It took me many years to acquire this engine. They are not extremely rare but finding a nice example can be challenging. You'd
think this pretty engine would head up a red passenger set but it didn't. It was the power plant for a work train.
If we go back to the time this does make sense. In the prewar era red was typically reserved for emergency vehicles.
Ambulances and fire engines were red but cars generally were not which is probably why old cars restored in red just don't look
right (unless it's an Auburn Boattail Speedster). A work train in that time might very well have been red in order to catch the
attention of other train crews. Today these trains are typically bright orange.
Red CP type engines are not an everyday find but they are out there. When I first saw this
one I thought it had been assembled from parts but it is correct. This is a rare one! I have no idea whether it is from a set
or separate sale.
It is very interesting how Marx used different color combinations and parts configurations to make so
many different CP engines. I intend to author a guide to Marx engines one day but it is a monstrous task that will have to
await the completion of other more pressing work. Without doubt one could have an interesting hobby of collecting CP variations only.
(Courtesy of Paul Wassermann)
This Copper (or brass) Canadian Pacific engine is another one that is hard to find in nice condition. Again, one would expect
to see a glitzy engine like this heading up a snazzy streamlined passenger set but it didn't. This one pulled
a work set which included the copper deck searchlight and a 567 NYC side dump car that had copper lever wires.
Someone took
great care to grind an "M" shaped slot in the pilot of this engine. I have always wondered why!