This locomotive came as an extra item with a Marx Allstate train set I purchased but it is not a Marx. It is 0 gauge and was made in Japan. It is all metal and built like a tank. I have not been able to find anything on the engine that identifies the maker. I don't think the numbers are correct and may have been added at some point but don't know for sure. They are decals. If anybody can help me identify what it is It would be greatly appreciated Thanks, George
George, I see no one has answered you question yet. Sure looks like an old Lionel Pennsy engine with a Marx motor in it. Does it run on AC or DC? I can't see any obvious screws on it to take it apart. An interesting find for sure. Greg
Lionel's 2025 from the 40's is very close, though the number is different, 301 vs. 2025. http://www.tandem-associates.com/lionel/lionel_trains_2025_loco.htm
I had Marx as a kid and as far as I know, the only metal one that they marketed was a 2-4-2. I got a plastic Santa Fe Hudson many years later that was a real growler when running, no where near the Lionel quality.
It might have been a Sears-only variant. They were always looking for , umm, "less expensive" toys, and getting a locomotive made in the (at the time) low-rent area of Japan would have made a noticeable difference in cost for them. I did notice lettering on the pickup shoe, what does it say?
Center pick up says Made in Japan. Enlarged, best I could, I didn't see anything more to help ID the unit.
Center pickup? Well, I don't know. I recall seeing such on engines as a boy. But that was fifty or more years gone now and I do not remember branding. They could have indeed been made in the USA, in a more toy-like atmosphere. Although some items were coming from Japan back then, it might not be. A good possibility for help might be contacting the Train Collectors Association or the Toy Train Operating Society.
