Toy trains Archives

Lionel 92 circuit breaker instructions

Dave Farquhar Toy trains September 13, 2018November 25, 2018

The Lionel 92 circuit breaker provides an important safety feature. Additionally, if you use a low-end transformer that lacks a direction button, it provides a handy direction button. Unfortunately the original Lionel 92 circuit breaker instructions have one mistake in them.

Here’s how to use this critical accessory to maximize your personal safety. Depending on your setup, you may need more than one of them.

Dave Farquhar

David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He has written professionally about computers since 1991, so he was writing about retro computers when they were still new. He has been working in IT professionally since 1994 and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He holds Security+ and CISSP certifications. Today he blogs five times a week, mostly about retro computers and retro gaming covering the time period from 1975 to 2000.

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Marx president figurines for train layouts

Dave Farquhar Toy trains August 8, 2018November 24, 2018

In the 1950s, Marx produced hard plastic 60mm figures of U.S. presidents. Louis Marx meant for them to be an educational toy or collectible, but the Marx president figurines turn out to be a great accessory for train layouts too. Here’s how I use them.

If you’re more interested in collecting them, I hope you’ll still read on. I have some tips for finding them and restoring damaged figurines.

Dave Farquhar

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O gauge vs O27 gauge trains and track

Dave Farquhar Toy trains March 29, 2018April 1, 2024

The difference between O gauge and O27 gauge can be rather confusing, and there are a number of misconceptions out there about O27 especially. Let’s take a look at O gauge vs O27.

O27 always had a connotation of being a cheaper, entry-level train. But what constitutes an O27 train in modern times definitely varies from the 1950s. Lionel discontinued both O and O27 track types in 2015, after approximately 100 and 85 years of production, respectively.

Dave Farquhar

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Why did Marx Toys close?

Dave Farquhar Toy trains March 16, 2018March 10, 2022

On Dec 12, 1955, Louis Marx was on the cover of Time magazine, the subject of a story that called him the Toy King. Twenty seven short years later, Louis Marx died in his home, aged 86. The same day, a bankruptcy court ruled that his factory in Glen Dale, West Virginia, had to close for good. Marx and his company died on the same day. Why did Marx Toys close? And why so suddenly?

There were several reasons. I don’t think it was any one thing, but rather, several things that led to another, and the cascade brought Louis Marx’s empire down.

Dave Farquhar

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O and O27 track dimensions

Dave Farquhar Toy trains February 22, 2018September 11, 2022

I never can seem to find O gauge track dimensions and other key information about O and O27 track when I need to find them. So I’m finding them one last time and collecting them here. Maybe someone else can use the information.

Dave Farquhar

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Where were Marx toys made?

Dave Farquhar Toy trains January 26, 2018July 11, 2018

For a time in the 1950s, the defunct Louis Marx & Company was the largest toy company in the world. Marx’s headquarters was at 200 Fifth Avenue in New York City, in what is commonly known as the International Toy Center. But where were Marx toys made?

Not in New York City, it turns out. Marx had three factories in the eastern United States that it operated for more than 40 years in the region we today call the Rust Belt.

Dave Farquhar

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Marx trains history, 1934-1974

Dave Farquhar Toy trains January 15, 2018October 22, 2022

Marx isn’t as synonymous with electric trains as some of its competitors, but Louis Marx had a good run. It outlasted numerous other more-storied brands. Here’s a brief look back at Marx trains history, which spanned about four decades.

Marx sold its trains pretty much anywhere, as opposed to Lionel and American Flyer, which primarily sold in hobby shops and department stores. The low price gave Marx a blue-collar reputation that tended to hold its value down over time. But the Marx designs were reliable and attractive. This gives them a following that endures more than four decades after Louis Marx made its last train.

Dave Farquhar

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Lock a Marx motor in one direction

Dave Farquhar Toy trains January 8, 2018January 18, 2018

Sometimes you want to lock a Marx motor in one direction. Some of them have a switch for doing so but many do not. Here’s how to find the switch, and what to do if yours doesn’t have one and you don’t want to modify it.

Dave Farquhar

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Lionel ZW transformer circuit breaker

Dave Farquhar Toy trains December 26, 2017December 26, 2017

A transformer’s circuit breaker should trip within a few seconds for safety, if not faster. If your Lionel ZW transformer circuit breaker doesn’t trip reliably anymore, it’s time to source a replacement. Here’s how to find a modern breaker suitable for use as a Lionel ZW circuit breaker and install it.

Don’t be intimidated. This is a relatively easy project and costs less than $20. The hardest part is soldering two connections. But first, always run a safety check, and, on ZWs in particular, check for and replace any bad binding posts.

Dave Farquhar

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Make O27 track ties out of foamcore board

Dave Farquhar Toy trains December 25, 2017December 4, 2018

There are any number of materials you can use to make ties to fill the empty spaces underneath Lionel O27 track. But I think I’ve found the easiest of all. The materials are cheap and readily available and you don’t need anything special in the way of tools. Here’s how to make O27 track ties out of foamcore board.

Dave Farquhar

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