Eric Trickel should have most of what you are looking for,
C. Eric Trickel541 North Charlotte St., Pottstown, PA 19464484-624-4354
SoCal......irreplaceable family and memories with an exceptional set cosmetic-wise. When I first pulled my stuff out of decades of storage I was in a rush to get the trains up and running for Christmas. So I had my local train store service the engine while I did the rest myself. Hang on to your trains!
Re the power cord, your local train shop may be able to swap out the cord and service it. Alternatively, they may send it out.
Re missing parts......these guys know how to find this stuff. Be patient, they are out there. The wait will be worth it.
Re the pictures you posted which is a source of angst based on the previous posts......laying the trains, paint on the concrete, made most of us cringe, bad idea. It's like fingernails on a chalkboard for me. Having the paint on your exceptional condition pieces retained in what appears to be excellent condition after so many years......protect them like you would as if the trains were a piece of rare artwork, which they are. Lay them on carpeting or something that won't damage that paint!
Good luck.
Jack
IF IT WON'T COME LOOSE BY TAPPING ON IT, DON'T TRY TO FORCE IT. USE A BIGGER HAMMER.
Actually I've been getting the replies in the email.
Thanks for the info. I'm probably not going to sell it anytime soon, It'll go back in the box it was in until I have the income to get it back to working order. The power cable on the transformer is dry rotted and the old cloth wiring seems....unsafe.
As far as parts for the trains themselves go...where can I find them?
On the other hand, maybe he got the information he wanted, and is done. Not everybody with an old train set is going to become interested in trains.Maybe he is going to sell it now, maybe he is going to put it on a shelf for display. or maybe he'll be back.
First of all, it sure doesn't look like "gray carpet," what with quite evident concrete cracks in the first (overall inventory) photographic image (right side). Whatever.
More significant is the fact that "SoCalExile" has disappeared from the forum after his innocent initial post, nobly asking for simple advice. He may have been done a discourtesy (whilst we wrangle with minutia), and thus may never return. Sad.
Ole Timer I did'nt say they WERE MINT ... I said they LOOK MINT ! PRISTINE .... may have been a better terminology for anyone getting so specific ... LOL ..... Geez ... now everyone's getting extremely technical .... RESTORED ? Guess it matters where you look at it ... I used to RESTORE collectable autos ... repainted ... all factory parts ... etc. all to factory specs .... that's what the world considers restored .... I could give a hoot what tca says it is .... and ... I'm NOT new to the hobby .
I did'nt say they WERE MINT ... I said they LOOK MINT ! PRISTINE .... may have been a better terminology for anyone getting so specific ... LOL .....
Geez ... now everyone's getting extremely technical .... RESTORED ? Guess it matters where you look at it ... I used to RESTORE collectable autos ... repainted ... all factory parts ... etc. all to factory specs .... that's what the world considers restored .... I could give a hoot what tca says it is .... and ... I'm NOT new to the hobby .
Yes, pristine would have been a better word. And, as noted in the above quote, restored typically does mean repainted for automobiles and trains. Not too long ago, I read an article discussing how in the collectable auto world, while restations, including repaints are certainly acceptable, orginal, unrestored cars in nice shape are starting to become very highly prized, and worth quite a premium (cosmetics, mechanical needs to be top shape). Perhaps some folks think I am being too precise. However, what might happen if the owner brings the train to a shop and asks for a restoration? How about if he decides to sell it, and rates it mint? The set owner came here to learn about his train, we should try to give him good and accurate information.
I doubt if someone new to the hobby would understand your 'Restore' comment. I commonly use the term 'restore' when I clean and lubricate an engine to 'restore' it to good working condition. I know that is not how the TCA defines the term, but I doubt if someone new to the hobby would be familiar with the TCA's definition.
Who hasn't seen antiques roadshow?There were at least two posts where improper terminology was used to talk about trains. If we, folks who are into trains, cannot use proper terms, then how would someone new to the hobby possibly understand them. The term mint was defined by the TCA and adopted by all the other toy train organizations, and the train collecting community at large. If operators have a different meaning for mint..... that is their choice, but it doesn't make sense to me.The term restored is common among all collecting. In most areas of collecting, with the notible exception of antique cars, restored items are worth less than original items in nice shape. Although judging by what is shown on Antque Roadshow, the restoration of more and more types of items is becoming accepted.
For the set owner: While more and more train folks do accept restored items, there are those that only want trains that are orginal. That means that trains can be carefully cleaned, but they should not be refinished. Opinions vary on doing things like waxing. Purests would not want their trans waxed. Same goes for reproduction parts. One fellow mentioned that one of your wheels is chipped. If you are going to run the train, and the chip is small enough for the engine to run without derailing, I'd buy a replacement, and set it aside. (Some reproduction parts are starting to be in short supply) While replacing the wheel wouldn't have much impact on the value, it's patina probably won't match the other wheels. If the train is going on a shelf, or back into storage, then the chip won't matter. If the train is going back into storage, please pack them carefully, so they cannot rub against each other, causing marks and/or scratches.
cwburfleRestore?Unless the parts of the trains that aren't showing in the picture are in dramatically different condtion, doing a restoration on those trains would be foolish, and would only dimiinish their value.
Unless the parts of the trains that aren't showing in the picture are in dramatically different condtion, doing a restoration on those trains would be foolish, and would only dimiinish their value.
Earl
Hudson#685cwburfle, Arkady, Be easy on him. He is new at it and I am sure that he placed them down gently when he used the concrete as a back drop. Comments like these steer away new interests in the hobby. It would have been better if either one one of you in a friendly, non-wise-guy way ponted it out. SoCal Exile, I would keep them and if you could not afford to restore them now, store them in a safe place until you could. Good Luck with them, enjoy them and think of your Grandfather when you run them. John
cwburfle, Arkady,
Be easy on him. He is new at it and I am sure that he placed them down gently when he used the concrete as a back drop. Comments like these steer away new interests in the hobby. It would have been better if either one one of you in a friendly, non-wise-guy way ponted it out. SoCal Exile, I would keep them and if you could not afford to restore them now, store them in a safe place until you could. Good Luck with them, enjoy them and think of your Grandfather when you run them.
John
I saw nothing non-friendly or "wise-guy" about the comments of either cwburfle or myself.
SoCalExile,
Welcome to the forum. That set looks to be in great shape and shouldn't take much to return to operation. Be sure to check all of the cast metal parts for crazing, swelling, and warping. The metal that Gilbert used when this set was made wasn't always free of impurities, which caused those issues. From the look of one of the pictures, it looks like there might be part of the flange on one of the wheels of the front truck that is missing, so that could be a sign of the impure metal. The good news is that the majority of the cast parts have been reproduced.
Mike Hilbert wrote an excellent article concerning the restoration of one of these early Royal Blues for Classic Toy Trains, and that might be a great source of info for you. Unfortunately, I can't remember what issue it was in.
I applaud that everyone is encouraging that this fine equipment stay in the family (and well protected if not also with the noted minor repairs).
What a treasure this would be for a great-grandson (now or some day), perhaps initially set up around the Christmas tree in December. Then, not only has "SoCalExile" gotten the model railroading (and maybe even big RR) "bug," but even more importantly a youth will have been given the opening into a new hobby, even if it wanes for a few years, what with college, et al.
Meanwhile, welcome to this (and perhaps other Trains) forums, "SoCalExile." There are many folks here who have a extensive knowledge, available to kindly offer constructive advice and information, at your call.
Hudson#685 I would keep them and if you could not afford to restore them now, store them in a safe place until you could. Good Luck with them, enjoy them and think of your Grandfather when you run them.
Gee, Thanks for the lecture. I reread my comment, just to be certain. If the original poster was scared away from the hobby by my comment, I don't know how he is able to function in society. Restore?Unless the parts of the trains that aren't showing in the picture are in dramatically different condtion, doing a restoration on those trains would be foolish, and would only dimiinish their value. In regards to the set owner's quesiton about time and money to get them going:
As someone else posted, you are missing a wheel set on your tender. American Flyer "O" gauge isn't very common. Finding just a wheel set for tender may prove to be diffiicult. You may need to purchase a junk car to get one - figure 5 to 20 dollars. You are probably looking at no more than an hours labor to clean and lubricate the locomotive, and to lubricate the cars. I have no idea of the hourly rate for toy train repairs/service in your area.
Yes, it is a shame to see the current owner laying the trains out on their sides on concrete or blacktop after they've survived so many years in nice condition.
Unless you haven't got a dime to your name, don't sell the set. It is much more valuable as a link to your grandfather then any money would bring.
Ole Timer In my opinion .... I would rate it as mint ... BEAUTIFUL set ! I've NEVER seen a set that pristine that was'nt restored in one way or the other .... even the accessories look almost or brand new !
In my opinion .... I would rate it as mint ... BEAUTIFUL set ! I've NEVER seen a set that pristine that was'nt restored in one way or the other .... even the accessories look almost or brand new !
Yes, it is a shame to see the current owner laying the trains out on their sides on concrete or blacktop after they've survived so many years in nice condtion. However, in the Toy Train world, mint means new, and unused, in clean, undamaged, original packaging, with all the paperwork,etc. Just as the item left the factory. Hence they aren't mint. Perhaps excellent. Then there is the newer rating system ..................
That's a nice looking set that many of us would be quite happy to own. If it has any sentimental value at all, I'd suggest keeping it. If you want to clean it up, and get it running, please be careful. Improper cleaning can damage your train.Were the train mine, I'd store it in an air conditioned space, although from what is visible in your photos, being in a garage does not seem to have caused any problems.
SoCalExileNew guy here. For years I've had this American Flyer train set in my garage. I'm a sentimental guy, and I love old stuff. So I'm wondering a couple things:-How much do y'all think it's worth as is?-What am I looking at in terms of time and money to get it back to working condition?Pics:
First of all to the forum.
What you have is the prewar O gauge version of American Flyer's Royal Blue passenger set cataloged in 1940 and 1941. The Royal Blue engine reappeared after the war in S-gauge. It never had matching passenger cars in its S gauge incarnation.
From the looks of the pictures that you posted you have a relatively complete set including some original boxes and instructions. My guess is that someone added track to the original set. You also have a boxed uncoupler. As noted above your tender is missing one set of wheels, the baggage car looks as if it might be missing a door or two (or they are hiding inside the car), and your engine is missing the trailing truck. None of those items is difficult to find.
Recent sales on ebay indicate that the engine and tender together sold for anywhere from $64.00 to $104.00. The condition of your pieces looks to be pretty good. If you read a number of the threads on this forum you will discover that there are a number of factors that contribute to the dollar value of toy trains, and most of those factors are highly subjective. I'll shoot from the hip and offer an opinion that all of your equipment in the present condition could fetch about $300.00. That is only my personal opinion and I am sure there are others with different dollar amounts in mind.
If these are truely Grandpa's trains and you are a sentimental kind of guy I would guess that to you they might be priceless. Getting them running again should not be a difficult task.
Enjoying The World's Greatest Hobby
Northwoods Flyer
PS If you take a look on page 38 of the Pre War American Flyer Pictures - an Invitation thread you will see my example of The Royal Blue Set. And on page 34 and following there is more information about American Flyer's 3/16 O gauge line by Gilbert.
The Northwoods Flyer Collection
of
American Flyer Trains
"The Toy For the Boy"
New guy here. For years I've had this American Flyer train set in my garage. I'm a sentimental guy, and I love old stuff. So I'm wondering a couple things:-How much do y'all think it's worth as is?-What am I looking at in terms of time and money to get it back to working condition?Pics:Thanks.
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