Hey Ron, Marx wheels were not quartered because they had to rotate together so that they would drive a smoke unit with both main rods working together to push the bellows. It didn't matter on non-smoking models. Just to pass on some knowledge to you. Very nice train set. You did a wonderful job giving that Marx set a Christmas.
I've been laid up due to surgery. Can hardly walk. Found your videos... have been binge watching and thoroughly enjoying. Thanks for helping me celebrate Christmas .... somehow!
Thank you!!! Sorry to hear about your condition, I am hoping you are healing up well. Glad you have found something to occupy your mind. I have been laid up several times in the past 3 years, gets pretty boring just laying there. Thank you for your kind words on my video's. Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!
This reminded me of when my Mom made me sell all my Marx/Lionel trains to fund a new HO layout... I got $8 for two whole sets and all the fixings. Your restorations are driving up the price of these relics which is a good thing! Great to see her running! I believe I had the same or very similar steam engine... great job!
Some problems here. My Little Lady was submitted to a surgical intervention. Thank God she is recovering now, giving me some time to do my things. By the way, give my best wishes to Peggy for her birthday, ok? Huge hug my Friend!
Thank you my Friend for your wishes! I do think the worst was left behind. Some things you should confront (deal with) with time and patience (and a good doctor and medicine!).
All things considered, everything turned out Okay. Good job Ron. Happy Birthday to your better half and Happy Holidays to your family. See ya next week or so.
Don't be in such a rush with the brush paint. Let the first coat dry: might be thin and show through but building up lots of thin layers will produce a better outcome and thin coats will dry a lot quicker.
It truly is Christmas..watching Christmas Eve morning..great way to start the day..hope your Christmas goes well for you and your family…video as usual..was enjoying to watch…
Awesome work bringing this one back to life. Great choice on the classic Model of the week. That was a very nice picture of Heather Locklear. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
I think the reason why O Gauge trains run so well is because the oiled wheels don't ride on the powered rail. Awesome 999 salvage, looks amazing including the slo-mo wheel slip. 😎👍
Oh man that brings back memories, some 45 years ago or something my dad put that Lionel 3 track around the Christmas tree and had a train going, and at the time that was the coolest thing ever. Now I outgrew trains, but as an adult I regrew into them and while I'm not a fan of O gauge I do have HO gauge that I try to pass off on my kid.
MERRY CHRISTMAS RON. Your videos have greatly helped me repairing locomotives this past year. Now I buy $5 and $10 locomotives at shows and root around in em to get them up and running again. Wife loved last weeks transformation beautiful job. Keep em coming in the next year.
Wow! Really intersting. You did a nice job with the painting and everything. My first new train set was Marx, mid-sixties. All of the cars were plastic bodies, 027 scale. Santa Fe A&B F unit locomotives, oddball couplers that were not compatible with Lionel. - Johnny from Texas.
You did a really great job on this Marx 999 Ron!! I really enjoyed the painting you did on it as well. The engine really pops now. The rolling stock came out great as well. Super job my friend. Merry Christmas to you and your wife!! Tom
I busted out laughing when you said that you would piss on a sparkelator if that would help. I too watch VGG. I usually have it playing when I’m working on some trains. Thanks for another great video. Merry Christmas Ron!
Another good video. I will suggest you get a soldering gun vs the iron for the delicate small soldering jobs. They heat up almost instantly and great soldering job results.
Hope you have a quiet holiday. Everyone remember to enjoy the holidays and keep friends and family in mind that have lost loved ones this past year. The holidays can be the hardest for those people and they need your support the most. ❤❤❤
Hi Ron. Great video again. I thanks you for the chuckles again. I did a lol when you double bagged the parts and then got the joke 🤣. I was up at 3am blowing Snow for 2 hours and came in for a coffee, needed a laugh, thanks. You are the best! The set turned out beautiful, once it got some grip,it ran around the lonely Christmas tree great. Merry Christmas to you and your Wife. Cheers for here. 🇨🇦 G
Those little Marx 999's are a lot of fun. I have several of them and I have painted a few of them very similar to the one you did in this video. I think that it makes the tiny little 2-4-2 look bigger to paint the front of the boiler. I've also customized a lot of the metal rolling stock (cheap hobby paint hand painted not a pro job at all). Those metal cars are considered 3/16 rolling stock so S scale decals fit a lot better than O scale...just in case you decide to do any. The vast majority of those Marx 999's came with a New York Central tender. They never did make a Reading tender which is odd because Reading and New York Central were the two metal cabooses that they made. There is a very rare 4 wheel (instead of 8 wheel) tender like that for Nickel Plate Road, but it went with different cars and there is no metal Nickel Plate caboose. The entire 3/16 rolling stock offerings were less than 20 different pieces between flat cars, boxcars, a hopper, gondolas, cattle cars, and cabooses. If ever there was an entire line that would be possible to collect (except for rare variations of course) it would be the Marx 3/16 line. Merry Christmas to you and the wife and I love the videos.
Thanks for the info. I knew these are 3/16" scale. Lots of sizes out there back in the day. Ive run into a lot of Marx tinplate collectors out there. Thought there might be more than 20 different pieces but now I think about it that sounds about right. Merry Christmas to you and yours as well
Hey Ron! FYI the NYC 999 was a very famous Baldwin locomotive built for speed/passenger service. When I was a kid growing up there was a railroad running right through the middle of my grandpa's dairy farm in upstate NY and through the farm house's front yard. It was the West Shore line built back in the 1860's I think. Penn Central bought that line in the 1950's i think and proceeded to abandoned it and soon tore everything up so no more RR tracks. THE very last train that went down those tracks was an Alco diesel pulling the very one NYC 999. It stopped in our front yard so the engineer who sorta knew my grandpa could tell the family what the fate of the RR was and the engine it was towing. It seems the NYC 999 set a world speed record back in the 1890s by being the first locomotive to go 100MPH+ and was being towed to the Smithsonian but it never made it there. Long story short it ended up in a museum in Chicago fully restored. Google NYC 999 if you are at all interested with pictures. I thought that was pretty kool!!!
Tough week for spilling things. Good thing is now your work space is nice and clean. Great to see the old train running again. Thanks for sharing. Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Another great video Ron! I knew when I first started watching your stuff that you had to be a VGG fan! You and Derek are two of my favorite youtubers. Fun humor combined with great know-how and problem solving makes for quality entertainment! ... and Heather Locklear was the bomb:)
Neat little engines. I came across a couple and they are bulletproof. Set on track and took off and run. The paint does improve the looks a bit. Merry Christmas
Go side to side across the tread of the loco wheel with a slightly abrasive Dremel tool, like the one that keeps loosing its hairs, to give the wheel surface area some traction. Also you can do the same with the track and go across the rail very lightly with a green scrubby pad instead of up and down the length of the rail to create some tractive effort. Love your videos. Thanks for what you do.
Merry Christmas Ron, good show I see a lot of old Marx equipment for sale in my area on facebook market place really cheap, how ever I am not into it, I did score an old Hornby 4-6-4 steam engine in HO scale thought, oiled it up and runs like a charm, will send you a picture of it in a day or two, need the tender for it, but runs with out it, all power pick up is on the engine
Your "nippers" are also know as End Cutters. After over thirty years in hardwood flooring I know them well. Painting the smoke box/firebox was a great idea and really added to the look of the engine. I recognized Heather Locklear right away. She got my attention more than a few squares back. Lol. Another great video! Happy Birthday to your better half and Merry Christmas!
End Cutters and side cutters...... Makes since now. I always called my side cutters a pair of dikes. Yes that H.L. could sure break up a happy home back in the day for sure. Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!
Great job on the set. That transformer looked a little iffy from the beginning. As far as wheel slip goes the unit needs some sanders. Well, maybe roughing up the drivers with some 100 -150 grit sandpaper. Not too shabby for a 77 year old trainset. The Spirit of Christmas Train. Merry Christmas Ron.
I really enjoy the vid's along w/the narrative!!! Merry Christmas to you and yours. illin' in south philly I model N scale stoney creek branch of the Reading Railroad.
My opinion on marx sets is they are very good For running around a Christmas tree and for starting out Most of my engines are marx (5) with 3 lionels and 1 American flyer O scale
Back in the day Marx trains were bought by "Working Men" for there boys and the Lionels which were much more expensive were bought by "White Collar" Fellers for there kids. Marx has a strong following among Model Train Enthusiasts to this day.
A friend of mine restored a similar set 5 years ago. The track was black as well. Being he was missing a few sections, he got some new made replacements and blackened the rails to match the rest , then polished the rail tops. Nowadays he sets it up in the front of his office every year,lol.
Hi Ron. Great video. I’ve been buyin’ up old Marx trains lately too. They just don’t quit. Sorry you didn’t like those Dremel abrasive wheels so much. I find the red ones do the best with the least mess. I had an issue with slipping wheels on my Marx 1666 as well. It worked much better once I degreased the track and wheels with some CRC electronics cleaner. Take care and Happy Holiday!
Hi Ron, thank you for another excellent year of entertaining video's, Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year 2025. Ps if you're going to pee on spark plugs, make sure the engine is switched off 😂
Growing up, my dad set up a 4' x 8' platform made of tongue and groove pine boards painted green. On it were 2 ovals. The outside oval was an American Flyer steam locomotive that smoked and it had a short spur in the straight section connected to the main oval with a switch on each end. The inside oval was a Marx Commodore Perry locomotive. My brother and I used to lay tinsel from the tree over the rails then drive the locomotives over it and watch the sparks. Modern tinsel is made of fireproof materials whereas the original tinsel was lead. I used to set the Marx engine on the straight section and give it full power and it would fly off the track. I gave up with that thank the Lord. I have the Marx set to this day but I am frustrated because where it was stored must have had high humidity and the wheels and bare metal and the shiny parts all rusted. They would run forever but were way to fast. To think that kids today would get to play with AC current for toys would be a nationwide breaking news story. We knew not to do certain things because our parents taught us. I guess either todays kids or their parents do not know how to do this and the Feds not tell them and the EPA makes rules that raise costs and many small companies just gave up. Ahh, for the good old days. I have a Marx HO set (F3 freight) and I absolutely think they are better than Bachman and Walthers combined.
YES!! Great job!! Those pieces of track being slicker than the others…that’s got me puzzled… It could possibly be that the track is made of an extremely hardened metal that just doesn’t allow for tractive effort…Idunno It’s got me scratching my head Anyway Tell your woman Happy Birthday And the both of you have a excellent Christmas!!
Merry Christmas, Ron. I finally got a complete 999 set earlier this year. Although they are not great pullers, I was surprised just how smoothly the motor ran. Nice restoration. The Bullfrog snot should help and would be easier to apply than putting all the old gunk back on. I've always been attracted to Heather Locklear and Barbra Eden. When I was dating a lady, she asked me which actress I found attractive. I told her Heather Locklear. She said, "So you like crazy?" I said I'm not attracted to her personality😊. Needless to say, things didn't work out. Too bad, she was a real looker. True story. Hey, where's the Christmas tree? Have a great new year.
Hi Ron the New York Central tender come with pretty much every set and the reading caboose came with them for some reason I have an original set from 1938 and it has a reading caboose and it has a NYC tender that's marx for you good video by the way and have a Merry Christmas👍
I give my two boys money for Christmas also, lol.
You are Very Kind Jersey B!! THANK YOU very much!!
Hey Ron, Marx wheels were not quartered because they had to rotate together so that they would drive a smoke unit with both main rods working together to push the bellows. It didn't matter on non-smoking models. Just to pass on some knowledge to you. Very nice train set. You did a wonderful job giving that Marx set a Christmas.
Thank you for the info there June :-)
Ron, you are like Cadillac : The Perfect Blend of Art and Science ! You did a wonderful job of fully restoring this Marx loco and cars !
Very kind of you Norman :-)
It’s an absolute joy to hear you talk during the videos. Has helped me get back into the hobby…
Very kind of you to say Michael, Glad your back into modeling :-)
Is there anything better at Christmas than trains? Yes! Christmas trains and Sooooper-looobe!! Happy holidays Ron. Great resto. Keep 'em comin'!
Thanks Darren,
I love the way you wiggle your fingers like you are conjuring magic😂
he he he he........ LOVE IT!!!!! :-D
Great video on the Marx 999 I have a Marx 333 with smoke 🚂
cool! Is it a side smoker as well?
@@classicmodeltrains yes it is!
I've been laid up due to surgery. Can hardly walk. Found your videos... have been binge watching and thoroughly enjoying. Thanks for helping me celebrate Christmas .... somehow!
Thank you!!! Sorry to hear about your condition, I am hoping you are healing up well. Glad you have found something to occupy your mind. I have been laid up several times in the past 3 years, gets pretty boring just laying there. Thank you for your kind words on my video's. Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!
This reminded me of when my Mom made me sell all my Marx/Lionel trains to fund a new HO layout... I got $8 for two whole sets and all the fixings. Your restorations are driving up the price of these relics which is a good thing! Great to see her running! I believe I had the same or very similar steam engine... great job!
I would like to think I'm influencing the market but I dont think I have that kind of influence.......yet ;-)
You watch Polar Express and I'm watching Classic Model Trains while I wrap gifts. Fun video.
Thanks :-)
Very nice work Ron. Cleaning and lubing things like that you is the best way to make them working in their proper way.
Thank you Regis. I see your catching up on video's today :-)
Some problems here. My Little Lady was submitted to a surgical intervention. Thank God she is recovering now, giving me some time to do my things. By the way, give my best wishes to Peggy for her birthday, ok? Huge hug my Friend!
@ I am very sorry to hear that Regis. Sounds like the worst is behind you? I am hoping for a speedy recovery for her. I will let Peggy know.
Thank you my Friend for your wishes! I do think the worst was left behind. Some things you should confront (deal with) with time and patience (and a good doctor and medicine!).
All things considered, everything turned out Okay. Good job Ron.
Happy Birthday to your better half and Happy Holidays to your family. See ya next week or so.
Thank you! I appreciate you watching! Happy Holidays to you as well.
I have a Marx 333 with smoke 🚂 great engine pulls and smokes like crazy. Love the video on the 999 💞
Thanks
Don't be in such a rush with the brush paint. Let the first coat dry: might be thin and show through but building up lots of thin layers will produce a better outcome and thin coats will dry a lot quicker.
Thanks Peter, That's why I have poor painting skills because I'm always in such a hurry. I need more patience and I want it NOW ;-)
Hi Ron, Another great video. 🎄 Merry Christmas 🎄 to and your family. 🎄🎅🎄
Thank you Anthony, Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!
Great little engine love my Marx trains they were my very first when I was 5 years old 👍
Right on!
LOVE THOSE TYCOS THEY NEVER GET OLD LET EM ROLL ;-)
:-)
That’s a great tip for resetting the track ends !
Glad that was helpful!
It's running great!! Good job!!
Thank you
Thank you for sharing. 🎄🚂🚃🚃🚃🎄 Merry Christmas Ron and Happy Birthday to the wife🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺👍
Thank you! Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!
merry christmas and a happy new year 2025
Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!
It truly is Christmas..watching Christmas Eve morning..great way to start the day..hope your Christmas goes well for you and your family…video as usual..was enjoying to watch…
Thank you Thomas! Merry Christmas to you and yours as well
Awesome work bringing this one back to life. Great choice on the classic Model of the week. That was a very nice picture of Heather Locklear. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Thanks SF Bob, H.L. sure broke some hearts back in the 80's for sure. Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!
I think the reason why O Gauge trains run so well is because the oiled wheels don't ride on the powered rail. Awesome 999 salvage, looks amazing including the slo-mo wheel slip. 😎👍
Thank you John :-)
Oh man that brings back memories, some 45 years ago or something my dad put that Lionel 3 track around the Christmas tree and had a train going, and at the time that was the coolest thing ever. Now I outgrew trains, but as an adult I regrew into them and while I'm not a fan of O gauge I do have HO gauge that I try to pass off on my kid.
I'm glad you came back to the hobby like many of us do that were exposed to it as children.
Merry Christmas Ron and family.
I used to have such a huge crush on Heather Locklear
I know what you mean, she was a looker! lol Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!
Hey Ron, you're a good painter!!!!
Thanks, the skills are slowly coming around
Merry Christmas ! Really nice job on that train 👍👍
Thank you, Merry Christmas to you and yours as well
MERRY CHRISTMAS RON. Your videos have greatly helped me repairing locomotives this past year. Now I buy $5 and $10 locomotives at shows and root around in em to get them up and running again. Wife loved last weeks transformation beautiful job. Keep em coming in the next year.
Merry Christmas to you and yours as well Andy!
Merry Christmas To you and your family Ron.
Thank you Rick, Merry Christmas to you and yours as well
Great video and Happy birthday to the little Lady. Marry Christmas to y’all from Texas.
Thank you Dean, Merry Christmas to you and yours as well
Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Thanks Michael, Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!
Wow! Really intersting. You did a nice job with the painting and everything. My first new train set was Marx, mid-sixties. All of the cars were plastic bodies, 027 scale. Santa Fe A&B F unit locomotives, oddball couplers that were not compatible with Lionel. - Johnny from Texas.
Thanks J From T! Yes all Marx had different couplers than Lionel, just seemed silly to me
Nice job Ron!! Merry Christmas!!😊
Thanks Tony, Merry Christmas to you and yours as well
Very cool train set. Merry Christmas!
Thanks Jim, Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!
As always Ron I enjoyed the great work you do to these trains 🚂. Wishing you and the family a merry Christmas 🎄.
Thank you! Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!
You did a really great job on this Marx 999 Ron!! I really enjoyed the painting you did on it as well. The engine really pops now. The rolling stock came out great as well. Super job my friend. Merry Christmas to you and your wife!! Tom
Thank you Tom and Merry Christmas to you and yours as well
She looks great Ron. Thanks for the great videos.
Thank you, I appreciate you watching!
Merry Christmas! Headed towards 20k subscribers! Nice!
Merry Christmas to you and yours as well. Hopefully by spring be up there at 20K
I busted out laughing when you said that you would piss on a sparkelator if that would help. I too watch VGG. I usually have it playing when I’m working on some trains. Thanks for another great video. Merry Christmas Ron!
Merry Christmas to you and yours as well S.T.!!
The paint adds a great touch...great job
Thank you!
That is a neat little bogger. Went from no go, to doing burn outs, love it.
Lubrication is a good thing :-)
Another good video. I will suggest you get a soldering gun vs the iron for the delicate small soldering jobs. They heat up almost instantly and great soldering job results.
Thank you Gene! I have a 65 watt soldering station with different tips I can put on. I've never liked the guns. to big and bulky
Hope you have a quiet holiday. Everyone remember to enjoy the holidays and keep friends and family in mind that have lost loved ones this past year. The holidays can be the hardest for those people and they need your support the most. ❤❤❤
Yes my Christmas was very quiet.
Thank you Ron luv them MARX 3/16ths the 999 never was a good puller! Merry Christmas and the Happy Birthday too
Merry Christmas to you and yours as well William
OK...a power meter on a lamp stand....you are on your own now 😅 Holy Moldy!!
It's a very cool piece! I hope the meter spins when the light is on
Great vid and thank you......I have a armload of 666 and 1666 engines that need new bushings,when wore it can let the gears skip teeth.
Sounds like them loco's have 2 million miles on them to wear out the bushings that much. Hope you can source some for her.
Hi Ron.
Great video again. I thanks you for the chuckles again. I did a lol when you double bagged the parts and then got the joke 🤣. I was up at 3am blowing Snow for 2 hours and came in for a coffee, needed a laugh, thanks. You are the best!
The set turned out beautiful, once it got some grip,it ran around the lonely Christmas tree great.
Merry Christmas to you and your Wife.
Cheers for here. 🇨🇦 G
Greetings G, we had a brown Christmas, no snow over here. Glad you enjoyed the video. Merry Christmas to you and yours as well
Another great video. A very Merry Christmas🎅🏼 and A Happy New Year 🎉 to you and your lady .
Thank you Robert, Merry Christmas to you and yours as well
great love it great christmas gift to us
Thanks!
Nice Holiday Video great job
Thanks Norman
Great video. Hope you have a wonderful holiday with your family. Enjoy.
Thanks James! Merry Christmas to you and yours as well
Those little Marx 999's are a lot of fun. I have several of them and I have painted a few of them very similar to the one you did in this video. I think that it makes the tiny little 2-4-2 look bigger to paint the front of the boiler.
I've also customized a lot of the metal rolling stock (cheap hobby paint hand painted not a pro job at all). Those metal cars are considered 3/16 rolling stock so S scale decals fit a lot better than O scale...just in case you decide to do any.
The vast majority of those Marx 999's came with a New York Central tender. They never did make a Reading tender which is odd because Reading and New York Central were the two metal cabooses that they made.
There is a very rare 4 wheel (instead of 8 wheel) tender like that for Nickel Plate Road, but it went with different cars and there is no metal Nickel Plate caboose.
The entire 3/16 rolling stock offerings were less than 20 different pieces between flat cars, boxcars, a hopper, gondolas, cattle cars, and cabooses. If ever there was an entire line that would be possible to collect (except for rare variations of course) it would be the Marx 3/16 line.
Merry Christmas to you and the wife and I love the videos.
Thanks for the info. I knew these are 3/16" scale. Lots of sizes out there back in the day. Ive run into a lot of Marx tinplate collectors out there. Thought there might be more than 20 different pieces but now I think about it that sounds about right. Merry Christmas to you and yours as well
Hello Ron love your videos HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK AND GOD BLESS YOU ;-)
Thank you Carl! Happy new year to you and yours as well!
Hey Ron! FYI the NYC 999 was a very famous Baldwin locomotive built for speed/passenger service. When I was a kid growing up there was a railroad running right through the middle of my grandpa's dairy farm in upstate NY and through the farm house's front yard. It was the West Shore line built back in the 1860's I think. Penn Central bought that line in the 1950's i think and proceeded to abandoned it and soon tore everything up so no more RR tracks. THE very last train that went down those tracks was an Alco diesel pulling the very one NYC 999. It stopped in our front yard so the engineer who sorta knew my grandpa could tell the family what the fate of the RR was and the engine it was towing. It seems the NYC 999 set a world speed record back in the 1890s by being the first locomotive to go 100MPH+ and was being towed to the Smithsonian but it never made it there. Long story short it ended up in a museum in Chicago fully restored. Google NYC 999 if you are at all interested with pictures. I thought that was pretty kool!!!
Thanks for this GREAT story and cool information!!!
Another great job Ron! I enjoy watching, & am loving the restoration skills! Thank you for the entertainment! Keep up the good work!
I appreciate that, thanks for watching!
I used a small strip of black vinyl tape on one of rear wheel, solved the slipping problem.
I will have to try that thanks
Sweet Heather Loclier . I love those old Marx engines
Yup!
I have a Marx 999 NYC tinplate from my father, great runners.
Very cool!
It's great seeing you back after your craft, mobile classic trains and we get a sneak peek on how to do it....Thanks
I'm glad you liked it! Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!
Good morning from Miami, waiting to board the cruise ship🎉
Well that sounds like a GREAT way to celebrate the season. Good for you and the Missus!!
Tough week for spilling things. Good thing is now your work space is nice and clean. Great to see the old train running again. Thanks for sharing. Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Thanks John, Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!
Another great video Ron! I knew when I first started watching your stuff that you had to be a VGG fan! You and Derek are two of my favorite youtubers. Fun humor combined with great know-how and problem solving makes for quality entertainment! ... and Heather Locklear was the bomb:)
Thank you Brian!!
Thanks Ron! Another awesome restoration.
Merry Christmas!!
I appreciate it, Merry Christmas to you as well Frank
I LOVE when you repair Marx equipment.
I just purchased a Marx 999 loco/tender which currently runs, in need of some TLC.
Perfect timing! 🚂
Right on!
Neat little engines. I came across a couple and they are bulletproof. Set on track and took off and run. The paint does improve the looks a bit. Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!
Happy Holidays Ron to you and "The Little Lady".😊
Thank you! Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!
Hi Ron & it's is Randy and i like yours video is Cool & Thanks Ron & Friends Randy
Hi Randy, Merry Christmas to you
Go side to side across the tread of the loco wheel with a slightly abrasive Dremel tool, like the one that keeps loosing its hairs, to give the wheel surface area some traction. Also you can do the same with the track and go across the rail very lightly with a green scrubby pad instead of up and down the length of the rail to create some tractive effort. Love your videos. Thanks for what you do.
Thank you for the information
Merry Christmas Ron, good show I see a lot of old Marx equipment for sale in my area on facebook market place really cheap, how ever I am not into it, I did score an old Hornby 4-6-4 steam engine in HO scale thought, oiled it up and runs like a charm, will send you a picture of it in a day or two, need the tender for it, but runs with out it, all power pick up is on the engine
Merry Christmas to you and yours as well VTM, Ive yet to work on a Hornby Hope you find a tender for her :-)
My family and I are glad that your videos exist Merry Christmas from the Walkers.
Thank you Steven, Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!
As always Great show, that Marx never ran better. and Merry Christmas Ron
Thanks William Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!
Your "nippers" are also know as End Cutters. After over thirty years in hardwood flooring I know them well. Painting the smoke box/firebox was a great idea and really added to the look of the engine. I recognized Heather Locklear right away. She got my attention more than a few squares back. Lol. Another great video! Happy Birthday to your better half and Merry Christmas!
End Cutters and side cutters...... Makes since now. I always called my side cutters a pair of dikes. Yes that H.L. could sure break up a happy home back in the day for sure. Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!
Holly Molly!!! Is that a pre famous Cheryl Tiegs??? Late 1970s!!!
Close, Heather Locklear
Merry Christmas Ron thanks for a great year of videos always a 33%er 🎄🚂
Merry Christmas to you and yours as well! Thanks for watching all year!
Great job on the set. That transformer looked a little iffy from the beginning. As far as wheel slip goes the unit needs some sanders. Well, maybe roughing up the drivers with some 100 -150 grit sandpaper. Not too shabby for a 77 year old trainset. The Spirit of Christmas Train. Merry Christmas Ron.
Thank you! Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!
Another good one thanks Ron you have a merry Christmas you and your wife and your dog
Thanks James, Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!
Nice job working on this Marx 999 set right here!! She looks awesome! I hope you have a merry christmas! 33%er
Thanks Matt, Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!
I discovered your channel a few weeks ago and love it. Thank you for sharing and Merry Christmas!
Glad you found me and enjoy my content!! Merry Christmas to you and yours as well
I really enjoy the vid's along w/the narrative!!!
Merry Christmas to you and yours.
illin' in south philly
I model N scale stoney creek branch of the Reading Railroad.
Merry Christmas to you and yours as well. Thanks for watching.
Those old Marx trains is what I grew up with. Had a blast as a young’in playing with them! Great job Ron and Merry Christmas to you and your wife!
Thanks Marty, Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!
My opinion on marx sets is they are very good For running around a Christmas tree and for starting out Most of my engines are marx (5) with 3 lionels and 1 American flyer O scale
Back in the day Marx trains were bought by "Working Men" for there boys and the Lionels which were much more expensive were bought by "White Collar" Fellers for there kids. Marx has a strong following among Model Train Enthusiasts to this day.
thank you sir
You're very welcome!
A friend of mine restored a similar set 5 years ago. The track was black as well. Being he was missing a few sections, he got some new made replacements and blackened the rails to match the rest , then polished the rail tops. Nowadays he sets it up in the front of his office every year,lol.
Cool that he's still running it!
Hi Ron. Great video. I’ve been buyin’ up old Marx trains lately too. They just don’t quit. Sorry you didn’t like those Dremel abrasive wheels so much. I find the red ones do the best with the least mess. I had an issue with slipping wheels on my Marx 1666 as well. It worked much better once I degreased the track and wheels with some CRC electronics cleaner. Take care and Happy Holiday!
Thank you. I do like them abrasive pads, I just made the mess all over my desk, not there fault ;-) Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!
Sharpies touch those cars up nice.
They really do!
Merry Christmas Ron to you and your family. Thanks for making your videos! Looking forward to cleaning scub and restoring more trains next year!
Thank you John, Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!
Nice job on the marx trains Ron! Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy new year!! Keep the videos coming!!
Thank you Bob! Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!
Great video ron merry Christmas 🎄
Thanks Dave Merry Christmas to you and yours as well
MERRY CHRISTMAS BUDDY FROM MICHIGAN.
Thanks Jeff Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!
Hi Ron, thank you for another excellent year of entertaining video's, Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year 2025.
Ps if you're going to pee on spark plugs, make sure the engine is switched off 😂
Thanks for the good advice ;-) Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!
Growing up, my dad set up a 4' x 8' platform made of tongue and groove pine boards painted green. On it were 2 ovals. The outside oval was an American Flyer steam locomotive that smoked and it had a short spur in the straight section connected to the main oval with a switch on each end. The inside oval was a Marx Commodore Perry locomotive. My brother and I used to lay tinsel from the tree over the rails then drive the locomotives over it and watch the sparks. Modern tinsel is made of fireproof materials whereas the original tinsel was lead. I used to set the Marx engine on the straight section and give it full power and it would fly off the track. I gave up with that thank the Lord. I have the Marx set to this day but I am frustrated because where it was stored must have had high humidity and the wheels and bare metal and the shiny parts all rusted. They would run forever but were way to fast. To think that kids today would get to play with AC current for toys would be a nationwide breaking news story. We knew not to do certain things because our parents taught us. I guess either todays kids or their parents do not know how to do this and the Feds not tell them and the EPA makes rules that raise costs and many small companies just gave up. Ahh, for the good old days. I have a Marx HO set (F3 freight) and I absolutely think they are better than Bachman and Walthers combined.
Thanks for the great story from back in the day. Do you plan on cleaning up the rust on that Marx set?
Hey Ron - Good stuff, Merry Xmas to you and the family !! Heather Locklier - was married to Tommy Lee for a spell ... what a gal - holy moly. Be well.
Thanks Pat, Merry Christmas to you and yours as well
YES!!
Great job!!
Those pieces of track being slicker than the others…that’s got me puzzled…
It could possibly be that the track is made of an extremely hardened metal that just doesn’t allow for tractive effort…Idunno
It’s got me scratching my head
Anyway
Tell your woman Happy Birthday
And the both of you have a excellent Christmas!!
Thanks Jeb, I was thinking the same thing about that old black track. Merry Christmas to you and yours as well
Love the part where you say ( made in the USA) and the music plays fun stuff man.
I love seeing "Made in the USA" :-)
Merry Christmas, Ron. I finally got a complete 999 set earlier this year. Although they are not great pullers, I was surprised just how smoothly the motor ran. Nice restoration. The Bullfrog snot should help and would be easier to apply than putting all the old gunk back on.
I've always been attracted to Heather Locklear and Barbra Eden. When I was dating a lady, she asked me which actress I found attractive. I told her Heather Locklear. She said, "So you like crazy?" I said I'm not attracted to her personality😊. Needless to say, things didn't work out. Too bad, she was a real looker. True story.
Hey, where's the Christmas tree? Have a great new year.
Merry Christmas to you as well and Happy New Year! Yes H.L. was very kind to the eye but I never knew she was a bit crazy. Figures!
Hi Ron the New York Central tender come with pretty much every set and the reading caboose came with them for some reason I have an original set from 1938 and it has a reading caboose and it has a NYC tender that's marx for you good video by the way and have a Merry Christmas👍
Thank you Charlie for there good info and Merry Christmas to you and yours as well
My family has this old red Lionel diesel and I'm planning on fixing it soon
Cool!
I have some black track, I bought in a lot, just four 9 or 10" straights n two 5" straights. I use them for my test track!
Right on!
Nice! Will be great to watch tonight
:-)