Toy trains Archives

Repair a Marx 709 transformer

Dave Farquhar Toy trains March 23, 2016October 24, 2022

Internally, a Marx 709 transformer differs little from a Marx 1209, so those instructions work for actual repair. But disassembly is a bit different, so I’ll walk through the disassembly process now.

Dave Farquhar

David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He started his career as a part-time computer technician in 1994, worked his way up to system administrator by 1997, and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He invests in real estate on the side and his hobbies include O gauge trains, baseball cards, and retro computers and video games. A University of Missouri graduate, he holds CISSP and Security+ certifications. He lives in St. Louis with his family.

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Repair a Marx 1209 transformer

Want to repair a Marx 1209 transformer? There are two schools of thought. One is that small, sub-75 watt transformers from starter sets aren’t worth fixing because they are so cheap. The other is that since they are so cheap, you have nothing to lose by trying.

Marx didn’t design its transformers to be fixed, but the design is extremely simple. The hardest part really is getting the case apart and then getting it back together. If Marx had designed them to be serviced, like its competitors did, they would have cost more, so we wouldn’t have as many Marx trains to enjoy today. So it’s easy enough to forgive Marx for this.

Let’s dive in.

Dave Farquhar

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Sakai trains: The “Japanese Marx”

Dave Farquhar Toy trains March 21, 2016November 20, 20221:64 scale, 1950s, american flyer, Australia, HO, Japan, lionel, Lionel 675, marx, New York, New York Central, o gauge, o27, sakai, tin

Sakai trains were made in HO and O gauge by a Tokyo-based manufacturer and sold abroad, particularly in the United States and Australia after World War II. Sakai’s O gauge product bore a curious resemblance to Marx. I have read speculation that Marx once used Sakai as a subcontractor, and Sakai used the tooling to make its own trains rather than returning it to Marx, but there are enough differences that I don’t think that’s the case.

What I do know is that Sakai’s O gauge product was a curious blend of cues from Lionel and Marx and the trains worked pretty well. They’re hard to find today, but not especially valuable since few people know what they are. They turn up on Ebay occasionally.

Dave Farquhar

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“Super utility” tinplate train cars

Dave Farquhar Toy trains March 18, 2016January 27, 20221940s, american flyer, ives, lionel, marx, o27, tin, vintage trains

Tin train cars had a variety of methods to couple them together, but by far the most common method was a coupler commonly called tab-in-slot. The tab from one car mated with a slot in the next. All of the train manufacturers used a variant of this method at one point or another, and all of them would be able to couple together, if not for one nagging detail: height.

Dave Farquhar

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Repair a Marx reverse unit

Dave Farquhar Toy trains March 17, 2016January 9, 2018Blade, erector, marx, metal polish

When it comes to Marx repairs, the reverse unit is the end of the innocence. Motor repairs are rather easy; reverse unit repair can be as hard as you want it to be.

I’ll share some things I do that seem to make it go easier.

Dave Farquhar

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Fix a seized Lionel motor

Dave Farquhar Toy trains March 16, 2016March 15, 2016lionel

I got a 4-wheel Lionel motor over the weekend. It was seized up to the point that the wheels wouldn’t turn, which meant I got it for almost nothing. The fix isn’t always this easy, but it’s common enough to be worth taking a chance on these neglected motors.

Dave Farquhar

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The low-effort fix for a Marx motor

Dave Farquhar Toy trains March 15, 2016April 23, 2017marx, Rail Zip

I had a Marx motor that wouldn’t run, and I fixed it with almost no effort. If you need to get a Marx motor running again but can’t put a lot of time and effort into it, I’ve developed a quick fix. It’s only temporary, but if you want to run trains today instead of fixing them, it can get you out of a pinch.

You need a screwdriver and one drop of Rail-Zip.

Dave Farquhar

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How to install American Flyer track locks

Dave Farquhar Toy trains March 14, 2016September 7, 2016american flyer, conductivity, s gauge, tin

To held tracks hold together without nailing them down permanently, AC Gilbert marketed its #694 track locks. Sometimes people also call these track clips. The locks are u-shaped pieces of tin that came in a brown envelope with instructions on the front. If you’ve lost the instructions, or bought the clips secondhand and never got them, here’s how to install American Flyer track locks.

These track locks are indispensable for setting up a layout on the floor.

Dave Farquhar

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Replace the plug on a Lionel transformer

Dave Farquhar Toy trains March 11, 2016November 22, 2020lionel, power cord

Lionel transformers were built to last. Perhaps the most frequent issue with them is a messed-up power cord. But sometimes the cord is OK but it needs a new plug.

Replacing a power cord is easier than it sounds, but replacing just the plug is easier still.

Dave Farquhar

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Repairing Marx one-way couplers

Dave Farquhar Toy trains March 10, 2016April 23, 2017hardware store, marx

Marx one-way couplers were an effort to provide trains that could automatically couple and uncouple. The design was exceptionally reliable, as long as the trains were carefully stored after use. It’s not uncommon today to find them in inoperable condition, but it’s possible to repair them.

Prior to World War II, every train manufacturer tried different ways to make trains that could automatically couple and uncouple, with varying degrees of success. None were particularly realistic, and Marx’s design was probably the ugliest, but did I mention it worked really well?

Dave Farquhar

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