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.
