# Please identify this Marx train set for a newbie!



## robster2000 (Aug 7, 2010)

Hi,
Attached are photos of a Marx O-scale train set I have. It consists of an engine, tender, five cars, a 10 pc. oval track, and transformer. It does work, just needs some cleaning up after 10 yrs. of no use. I am looking for information about the age and value of this set or anything else you may know about it. Can anybody help me?

The engine is plastic bodied. It is a 2-4-4 with a working headlight and smoke generator. The engine has no markings but the tender is stamped "MAR Toys. Made in United States of America" 

All of the car bodies are plastic with the exception of one hopper made of tin plate.

All of the cars (except for the tin hopper and caboose) have a stamp on the bottom- "Marx USA Toys". The tin hopper has no stamp. The caboose is stamped "MAR Toys. Made in the United states of America"

Another thing worth noting is that the tin hopper has some seemingly homemade barrel cargo and one of the flat cars seems to be a log dump car that is no longer dumpable with logs glued on top. Any insight into whether the cargo in these cars is original or not would be helpful


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

Welcome to MTF. Without reference book, and using Ebay, the engine is a 1666. I am not sure if the rear four wheels are original. They are prewar, while the rest of the cars are 50's, maybe 60's. Ebay gouges these at 100. They may be the best that Marx made. Since it runs enjoy it.

Early ones, the 1666 and 666 may have had cast shells. Being plastic may place it in the 60's

The Greenberg book is only 150. maybe I will enter that in the next contest.


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## robster2000 (Aug 7, 2010)

Thanks for the information!

I'm a poor college kid trying to scramble some money up and I had taken this to a local shop where a guy (he didn't seem very knowledgeable) said that he'd value the set between $300 and $500. 

Knowing it isn't worth nearly that I think I'll just clean it up and enjoy it


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

T-Man,

I'm only just beginning to learn a bit about identifying old Marx trains. As I was looking at Robster's loco, I thought maybe it was a 1666, but the 4-wheel rear truck threw me for a loop.

Do you (or anyone) know if 1666's were ever made with 4-wheel rear trucks, i.e., 2-4-4 ???

Just curious,

TJ


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## robster2000 (Aug 7, 2010)

I too am somewhat confused about the rear truck. 

The loco has the road number 1666 on the side so it's pretty obviously that model, but the rear truck is riveted on and looks very original.


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

I just don't know enough about them. The rear truck looks more like a Lionel prewar. A closer picture may help. You can check a price guide at a bookstore that has one. I would like to say it is in very good condition. That helps the value. 
The shiny things on the end of the axles of the engine are called journals. My first impression is that it does not match the set. Journals are for rolling stock. My tin gondola has journals but they are one piece with the side of the truck. It has metal couplers.Your rolling stock does not have journals. From one picture I can make out that your wheels are two pieces. In Lionel that makes a difference in Marx it may not. Your caboose should have a Marx stamp on the frame underneath. That's where mine is. All my examples have two piece wheels. The caboose has plastic couplers along with the tender. The tender goes with a 490.



















The Lionel Trucks have a slit between the journals. Perhaps it is American Flyer? Rule out prewar Lionel.


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## robster2000 (Aug 7, 2010)

T-man:
thanks for your help!

The caboose does have that identical marking on the bottom, as well as the tender. The other cars all have a different MARX stamp. 

I agree I no longer believe the rear truck is original.

As you pointed out, the truck has journals, whereas the rest of the set doesn't. The journals seem to be chromed and they are separate from the rest of the stamped truck. The truck also has a slit between the journals, but is much smaller than the slit on your Lionel's. Also, all of the cars seem to have two piece wheels.

My camera is incapable of taking decent close-ups but I am going to borrow a friends so I'll have some pics of the truck soon. Let me know if there's anything else you're interested in seeing with more detail


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

T-Man,

I think you've earned a Detective Merit Badge on this one, or something like that! :thumbsup:

TJ


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

I think it looks nice. It is original in thinking, If only you can figure out what it is and get identical cars to pull it.

I enjoy keeping my power of observation sharp.
Just so you don't think I am vacationing all summer.
The mock up of the arc welder lght.











I need to double check before I try it.
This is from the Ken Stone article, so look for the upcomoing thread.
That is if I can get it to work.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Looks like you randomly threw a bunch of resistors and capacitors down on a board. But something tells my you'll soon delight us all, and we'll be ohhhing and ahhhing over your neat and glowing welder's arc light. Good luck, T-Man!

TJ


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