Greetings experts! Anyone know which AF Windup Locomotive I should be searching for to complete my 99-year-old Dad's toy train? Any idea what year this train would be? Thanks for any advice.
Your picture doesn't show up in the post - If you can post a picture of the remaining cars or at least tell us the numbers on their sides, their color, and wheel count - maybe someone could try to give you an answer.
I've had a PM about this set as well. The original poster has the original box for the set. It has the number #3242 on it. The op believes that the original engine was a clock work.
Northwoods Flyer
The Northwoods Flyer Collection
of
American Flyer Trains
"The Toy For the Boy"
Without a picture of the box, track, and cars with the set, I cannot provide a definitive answer to what engine should go with this box.
However, I can tell you about set 3242. It is more likely set 1F3242.
The number I listed corresponds to the Butler Brother's wholesale catalog. There may also be another set number on the box, as Butler Brother's typically added their own numbers to the boxes after they got them from American Flyer.
As for set 1F3242, per the information I have, this number only appears in the 1925 Butler Brothers catalog and corresponds to Flyer set 1220. (It may also be listed in the 1926 BB catalog, but I have no information on the sets for that year).
Since Butler Brothers was a catalog/wholesaler of items, I am in need of more information at this point, as it may be the 1924 set 1220 or the 1925 set 1220, which are very different sets.
If the original poster could either upload photos (especially one of the end of the box showing the set numbering) or provide dimensions of the set box, I may be able to provide some additional information.
1924 set 1220 included an electric steam engine with headlight, coal tender, a set of 3 double truck 6.5 inch cars, with baggage, and two coaches. Additionally, the set included a tunnel, #90 station, and #208 semaphore.
1925 set 1220 included a 1218 boxcab locomotive with a set of 3 double truck 6.5 inch cars, baggage, coach, and observation and a mailbag set. No accessories were included with this set.
I guess the key for the original poster would be does the track with the set have two rails or three rails. If it has 3 rails it is an electric powered set. If not, then it would be a wind-up set and I honestly have no information for you, as the BB catalog number for this set corresponds to an electric powered set.
NWL
Sorry - I am not having any luck posting my photo! The tracks with this set are two rail tracks and I have a coal tender and two cars- a 1205 baggage car and a 1206 passenger car. They are 6.5" long with eight wheels.They are green with black tops. the box is stamped #3243. The box looks like it held an engine and the coal tender, the tracks in the middle, then the two passenger cars.
Thanks to all of you for the info posted so far. Any advice on how to post a photo?
I have the coal tender, and two cars: they are 6.5 inches with 8 wheels. 1206 Green Passenger car and 1205 green Express Baggage. sorry I can't get the photo to post - I have a very nice shot of the set and the box.
The set number makes a difference. I am still guessing that it is F3243, which corresponds to a Butler Brothers catalog. Set F3243 is shown in the 1919 through 1923 Butler Brothers catalog. Per a master list made by a friend, the 1923 Butler Brothers catalog indicates that this set is American Flyer's set 18, which the 1923 American Flyer catalog shows as a #15 windup steam engine, 120 tender, 1205 baggage, and 1206 coach. Coincidentally, the 1923 catalog shows this set with green cars. Additionally, this set is shown in the catalog as having a loop of track with 2 switches and extra curved pieces to make another loop at one end.
The following picture shows a #15 engine
I think you've nailed it!! Your description fits exactly, track configuration and all. The date is earlier than I expected but makes sense because my father would have been 8 years old in 1923. Thank you so much for the excellent and detailed information. Now I know what I'm looking for on EBay. Really appreciate the photo of the engine as well. any idea what they charged for this set back in 1923?
As I indicated the set was cataloged by Butler Brothers from 1919 to 1923, so your dad could have gotten the set a couple of years earlier than 1923. I do not have all of the BB catalogs and the list I have was compiled by a friend, only showed which set it matched to in the 1923 Flyer catalog. In looking at some scans of BB catalog pages that I have, I found the set listed in a 1920 BB catalog for $3.75 (which likely would have been a bit lower than the Flyer cataloged price).
Thanks again for the interesting background on this set! It is a colorful little train in quite good shape.
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