File:Marx Trains NYC Passenger Train with 'Lectra Sounds'

Description
Here's a nice train set from 'Marx Trains', the company founded by Jim and Debby Flynn in partnership with Jay Horowitz. Often times collector's refer to the company as 'New Marx' to differentiate it from the original Louis Marx & Co., Inc. The set is one I used to feature when still attending local TTOS train meets many years ago but haven't run in quite some time. It features a caricature of the famed streamlined New York Central Dreyfuss Hudson. The toy engine is not a Hudson (4-6-4 wheel arrangement) but a shortened 2-4-2 version.

The set comes with Marx Trains 'Lectra Sounds' tender - okay, right up front this is (to me) the biggest drawback to the set. 'Lectra Sounds' tenders have electronic whistle, bell, and steam sounds. The sounds are automatic and play in the 'whistle, bell-steam' sequence except that the whistle will blow more often than the bell and the steam sound plays the least of the three. The drawback to this feature is the high-pitched, whiny sound of the whistle - after listening to it for awhile it really does get annoying AND there's no On/Off switch! Once you start running this set you get constant sounds, like it or else. When editing the video I tried to cut out as much footage having the whistle as possible. Unfortunately Marx Trains never offered a NYC tender without 'Lectra Sounds' so the only other option is to snip the connection to the electronics and I don't really want to do that.

All that being said, it's still a darned nice set and fun to watch going through its paces. Enjoy! Opa Fritz