Last Updated on March 31, 2024 by Dave Farquhar
Marx train set 9617 was an electric train set Marx that Sears sold in 1954. But you may also hear collectors refer to it as Happi-Time train set 9617, because that’s what Marx printed on the box. Collectors call this a transition set.
Happi-Time train set 9617
Set #9617 was the midrange Marx train set in Sears’ 1954 Christmas catalog. Sears priced it at $12.95, or $146 in 2023 dollars. This set predates Sears’ use of the Allstate brand on its train sets.
Marx lettered this set for the Southern Pacific railway, and put the humble but hard-working 400 locomotive at the front of the train.
It consisted of the following:
- 400 loco w/ headlight and reverse
- Southern Pacific tender
- Erie flatcar with removable stakes and merchandise load
- 13975 yellow Santa Fe stock car
- 2532 green Cities Service tank car
- Red Southern Pacific caboose
- 10 pc O27 track (advertised as 102 inches of track)
- 1209 transformer
A 45-watt transformer and an oval of 10 pieces of O27 track rounded out the set. Sears called it 102 inches of track in its catalog description. Marketing, bruh. On the next page, Sears offered extra track at 18 cents apiece for O27, and 22 cents apiece for wide-diameter O34 curves.
If you have one of these sets and would like to see it running again, I have advice on setting up a Marx train set. I also have some tips on refurbishing a model 1209 transformer.
What is a transition set?
Marx collectors use the phrase transition to indicate a set with 3/16 trucks on smaller plastic bodies, This was a good match scale-wise, and some of us wish Marx had stuck with it. But Marx didn’t produce them this way for long. They moved on to taller Lionel-sized O gauge trucks once they used up their supply of 3/16 trucks. This set was the transition away from lithographed 3/16 cars and into the next-generation plastic cars.
Value of Happi-Time set 9617
As for the value of set 9617 today, I would estimate it at $100-$150. It’s an unusual set. Although the locomotive isn’t rare, Marx didn’t produce the rest of the cars on 3/16 trucks for very long.
Marx Happi-Time train set 9617 in action
If you’d like to see one of these sets running, here’s Marx expert Dave Hess unboxing and running his example on his Youtube channel.
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.