To the casual observer this might pass as just another Monon diesel but look again! Black
pilot, punched porthole window and break lever protruding through the top are telltale signs
that this is the rare clockwork version. This was sold with a six inch red passenger consist.
Now you might think I have duplicated the picture above but I have not. This engine, with the
black pilot, did not exist it was presumed. The black pilot was used exclusively on the clockwork Monons.
But, the real world cares nothing about presumptions and this is another example of a presumption that was made by early Marx collectors who too
often tried to codify their belief rather than let the record speak for itself! Don't get me wrong, I have great respect for the pioneers of Marx train collecting. They
tread where few dared. I remember reading an article in a TCA quarterly written in the 1970's that speaks of not wanting to get into the "Marx can of worms".
A can of worms it was although many of those worms have been untangled. Those of us working on Marx today stand on the shoulders of giants!
This black pilot electric does not have the hole in the side for a winding key nor does it have the starting lever slot in the top. It is not a basement special made
by part swapping. It uses the two wheeled electric motor often found in M10005 engines. Since I turned this one up a few years ago several more have surfaced.
Now here's a good question. What is a Hoosier? I have always been interested in words, names, and their origins. What is a hokie, a knickerbocker, a blue hen, etc.? Click the link below for an interesting read about the origins of hoosier.
Hoosier