Happy new year to all… My $0.02 on people considering the fate of old rusty Marx trains. Give it a go. You’d be surprised what a little polishing and a can of spray paint can do for one of these relics. It doesn’t have to look original when finished. This face lift took all of 2 days to complete. The motor was an easy fix after I polished the commutator and brushes. Lubed the bearings and let 'er run on low until the brushes seated. Mmmmm, ozone! It should run like a rabbit after the idler gear I ordered from Robert Grossman gets here.
It sounds great, but unfortunately I don’t see any pictures, just the infamous red X’s.
No, I can’t see them either. Just the red X s ! Thanks, John
The pics are there now and it looks great !
Thanks. Hope it inspires someone to find an old train set and keep the passion alive. [8D] MM :-/
Nice job. Those are good runners too.
Thanks, Paul! MM :-/
Oh ! I see them now & that is a great job on that engine !
Thanks, John
Very, very nice job! It’s great to see people who take the time to return trains like these to their former glory! I’ve always thought that the CP steamers were Marx’s classiest engines.
Anyway, welcome to the forums! It’s always great to have another member! Tell us a bit more about yourself. What all kinnds of trains do you have? Do you have a layout?
Hi. No layout at the moment. One is in the works (in my head), and when I clean out the shop, (again!) I’ll get out all the goodies. Prefer the '50’s and earlier. I am an ebay freak @ times, but still prefer to hit the garage sales for rolling stock. The last layout was set up about 15-20 years ago when the boys were at that age. They are all grown now. They had a ball with them, but was hard to compete with Nintindo. So I boxed it all up and kept collecting over the years. I have strictly Marx trains. Tho they are really limited on the styles and models, I have always had a passion for them. I still have my first #666 and rolling stock, sans a few BB dings on them, they still look and run great. Did the plastic models for awhile. They break too easy, ya know, look but don’t touch. (But I want to play with 'em!) Then did the radio controlled planes thing. Balsa bashing gets too expensive! I’m in my mid 50’s now, and am looking forward to driving the better half outta the house once in a while with a good “smoker” when I get the time! LOL r0n :-/
As a fellow Marxist I only have one thing to say: Excellent Job!
That’s a great looking engine. Nice Job. I’ll say welcome too.
I have an old Marx tin engine. Missing some of it’s trim, and it was painted once before I got it from a friend. It’s ok looking, but it runs great and it pulls some tin plate cars around the tree at X-mas. It’s perfect for the kids.
Anway, keep up the good work.
Dwayne.
You really made that 391 look nice!
I had some extremely good luck re prewar Marx just before Christmas. Someone who learned I collect trains phoned and offered to give me his 1939 Marx freight set headed by a 391! Naturally I took him up on it. The set’s in very good condition (excellent?) and includes track, two switches, uncoupling track and transformer. The E-unit is a bit sluggish but other than that it’s a great set. No, I’m not interested in selling it. Nice addition to my mostly Lionel collection.
Great work on the engine!!! I think marx is underrated by many.Its great to see marx preserved or refurbished in such nice shape[tup]
that’s what I like best about the hobby. finding a treasure in a junk box and bringing it back to life. really gives you a sense of satisfaction.
Dave
Wow! man you have some impressive restoration skills if you turned that rusty hunk of junk into the great looking steamer shown in the bottom picture!Please provide more details as to how you got rid of the rust and managed to polish up the chrome parts!
great job!
The boiler front and pilot were pretty easy to restore on a buffing wheel. Same for the side rods, guides, bell, and hand rails. I have had great results with metal polish (Mothers is a good one), and elbow grease. The sand and steam domes were too far gone to salvage the plating, so gloss black in a can works for me! I guess everyone has their own method of dealing with the tabs. Over worked, they will break easily. Go slow, and bend only enough to separate the parts. Use your imagination, just dont go over board. Marx trains are easy to fix up, and enjoy, once you realize that Louis Marx invisioned and manufactured these trains to be played with. Have fun… r0n :-/
PS. Next up. Replacing a busted up plastic 1829 shell with a die cast 333 boiler. A Marx die-cast ‘Hudson’! If all goes well, it should be back in the rails in no time. Can’t wait! If anyone is interested, I’ll post the results…
Great job, MadMarx. Always interested in seeing restorations. Take plenty of photos of the process. Keep up the great work!
Jim
On the subject of refurbishing old Marx readers may like to check out http://www.geocities.com/tintrax/page9.html - Then back to return here. A Marx Commodore Vanderbilt modified to change its appearance.