Marx Appeal
Louis Marx's fine company made good toys. Nobody would dispute that. His playsets were so delightful that those who owned them remember them well. Fort Apache, Battlegroud, Cape Canaveral and the Blue and Grey are names that evoke pleasant childhood memories many decades after the fact.
Marx knew the art of making great toys. He produced attractive, realistic action toys for decades. Beginning with wooden and tin-lithographed playthings, the company expanded its output to include games, miniatures, dolls, riding toys, and some of the most attractive electric trains and accessories.
Marx was not out to be Lionel or American Flyer. The Louis Marx company produced more affordable trains. These were toys. They had simple, cheap electric motors and, in the beginning, were made by inexpensive tin lithograph and stamped metal production methods. Trains and accessories were bright and attractive. They personified the concept of "tin toys" - tin-plated sheet metal was the main ingredient. Most important was their success. Though not a high-end train, Marx probably sold more trains than anyone else. These trains were cheap by comparison with Lionel and American Flyer. They were - and remain - the vintage train of the common man.
In the tinplate days, the Louis Marx company actually produced two types of train. There were simple tinplate trains with their four-wheel frames. Cheap but sturdy, they remained a mainstay of Marx production. They were the "toy" side of the Louis Marx equation. Marx also seized on the 3/16" scale concept pioneered by American Flyer. For hobbyists, the company produced its own range of tinplate scale locomotives and freight cars. Though cheaper than their competitors, they were true scale models. The fascination with 3/16" continued well into plastic production. (Lionel also had a brief fling with 3/16").
Plastic brought changes. Marx dropped most of its tin litho in favor of plastic. It produced a series of plastic-bodied diesel locomotives, and two series of plastic cars. Both plastic and diecast steam locomotives were available. As with tinplate, the Marx cars fell into 4-wheel "toy" and 8-wheel "model train" categories. Production of these continued until the company's demise in 1976.
K - Line bought many of the Marx plastic molds and began to reissue Marx trains in new colors and road names. Over the years, improvements were made to powered units. All cars received new trucks and couplers compatible with Lionel. K - Line produced recasts of Marx's popular S3 switcher, RDC, and freight cars. As the company gathered steam, however, it abandoned its old Marx molds in favor of new products of its own. Today, only a handful of O27 freight cars and operating accessories are truly of Marx origin.
Marx and 3/16" Scale
Technically, a pure 3/16" scale would run on S gauge trucks and track. In the 1930s, however, it was made for O. This was an innovation by American Flyer, who desired to offer a scale model train under the conditions of the time. American Flyer claimed that using true O, which is 1/.4 inch scale, would make it impossible for many cars and locomotives to negotiate the standard O30 curve. Most O trains were not true to their 1/48, quarter-inch scale. They had some of their dimensions truncated so as to allow smooth running on the existing track. The American Flyer solution was to develop a slightly smaller scale train that would run on O gauge track. It seized on the 1/64 "S" scale. Trains were manufactured with 1/64 scale bodies on O gauge trucks. Ads claimed that this allowed for a scale rail operation without problems of derailments. Both Lionel and Marx copied the idea. Marx stuck with it right up to the end, while Lionel eventually adapted it to O27. (Many O27 trains are actually 3/16" scale on O trucks!).
Marx had no problem with the concept. The company manufactured a nice assortment of scale tinplate cars, complete with 4-wheel trucks and a unique "tipple" coupler all their own. Though Lionel abandoned 3/16" to develop O27, and American Flyer dropped O altogether to make S gauge / 3/16" scale trains, Marx continued with this double scale right until the end. Accessories and buildings issued in plastic continued the trend. The 3/16" on O concept was a compromise which the Louis Marx company somehow managed to work well.
This is not to say that everything Marx was scale! Many trackside accessories were anything but 3/16" or O. Their original plastic switch tower, barrel loader and diesel fueling station were a curious blend of O, 3/16" and 1/32! Figures used on the accessories were proper toy soldier size: 2 1/4 inches. Crossing signals, street lamps and towers were similarly off-scaled.
Marx made masterpieces in 3/16". Its first diecast locomotive, the small, sturdy "999", is a wonderfully detailed locomotive. The #333 Pacific locomotive was such a masterpiece that it was kept in production by K - Line, and though the original mold broke recently, the basic design was retained in new tooling. A few details were added, but the Pacific remains pretty much as Marx made it. The diecast #666 and plastic bodied #1666 were equally good locomotives renowned to this day for their reliability.
Hallmarks of Marx
The one thing many people notice about Marx trains, except for the #333, #666, #1666, #1829 and the long E7 diesels, is that the engines tend to be small and compact. Marx tinplate locos were mostly 0-4-0 or 2-4-2 wheeled dynamos which were shorter than their Lionel counterparts. They were made for 3/16" scale.
The second thing is that these little locos are amazingly resilient. Getting them into running condition normally requires little more than a good cleaning and some lubrication. The simple, cheap motor is made well enough that it withstands years of abuse and neglect. The tinplate bodies can be cleaned, repainted and restored easily. In fact, a serious tinplate train runner can easily "dress up" his restored loco to look better than new.
The final thing is the amount of support Marx train enjoyed, via track, switches and accessories. One can find a variety of transformers, street lights, stations, signals, towers and buildings matched only by Lionel and MTH. Marx trains had it all!
Runners that work!
With Marx trains commanding prices much lower than new trains offered by Lionel, K - Line, MTH and Williams, a train runner can have a big railroad on a budget. We are our own best example. Since getting back into O27 last year, we have accumulated five K - Line locos, two Lionels and a whopping 12 operating Marx electric locos, one clockwork and three needing repairs. A simple adapter makes Marx locos capable of pulling Lionel and other knuckle-coupler trains. Trains that do not run can usually be brought back to operation by a good cleaning and a few very minor repairs. The Marx locos generally do not have the power of Lionel, but they have enough to recommend them. The only problem is that older locos have a wide, geared driver which makes it almost impossible to cross modern switches. Thankfully, there are enough Marx switches out there at affordable prices to mitigate this situation.
Older tinplates, such as the CP/ 3000 / Marlines 0-4-0 and 2-4-2s, 897s, 898s, 590s and 994s are pure fun and can handle O27 freights and passenger cars. The sturdier diecast 999s, 666s and 333s and plastic hulled 1666s and 1829s will handle heaver loads well, as will plastic-bodied diesels. (Come to think of it, Marx is the only place to find an affordable EMD cab unit!) Most diecast and plastic-bodied locos can be had in smoking versions. The Marx smoke unit is one of the best, too.
Granted, Marx plastic rolling stock is not exactly cheap. Cars with 4-wheel trucks range from $20 and up, generally. Only some tenders and cabooses lurk in the under $20 range. We have been using K - Line's O27 "train set" cars with good effect. (These are actual recasts of Marx cars, with newer, better paint jobs and better trucks with operating knuckle couplers.) Sadly, K - Line has abandoned many of the Marx operating cars in their rush to join the "high priced / collectible high end" train market. (The O27 sets on the market at this time are the 12-car K - 5998X and new 6-car K-5999A) K - Line does not make the old Marx 3/16" scale plastic cabooses, but since original Marx is still abundant in cabeese and tenders, there's no loss. (As an aside, the crane car offered as K - Line O gauge classics is a recast of the original Marx.)
Go Marx?
Original Marx has distinct advantages for low-end train running. It is cheap, easy to maintain, has plenty of accessories, and can be adapted for use with other O27 trains. Its main disadvantage is for digital control, which is virtually impossible here. As the current train manufacturers abandon the low-priced market in favor of the collectors' dollars, original Marx becomes more attractive to O27 fans on a budget. Where else can you get good, vintage trains costing less than new ones?