Marx #1900 Glendale Depot w/Batt Op Warning Signal

The Pre-war Marx #1900 Glendale Depot came in several variations, some having lamps and signals, while others were 'economy' models with nothing more than a depot and crossing gate sitting on the base, the bases coming in various colors. The battery on this version is placed under the warning signal and is also hooked up to the street lamp - the street lamp can be turned on or off with a lever at its base. The accessory group consisted of a stamped metal bench and hand truck and a tin-litho trunk. The crossing gate was track activated by means of a long bar which fit beneath the track. As the train rolled over that section of track, its weight would cause the bar to depress a lever on the base of the crossing gate which in turn made the gate go down. There is an adjustable tension bar that can be slid back and forth to adjust for the various weights of different engines. The crossing gate can also be activated manually via  small handle on the gate stand. This handle also serves to lock the gate in the down position if one wanted. The base had an unusual 'U' shape which restricted the depots' placement at the end of an 0-27 curve. This design was never repeated in any other Marx station or depot. The design was awkward not only because it restricted placement of the depot, but also because it shortened the run of track when placed on a table. However, as many Pre-war train layouts were simply set up on the living room or bedroom floor, this probably wasn't a huge issue at the time. As far as scale is concerned the station is disproportionately large for Marx's fairly small 0-27 line of trains, and would look more at home with the larger Standard Gauge trains of the day, but then in the end analysis, it's just a toy after all!  Enjoy!

The truck is from Marx's large tin-litho Freight Station and is a good indicator of size.

Marx Glendale Depot w/o Light

Today on Marx Monday we continue with the tin buildings which Marx made for their line of 3-rail O-gauge trains - The Glendale Depot. The size was big enough so that it could be used comfortably with the Standard Gauge trains popular during the era. This depot first came out in the 1930s and would have included several accessories like a bench, hand truck, lithographed travel trunk, etc. There was one more piece which I failed to photograph alongside this building (but will include in a future installment). It is the track actuator bar. It's a long bar which connects to the crossing gate near the bottom. The bar is bent such that it will fit underneath the track so that as the trains roll over that piece of track the weight of the train causes the crossing gate to go down. There was also a small wire handle which, when turned, would lower the gate as well.

This particular version of the depot has no lamp post or warning sign attached to the base, only the station itself and the crossing gate. All Glendale Depot's have latch operated doors on the front allowing a child to place figures and toys inside. The depot itself is designed to fit on the OUTSIDE of an 0-27 curve. At first this may seem unusual as we have become accustomed to building tables for our trains and having the track extend to the outside edges of the board. But back in the day it was normal to set the trains up on the living room or dining room floor in which case there was plenty of room to place the depot on the outside of the curve. The base has a depressed roadway to the side of the depot structure so that kids could roll their toy cars and trucks over it. From my observation, most depots appear to have either a red or green base (this particular example appears to have a repainted base on top - but the original color underneath the base was clearly red). This was a sturdy little toy with lots of play value. Enjoy!