Marx train set 526 was a windup train set introduced in 1962, typically sold in discount stores. It featured Marx’s best plastic windup locomotive pulling 6-inch metal cars, making an inexpensive starter set for a young child.
Marx train set 526
Marx lettered this set for the Union Pacific railroad, teaming up a 198 locomotive with a tender and caboose and gondola. The set may have been rushed to market due to problems with the windup 490.
It was a four-unit train, and the set consisted of the following:
- 198 windup 0-4-0 steam locomotive with key
- Union Pacific tender, unnumbered
- 91257 Seaboard or 211708 B&O gondola
- 3824 Union Pacific caboose
- 8 sections of 2-rail O27 track
- Instruction sheet 15-146
It came with a simple circle of 2-rail O27 track.
What it cost
I’ve seen one report one report of an example of a Marx 526 set with a price sticker from $3.99. My Dec 6, 1962 ad from Bigg and Littel in Stockton, California offered it for $2.98, claiming it was a $4.98 value, which may or may not have translated to the retail price. The image in Bigg and Littel’s ad is generic, looking more like a 490 locomotive than a 198, but the ad stated a specific set number, so we know what set number 526 cost, and we know it was available in 1962. We also know Marx had replaced the windup 490 with the 198 locomotive during 1962.
Adjusted for inflation, this set sold for the equivalent of $30-$40 in 2023 dollars.
Bigg and Littel advertised this set next to an electric set, set number 4205. If a child showed an interest in trains, they could upgrade to a Marx electric set later and mix and match cars from a windup set like set 526 with the new electric set. Although the electric sets typically contained plastic cars by the 1960s, the couplers on Marx’s 4-wheel plastic cars and the 6-inch metal cars were compatible.
Marx train set 526 value today
I frequently get questions about the value of old Marx train sets. As for the value of Marx train set 526 today, I would estimate it at around $40, depending on how complete it is. Nothing in the set is especially rare, but Marx collectors definitely do have an interest in sets, and will buy an incomplete set with the goal of completing it.
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.