Prewar American Flyer Minnehaha train, repowered with a Marx motor.
Oregon Ace,
Welcome to the thread.
Unfortunately your photo isn't showing up. Could you try again?
I assume it is a set like this that you are trying to post'
Enjoying the World's Greatest Hobby
Northwoods Flyer
The Northwoods Flyer Collection
of
American Flyer Trains
"The Toy For the Boy"
Northwoods Flyer Somewhere back on the thread I did a post about Wide/Low profile cars and how Flyer made changes to them and this set through a number of years. When I have some time I will have to go back and find it and post a link to it.
Somewhere back on the thread I did a post about Wide/Low profile cars and how Flyer made changes to them and this set through a number of years. When I have some time I will have to go back and find it and post a link to it.
I went back and found the group of postings that I did on the Wide/Low Profile cars.
I hope this link will take you there. If not, it is on page 42 starting a few posts from the top.
http://cs.trains.com/ctt/f/95/t/116423.aspx?page=42
Enjoying the World's greatest Hobby
I recently picked up an interesting item from ebay that I would like some help with.
For those of you familiar with Lionel pre war items this looks like their #57 lamp post.
Schuweiler lists a #2013 street lamp, marketed by Flyer in 1927-1928, in his Guide to American Flyer Wide Gauge book with this explanation:
"Lionel 57 BROADWAY lamp resold by American Flyer.....All painted in yellow." He goes on to quote an article from a TCA Quarterly that the 2013 lights were to be delivered unstamped to American Flyer and that American Flyer would stamp them. "The one observed sample was hand lettered AF 2013 on the base."
So my lamp is orange (not yellow), and it has a stamp on the bottom
The orange color is the same that Flyer used.
But it also appears similar to the orange color that Lionel used on these lamps that I have seen in photos.
Does anyone have an AF 2013 similar to this? I am wondering if this is an original piece.
I didn't pay a lot for it so I am not out much if it is someone's handiwork. I think its a great piece and an interesting part of the early collaboration between competitors in the early years of toy trains.
And it lights too.
Northwoods,
Good find! I have one of those in orange also, but the 2013 lettering is much smaller.
I have heard of one other orange one that has lettering the same size as yours.
As for the Yellow lamp posts, to my understanding, there are some questions as to if the Yellow ones were only produced for American Flyer. I believe someone reported to me that they have a boxed Yellow lamp, that is in mint condition and is in a Lionel box. Since the yellow ones are not rubber stamped on the bottom, unless you find one with a box, I would not recommend paying a premium for it.
NWL
Trivia Question
What is this (catalog number) and what year / years was it cataloged?
That would be the ever elusive #108 Switch Tower House. Hard to find and quite expensive when you can find it. Catalogued from 1929 - 1934. Catologue says that in 1929 it was priced at $8.00 and by 1934 it was $6.00, which was a bit more than their lowest priced set.
Ray
Bayville, NJ
Life is what happens to youWhile you're busy making other plans - John Lennon
Actually, it is not the 108 Switch Tower.
This is a picture of the same view of the 108 Switch Tower, the differences are easily spotted when compared side to side.
This is a picture of the other side of the 108 Switch Tower
I showed a picture of the entire item, because this is not an easy question or item to find.
I suggest you consult your catalogs. I will give you a hint, this item was cataloged only 1 year.
Here are pictures of both sides of the mystery item. Compare them to the 108 above
What year was it cataloged and what is its correct catalog number?
NationWideLines,
I finally had some time to look through my catalogs. I never noticed that the listing for the 108 Switch Tower House had a paragraph offering the item you show in your photo. Nice find!
Your photo is of the #4108 "Tower House" offered only in the 1932 catalog. The catalog describes it as being the same as the #108 except without the knife switches.
Now I'll be looking for either version.
The 4108 Tower that is shown is not mine. A friend sent me the photos of his. There was one at York a couple of weeks ago, but it was not as nice as the one in the photo and I passed on it, due to the seller's high price. The one at York did sell, but not to me.
those are beautiful!
Dave
It's a TOY, A child's PLAYTHING!!! (Woody from Toy Story)
I really enjoy finding unusual items like the following #210 Equipment Set, with box. The individual pieces are easy to find, but the box is not. This set is in very nice condition and appears to have been well taken care of over the years.
I picked this up recently because I didn't think that I had one like it.
When I got home and started looking through my references and resources I couldn't find one exactly like it. I think that what I may have is a a 2016 Automatic Danger Signal that has lost its bell, light, and finial. This is what the typical 2016 looks like.
Shuweiler lists a variation of the 2016 that is orange. So I am wondering; could I have a legitimate uncataloged item? Does anyone else have one like the orange one I have? Or is my example a 2016 that has lost some of its parts?
I think it is really unlikely that you have an uncataloged variation. The reason I say this, is that the pieces that would be missing from a 2016 are all attached by nut and bolts and are easily removed. Additionally, Flyer was pretty good at cataloging all of the accessories. The same base and mast were used on several small accessories in differing colors, some of which are shown below.
2011 in green
2011 in orange
2012 in green
2016 in orange
2017 in olive green
2017 in dark green
Unless you could find some sort of period published information showing the base and mast you have with just the sign, it is only wishful thinking that you have found an unknown variation after 80+ years.
Thanks NationWideLines,
That's what I suspected, but I thought I would ask to see if its one of those things that got marketed through a source other than the catalog.
Thanks for posting the photos of other items that use the same mast. I see I have a few items to look for.
And of course there are other accessories that used that mast on the tall base.
British Flyer Update
When I last posted pictures of the items made by American Flyer for the British market, I noted that there was an engine that I did not have an example of to photograph.
Well here it is, the elusive 4000.
It is a small engine that is smaller than the GNR locomotive.
My engine is only the second one of these 4000 engines that I have seen available for sale.
The 4000 looks like a smaller version of the "George V". Assuming the paint is original (and it looks pretty good) the red numbers are significant. The London and North Western Railway painted its locomotives black with cast brass number plates on the cab side with the plate background painted bright red. I checked to see if there was an LNWR "4000" and indeed there was: a 4-4-0 exhibited at the Paris Exhibition in 1900, named "La France" and it was, generally, like a smaller version of the (1910) "George V".
M636C
M636C The 4000 looks like a smaller version of the "George V". Assuming the paint is original (and it looks pretty good) the red numbers are significant. The London and North Western Railway painted its locomotives black with cast brass number plates on the cab side with the plate background painted bright red. I checked to see if there was an LNWR "4000" and indeed there was: a 4-4-0 exhibited at the Paris Exhibition in 1900, named "La France" and it was, generally, like a smaller version of the (1910) "George V". M636C
Thanks for the info. Based on your information, I searched google and it turns out that the 4000 La France locomotive was the 4,000th locomotive built by the Crewe Works. It was of the Jubilee Class and was later re-numbered 1926.
1941 Set #4124 Hudson J-3a Passenger Train
I don't normally seek out Gilbert's PreWar American Flyer sets, but this one was just too beautiful to pass by. And I really do need a few representative pieces of equipment from this era of production.
The 1941 catalog had a very patriotic theme, printed in red and blue.
And set #4124 appeared on page 23
It features the 570 engine and 563C tender
492T Automatic Mail Pick-Up Car
495TL Coach
496TL Coach
497TL Observation
This isn't the best photograph, but it gives an idea of how substantial the set is.
Nice find. It looks like it is in great condition. I have seen one of those sets in person before and it was a great looking set.
I posted this is Sunday Photos and will post it here too. Finished tuning up / repairing 14 of these engines this weekend. Here are two of the finished products.
I am not sure if a photo of this has been posted here before or not. I thought that I had posted a picture of this, but in looking through my stored photos, I did not find a copy of it. Anyway, here is a variation of a 2012 manual sempahore.
I took the photo on the layout as my standard white background would not have worked too well on this. Here is another, more common variation of the 2012.
I suspect there might be a variation of this in orange too, but do not have a ready photograph.
I picked this caboose up last weekend at a local train show. I have tried to find info on it online, but haven't found much. Most of the 1111 cabooses have an off center cuopola.
Any ideas as to when this one was made?
Thanks
Andy
nice find Andy, I love the litho on that. (Steamer)
Nationwidelines I am not sure if a photo of this has been posted here before or not. I thought that I had posted a picture of this, but in looking through my stored photos, I did not find a copy of it. Anyway, here is a variation of a 2012 manual sempahore.
Is it possible that this signal was intended for use with the British AF trains?
Signal posts in the UK were always painted white and given the trouble they went to with the green tank locomotive, you would expect them to match other details as well.
handyandy I picked this caboose up last weekend at a local train show. I have tried to find info on it online, but haven't found much. Most of the 1111 cabooses have an off center cuopola. Any ideas as to when this one was made? Thanks Andy
Andy,
There are quite a few variations of the #1111 5.5" Caboose. I don't have any in my collection, but the information that Schuweiler has in the Greenberg Guide says that it had a catalog run from 1916 - 1932. Are the handrails on the ends brass or painted tan? I'm going to take a guess that this is variation J. If that is accurate then it is probably from the 1925 - 1932 era. Cupolas were either centered or shifted to one side.
I am not as familiar with the equiptment from this era, but I bet NationWideLines will have more information about it.
Thanks for the info Northwoods. Here's an end view. It looks to me like the railing is painted yellow. Maybe it started out tan?
M636C Nationwidelines I am not sure if a photo of this has been posted here before or not. I thought that I had posted a picture of this, but in looking through my stored photos, I did not find a copy of it. Anyway, here is a variation of a 2012 manual sempahore. Is it possible that this signal was intended for use with the British AF trains? Signal posts in the UK were always painted white and given the trouble they went to with the green tank locomotive, you would expect them to match other details as well. M636C
Possible, but it is an electric lighted signal and the British Flyer items were always windup sets, so I am not sure that makes sense.
I suspect that it is simply a very early item and they did not like the color, so the color did not last. I have seen some other early signals in white as well. The early un-lighted semaphores had white masts, so possibly it is a carryover from those colors.
The earlier 1111 cabooses had the cupola centered on the roof. The earliest cabooses had black roofs on the main roof and cupola, so yours is later due to the green roof. Also you have a frame style that was used sometime after about 1922 or so (I can't recall the exact dates of the frame type, but that is the 3rd and last style of frames that were used on those cars).
I believe the off-set cupolas would be the latest variation of those cabooses. I have only a few of these in my collection and know that a boxed 1926 set has a centered cupola and my NWL caboose that dates to c. 1929 or so has a centered cupola.
Thanks for the info NWL.
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