago and rode the CTA El trains until I graduated from college. As a child the El was always connected with excitement and adventure.
Coming
and going
The set was sold as a 3 car set with additional center cars available. It took quite a while but I eventually found a 4th car to add to my set.
Now if I could just hop on the El at Logan Square with my parents and ride it downtown to the Loop to look at the Christmas windows on State Street.
(Nostalgic) Northwoods Flyer
Ives 63 gravel car and 567 caboose:
Same me, different spelling!
#652 Gondola by Lionel
This is the #67 caboose by Ives.
They used it for sets with both their short lithographed freight cars and their long lithographed freight cars until the bankruptcy.
Then they had access to the longer cabooses by American Flyer
and Lionel
The larger cabooses were both numbered #121
Jon,
Starting in 1940 the first two digits of the catalog set number of O gauge sets are the year of the catalog. So this set is from 1940.
What year is this set from Northwoods?
Set #4009 Northern Pacific Passenger Train by American Flyer.
Today's posting should be about Dorfan. Sadly I have come to the end of photos of the Dorfan equipment in my collection, and there isn't anything in the pipeline coming my way. So today will be my last entry about Dorfan until something more shows up. This is the cover of the only book that I have in my library that provides information about the items produced.
And the first page of the section on Dorfan.
Another great resource is the Dorfan Enthusiasts page on Facebook. There is some very excellent information there.
I hope some of you reading this thread will post some additional photos of Dorfan equipment in your collections.
Earlier in the thread I posted photos of the B&O diesels by Marx. I found the box containing the engines and the 8 wheel caboose. I thought I would post them together.
I was going through my photo archive and I came across photos of some of the shorter freights by Lionel. I have no idea where the box is that they are stored in but at least I have the photos.
This is the #651 Flatcar/Lumber Car, obviously missing its lumber load.
American Flyer 3100 circa 1930-33. I got this at a local train store yesterday and they were debating if the roof was a repaint or not. I think it looks original. It'll look good on the layout with my oddball four wheel cars on a small elevated loop.
#62 Parlor Car and #68 Observation Car by Ives in Cadet Blue.
The cars were paired with a matching #3260 engine in a set they called "The Blue Comet". I don't have a #3260 to match up with them yet so I put them together with an additional passenger car and a repainted #3255R.
I'll have to come up with a name for this one.
This is the earlier version of The Oriental Limited by American Flyer.
pennytrains Take a look at these: https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/dorfan-prewar-gauge-switches-glass-1879918838
Take a look at these: https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/dorfan-prewar-gauge-switches-glass-1879918838
Thanks penny,
There is definitely some similarity. I wonder if my switches originally came with these hoods. I'll be looking for something similar now. I'll be the guy going through the parts boxes and crawling around under the tables when its safe to go to shows again.
JonEddy
I got on eBay that was repainted horribly
Here's one of the victims of "the red menace":
[deleted]
[/quote]
Red paint huh?
When I followed the OldTools group (old woodworking tools), it seemed a lot old tools had the same color of green paint dripped on them.
Not the most exciting of offerings but this is a pair of lighted manual Dorfan switches.
The switches came with light hoods, however I suspect that they are really Lionel hoods.
I like the blue jewel added to the top. Does anyone have a photo of what the Dorfan light hoods look like?
As far as I can tell this is the last of the Dorfan equipment in my collection. If I find any additional pieces or purchase something I will be sure to post it.
MARX Girard Whistle Station, Oak Park Diesel horn Station, and the original "touch pad" Control Panel.
#259 and tender by Lionel
In October of 2018 I made my first and so far only trip to York. I picked up the following Ives items including the 1926 catalog. While not a cataloged set its close, and all of the components are in the catalog.
The closest set that I can find in the catalog is "The Manager's Special"
It has one less car and the two passenger cars are lighted and mine are not.
The 3/16" O gauge Royal Blue Passenger Train by American Flyer.
rrswede Although the photo does not show it, I believe this was a toy that had a wooden T on the boiler and a child actually sat on the locomotive. Am I mistaken?? Thanks, swede
Although the photo does not show it, I believe this was a toy that had a wooden T on the boiler and a child actually sat on the locomotive. Am I mistaken??
Thanks, swede
A quick image search for "Marx Lightning Express" shows several with a t-shaped handle just behind the stack. It also should have had a large bell just above the stack.
Earlier in the thread I stated that I only collect Dorfan rolling stock with black trucks, with or without brass journals. Well somewhere along the line I picked up this version of the #607 Dorfan Lines caboose.
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