Marx train set 15630 was an electric train set from 1973, sold by Sears. While some Marx collectors joke that the only rare Marx train set is the one that doesn’t run, this old-timey 1970s train set cobbled together from Marx’s leftovers is rare and valuable today.
Marx 15630 Pioneer Express train set
Marx set 15630, also known as the Sears Heritage Train Set, was the last train set to feature Marx’s ill-fated Wm Crooks locomotive. With this set, Marx designer Bill Felege dusted off the tooling for the Wm Crooks one last time, pulled together a set of old-fashioned looking plastic cars for it to pull, and rounded out the set with a 25W transformer, a manual switch, and enough track for a loop and siding. Marx hobbyist Todd Hein interviewed Felege in 2023. He mentioned the set’s locomotive about six and a half minutes in, and the caboose about 20 minutes in.
The tender’s lettering read 1st. Divn. St. P. & P.R.R, in honor of the Saint Paul and Pacific Railroad, one of Minnesota’s first major railroads. Founded in 1857, it lasted until 1879, when it came under the ownership of a group led by railroad tycoon James J. Hill. Hill shuffled the St. P & P assets around for about a decade before it became part of the Great Northern Railway.
It consisted of the following:
- Wm Crooks 0-4-0 locomotive, plastic, no front truck
- 1st. Divn. St. P. & P.R.R tender
- 56 lumber car
- 45 wood-sided caboose
- 25w #309 transformer
All of the cars came with fixed plastic knuckle couplers.
The set also came with 8 O27 curves, five O27 straights, a manual O27 switch, and a bumper. This theoretically gave the set some play value, although the plastic O27 switch the set came with was always prone to derailments. I would have quickly grown frustrated with it if I’d had one of these sets as a child.
Rarity and value
I frequently get questions about the value of old Marx train sets. As for the value of set 15630 today, it’s a fairly rare later Marx set. The Wm Crooks locomotive is rare, especially in unbroken condition. Note that the correct locomotive for this set omits the front truck. This wasn’t necessarily just a cost-saving measure. Sears also sold a version of this set with a trestle, and omitting the front truck made the train run better on a trestle.
The lettering on the tender is prone to fade and become nearly unreadable. Seeing as all of the other cars are uncommon too, I would estimate the value of a complete 15630 Heritage Train Set set at $200 or more.
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.