Well here's a blast from the past. This station was in the American Flyer catalogues from 1914-1916. In those days Flyer imported them from Germany (which is impressed on the bottom).
Ray
Bayville, NJ
Life is what happens to youWhile you're busy making other plans - John Lennon
Work in progress.
Did my last post not have any pictures?
silentmanDid my last post not have any pictures?
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
Not O Scale but a good shot nonetheless. Atlas SD24, taken in Nov 2009.
Some background scenes from the freestyle layout..
Nothing is more fairly distributed than common sense: no one thinks he needs more of it than he already has.
Wally:
What's the source for these vegetable baskets? Dave (Papa) is looking for stuff like this for his market.
Do you have any more information about the World War I era Flyer station? You said it was in the American Flyer catalogue from 1914-1916. Do you know if it was available through 1916? I'm thinking of the world situation then. The only way Germany had to import/export during the war outside of the German/Sweden ore traffic was through the Netherlands. I wouldn't think toys would be a high priority.
Do you know what material the station is made out of?
It worked?!? Anyways, work in progress, much more to do.
CMulligan01 - My catalogues show it (Passenger Station M90) in this form through 1916. With the United States entering the war in 1917 I believe all imported items would have stopped.
Here are some additional pics.
It's all tin litho.
Frank53
Those are from Woodland Scenics..
Bruce
Once upon a time on a living room floor long ago and far away....
As a student of the First world War I very much doubt Germany exported any toys after the war's outbreak, or if they did it wasn't for very long. All available metals were absorbed into the war effort as far as I know and with greater urgency as the war went on. Imperial Germany wasn't anywhere near as prepared for a long war as Nazi Germany was in World War Two. Hitler planned for a long war, Kaiser Bill's government didn't.
It's possible the station was carried in the American Flyer catalog as long as they had them in stock, and they might have had enough to carry them into 1916. At any rate increasing anti-German sentiment in the US would have German products anethema to most American consumers.
Firelock76 - So based on your knowledge of WWI it was probably built 1914 or earlier and Flyer bought enough for what amounted to last a few years?
AF53 Firelock76 - So based on your knowledge of WWI it was probably built 1914 or earlier and Flyer bought enough for what amounted to last a few years?
I would say so, a "best guess" anyway. When the war started Britains Royal Navy clamped a blockade on Germany that nothing but U-Boats could get through. As a matter of fact the Germans built a cargo carrying submarine called the "Deutschland" that made a voyage to New York in 1916 carrying a cargo of chemical products, dyestuffs I believe. The sub only made one voyage, however.
You'd have to check American Flyer purchase records to be sure, assuming they still exist somewhere, but I imagine AF may have purchased quite a few if they got a good deal on them. At any rate the war, plus the anti-German sentiment that came with it, "Those rotten Huns!", effectively killed demand for German toy trains for decades.
Firelock76 - So what makes you think they didn't sneak any of these beautiful buildings on the "Deutschland" in 1916?
No, really, thanks for the bit of history as it does add to some of the story to these items.
"Liberty cabbage" anyone?
(In 1916 that was the vegatable-formerly-known-as-saurkraut.)
I have figured out what is wrong with my brain! On the left side nothing works right, and on the right side there is nothing left!
No thanks Stebby. I may be German but thats something I never put on my hot dog!
And don't forget the "Liberty Pups", formerly known as dacshunds!
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