Marx Toy Trains
Louis and David Marx started their toy company in 1919 in New York City. The company was called Marx and Company and the company's motto was Give the customer more toy for less money. The company enjoyed a long run of success. Some people feel that during its heyday, Marx and Company actually sold more Marx Toy Trains then any of the other toy companies. The Marx logo resembled a railroad crossing sign. It was the letters MAR in a circle with a large X through it.
Marx toy trains were noticeable because they were normally smaller and cheaper then the ones made by the Lionel Company and American Flyer. The Marx Company designed electric toy trains that featured an open frame motor. This motor featured a gear that was fixed to one end of the axle of the armature. The company seldom varied from this design. Post World War II, Marx and Company started to make trains out of plastic. More expensive versions of Marx toy trains included a smoker that heated smoke fluid to produce smoke.
Until the late 1950's Marx made their toy trains with a fat wheel. This fat wheel makes it virtually impossible for Marx toy trains to negotiate the switches and crossovers of Lionel tracks.
Older models of Marx trains feature open switches. Marx and Company designed their switches so that the wiring was similar to the wiring in two rail switches. Three wires, red, green, and black, go directly to the the switch.
Most of Marx scale freighters featured a a low truck with small wheels. Marx used a dovetail design for their tilt couplers. Marx tilt couplers are incompatible with Lionel couplers. The tilt couplers were one single molded piece. In later years, Marx made one piece knuckle couplers that have to be coupled by hand.
Most of the original Marx and Company motors have a metal frame and metal gears. A few of their later designs have frames and gears that are made out of plastic. Some of the cheaper toy trains that Marx designed can't reverse, they can only go forward.
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