Marx’s steam freight train set catalog number 9363 is an unusual 4-wheel plastic set from 1957. In this blog post, I’ll explain what makes it special. Because two things make this one special.
Marx train set, catalog# 9363
This set, Marx set 9363, featured the last version of the 999 locomotive, the one with the Marx logo on the cab and a double reduction motor. And Marx took advantage of that power to make this a 9-unit train. It came with a figure 8 of track to give the large train some room to roam.
Marx 4-wheel train sets typically were four- or five-unit sets.
Like many train sets, Marx lettered this one for the New York Central.
Marx set# 9363’s train consisted of the following:
- Late model 999 loco
- 1951 unnumbered NYC plastic tender
- 467110 B&O boxcar, red
- 347100 PRR gondola, gray
- 21913 LV hopper, black
- 13975 ATSF stock car, brown
- 2532 CSOX tank car, green
- 967 NYC dump car, blue
- unnumbered Erie flatcar, maroon, with side rails
- unnumbered red NYC caboose
- 16 pieces of track with crossover
- 1209 50w transformer
- Instruction sheet IS-245
The 967 dump car is rare, and gave the set extra play value. The presence of the 967 and the late 999 locomotive
Who sold set 9363 and why
I can’t confirm it, but due to its similarity with set 9365, I think 9363 was a Montgomery Ward set from 1957. I know the set is from 1957, because it’s in Robert Whitacre’s Greenberg’s Guide to Marx Trains, Vol. III: Sets, which states this set was from 1957.
What was the New York Central?
The New York Central was a railroad that served the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. It connected New York City and Boston to Chicago and St. Louis via cities like Albany, Buffalo, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit, Rochester, and Syracuse. Most of the major population centers in the late 1940s would have recognized the New York Central.
The New York Central existed from 1953 to 1968. Today, most of what once was the New York Central is now part of CSX.
Marx lettered a lot of trains for the New York Central. In the 1960s, railroad merchandising wasn’t the big business it was today. Marx approached several railroads early on asking for rights to use their names. New York Central was one railroad that agreed with few conditions. Marx didn’t want to pay royalties and didn’t want to commit to giving the railroad a bunch of sets.
Other Marx sets lettered for the New York Central include 4205, 4218, 9605, 9624, and 52875.
What the Marx 9363 set is worth today
Since it wasn’t an expensive set when it was new, it’s easy to dismiss the Marx 9365 set today. A common Marx 4-wheel plastic set tends to be worth around $50. But 9363 is no ordinary set. The 967 side dump car is rare and the late model 999 locomotive isn’t common either. The set is unusual enough to command a bit of a premium, so I would estimate its value at around $150 to someone who recognizes the 999 for what it is.
David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He has written professionally about computers since 1991, so he was writing about retro computers when they were still new. He has been working in IT professionally since 1994 and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He holds Security+ and CISSP certifications. Today he blogs five times a week, mostly about retro computers and retro gaming covering the time period from 1975 to 2000.