Toy trains Archives

The Marx 21 Santa Fe diesels

Dave Farquhar Toy trains February 19, 2016May 17, 20241:64 scale, lionel, marx, o gauge, tin

In 1950, Marx introduced the largest locomotive it ever made, the Marx 21 Santa Fe diesel. Marx made both powered and unpowered versions, and they were dressed up in the same warbonnet scheme as Lionel’s iconic F3 diesels, but unlike Lionel’s effort, they were nearly 1:48 scale (proper for O gauge) and made of metal.

Marx only made them for two years.

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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Adjust Lionel CW-80 fixed voltage

Dave Farquhar Toy trains February 15, 2016February 14, 2016lionel

The CW-80, unlike postwar transformers, only has two accessory posts. To adjust the Lionel CW-80 fixed voltage, the posts are programmable. If you lost your manual, here’s how to do it.

The accessory voltage was set to 12 volts at the factory, which is usually a good setting, but sometimes they get adjusted, or sometimes you need something different. Here’s how to set it to what you want, in five steps.

Dave Farquhar

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Lionel train won’t slow down? Here’s the fix.

Dave Farquhar Toy trains February 12, 2016February 17, 2017lionel, lionel train, LW

Someone asked me recently why their Lionel train won’t slow down, and when I asked for elaboration, I learned the train wasn’t responding to the throttle on the transformer.

Usually I see the opposite problem, but this one is an easy mistake to make. Fortunately the fix for it is also easy.

Dave Farquhar

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How to fix diecast toys

Dave Farquhar Toy trains February 11, 2016October 23, 2022

I’ve told you about the best way to fix plastic toys, but it dawned on me the other day I’ve never mentioned how to fix diecast toys. Diecast toys don’t break as often as plastic, but it can happen. The good news is that you can fix them too.

In my example I will be fixing a Lionel 671 train from 1946, but the same technique works with anything made of diecast metal of any age.

Dave Farquhar

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Marx 999 repair and service

Dave Farquhar Toy trains February 9, 2016October 22, 2022

I had a Marx 999 that didn’t run well when I pulled it out of storage. When pushing it along the track a few times didn’t yield any measurable improvement, I decided I’d better take it apart and give it a thorough cleaning.

In this case, I worked on a Marx 999, but everything I did applies to any other O gauge train Marx made except for the very late 490 locomotives, whose motors don’t seem to have been designed to let you do any more than replace the brushes.

Dave Farquhar

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Lionel 2034 locomotive repair

Dave Farquhar Toy trains February 5, 2016December 29, 2017american flyer, electric trains, lionel, Lionel Postwar, marx, metal polish, old trains

I have a Lionel 2034 that had a bent cab I fixed, but it ran poorly too. It would run, but only in super slow-mo, and that was when it would run at all. If I was really patient, sometimes I could get it to run a little after a few minutes, but it had minimal pulling power even then. So I took a shot at Lionel 2034 locomotive repair. It was successful.

The motor needed some maintenance, but it didn’t need any parts. Here’s how I fixed it in less than an hour.

Dave Farquhar

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Fixing a bent Lionel 2034 die-cast roof

Dave Farquhar Toy trains February 4, 2016January 24, 2016lionel, locking pliers

I had a Lionel 2034 engine that had, at some point in its life, suffered a fall off a table, most likely onto concrete. The result was a severely bent corner on the cab roof.

But a fall off the table doesn’t have to be the end of the line. It’s possible to fix this injury.

Dave Farquhar

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Marx train light bulbs

Dave Farquhar Toy trains February 1, 2016November 15, 2018license plate, marx, marx trains

I don’t come across burned-out light bulbs in Marx trains very often, but it can happen. When you need to replace a missing or dead bulb, you have some options.

Marx, like its competitors, used a standard E10 screw base in all of its trains and accessories that I know of. It’s best to never say never with Marx, but standardizing on E10 was cost-effective so I doubt there’s any variance. The question is what voltage.

Dave Farquhar

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6 options for removing paint from model trains

Dave Farquhar Toy trains January 29, 2016August 30, 2017american flyer, Dollar Tree, electric trains, Hot Wheels, lionel, marx, matchbox, plastic models, Purple Power, train layout

It’s not uncommon to find model trains with unwanted paint on them, or original paint that’s damaged beyond the point of being able to rehabilitate it. Fortunately, the price is usually low on these trains, and there are numerous household chemicals that can strip the paint off these trains and give them a fresh start.

These tricks also work with other toys and plastic models, but while some of these methods seem to be unknown in the train community, some of them are very well known among collectors who restore vintage plastic model kits. This is an example where knowledge across disciplines can be very valuable, so I hope the car and airplane modelers won’t mind me sharing their secrets.

Dave Farquhar

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Lionel 675 history

Dave Farquhar Toy trains January 28, 2016January 15, 20171950s, lionel, Lionel 675, o scale, o27, PRR, tolerances

The Lionel 675, 2025 and 2035 locomotives are three of the most iconic and sought-after engines Lionel produced in the postwar era. They depicted the Pennsylvania K-5, an ill-fated 4-6-2 Pacific locomotive that was intended to replace the iconic K-4, a popular locomotive that had roamed the rails for one of the largest railroads in the United States since 1911, and was later recognized as the official state locomotive of Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, the K-5 proved less successful and only two were ever made, although the PRR did run both of them into the 1950s.

Some documents identify the 675/2025/2035 as a K-4, but Lionel’s own service literature from the period says it was a K-5.

Lionel’s version proved far, far more successful than the real thing, almost becoming an icon itself. The first edition of Krause’s Standard Catalog of Lionel Trains, 1945-1969 featured a Lionel 675 from 1946 on its cover.

Dave Farquhar

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