Hi - new to posting to this board, but a long-time visitor. I recently came across a boxed train set, and despite extensive searching have not found anything to help me understand what I have. I was going through a huge lot of American Flyer trains / accessories from a layout my grandfather used to maintain, and at the bottom of a chest I found the following: Deluxe Switch Yard Train Set. Here are a couple of pictures (click on these to open much larger images).
The box is in great shape, aside from some dust and grime from the cardboard deteriorating a bit, and it doesn't appear that the set has ever been used, let alone taken out of the box (other than me trying to take some pics, that is!). All items are included, including a little plastic eyedropper for adding the smoke solution to the engine. Everything appears to be plastic, including the tracks. There aren't ANY manufacturer labels or logos anywhere on the box or any of the parts in the box. The only reference to manufacture is Made in Japan on the box, and an item no 159 also on the box.
I really don't have any interest in keeping this thing -- I love the AF's I have in comparison to this. But I don't want to give away something without knowing what it is, where it came from, etc.
Can anyone offer hints, where to go to do further research, or better yet know what I have? Any insight is greatly appreciated!!!
Bob Nelson
Lionel collector, stuck in an N scaler's modelling space.
Hi and Thanks, Bob. Not sure why there is a problem with the larger images linking.... in preview it worked fine. If you move your mouse to the right of each thumbnail and click, the larger 800x600 image appears! Weird, huh? I added the images and links using the forum editing tool, NOT pasting HTML from somewhere else......
I'll try posting again later.
Regards,
Jon
I ckicked on the right side & got it. Here is one of the pictures !!
Thanks, John
Thanks, Everyone! I appreciate the feedback.... Again, I have no interest in this set, and I was assuming that being all-plastic (only tin embellishments) it wasn't a rare find or valuable. But I am sure everyone here has been faced with the fear of giving something away that turned out to have some value...... Plus, I'm not used to being stumped like this. Typically I've been able to identify all of the vintage 40's AF stuff with a quick web search. This set - I haven't found a single thread even close....
Oh well- Happy Holidays Everyone!
As a follow-up to the thread above, I think (not really sure yet) that I've narrowed-down the manufacturer of this set to Yonezawa / Cragstan. I found a number of references to a freight shuttle set from the 50's that is the same basic setup as the set I have. The big difference is that my set appears to be from the 60's and is all plastic vs. the 50's set which was all tin. Makes sense that the manufacturer began converting to plastics in that time period...
Can anyone provide additional information about Yonezawa / Cragstan, such as a web site that may list their catalog from those time-periods, or someone who specializes in their toys? I've done searches on google, but can't seem to track anything specific down.
I realized that on the cover of the set box there is a "Y" logo that I believe to be Yonezawa.
Thanks all!
I am the aforementioned guy who collects Japanese toy trains. This set was made by the Japanese toy company Yonezawa and would date from the early to mid-1970's. Yonezawa was one of numerous Japanese toy manufacturers of the postwar era and made all kinds of toys besides trains. Yonezawa's first train sets were made in the early 1960's and built entirely out of tin. Gradually, more and more components of the sets began to be made using plastic parts until the early to mid-70's, when their trains were made entirely out of plastic. Not long after, the company stopped making toys. There is speculation that they may have possibly switched over to making electrical items. Their trains, including this one, ran on Japanese O gauge track. Japanese trains are narrow gauge and so modelers over there use this slightly narrower gauge of track.
Unlike most of Yonezawa's other sets, this one is not very common. I have seen this set on ebay only once (compared to high frequency with which most of their other sets show up). What is quite unique about this set is the rolling stock. Yonezawa did make all-plastic tank cars and cabooses, which are quite common, but this set is the only one I have ever encountered these cars in.
As far as value goes, I tend to side with pbjwilson's coments. There are very few collectors of these trains (I've yet to meet any other than myself, although I'm sure they're out there). Consequently, there really aren't any kind of set values on these things. One of the reasons that I've been able to build up the large collection of Japanese toy trains that I have is because such sets are often found very cheaply, due to the fact that nobody knows what they are. Many tin sets can bring in quite good prices on ebay, especially if they are boxed. With a set like this, however, I really don't know. Plastic Yonezawa sets, even boxed ones, bring in very little on ebay.
Thank you! Just the type of info I was looking for! I realize now that as I was typing my last message you were posting yours!
I will probably list this set on Ebay, just as I would like to get rid of it and see if anyone is interested. I will also be listing a bunch of old AF stuff.
Thanks again!
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