Pre War American Flyer Pictures - An Invitation

[mersenne6]

American Flyer's Electric Steel Bridges and Wooden Electric Trestle Bridges 1925-1937

1925/26/27

These bridges first appeared in the 1925 Catalog. The electric steel bridge was available in either electric (3 rail) or clockwork. The catalog numbers for the steel bridges were #112 and #123 resepectively.

 

 

  The steel bridges consisted of two approach ramps and a central span. For the 1925/26 years the central span was illustrated as orange lithography.

Steel Bridge with orange center span

 

  The wooden trestle bridge was cataloged as either #212 (O gauge) or #4218 (Wide Gauge)

Wood Trestle Bridge - #212 – O gauge LxWxH  51” x 5.25” x 8.75

Wood Trestle Bridge - #4218 – Wide Gauge – LxWxH  56” x 6.5” x 9.75”

The same catalog illustration was used for both wooden bridges.

 

 

1927

 

   The catalog illustrations changed for 1927. #112 was now illustrated with a yellow center span

 

Steel Bridge with yellow center span

 

 

The wooden trestle bridges #212 and #4218 were described as being the same length - 56".

 

 

1928/29/30

 

  The Steel Bridge was still illustrated as having a yellow center span.  The catalog illustrated three new wood trestle bridges:

 

O gauge #212 Length - 50.5”

Wide Gauge #4219 – Length 56”

Wide Gauge Only #4220 – Length - 70.5”

 

The trestle bridges were described as having brass name plates attached at either end.

 

 

  The huge wide gauge bridge included telephone poles and indicator lights at either end of the bridge.  All of the wooden bridges , like the earlier versions from 1925-27 included approach ramps.

 

1931/32/33

 

  The catalog illustrated the #112 Steel Bridge with a sort of compromise yellow/orange color.  It dropped the separate illustrations for wooden trestle bridges #212, #4219, and #4220 and verbally introduced a new bridge Universal Bridge #211 with a length of 28".  All three bridges were represented with a single illustration of a wooden trestle bridge.  The "Universal" bridges did not come with approach ramps and were built so that track (either O gauge or Wide Gauge) could be laid directly on the bridge base.

 

 

1934/37

 

#112 was dropped as were all of the wooden trestle bridges.  The wooden trestles were replaced with the Lighted Universal Bridge #213. It was 27.5" long and came with a lighted bridge tender shack which was mounted on a wooden block attached to one of the bridge top cross braces.

 

 

The first version had the earlier clapboard litho treatment for the bridge tender shack which was the same structure used on the elevated watchman's shed and the small suburban station.  Later versions have an "updated" shed in the simplified white and green litho.

 

Lighted Universal Bridge #213 - later litho treatment for bridge tender shack.

 

 

  While the catalog text states the wooden bridges are "strongly constructed of clear white pine and heavy gauge steel braced with wire struts" the fact is that these bridges are very fragile. Over the years I've seen more shattered remains of these bridges than I have intact samples.

 

  The bridges were shipped in huge cardboard boxes. In the case of the lighted universal bridge the bridge tender's shack was packed separately.  The assembly instructions indicated that the shack was to be nailed to a wooden block nailed to one of the top braces.  If the new owner did this they were going to have a problem when the light bulb inside the shack burned out because there is no way to reach the bulb without removing either the shack roof or removing the shack from its wooden block support. 

 

  The good news is that, at least for the bridge illustrated above, the width of the wooden block allows for a simple friction fit of the shack to the bridge structure.

 

 

 

[Northwoods Flyer]

American Flyer  Set #1326  1930 -1931

I recently purchased this set on ebay.

In the 1930 catalog it is called the "New Potomac"

And in 1931 it becomes the "Potomac"

The descriptions of the sets are similar

I was interested in the set because it had a vey nicely restored #3109.  These engines are hard to find intact because the two hoods are diecast and the originals are frequently damaged because the zinc has crumbled.  I don't usually buy restorations, but in the case of this engine it is highly unlikely that I would ever find a complete one, and if I did I am sure I would not be able to afford it.

The seller acknowledged that the two hoods were reproductions and had been repainted. The bell isn't original either and I will need to tweek it a bit. The majority of the rest of the engine is original as are the cars.

As you can read in the catalog copy the set comes with 2 #3171 Pullmans.

The catalog copy also says that the set includes a #3172 Observation.  And this is where the set gets interesting. The seller said that the set came from the orginal owner with a #3182 Observation with "The Potomac" plates and the #3182 individual plates. I checked the Greenberg guide before I bid and found that variation listed.  When I unwrapped the Observation it wasn't a #3182, it was a #3282.  I went back to the Guide and could not find a variation of the #3282 in the green and tan color combination with "The Potomac" plate.  The #3282 is usually found on the Blue-Green "Golden State" observation, or a Blue - Green "Jeffersonian" observation

I would guess that this is a situation where Flyer had run out of "3172 Observation" plates and substituted the "3182 Observation" plate and the "3282 Observation" plate.  The Greenberg guide does not document this "3282 Observtion" in the green and tan "The Potomac"  colors.  Does anyone have a car like this?  Perhaps this is another example of variations still out there to find and document.

It is a very pretty set, and it runs fast.

Enjoying the World's Greatest Hobby

Northwoods Flyer

 

[Northwoods Flyer]

Its time to add the 2017 American Flyer Tale for Christmas to the thread.  It exists as a separate thread elswhere on the forum, but I like to keep the stories all in one place.

An American Flyer Tale for Christmas

2017 Edition

 

Adam had been looking forward to this train show for months.  It was only held twice per year so he had plenty of time to anticipate it.  He had been making lists of things that he was looking for so that he could do some repair work on the projects he had been collecting at home.  Occasionally one of his co-workers or a neighbor would bring over a box of old trains that “had been in the family for years”, wondering if he could fix it and get it running again.  The pace always picked up around the holidays; everyone wanted their trains to be running under the tree for Christmas.  Most of the projects were simple and very quickly he would have things working just like they used to.  So today he knew what he was looking for and he pretty much knew which vendors would have what he needed.

 

Both of the boys had come with him again; as they did to most of the train shows over the years.  He felt very lucky that at their ages they still enjoyed the hobby with him.  Of course they had other things that took up their time and drew their interest like sports, and music, and electronics and video games; but it pleased him that when he was tinkering in the train room or running their collection of trains at least one of them would come in and spend time with him.  Years ago he and his wife had decided to buy them a Polar Express set for Christmas.  They watched the movie together as a family at least once during the Christmas season every year since the boys were very young.  It had become a family tradition.  Adam smiled to himself as he remembered that first Christmas with the 1225 running under the tree.  Each year since that time they had added a car, track, switches or some accessory to their Polar Express collection.  Each time they came to the train show Adam looked for parts to do repairs, or scenic material for the layout, or some piece of American Flyer equipment to add to his personal collection while the boys went off to find the best deal on a new addition to the Polar Express.  This year they were looking for the Elf handcar.

 

After several hours Adam had covered all of the show once and was working his way around for the second time.  He had found all the things on his list, including several boxed S-gauge cars to add to his collection. The boys had checked in with him and reported what they had seen and were frustrated that they hadn’t found a handcar yet.  However, he knew where he had seen one and sent them off to check on it.

Adam walked to the concession stand and bought himself a very expensive cup of coffee.  He reminded himself once again to make a mental note that he should bring a thermos filled with coffee with him the next time. He walked back to an area near the center of the show where there were a number of benches clustered together.  He chose one of the empty benches, sat down with his bags at his feet, and began his second favorite thing about going to the train show – people watching.

 

The show wasn’t overly crowded, but there was a steady flow of people moving up and down the rows from vendor to vendor.  Many of the folks carried bags through which he could see the orange and blue of Lionel boxes.  He felt pretty satisfied that if anyone was looking they would be able to see the blue and yellow of vintage American Flyer boxes from the A.C. Gilbert Company through the thin plastic of one of his bags.  It was fascinating to watch how each of the shoppers approached their hunt differently.  Some were fast, barely stopping at a table to glance over its contents before moving on.  Others seemed to examine every item, and every price tag on the table.  A few walked several tables away and would pull out what Adam assumed was their “wanted list” or a price guide and check it over.

 

He hadn’t been watching very long when one particular shopper caught his attention.  He was a nicely dressed older gentleman.  He had snow white hair and a well trimmed beard. “Oh no.” thought Adam, “I bet he gets teased a lot about being Santa Claus.”  The man moved slowly from table to table, looking carefully at what each table held, almost as if he was looking for something specific. Then he would take a step back to see what was in the boxes on the floor under each table.  The other thing that drew Adam’s attention was the walking stick that the man was using that added to the Santa look.  It was at least 5 feet tall and as the man drew closer he could see a pattern carved into the stick that looked like railroad tracks winding their way up the length of the stick.  Near the head of the stick were two letters made out of what looked like brass inlaid into the wood of the stick and surrounded by a carved shield.  Adam could not quite make out what letters they were.

 

 

The white haired man reached the vendor’s table directly across from the bench where Adam was sitting.  He looked at all of the items on the table and then spotted something in a box underneath the table.  He squatted down and pulled the box out.  From what Adam could see it looked like a collection of 3 rail tinplate track.  The man examined each piece and carefully put it back in the box before sliding it back under the table.  With the help of his walking stick he stood up to his full height again and stared down at the box for what seemed like several minutes.  The man turned around and looked at the cluster of benches where Adam was sitting.  He walked over to Adam’s bench and sat down.  His eyes were focused on the box under the table and he seemed to be deep in thought.  Adam noticed the brass letters inlaid in the head of the walking stick were A.F.

 

Eventually the man nodded his head with determination as if he had made an important decision.  At about the same time he noticed that Adam was sitting on the same bench. “Good Grief, where are my manners?  I didn’t realize that this bench was taken.” said the gentleman. “Oh it isn’t.” replied Adam. “There is plenty of room.”  The gentleman reached out his hand and said “My name is Bill.” Adam shook his hand and said “Nice to meet you. I’m Adam.”  They exchanged a few more pleasantries about the weather, and the size of the crowd when Bill said; “I haven’t been here for several years.  There was a time when I never missed a show.”

 

Adam replied; “My boys and I try to come to every one. I’m always looking for American Flyer trains.”

 

Bill’s eyes seemed to twinkle a bit. “Two rail Flyer or three?”

 

“Oh, I’m an S-gauge guy; two rails for me.  It’s what I grew up with.  My Dad had S-gauge trains that we set up every year at Christmas when I was a kid and I’ve kept up the tradition. He gave me his trains when our first child was born and I’ve tried to grow the empire over the years.”

 

Bill smiled. “Up until a year ago I had a very large collection of American Flyer Pre War trains.  It’s the stuff they call Chicago Flyer because it was made in Chicago before Gilbert took over the company and moved it out east.  Somewhere in the move he lost a rail though.”

 

They both chuckled. “I noticed that you were looking at a box of track over at that table.  Is that 3 rail American Flyer track?” asked Adam.

 

Bill replied “Yup, it’s some pretty old stuff too, but in decent shape”

 

“You said that you had a large collection of Pre War Flyer, Bill.  What happened to it?”

 

“Well several years ago my wife and I decided it was time to downsize and move into a smaller place that was easier to take care of.  We made the decision that it was time to pass on the trains that I had collected over more years than I care to tell you to other collectors.  I figured that there were others that would enjoy them and take care of them.  I never thought of myself as really being their owner.  I saw myself as being their caretaker for as long as they were in my possession.  Other people owned them before I did so I was just one of their caretakers until someone else took up the job.  Boy did I have fun with those trains too!  It took a long time to get everything organized and ready for the auction, but once we made the decision to sell I put all of my energy into getting them ready to go to their new custodians.”

 

Adam thought for a moment and then asked; “Don’t you miss your trains?”

 

“Well, maybe just a little bit.” replied Bill, “But I kept one.  Back when I was a little tyke my Dad bought me my first train.  It was a streamlined grey steam engine and tender, and it had 3 cars; a sand car, a Bordens Milk car and a caboose. Later I learned that it was set #1716 from 1937.  We set it up every Christmas as soon as the tree was up and decorated. And it stayed up on the living room floor until Valentine’s Day.  It was a tradition in our family.  Every year Santa or some relative would give me a new car or track or switches, or an accessory.  It was all American Flyer O gauge.  Once they stopped making O gauge and switched to your S gauge we had to start buying trains that were used.  It never bothered me though.  I just kept on collecting American Flyer O gauge equipment.  I think I had the most American Flyer O gauge trains in a 3 state area.  In fact among the friends that I made over the years that are train collectors I got to be known as Mr. American Flyer.  In fact one of my buddies carved this walking stick for me and put the A.F. in the American Flyer shield.”

 

Adam asked, “So what brought you to the show today?”

 

Bill chuckled, “Well, when we sold off the collection I inadvertently sold all of my track too.  So I came today looking for some track so I can set it up around our Christmas tree in our apartment and run my old train.  We have to keep traditions going you know.  That box over there has 10 curves, 4 straights, and 2 turnouts.  With that amount of track I should be able to build quite a railroad empire.  Its labeled as a junk box and the vendor wants $5 for it.  He has no idea what Mr. American Flyer can accomplish with that much track.”

 

Adam wished Bill good luck and Merry Christmas as he stood up and headed back to the vendor’s table.  He watched as Bill took the box out from under the table and pulled a $5 bill from his wallet.   Bill tucked his prize under his arm and with a broad grin he walked back to the bench where Adam sat.  “See you at the next show.”  Adam smiled and saluted Bill as he headed for the exit.  He noticed that there was a little bit of a spring in Bill’s gait.

  

As Adam sat watching Bill walk away his two boys came charging up breathlessly. “Dad we got it.” they said almost in unison.  With obvious pride and excitement they held out their newly purchased Polar Express Elf handcar. “Come on Dad, let’s take it home and run it on the layout.”  “It’s the tradition.”  As they were walking to their car one of the boys asked, “Hey Dad, who was that guy we saw you talking to?”  Adam smiled, “His name is Bill.  He’s known as Mr. American Flyer.  I’ll introduce you to him at the next show.  He is a true Titan of Tinplate”

 

 

The Track

 

 

Bill's Train

American Flyer Set #1716 from 1937                 

  

 Pennsylvania Freight 

 

Enjoying the World's Greatest Hobby

 

Northwoods Flyer

                                                                    Merry Christmas

 

[Nationwidelines]

Strainst,

It is not only a different label on the box, but if you compare boxes, it is a different style box construction, which denotes earlier production.  These early accessory (and similar style individual car) boxes probably disappeared from Flyer items around 1924-1925, possibly 1926 at the latest

[strainst]

Great find; I noticed the listing for this train set with passenger station and also noted the different label on the station box.  When I saw the label, I wondered if the label was used on station boxes sold through a store other than American Flyer, but I missed that this is the early version of this station.  With American Flyer trains and this forum, I seem to learn something new every week.  Gald to see you added it to your collection.

strainst

[Nationwidelines]

The above 96 station came with an equally nice, but common engine and set of cars.

Here is the 1218 that came with the set.  It just shines like new.

I believe that the set I received may be a hybrid 1228 set from 1924.  I say this because the set box did not have a legible number on it and is a box that would contain either a 1221 set or 1228 set, with the 1221 set having a smaller station and the 1228 set, per a 1924 foldout, came with a 96 station.  As for a hybrid set, I say this because the 1228 set is always shown with 8 wheel cars, yet this set has 4 wheel cars.  The setbox appeared to have an F on it, which could denote a Butler Brothers set number, with Butler Brothers being a wholesaler that sold Flyer trains from the teens through the late 1920s/early 1930s.

[Nationwidelines]

Here is a nice early #96 station

One reason why this station has stayed so nice, is that it comes with this..

Have never seen one of these early boxes for sale until this one came up.

NWL

[Nationwidelines]

Northwoods,

The reverse rod sticking through the top of the boiler does stick through the normal hole.  The motor does not have a ringing bell.  I am not sure which boxcab this would be from, but I would suspect either a late 3187 or a late 3115.

The engine/tender did not come to me with any rolling stock, but the 1934 catalog shows this engine/tender with both a passenger set and a freight set.  

NWL

[Northwoods Flyer]

Nationwidelines

 

 

 

The above engine/tender is a 3310 combination from 1934.  This particular engine features an unusual motor, which is somewhat difficult to find.  Note the reverse lockout lever sticking out of the front of the boiler and the large brass ball on top of the reverse rod sticking out of the top of the boiler.  My guess is that this is a leftover motor from an electric boxcab engine.

NWL

 

 

NationWideLines;

You find some of the most interesting variations.  This engine and tender are in beautiful shape as well.

I assume the reverse rod sticking out of the top of the engine fits through the hole in the casting that the reversing rod normally sticks through.  The reverse lockout lever sticking out of the front makes me wonder how much extra hand labor went into drilling the hole and making other alterations to get the motor to fit.  Any idea which electric boxcab motor this is?  Were they able to keep the ringing bell feature?  Was the engine accompanied by any rolling stock?

Enjoying the World's Greatest Hobby

Northwoods Flyer

[LL675]

beautiful locomotive

[Nationwidelines]

New Computer test post

OK now a photo test

Now for the rest of the post

The above engine/tender is a 3310 combination from 1934.  This particular engine features an unusual motor, which is somewhat difficult to find.  Note the reverse lockout lever sticking out of the front of the boiler and the large brass ball on top of the reverse rod sticking out of the top of the boiler.  My guess is that this is a leftover motor from an electric boxcab engine.

NWL

 

[Northwoods Flyer]

PChase

Greetings, all! Love the posts but I am a rookie having just inherited an American Flyer Lines locomotive and car! First attempt at a post. My father-in-law had this train when he passed away. I've tried to find out something about it but since is has no number or identifying mark I've not had much luck. It was the search, though, that led me to this forum. I'm going to try to attach a photograph of it. If it makes it, I would love any information anyone might have about it. Thanks! 

These are PChase's photos of his engine.

PChase:

"Thanks for taking a look. Let me know if I can take any other angles that might help. I have no idea what happened to the rest of the set. My wife remembers more cars when she was a child. If there is a good museum or Club that would enjoy having it we'd be happy to make a gift of it. Regards. "

Northwoods Flyer:

"PChase;

The photos came through perfectly.  The engine that you have is from circa 1935 - 1937.  It is a sheet metal locomotive and tender combination known as a Type XX (Roman Numeral 20)  The large metal piece in the back is a gear driven mechanical whistle. The tender is a sheet metal TypeXII. This locomotive did not appear in any American Flyer catalog,  but it was sold through large department stores and sometimes through their catalogs, and is considered an uncataloged locomotive. (Schuweiler states in the Greenberg Guide that it appeared in the 1935 Sommers catalog).  While it is uncataloged it is not particularly rare.  They show up quite frequently.  Does your wife remember if the cars were passenger cars or freight cars?  The locomotive is missing a metal cowling around the headlight that was either brass or black, (reproductions are available) and from what I can see that may be all it is missing. Are the drive rods present on both sides?  Do you know if it runs?  It looks to be in very good condition."

PChase;

"Many thanks for the information. Sorry but she doesn't recall what the other cars were. The drive rods are the same on both sides. Have no idea if it runs but the wheel mechanism in not frozen, they turn freely.  It was originally purchased in Pittsburgh and I suspect it was purchased in one of the department stores downtown."

Enjoying the World's Greatest Hobby

Northwoods Flyer

 

 

 

[fifedog]

Santa actually brought Fifey a Washington 4-4-0 for Christmas.  Not the best smoker, but a good looking and running engine.  I have found that 600 series cars, with the silver journal box covers, look right at home behind her.  And of course, the vintage look and handle of my 15B adds to the nastalgia.

[Northwoods Flyer]

Thanks fife!

Part of the fun of hosting and being involved in this thread is knowing that there are eager and interested readers.  I am looking forward to seeing how your new layout build is progressing.  Its good to hear that you have incorporated American Flyer (S gauge) into your planning.

I appreciate your enthisiasm and sense of camaraderie. 

Don't you think you should have a Civil War era Flyer engine running on your layout?

Enjoying the World's Greatest Hobby

Northwoods Flyer

[fifedog]

Northwoods Flyer - Congrats on the 10 year milestone.  Your enthusiasm inspires us all.  Bravo, ol' chap.

[Northwoods Flyer]

PChase;

You can send the photo(s) to me.

Looking forward to seeing your engine.

Update:

PChase and I have been in contact and a post with photos will be available shortly.  The engine is a Type XX with a mechanical whistle.

Enjoying the World's Greatest Hobby

Northwoods Flyer

[PChase]

Thanks for your reply! I don't do Shutterfly but would be happy to send photos directly to you.  Where do I send them? Also when I signed in this morning I noticed that in my posting it showed the photo of the engine that I included. Curious that it didn't make it to the message you saw. Regards.

[Northwoods Flyer]

  PChase,

I'm glad that you found the thread.  Since this is your first post to the forums your post was delayed for a while.  I am pretty sure we can help with information if you can post a photo or give a description of the engine and car.  You will need to have an online photo hosting account with Shutterfly or a similar site.  If you can't post the photo perhaps you could send the photos directly to me.  Looking forward to seeing your engine.

Enjoying the World's Greatest Hobby

Northwoods Flyer

[PChase]

Greetings, all! Love the posts but I am a rookie having just inherited an American Flyer Lines locomotive and car! First attempt at a post. My father-in-law had this train when he passed away. I've tried to find out something about it but since is has no number or identifying mark I've not had much luck. It was the search, though, that led me to this forum. I'm going to try to attach a photograph of it. If it makes it, I would love any information anyone might have about it. Thanks! 

[Nationwidelines]

mersenne6

The American Flyer #509 Tender

 

 

 

This tender was first listed as part of 1930 clockwork set #134 The Queen City. 

The tender came in 10 different road names:

Rock Island, C&NW RR, Great Northern, Illinois Central, Union Pacific, Southern Pacific, Pennsylvania, Baltimore & Ohio, NewYork Central, and Nationwide Lines.

While the tender was only cataloged as part of set #134 the frequency of the appearance of these tenders at train meets suggests they were part of other train sets and according to the Greenberg Guide for American Flyer Pre-War trains the tenders were manufactured from 1930-1933.

  The 1931 Dealers Price Sheet illustrated a series of otherwise uncataloged train sets identified as the 700 Series - Empire Express Trains

Four of the five sets were headed by clockwork steam locomotives and all of these featured sets included a #509 tender.

  The sets headed by clockwork steam were essentially stripped down versions of the #134 set from 1930.  In addition to no accessories and very little track the passenger cars for these sets were, with the exception of set #746, smaller and cheaper than the cars offered in the Queen City set.

Set #742

 

 

 

 

 

Nice.  I only have a NWL version that came in a boxed Queen City set with NWL components, a Southern Pacific, and the C&NW RR variations of the 509 tenders.

 

[mersenne6]

The American Flyer #509 Tender

 

 

 

This tender was first listed as part of 1930 clockwork set #134 The Queen City. 

The tender came in 10 different road names:

Rock Island, C&NW RR, Great Northern, Illinois Central, Union Pacific, Southern Pacific, Pennsylvania, Baltimore & Ohio, NewYork Central, and Nationwide Lines.

While the tender was only cataloged as part of set #134 the frequency of the appearance of these tenders at train meets suggests they were part of other train sets and according to the Greenberg Guide for American Flyer Pre-War trains the tenders were manufactured from 1930-1933.

  The 1931 Dealers Price Sheet illustrated a series of otherwise uncataloged train sets identified as the 700 Series - Empire Express Trains

Four of the five sets were headed by clockwork steam locomotives and all of these featured sets included a #509 tender.

  The sets headed by clockwork steam were essentially stripped down versions of the #134 set from 1930.  In addition to no accessories and very little track the passenger cars for these sets were, with the exception of set #746, smaller and cheaper than the cars offered in the Queen City set.

Set #742

 

 

 

 

[Nationwidelines]

mersenne6

 A 10 year anniversary - now that's electifying news!  

Seems appropriate, as 100 years ago, in 1918, American Flyer introduced its first electric locomotive.  Now that was electrifying news!

In honor of the 10th Anniversary and 100th Anniversary of American Flyer electric trains, here is a photo of some c. 1918 electric steam locomotives and cars.

The engine in the foreground with gold cab roof on engine, is believed to be one of the 50 motors produced to test the market or an engineering sample, as it features a non production motor with tube brushes (which were not formally introduced until 1925), unpainted and un-machined cast iron wheels, and a crude method of holding the armature / brushes in place.

The engine in the background is more typical early motor with machined and painted wheels, standard copper finger brushes, and standard method of holding armature / brushes in place.

Happy 10 / 100

NWL

 

[mersenne6]

 A 10 year anniversary - now that's electifying news! In the spirit of electrifying news and the count of 10 here's a 10th anniversary picture - 10 American Flyer sets all headed by electric outline motive power and the entire display backed up by American Flyer catalogs from the teens, 20's and 30's.

 

[Northwoods Flyer]

Happy Anniversary

January 22, 2008  -  January 22, 2018

 

Celebrating

10

 years

of

Pre War American Flyer Pictures

 

      I find myself shaking my head when I realize that another year has passed.  It is amazing to think that the thread is celebrating its 10^th anniversary – an entire decade.  In that time we have gathered a wealth of information that stretches on for almost 69 pages.  In this year alone there have been approximately 150 postings; the counter on the main forum page says that there have been 2,057 replies to my original posting and invitation on a cold January night ten years ago.  During 2017 we passed the ¾ million hit mark; and there are still approximately 100 hits per day.  Those numbers don’t even come close to describing the number of hours of photographing, researching, and writing that have gone into this thread by every person who has posted a photo or a question, offered a comment, or provided some valuable information. 

   

     I am grateful for all of the contributions to the thread, and fascinated by the new bits of information about Flyer that are posted and the variations that keep turning up. It is amazing to see the different aspects of the American Flyer hobby that are woven together here that combine to make this more than a thread, it has become a fabric.  That is one of the reasons I refer to “we” when I talk about the statistics.  I may have started the thread, but each of you have been an important part of making it what it has become.

     

     More than anything, I treasure the relationships and friendships that I have experienced because of this “fabric”.  I have met and continue to meet some fine people here.  Some of them I have even met in person.  I don’t think you will find a nicer, more enthusiastic and helpful group of folks in the train collecting hobby than you will here.

 

      Thank you to Kalmbach for another year of making this endeavor possible, and for providing a place for American Flyer enthusiasts to gather and enjoy their trains for the last decade.

 

     So let me take you all the way back to that first post from 10 years ago:

My current passion in collecting trains is Pre War American Flyer.  I like the looks of Wide Gauge, Narrow Gauge, 3/16 O Gauge, accessories, or anything associated with Flyer.

I'd like to invite other Flyer fans to post pictures of the items they have in their collections or to ask questions.  I am not an expert, but I know that there are folks with a wealth of knowledge and experience that do read and post.  I enjoy seeing what others have gathered, and I never seem to get enough of seeing Flyer. 

…. I thought it would be nice to have a thread that was devoted entirely to Flyer pictures. 

And here we are 10 years later.  Let’s get started on the next 10 years.

 

 

Enjoying the World’s Greatest Hobby

Northwoods Flyer

 

Greg

[Nationwidelines]

RoyalBlue1972

Just picked this beauty up from a seller on Etsy.  This will probably be one of my earliest Flyer trains!  Now I need to research when it was from and get all the info I can on it!

This photo is from the seller.  I'll post some more when I get it.

 

Assuming the box is original, it would date to approximately 1928.  I say that because the box indicates "Over 6 Million" and that label first appeared in 1928 and was shortly superseeded by the "Over 6.5 Million" label. 

The frames on the cars are certainly after approximately 1923-1924 due to the style of the frame. 

I cannot say much more than that, as there is no visible set number on the box.  Had there been a set number, it might help identify if what you purchased matched the set description

 

NWL

 

[RoyalBlue1972]

Just picked this beauty up from a seller on Etsy.  This will probably be one of my earliest Flyer trains!  Now I need to research when it was from and get all the info I can on it!

This photo is from the seller.  I'll post some more when I get it.

[mersenne6]

  American Flyer Sets #932 and #933

 

  Back on pages 5 and 6 of this thread I wrote a series of posts with the lead title of “Electrifying Steam”.  There are a total of 6 articles covering the various American Flyer electric trains with cast iron superstructures.  In the last post (Electrifying Steam VI) I described the demise of the cast iron superstructure locomotives and also commented on the introduction of a small cast iron superstructure engine #915 in the 1932 catalog which, because of its frequent sightings at various train meets, I thought had been either manufactured for a longer period of time than was indicated by the catalogs or perhaps had been offered for separate sale to outlets like Montgomery Wards.

 

  In the post “Electrifying Steam V” I described the brief history of the uncatalogued cast iron engine #1084.

 

 

 

Engine #1084

 

  This engine headed up a passenger set (#932) and a freight set (#933) which were illustrated in the 1931 American Flyer Dealer Price Sheet and were called “Express Electric Trains.” The evidence I had back in 2008 indicated these sets disappeared in 1931 along with the end of the production of #1084.

 

 

1931 Dealer Price Sheet illustration

 

 

 

 

Set #932

 

 

     Time has passed and I have continued to add to my knowledge of these trains.  Recently I found an interesting footnote to the production of Express Electric Train Sets #932 and #933. The footnote is in the form of the set illustrated below.  The set label is #932T (the “T” indicates the inclusion of a transformer). 

 

 

 

Set Box Label

 

 

 

 

Boxed Set

 

 

 

 

Set contents

 

 

 As you can see the contents of the box are the cars for the #933 set with a #915 locomotive substituted for #1084.

 

  This would suggest in late 1931 American Flyer had leftover #932 boxes and components for the #933 set which were complete save for a supply of #1084 locomotives.  It would appear that rather than scrap the boxes Flyer chose to substitute a #915 locomotive for #1084, ignore the set number designation and ship what they had until the supply was exhausted. 

 

  An additional point: the #915 in this #932T set is different from other 915 engines I have seen in that the headlight is mounted on a strap inside the engine superstructure instead of screwing into a light socket and protruding from the boiler front.  Since I have seen this headlight difference on other Flyer engines from the period I think this is just a case of my personal first sighting of a #915 engine with this headlight treatment.

 

 

[Nationwidelines]

My misunderstanding, I thought you owned the box. 

[strainst]

NWL

 

Unfortunately as I stated in my earlier email, I did not take any pictures of the box.  I have sent an email to the owner requesting the photos.  I also asked if he is doing the next Greenberg Train Show in Richmond, VA.  I have asked him if he is willing to bring the box so I could see it again, take pictures and look inside of it, which I did not do at the last show.  I will post the information when I hear from him.

strainst

[Nationwidelines]

strainst

NorthWoodsFlyer & NationWideLines,

Very nice gifts. 

I was at  a train show a couple of weeks ago and a friend of mind picked up a empty American Flyer set box with the numbers 1438RT stamped on the label on the side of the box.  The label is the one from the mid to late 30's and it was on the side of the top lid, no label to the top of the box.  It is a large box, so maybe a standard gauge set of a deluxe O gauge set with building and tunnel?  I have not found the set number in any of my references.  Any ideas as to what came in this box?  A picture of the style of label is shown below.  This is not the actual label, dummy me forgot to take a picture of it.

 

strainst

 

 

Strainst,

I could not find that set number anywhere.  Please show a photo of the entire box and a close-up of the set number.

Typically the 1400 series numbers refer to standard gauge sets, but I am unaware of the O gauge label being used on a standard gauge setbox.  I am not saying it could not have been done for a late set or a special set, just have never seen one.

 

NWL