I found some marx train cars at a train show. They have unusual couplers on them. The seller stated that they were pre-war marx. The couplers had springs on them and kinda scissor open. Some are rusted shut and other work correctly. There is a small nub on the opposite end that the scissor end goes around to secure the cars together.
It sounds like you have some 6-inch eight-wheel cars with the so-called “one way couplers”, referred to as such because you can only couple them with the cars facing in one direction. Marx created these to enable automatic coupling and uncoupling (through a special uncoupling track) of their trains. These were manufactured from 1937-1942 and were included in top-of-the line sets. The system was rather complicated and wasn’t all that reliable, however, so production did not continue after the war. I have a set with cars like this and they have a tendency to come uncoupled when running. These are relatively scarce and are in high demand from collectors today.
I had a Marx and an American Flyer train when I was a kid. The Marx had fixed knuckle couplers that you had to raise over the other to couple. The American flyer ones were REALLY weird. They were called “alligator couplers” if I remember right. They were plastic and looked like 1/2 an alligator clip. They were hinged and would ride up over a small metal bar to couple, and also self-uncoupled fairly frequently.
Dep
I appreciate the info. I had never seen this type of coupler. I plan on cleaning them up and running them with the wind up train at Christmas.
If you have an interest in Marx take a look at the Marx Group…900 folks with similar interests in Marx:
MarxTrains
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MarxTrain/
Very best, Mike
Those clearly sound like Marx one-way couplers. I have several sets with Marx one–way couplers. I’ve never had the problem with them coming uncoupled while running. The trick is getting them to uncouple at all. They can be cranky. You have to have a steady eye, and hand, to position them on the un-coupler track, hit the button, and get them to let go. If you need parts for this set, check out Robert Grossman at http://www.trainpartsformarx.com
Rod L
I have a set of these that were my Grandfather’s. My dad got them at some point when we were kids and were the first trains we played with (although I don’t think we were actually allowed to play with them). That led to my O27 set, then to HO.
Right now I can’t find the locomotive. The tender is a Rio Grande (they lived in Denver). I haven’t come across anything on eBay, etc. Were the steam locomotives identified by roadname at all, or were they just black? How can I find out what locomotive came with the original set?
Thanks,
Randy
many years ago my father gave me his old Marx stuff… I traded it all for Lionel stuff because the engine no longer worked and there were other problems…
I don’t know if I am remembering correctly, but I think the Marx cars had plastic couplers that folded over one another… man I wish I had a picture… those things were weird!
Marx actually had about four types of couplers over the years. The one-way couplers as mentioned, the similar looking wedge or tilt couplers, the tab & slot couplers, and plastic dummy couplers (that look similar to Lionel knuckle couplers but are smaller and won’t couple to Lionel’s.)
It does make it a challenge to operate these together. One method common among Marxists is to have a transition car with one Marx type of couple on one end and a standard Lionel coupler on the other. Of course, this usually works best on the wedge coupler.
Randy,
Actually, I think the train you have is a later set with Marx fork couplers, the type of which lionroar88 describes. As Dr. John says, Marx trains came with a variety of couplers over the years. I am assuming this because of the Rio Grande tender. Unless it is an old model that was repainted, this tender is a plastic model that was made in 1974. The set included a red Virginian hopper car, blue and yellow Southern auto-carrier with four cars and an yellowish/orangish Rio Grande caboose. This was the only time Marx ever made anything in the Rio Grande roadname. This is actually a hard-to-find set that is eagerly sought by collectors. Your assumptions about the locomotive being just black are correct. If this is the set you have, the engine would have been a diecast model 666. This engine was manufactured from the mid-50’s until the mid-70’s and sold with a wide variety of tenders and so is very common. To find a good example without a tender should be very easy and only cost you about $30.
Randy, as others have said, the 666 is very plentiful, and was an awfully good locomotive too. CTT did a list of the most underrated toy trains sometime last year, and the Marx 666 made the list. E-mail me if you need help locating one.