Marx steam freight train set 52875

Last Updated on May 1, 2024 by Dave Farquhar

There is more than one Marx train set numbered 52875. For some confusing reason, at least four variants of this set, dating to the mid 1960s, exist. All of them are similar in that they feature a 2-4-2 steam locomotive with a slopeback tender pulling three freight cars and a caboose. But the consist varies. And in one case, the locomotive varies.

Robert Whitacre documented what he called three different variants in his Greenberg book from 1990. But you could just as easily count it as five variants. Marx was pretty clearly changing it up to get local appeal, with UP sets for the western and midwestern United States, and NYC to appeal to the population centers east of the Mississippi River. For a retailer wanting to hit a lower price point, Marx provided a version with a simpler freight consist and a plastic engine.

If you have one of these sets and you’d like to see it running again, I don’t blame you. Here’s some advice on setting up a Marx train set. I also have some tips on servicing a model 1209 transformer.

Marx 52875 UP steam freight set

The first two variants of the Marx 52875 freight set feature an engine and caboose lettered for Union Pacific, giving the set local appeal west of Chicago. All of the cars have plastic tilt couplers on 8-wheel trucks. The box contained the following:

• Marx 666 diecast 2-4-2 steam locomotive
• Unnumbered UP black plastic slopeback tender (catalog number is 961)
• 51110 tuscan brown Southern auto carrier with four automobiles
• 51170 blue Erie gondola or 4258 maroon Erie flat car with logs
• 43461 white PFE refrigerator car
• 3900 orange UP caboose
• 8 027 curved track sections
• 2 O27 straight track sections
• Bottle of smoke fluid
• 1209 50-watt transformer

The difference in these sets is whether they shipped with a gondola or flat car with log load.

Marx 52875 NYC steam freight set

The next two variants of the Marx 52875 freight set feature an engine and caboose lettered for the New York Central, giving the set local appeal east of Chicago. All of the cars have plastic tilt couplers on 8-wheel trucks. The box contained the following:

• Marx 666 diecast 2-4-2 steam locomotive
• Unnumbered NYC black plastic slopeback tender (catalog number is 961)
• 51110 tuscan brown Southern auto carrier with four automobiles
• 51170 blue Erie gondola or 4258 maroon Erie flat car with logs
• 43461 white PFE refrigerator car
• 18326 red NYC caboose
• 8 027 curved track sections
• 2 O27 straight track sections
• Bottle of smoke fluid
• 1209 50-watt transformer

The difference in these sets is whether they shipped with a gondola or flat car with log load. Marx cataloged this set in 1965.

Marx sold a lot of other train sets lettered for the New York Central. Other Marx sets lettered for the New York Central include 4205, 4218, 9605, 9611, and 9624.

Marx 52875 UP steam freight set (plastic)

This last variant of the Marx 52875 freight set substitutes a plastic 1666 2-4-2 locomotive instead of the diecast version in other variants. The tender and caboose are lettered for Union Pacific, giving the set local appeal west of Chicago. All of the cars have plastic tilt couplers on 8-wheel trucks. The box contained the following:

• Marx 1666 plastic 2-4-2 steam locomotive
• Unnumbered UP black plastic slopeback tender (catalog number is 961)
• 4258 maroon Erie flat car with logs
• 347100 gray Pennsylvania gondola
• 43461 white PFE refrigerator car
• 3900 orange UP caboose
• 8 027 curved track sections
• 2 O27 straight track sections
• Bottle of smoke fluid
• 1209 50-watt transformer

This final variant is pretty clearly a cost-reduced version of the other two sets. The plastic engine is cheaper than the diecast engine, and Marx replaced the auto car with the four plastic automobiles with the super-common 347100 PRR gondola.

Similar sets

Marx sold at least two other train sets very similar to the 52875, the main difference being they came with different transformers. Otherwise, the sets were functionally the same.

My understanding is that after 1955, Marx liked to give retailers exclusives, but “exclusive” didn’t mean some other retailer hadn’t carried a very similar set in a different year. This explains the similarities to set 50875 and 50885.

The Marx sets 21336M and 21337M sold by Montgomery Ward in the early 1970s are conceptually similar, with additional accessories and updated to feature the then-current Penn Central railroad.