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A.F. passenger cars

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  • Member since
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  • From: Lake Worth FL
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A.F. passenger cars
Posted by phillyreading on Tuesday, February 20, 2007 8:48 AM

Where can I find the parts to add lights to American Flyer passenger car # 247 or caboose # 630?

Lee F.

Interested in southest Pennsylvania railroads; Reading & Northern, Reading Company, Reading Lines, Philadelphia & Reading.
  • Member since
    December 2003
  • From: Southern Indiana
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Posted by marxalot on Tuesday, February 20, 2007 9:44 AM

The site below lists car lights for S and HO American Flyer. Maybe you could adapt one of them.

http://www.rfgco.com/catalog/index.html

 

Jim

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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, February 20, 2007 4:07 PM
^ Thanks for that link, marxalot. I found the long-lost socket with wires for the base of my Colber bubbling water tower. Soon it will bubble again just like its oil derrick counterpart.
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Posted by Sturgeon-Phish on Tuesday, February 20, 2007 7:26 PM

Try Port Lines Hobby

http://www.portlines.com/

Jim

  • Member since
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  • From: Southern Indiana
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Posted by marxalot on Tuesday, February 20, 2007 7:29 PM

 RaleighTrainFan wrote:
^ Thanks for that link, marxalot. I found the long-lost socket with wires for the base of my Colber bubbling water tower. Soon it will bubble again just like its oil derrick counterpart.

Hey, glad to have helped.................. you just can't have too much bubbling water on a layout!

Jim

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, February 21, 2007 11:04 AM
 marxalot wrote:

 RaleighTrainFan wrote:
^ Thanks for that link, marxalot. I found the long-lost socket with wires for the base of my Colber bubbling water tower. Soon it will bubble again just like its oil derrick counterpart.

Hey, glad to have helped.................. you just can't have too much bubbling water on a layout!

Jim

 

I am biased, but I think those Colber/AC Gilbert bubbling towers are some of the coolest accessories ever made. They are quiet, they don't take a lot of space, they add tremendous visual benefit, and they work.

  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: Lake Worth FL
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Posted by phillyreading on Thursday, February 22, 2007 8:15 AM

Thank you Sturgeon-Phish,

I want to be as close to original American Flyer as possible.

Lee F.

Interested in southest Pennsylvania railroads; Reading & Northern, Reading Company, Reading Lines, Philadelphia & Reading.
  • Member since
    November 2015
  • 3,584 posts
Posted by Sturgeon-Phish on Thursday, February 22, 2007 7:11 PM
 RaleighTrainFan wrote:
 marxalot wrote:

 RaleighTrainFan wrote:
^ Thanks for that link, marxalot. I found the long-lost socket with wires for the base of my Colber bubbling water tower. Soon it will bubble again just like its oil derrick counterpart.

Hey, glad to have helped.................. you just can't have too much bubbling water on a layout!

Jim

Gotta love 'em

 

I am biased, but I think those Colber/AC Gilbert bubbling towers are some of the coolest accessories ever made. They are quiet, they don't take a lot of space, they add tremendous visual benefit, and they work.

  • Member since
    December 2003
  • From: Southern Indiana
  • 432 posts
Posted by marxalot on Friday, February 23, 2007 7:03 PM

RaleighTrainFan, 

Nice tower and great billboard. I tell you I remember running my friend's American Flyers in the 1950's and they were like tanks. In fact we use to set up some tunnels out of encyclopedias and then collapse them on the train.... sorry but we were pretty young. Anyhow, those engines would just keep going!

To Philly: hey sorry if those weren't A.F. made in USA American Flyer parts at the site I posted. I can understand the desire to stay with that if possible....but sometimes any port in a storm maybe eh?Big Smile [:D]

Jim

  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: Lake Worth FL
  • 4,014 posts
Posted by phillyreading on Sunday, February 25, 2007 11:01 AM

Marxalot,

I am looking for A.F. compatible parts, can be a Chinese part as long as it is close to the A.F. in size.  Not looking for A.F. parts exclusively.

Also those websites were not of any help finding any parts as the hobby shop did not understand what part I was looking for.

Lee F.

Interested in southest Pennsylvania railroads; Reading & Northern, Reading Company, Reading Lines, Philadelphia & Reading.
  • Member since
    December 2003
  • From: Southern Indiana
  • 432 posts
Posted by marxalot on Sunday, February 25, 2007 2:41 PM
 phillyreading wrote:

Marxalot,

I am looking for A.F. compatible parts, can be a Chinese part as long as it is close to the A.F. in size.  Not looking for A.F. parts exclusively.

Also those websites were not of any help finding any parts as the hobby shop did not understand what part I was looking for.

Lee F.

 

It sounded to me like you were going to be modifying an existing car to add lights? The site shows a light fixture (2358), a pick up shoe kit (K2368), insulalated bushing if needed and metal wheels if needed. Don't know if they would work on your car though......

Jim

 

  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: Lake Worth FL
  • 4,014 posts
Posted by phillyreading on Monday, February 26, 2007 12:11 PM
 marxalot wrote:
 phillyreading wrote:

Marxalot,

I am looking for A.F. compatible parts, can be a Chinese part as long as it is close to the A.F. in size.  Not looking for A.F. parts exclusively.

Also those websites were not of any help finding any parts as the hobby shop did not understand what part I was looking for.

Lee F.

 

It sounded to me like you were going to be modifying an existing car to add lights? The site shows a light fixture (2358), a pick up shoe kit (K2368), insulalated bushing if needed and metal wheels if needed. Don't know if they would work on your car though......

Jim

 

Jim,

Basically correct except that I want to add a light to a car that has the recepticle for a light to be put in, similar to the A.F. 630 caboose.  I will need wheelsets or truck assemblies and the light fixture to go in, I can wire it myself.

Just went to the website and ordered what I think are the correct parts, now I have to wait for the parts.

Lee F.

Interested in southest Pennsylvania railroads; Reading & Northern, Reading Company, Reading Lines, Philadelphia & Reading.
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, February 26, 2007 12:33 PM
 marxalot wrote:

RaleighTrainFan, 

Nice tower and great billboard. I tell you I remember running my friend's American Flyers in the 1950's and they were like tanks. In fact we use to set up some tunnels out of encyclopedias and then collapse them on the train.... sorry but we were pretty young. Anyhow, those engines would just keep going!

To Philly: hey sorry if those weren't A.F. made in USA American Flyer parts at the site I posted. I can understand the desire to stay with that if possible....but sometimes any port in a storm maybe eh?Big Smile [:D]

Jim

 

I agree they are great, but the ones in the picture are Sturgeon's, not mine. My Colbers are the gray water tower with the little red "cap" on top, red base, and the gray oil derrick with red base. I believe that some time in the distant past the water tower probably had a "COLBERVILLE" decal on it, but that is long gone.

I'd thought to pair them with a Colber floodlight tower but people want an arm and leg for them, so it's a Lionel 329 floodlight tower that keeps the night shift working at the freight terminal. Nice and bright, it keeps the Marx Freight Terminal well illuminated so that no slackers can skulk in the shadows!

I actually keep the Colber towers in darker areas of the layout so that their lights and bubbling action really stand out at night.

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