price@noscvax.UUCP (James N. Price) (12/23/85)
Dear fellow railfans. This is my first posting. My name is Jim Price and I live in San Diego, CA. I am a railfan on a couple of fronts-- I'm a ghost town buff (old western mining towns) and hence am interested in "ghost railroads" related to ghost towns. Along that line I am presently researching and writing a booklet about railroad stations in San Diego County. I have also recently resurrected by childhood Marx electric train set-- it's an O guage from the mid-1950s. I'd really like to get a couple of cars for the train, specifically a coal tender and a caboose. However it appears that couplers between cars are different for different makers of cars (an early version of the if-you-buy-our- hardware-you-gotta-buy-our-accessories approach to business!) And I find from our local "Frank the Train Man" who's been in business since the 40s that he can't get me Marx cars. I understand from another local fellow that I can get coupler adapters so I can use Lionel or whatever. I'd prefer to get some Marx cars, tho. So--my questions are: is Marx still around? Can I get cars with Marx couplers from somebody who specializes in same? Or should I sign up for using adapters and buy what's readily available? My direct mail address is PRICE@NOSC.ARPA (NOSC = Naval Ocean Systems Center). Thanks in advance for help. --Jim Price P.S. Any other railroad station buffs out there?