Prewar American flyer wind up help

[68camaro_guy]

 Just bought my first vintage wind up engine for pretty cheap on Ebay. The body is in great shape, with no crack or breaks on it. But my main problem is the wheels, one of them is broken off and missing, and the rest are cracked. I'm Thinking i can add some Epoxy to the the other wheels to strengthen them. The rear wheels look to be riveted on while the front ones screw on, so the front ones should be easy to replace. Dose anyone know where i can find atleast one wheel for this engine, or a whole set?

I have pics of it, but i cant seem to figure out how to get the actual pic on here..I tried posting a link to another site where i have a pic of it, but that didn't work..I'll try another site here in a bit...

Im also trying to get the motor out so i can clean it out and lube it. The motor was frozen, until i sprayed some WD-40 on everything, and with a slight push on one of the gears it came to life all of the sudden!  The brake lever inside the cad is still frozen though, and i cant get to it, which is part of the reason why i want to take the motor out. Are theyre any trick or tips on taking the motor out? I know the body shell comes in 2 halves, and i see 1 rivet at the front holding it. I took out the one screw that held the motor in, so its loose but its caught on something and wont come out. I really dont want to drill out that rivet becuase when i replace the rivet, it wont look right...

Also I'm not sure how old it is and what number the engine is. The Ebay seller said it was dated 1917 to 1918, and its engine number 1. There's no number on the engine anywhere..just "A.F." on the cab. I looked around on this page and found a few similar it  from the 1920s to the 1930s...but those had numbers on them.

Like I said before this is my first wind up engine, and I'd appreciate  any tips, or info on these engines.

Thanks!

Daniel

 

Here's ore some pics i have of it on photobucket, hopefully these links work better than the last ones i put up...

http://s1110.photobucket.com/albums/h446/Daniel_Hollingsworth/projects/?action=view&current=002.jpg&newest=1

[View:http://s1110.photobucket.com/albums/h446/Daniel_Hollingsworth/projects/?action=view¤t=002.jpg&newest=1#!oZZ2QQcurrentZZhttp://s1110.photobucket.com/albums/h446/Daniel_Hollingsworth/projects/?action=view¤t=001.jpg&newest=1:550:0]

If they dont show up as links just copy and them into your web browser....i seem to have trouble with getting links to show up only on this site...

[AF53]

Hi Daniel,

I don't have all the 1920's and 1930's catalogs but I have found what you have in the 1926 and 1930 catalogs. What you have is known as Locomotive No. 28. I do have the 1927 and 1928 and I don't see it in those.

In the 1926 catalog it would have been in the set known as Train No. 16, it has all the markings on it but under the cab window it reads A.F.16, It was the largest, as the catalog reads, "Mechanical" Loco made for that year.

In the 1930 catalog it has under the cab window A.F. just like yours but it was painted in bright red and it was in the set known as The Praire State. It too was the largest, as the catalog reads, " Wind-Up (Mechanical)" Locomotive made for that year.

It might have appeared in some of the other 1930's catalogs and maybe someone else can fill in the blanks. Good luck with your project.

Ray

[68camaro_guy]

Thanks alot for the help, Ray!

All that info you gave me has me more curious about this engine...I've been searching everywhere online, and the only #28 wind up engines with just A.F. on the cab, are the red ones in the Prairie State set like you mentioned, but I haven't been able to find any black ones like that, yet. I'm pretty sure mine's not a repaint somebody did, because I can see traces of yellow paint around the cab windows, and gold paint on the bell, a few  parts on the boiler, and i think the headlamp has some gold on it.. Ive seen similar models painted like that with gold and yellow trim, so i know its original.

Thanks for the luck!

Daniel

[mersenne6]

Depending on the year it was cataloged variously as #15, #16, or #28.  It was made 1922-1926 and 1929-1932. 

  The earliest version had "AF 16" in cast letters on a raised panel under the cab windows (ca. 1922-1923).  The second version had "A.F. 16" in raised letters under the cab window (ca. 1923-1926).  The third version, introduced in 1929 had just "A.F." under the window.  The 1929-1930 version was painted red with silver highlights and headed The Prairie State Set.  The 1931-1932 engine reverted to black enamel finish.   This would date your engine as being 1931-1932. 

  If you want more information on the engine and on the sets it pulled check pp. 45 of Northwoods Flyers thread on pre-war AF. 

http://cs.trains.com/TRCCS/forums/t/116423.aspx?PageIndex=45

  The lead post on page 45 discusses the evolution of set #16 which was headed by this engine for part of its production run.

[68camaro_guy]

Thanks alot for all that helpful info!

So its not as old as the Ebay seller said it was..he said it was from the late teens, and said it was engine number 1? Not sure where he got that info.... I was pretty sure from the beginning it wasn't engine number one. Now the next question where besides Ebay can i find a wheel(s) and the drive rods for it?

[mersenne6]

Eric Trickel makes reproduction valve gear and cosmetic wheels.  To the best of my knowledge no one makes repro wheels that will allow you to run the train.  Oh yes, you shouldn't have to do anything more than unscrew the mounting screw in order to remove the engine.  If it is sticking it probably has something to do with its rusty condition.

[68camaro_guy]

Thanks! Does he have a web site?

I keep forgetting to post this but I figured out why the body wasn't coming off. Part of the brake mechanism sticks out on the front of the motor, and kept the front of the body shell from coming off. And the brake was frozen, so i just used some WD-40, slightly wiggled the part and it came loose. Now it works like it should!

When i have time  I'll have to post a pic of the motor, it looks great after i cleaned out all the crud, and considering  the motor was frozen up....Amazing what WD-40 can do to  a toy that hasn't been played with in decades!