The Marx diesel freight train set number 9629 was an early 1950s electric train set featuring twin diesel locomotives pulling 7-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 9629
The set consisted of two diesel locomotives numbered 62, one powered and one dummy unit, and a caboose lettered for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, of Monopoly game fame. The diesels and caboose flanked the following 7-inch cars to make a five-unit set:
- Pennsylvania Merchandise Service boxcar, any number from 37950-37959
- Wabash gondola, yellow, number 80982
The powered engine had both forward and reverse, so the 9629 set could compete very nicely with a Lionel Scout set. The price and capabilities were similar, but Lionel didn’t offer diesel locomotives at that price point. So the Marx set looked less dated than what Lionel was willing to sell at a similar price.
Regrettably, I was unable to find a vintage ad mentioning set number 9629 specifically, but similar sets in the 1952-54 timeframe sold for about $14.
Marx set 9500 is similar, with the same freight cars, flanked with a different railroad’s locomotives and caboose. This product line meant Marx could sell essentially the same set in different parts of the country with minor changes to broaden the appeal.
This set is not in Robert Whitacre’s Greenberg’s Guide to Marx Trains, Volume 3: Sets. However, he did document three Sears Allstate sets with steam engines and varying consists from the 1950s that used that number on page 84.
What was the Baltimore and Ohio?
You’ve probably heard of the B&O Railroad from playing the popular board game Monopoly. B&O stood for Baltimore and Ohio, the oldest railroad in the United States. It operated from 1830 to 1987, when it merged with the Chessie System. Today it is part of the modern CSX Transportation.
As the name suggests, its goal was to connect Baltimore to the Ohio River, something it achieved in 1852. Successfully crossing the Appalachian Mountains connected Baltimore with the states of Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. At the end of 1970, it operated more than 10,000 miles of track, reaching as far west as St. Louis and as far north as Lake Ontario.
Marx sets featuring the B&O diesels and caboose include 9629, 9632, and 29609.
Value
I would estimate the value of a boxed example of the 9629 set at around $150, with the key drivers being the diesel engines and the caboose. The two freight cars are rather common. Having original paperwork and a box in nice condition can help the value. Finding a boxed example isn’t terribly unusual, because Marx shipped them in sturdy boxes that worked well for storage, and the owners frequently boxed the set back up for storage when they weren’t using 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.
I found an eBay listing for a ‘Great American RR’ Marx train set BOX made for Radio Shack called the Hot Shot. It should make an interesting post. [Marx Great American Railroads The Hot Shot Train Set empty box]
That set was on my to-do list for a very long time. I did finally run a blog post about that last September.
Thank You !