Marx lights

Marx was a great American toy company. They were specialised in mass-produced toys with lots of play-value. Although the name amuses me in the sense that it was a toy-manufacturer in a country were McCarthy lived. The geezer that hunted anybody down that only vaguely smelled like a communist. But that is forgotten by most, as is the wall, etc. But some pretty good toys remain. Funny when you think of it; toys out-live ideologies.  Anyway, for some unclear reasons, some great Marx toy train accessories became available on my local market and I was fortunate to get a hold on three items. And since these items were not manufactured by Märklin or Lionel, they were cheap and value for money.

I already wired a Marx 416 Floodlight tower from 1938. The patina on the reflectors was so aged (black) that it hardly functioned as a reflector, so I gave it a thorough rub and polish. Since, these were mass-produced I do not mind anyway about patina.

The Marx 436 Searchlight tower is a truly tall structure and once wired on, it lights up the room as a true searchlight should. Unfortunately the glass lens has a crack, but perhaps I can find a replacement somewhere.

And then the Marx 404 automatic block signal with a lever to control the lights and a rheostat to control the light strength. Pretty damn old as well and hence very welcome indeed.