THE JOY LINE TRAIN FROM GIRARD MODEL WORKS

The Girard Model Works, which also made various tin toys, made the early Joy Line trains 1927 to 1935 with Louis Marx overseeing sales. They produced a series of 4 inch tin lithographed trains. Cast iron locos were made at first and sheet metal later, always being 0-4-0. Four wheeled freight and passenger cars were part of the line of windup and electric trains.

Marx would later purchase this plant and go on to have three major production plants in the USA. Two would be in Pennsylvania and one in West Virginia. The main corporate office would be in New York. All of the American mainland HO and O scale production would come out of the Girard plant of Pennsylvania. The same  location where the early Joyline trains had come from.

Here are a few Joy Line train pictures to help identify your Joy-Line train:

THE JOYLINE - MARX EASTER TRAIN A UNIQUE IDEA

The Louis MarX Easter Train was introduced in late 1935 and early '36 for the 1936 Easter Season. Produced in pastel colors it was to be one of the earliest boys or girls train, however it did not quite catch on, and ended up costing more to make for the short Easter season than it brought in. The Bunny Express consisted of a wind up tin bunny shaped loco with blue or pink eyes, with loop Joy Line type couplers, and a couple of gondolas, lithoed with chicks & ducklings and a circle of 2 rail track.

Blue Eyes Black Pupil                      Pink Eyes Red Pupil

 Also available was The Animal Express. It consisted of three gondolas with chicks on one side and ducklings on the other and 2 rail track. One had a light blue base, another light green and the other lavender. Also with loop JoyLine style couplers and tin wheels.

It was probably just a bit before its time, if you consider it was a train for girls too !

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