# Ed's Tin Plate



## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

I will start with my *Marx Grand Central Station #2940*.
This was given to me by my Father, someone gave it to him he said it was going to be trashed.
Looking at some on ebay right now mine is in good shape.

I took it all apart cleaned it up with soapy warm water then polished it with Meguiars polishing compound.

I think mine is an early station 1938? It only has a center mounted light. Future ones I think had the two side mounted lights inside?

Mine is missing one sign and the windows.
Anyone know where I can get some?
What were the windows like? A clear plastic piece? I know some were green and others were red.

















































*Below, LOOK AT THE SHINE! :thumbsup: That Meguiars is good stuff! But it looks like I forgot to do around the doors and the doors inside? I will fix that.:smokin:*


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## rdeal (Mar 6, 2013)

beautiful - thanks for all the photos
rdeal


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Cool ed, never seen that one


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Here ed http://guide.alibaba.com/shop/marx-...s-for-grand-central-station-1188_9572851.html you got something laying around im sure.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

sjm9911 said:


> Here ed http://guide.alibaba.com/shop/marx-...s-for-grand-central-station-1188_9572851.html you got something laying around im sure.


Thanks, you know I bought a junk lot years ago and it had some boxed rectangle pieces in red and green that almost looks like them. Just about the same size from what I remember.
I wonder?.......I will have to dig for them. That will be a project in itself.

Thanks for posting.


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

ED, the dollar store sells a clear cover in a package of three for school reports. Just cut it and use a black marker and you get windows. Or cut thin white strips and glue them on. Even thin wood pieces would work. Nice building!:thumbsup:


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

T-Man said:


> ED, the dollar store sells a clear cover in a package of three for school reports. Just cut it and use a black marker and you get windows. Or cut thin white strips and glue them on. Even thin wood pieces would work. Nice building!:thumbsup:


Thanks, but I think I found something better.
Keep this in mind T if you ever need something like these.

The pieces I got in the junk lot were these tab things. They were used for tabbing papers.
The ones I got date back in time, 50's or 60's? 
I guess the junk lot man thought since they said signals they were train related and threw them in the lot. 
I am glad he did, I knew they would come in handy one day. 
This is a picture I found while searching them. I have 3 boxes of a hundred, red, green and an orange. (they are not full but plenty are there)
Heck, these might even be for sale in Staples or somewhere?









I tried inserting them in the tabs, I gave up! Now I know why most of these stations are missing them.
I clear taped them instead.
The individual tabs that break off to mark the papers make the green glass look like it is panes of glass. 

Note, I got to adjust the one door it does not shut flush. Also maybe find a dimmer bulb, I don't know. Maybe I will put a colored bulb in to see how it looks. I think I now know why they changed from the 1 center mounted bulb to the 2 top mounted side bulbs. You would not notice the top mounted like you will with the center bottom mounted bulb. That is why I think the one I got is an early Station.

I think it looks all right with the green tabs, maybe I will see what the red tabs look like.
I think they did make different stations with different colored tabs?

And I will look for another sign to put on the other side. I thought I got one of those laying around too that I got in a junk lot. I don't know.

This is why I love buying junk lots with an assortment of items.
Half of them I don't know what they are, but I have them if I need them.
One can never have too much "junk" right T?:thumbsup:

This is it for my first entry in Ed's Tin Plate *The Marx Grand Central Station #2940* .

On to the next.:smokin:

*EDIT...I got to fix the roof, I see that I did not put it back on right.*


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

OOOOOOOOHHH! Alien green windows.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Good ideal...find a roached station and make it an alien landing station.
Paint it all florescent glow in the dark colors.:smilie_daumenpos:


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Funny as you look at the front of the station, the left side of the center section has one window like in the front and another a 1/4 of those cut out, the right side has none.
They must have used the center section for something else?

If they had cut open the two front side windows on the sides (under the simulated stained glass) the light would have filtered into those too.

I ran down and took a picture, see what I mean?
The bulb would have thrown some light to the insides of the end sections.
They must have used the center section for something else.
As your looking from the front, ( The red stuff on the light mount? Someone must have tried sticking their hand in to paint the bulb red? Some red was on the floor and some splattered on the roof I removed most of it. I didn't worry about this red left. DUH, all they had to do was remove the top.:goofball
The white on the floor is from the flash.


THE LEFT INSIDE










THE RIGHT INSIDE.


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Ed, with the light on it does look like close encounters of the 3 kind, with the bright white light shining out from between the front doors.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

sjm9911 said:


> Ed, with the light on it does look like close encounters of the 3 kind, with the bright white light shining out from between the front doors.


I will dig out the few aliens I have and set some in the door and take another shot.
When I get the time, it is early to bed and early to rise in a little while.

I got a 1250 gals load put on a 9000gal tanker going to some green house way out in nowhere land in Pa. In the hills way off the beaten road. I do like that part. And with 1250 gals it will be like riding empty. I won't even feel the slosh. 
A little bit northwest of Harrisburg off the old road to Pittsburgh rt 22.
This load was addressed to Kentucky at first, I told them not me.
I am a day tripper now, I don't layover! The other guys like that.

Now they say it is going to Pa, no one has every heard of this blend, three flammables mixed into one. For a greenhouse!? Xylene, hexane, and another I can't remember what the loader told me. No one ever made this blend. And they had to add to the blend as they went over on one product and the specs were off. I will probably have to fill the tank and bring the remainder home as it is now at around 1375 gals. Probably fill it till it over flows.
Then it will end up in waste drums as no one uses these 3 mixed together.
It will be a true waste load all around.
The product only brings in around $5000 and they add shipping around $500. Total load around $5500. Now they pay me and fuel and tolls that brings it down to under $5000. now take off what we will pay to get rid of the remainder, it is just not worth it. And they probably turned down a load worth $25 to $50 grand to do it.:goofball:
Sometimes I don't know how we make money!
But we are a fortune 500 multi-million dollar company somehow? 

I could sit here and type all day about the waste that goes on.

When I find my aliens I will take a shot like that, good ideal.:thumbsup:That would look good.


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Ed, who knows, how they work there stuff, maybe they need a loss? Who cares as long as you get paid! I think you need a supper cool UFO over the station too complete with come light shinning down.


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## bluecomet400 (Sep 13, 2015)

Very nice--never saw this one before either


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

*MARX PREWAR #390 FARM SCENE TUNNEL*

The next up is a tunnel, it is the *Prewar Marx #390 Farm Scene tunnel*, it is a common item. 

(There is also a Marx #309 Camouflage tunnel this is the scarcest one to find, collectors often call this one the autumn leaves tunnel ( I think because of the "camouflage" coloring it did not sell in great numbers & then there is a Marx #392 Mine Scene tunnel which is also quite common.) 
Most of these went for around $.98 cent when new. 

All the tunnels come as two halves joined at the top by interlocking 'fingers' and at each end by either a metal clip (early versions) or a screw (later versions).

This is an earlier version.
I don't know the year, I am guessing middle to late 30's?:dunno:
This was also saved from the trash/dump pile.:thumbsup:


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Here is pictures of the #309 ( Camouflage) & # 392 (Mine scene)
Not mine.


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## pitchy (Nov 18, 2015)

Very nice Station ya have there  looks great.
I have a tunnel like the first picture and I seen the camo one on Ebay but didn`t like the look so didn`t buy it. :eyes:


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

Well Ed I had to check first. I have the second tunnel. Never knew they had variations.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

If you have the 309 they say it is the rarest of the 3. I guess the camouflage didn't appeal to many and they liked the farm scene or the mine scene better.

I took my 263w Tender apart to fine tune the whistle, I have some pictures to add.
One spring for the brushes was messed up and the brush was not in the best shape either.

Instead of buying a pair I got 20 pairs coming off e bay, these brushes are used in a bunch of different trains I have enough for a bunch now.
.
I will add that tomorrow. 
A first for me as I never worked on one of these whistles before. And I can't find much repair info on them. So I am winging it.
Details and pictures tomorrow.

Just got back from Pa for a second Thanksgiving dinner.:smilie_daumenpos:
As sanepilot would say, Ahhhh, Life is good. :thumbsup:

Though not good for me trying losing weight.:smokin:


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

*Ed's Lionel # 263 E and 263 WX.*

The rest of this thread was placed into a new thread as requested by Ed, Enjoy!


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

T-Man said:


> The rest of this thread was placed into a new thread as requested by Ed, Enjoy!


Thanks T man.


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