I am contemplating the possibility of inserting a Lionel 45-degree crossing into our Christmas Tree layout next month. In addition to our Lionel items, we have several Marx pieces; can/should the O Gauge 45-degree crossing (we have two) be modified to accommodate the Marx locomotives, or will they have no problem running over them? Pushing a single Marx steam locomotive by hand across one crossing didn’t raise any concerns for me, but has anyone else a different experience, and would they advise against utilizing such a track around the tree?
I have a Lionel, and a Marx 45 crossover. IIRC, they look alike. The only thing that would give you problems is if any of your locomotives have the drivers with the large gears.
The Marx locomotives that we have (a prewar 0-4-0 with CPR “Jubilee” class styling, and a postwar 0-4-0 with Baldwin drivers and lithographed pilot and trailing trucks) are both equipped with gearing that extends to the edge of the wheel flange on one side of the locomotive. (Curiously, these will pass through Lionel 042 manual switches, but will generally “bounce” over them in the process of doing so). Is it possible to sand part of the 45-degree crossing to eliminate anything that might interfere with the Marx gearing? Keep in mind that the crossings in question are of the “O” Gauge variety, not the lighter “O-27” type that would have been sold by Louis Marx & Co.
I don’t know if this will help, but I had the same problem with Lionel 45 degree crossings and Marx engines that have the gear that extend to the edge of the wheel flange. I used an Xacto knife and small file to remove the plastic edges of the Lionel 027 45 degree crossing. If your O gauge crossing is also plastic in the middle perhaps you could do the same.
Thank-you. I went downstairs last night and again checked the Marx wheel flange clearances with a postwar-era Lionel “O” Gauge (it has a different design from the “O-27” version, sans the stylized “X” shown here) crossing by pushing the locomotive[s] through the diamond. They seem to traverse it rather well, so I guess the question will be better phrased as “will they stall going over the crossing?” Should I run a wire up to a lock-on near the crossing to direct more electricity to that part of the track arrangement, or should I be fine if, when running Marx trains, I keep the transformer throttle (a KW) in one particular position?