The Marx diesel freight train set number 8612 was a late 1950s electric train set featuring twin diesel locomotives pulling 6-inch freight cars. It’s an attractive set and a very good example of post-war tin lithography, which was becoming something of a lost art at the time.
Marx diesel type electrical train set 8612
The set consisted a single diesel locomotive numbered 81 and a caboose lettered for the Monon Railroad, also known as the Chicago, Indianapolis, and Louisville Railway, a defunct Class I railroad that operated almost entirely within the state of Indiana. Monon was one of the first railroads to convert entirely from steam to diesel power, making it an appropriate choice for a 1950s diesel train set.
The Monon diesel and caboose flanked the following 6-inch cars to make a four-unit set:
- Baltimore & Ohio gondola, yellow, number 241708
- Lehigh Valley high side gondola, green, number 28500
It was a colorful and attractive consist, and it featured a surprising degree of realism in the paint schemes, especially for such an inexpensive set. Marx train set 8612 sold for less than $10. The boxed example I’ve seen had a $7.99 price written on it.
What was the Monon Route?
The Monon Route was a Class I railroad that operated mostly in the state of Indiana, operating around 800 miles of track at its peak. It’s also the largest Class I railroad to have zero miles of double track. Given that the Monon operated mostly in the state of Indiana, the set had somewhat limited regional appeal. I’ve heard that Louis Marx chose a few regional railroads because he liked their paint schemes. I can’t fault him for his choice of Monon.
The Monon merged with the Louisville & Nashville railroad in 1971. Most of the former Monon right-of-way now belongs to CSX Transportation.
Value
The Marx Monon diesels and caboose are uncommon, and they drive the value of this set. The freight cars, track and transformer are all common and easy to acquire. But the Monon diesel engine and the caboose can sell for $200 on their own. So $230 for a boxed example of an 8612 Marx train set wouldn’t be at all out of line.
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.