American Flyer Clockwork II
No. 2
American Flyer's first clockwork trains were made by Edmund-Metzel in 1907. The first engine was a very basic 0-4-0 with a small #328 tender. There was a band of colored paint beneath the cab window which could be either red, gray, light green, yellow, or dark green. The bell and top of the smokestack were painted gold and the cast drivers had an iridescent red finish to the spokes. The windup key was formed from wire and solid rod and it screwed into the side of the motor. There were no boiler rivets or drive rods.
In 1908 Metzel introduced an improved lineup which included a deluxe version of the 1907 engine with side rods, handrails and a brake. The most noticeable feature of the deluxe engine were 4 thin boiler bands and an abbreviated cab overhang. This engine was made from 1908 to around 1911.
In 1911 the cab roof overhang was extended, the 4 thin boiler bands were replaced with two thick ones, and there were no handrails. Around 1915 the boiler casting was again modified. Now, in addition to the boiler bands there were three rows of boiler rivets one course between the headlight and the smokestack, one course between the two bands, and one course between the rear band and the engine cab.
No. 2 ca. 1911
No. 12
In 1910 American Flyer introduced No.12. The locomotive had a lower and longer profile compared to No.2 The engine was offered through 1917 and was also cataloged as M12. Flyer referred to the engine as having a "Bull dog type construction" ....whatever that was supposed to mean.
No. 12 ca. 1910
In the 1910 catalog Flyer also introduced the No. 0 which was a selectively compressed version of #12. It had all of the same boiler features but it was shorter. It also had no side rods.
No. 15
This engine was the largest of the clockwork engines between 1914 and 1922.
No. 13, 1,3,1, and 2
Between 1914 and 1922 American Flyer offered a number of mid sized 0-4-0 clockwork engines (Greenberg Types VII, VIII, and IX). Their superstructures were similar and differed with respect to the presence or absence of boiler rivets, sand dome size and headlight shape. Their one prominent feature was the cast iron open roof vent in the cab. The last of the series was the catalog No.1 and 2 from 1920-1922 an example of which is shown below.
No. 16
In 1922 Flyer introduced their new large sized cast iron locomotive. It came with a center mounted headlight and the cast letters "A.F. 16" under the cab windows. The bulky boiler casting with the cast center mounted headlight is very distinctive.
No. 16 ca. 1922
In 1929 the engine was painted bright red with silver highlights and headed up the Prairie State Set. The cast number under the cab window was removed and only the letters "A.F." remained.
Prairie State Set
No. 1,2,10,11,12
In 1922 Flyer introduced a series of cast iron clockwork engines with tapered boilers. The engine came with a number of different sets and had either the letters "A.F. 10" or just "A.F." under the cab windows. Other versions had no lettering at all.
No. 10 with "A.F. 10" cast under the cab window
Each of these engines came with a number of different tender styles. As you can see from the numbers - Flyer wasn't too particular about order with respect to engine catalog numbers as a means of uniquely identifying their clockwork locomotives. Consequently, the key to collecting Flyer clockwork is superstructure shapes. I don't have pictures of every rivet and headlight variation but the above pictures do cover the range of the superstructure types offered by Flyer for its large and mid-sized clockwork trains. The smaller types of cast iron superstructure clockwork engines were illustrated in the first clockwork installment above.
Sheet Metal Clockwork Engines
In 1932 Flyer introduced a sheet metal clockwork locomotive. Greenberg has designated this as Type XVIII. The engine comes with an electric light and the tender has a place for a battery. The Flyer price list for 1932 does list two clockwork sheet metal engines and gives them the identification of No.25 (headlight) and No. 125 (headlight and bell). This engine was offered in sets through 1933. It came with all red enamel or with red enamel boiler and tender and black enamel chassis.
According to a handwritten 3x5 card that came with the set containing this engine the set number is 174 and the set was purchased by the original owner (who is the author of the information on the card) at the 1933 World's Fair. Greenberg does not list a set #174
The other sheet metal clockwork locomotive was a clockwork version of the small sheet metal (0-4-0) Hiawatha pictured in the discussion of streamlined steam on page 4.
OK, here's my first AF piece. I picked it up at the MN Fairgrounds on Saturday. From going through this thread, on page 8 you show a number of variations of the #93 and #234 stations. This appears to be another variation of the #234. Any more info on it would be appreciated. By the way, what type of bulb goes into it (18W?). Thanks....
Accessories - Boxed 2218 Block Signal
When I posted the entry on the 2218/4218 I was pretty sure that I had a boxed example of it somewhere too. After I did a little hunting I found it.
The lable indicates that it is made by The A.C. Gilbert Company so this example is from 1938 or after.
It is pretty exciting to open up a box like this and find the item in almost like new condition.
The track even has its original shine and finish.
The two activating pieces from between the tracks are still there too. I removed one so that you could see what it is like. I have seen these pieces on occasion and was not aware of how they were used.
Now all I need is a copy of the instructions.
I don't have many items in this near mint condition. It makes me think of how it must have been to be a child receiving these items on Christmas morning or for a birthday. I look at the evidence of use over the last 70 or more years on most of my collection and I realize how well loved most of these items were. It makes me wonder why this block signal never had the chance to be played with.
Northwoods Flyer
The Northwoods Flyer Collection
of
American Flyer Trains
"The Toy For the Boy"
SCD....pics turned out great. When I click on them they enlarge to full screen!
Jack
IF IT WON'T COME LOOSE BY TAPPING ON IT, DON'T TRY TO FORCE IT. USE A BIGGER HAMMER.
SCD,
Thanks for the great pictures of some of the trains in your collection. I particularly like that Wide Gauge Steamer.
Wide Gauge Passenger Cars - I
During their production of Wide Gauge trains American Flyer produced two sizes of passenger car. There were a variety types of passenger cars in the consists, but lets begin with a basic size comparison.
There were 14 inch passenger cars.
And there were 19 inch passenger cars.
Here are some comparison shots of the two sizes of coaches.
Now take a look at how they compare with a small passenger coach from the Narrow Gauge (O gauge) line of trains.
And for those of you whose frame of reference is HO, take a look at this one.
It took a lot of space to be able to have a Wide Gauge railroad empire in the 1920's and 1930's. And it still takes a lot of space just to store and display them, but there is a charm to these large trains and the incredible sound they make as they rattle down the track that is hard to resist.
I am still trying to master this photo listing process. Let's see if I can actually post some photos without deleting anything.
Accessories -2218/4218 Block Signal
Flyer made a wide variety of trackside accessories. This is their prewar block signal made from 1936-1939. There is an earlier version made from 1928-1931. The Block Signal came with two special track sections that had a forth rail to provide the contact to trip the accessory. The flanges of the wheels of rolling stock contact the fouth rail to operate the accessory. When it came with two pieces of Narrow Gauge track it was known as the 2218. When it came with two pieces of Wide Gauge track the identical signal was known as the 4218.
Side view
Catalog illustrations show a sign on the signal that says BLOCK SIGNAL, but all of my examples and the ones that I have observed have a sign that says STOP ON SIGNAL
The only variation of which I am aware is a red version. I know that I have read somewhere that the red version was only available for one year but I can't put my hand on that reference at the moment. It does show up less frequently than the red version.
I do not have the special track sections yet. They tend to get seperated from the signal very easily.
Edit - 5/16/2008
Scroll down a few entries and you will find some pictures of a mint in the box version that I found after I posted this entry.
Zephyr Excursion Run
Well the day finally arrived. I was down at the coffee shop for lunch today, and the old guys were having quite a heated discussion about the arrival of the long awaited Zephyr excursion. It seems that she was being run up from Chicago out of the Museum of Science and Industry to take some big wigs on a tour. Why they were coming through this part of the country no one seemed to know, but they were traveling along the old Milwaukee Road for some reason. From their discussion I realized that she was due soon. I jumped into the car and headed out to see if I could intercept her before she got to town. I was in luck, I ran into her just south of town.
There is no doubt about it, the sleek look of the engine and cars was a real sight.
I hurried back to town to catch her pulling into the station.
The Zephyr was due to be at the station while the big wigs made some speeches and celebrated something. I didn't listen much. I wanted to grab a chance to get a good look at this engineering marvel of the 1930's.
As she sat there idling, I realize how different she sounded. Powerful yes, but with the throbbing power of a diesel, not like the steady chuffing and "breathing" of a steamer that makes it seem like a living thing.
It seemed like the train had just arrived and before you know it, all the big wigs got loaded up and she was moving out of town again.
I hung around down at the station just soaking up the experience, listening to the Zephyr growling away into the distance. Just about the time that I couldn't hear it anymore I heard a similar growling from behind me. I turned around just in time to catch a second train coming into town.
I'd heard rumors that someone had been restoring a second Zephyr, and here it was now. I found out later from the guys at the coffee shop that the big wigs had been here to announce that the second train was being put into excursion service and would be working up here in Wisconsin. I guess I should have paid more attention. This train had a character all its own.
I grabbed a couple of pictures while she sat at the station. Her stay wasn't long today.
But I bet we will see more of this engineering marvel in the days ahead.
When I got back home tonight I did some thinking about the items in my collection and I remembered that some time ago I had picked up a piece of mail that had been carried on the Zephyr during her inaugural run back in 1934. It took a while but I found it and the clipping that talked about all the mail carried on that run.
Not bad for a day of tinplate railfanning I'd say.
Sturgeon-Phish,
Thanks for the compliments Jim. It's great fun coming up with items to post and doing the research. I think that you should start a Post War thread. You certainly have plenty of equipment and photos to share. I'd be more than happy to contribute, but managing one thread is enough for me for right now. The auto transport car is a tickler alright, lets see some more.
SDC
to the thread and thanks for posting some great pictures of your set. I am sure we will figure out a way to get that one post deleted.
Zephyr - additions
After reading mersenne's post I had to go dig my examples of the Zephyr out of their storage boxes and examine them a bit more closely.
With mersenne's information I am now sure that I have the 3 unit 1934 version of the cast Zephyr.
I have the version with the slot and the switch. I could never figure out what it was supposed to be for. I know there is a whistle version and I thought my whistle had been removed somehow. Now I know what it does.
The vestibules and lighting connections are pretty impressive too. I think this is the same system that is used on the streamlined cars for the Hiawatha and others.
My lithographed version of the Zephyr is one with the 6 window cars, and the power car does not have a trailing truck.
The pin at the top of the power car fits into a hole in the top of the following car. You can see that there is a pin lower on the brace in the body. This is the same as for the Comet and Green Diamond, but the Zephyr does not have anything to hook into on the cars.
The tail car has two sets of trucks.
And there is a bit of a mystery about the tail car. What are the slot and the holes for that have been punched in the body? The slot and holes appear on both sides.
mersenne6 wrote: SCD - you have control over editing and deleting your posts. Next time you drop by just look at the control buttons in the upper right hand corner - one of them is a delete post. I used this earlier in the thread after I discovered I had posted some incorrect information in one of mine.
SCD - you have control over editing and deleting your posts. Next time you drop by just look at the control buttons in the upper right hand corner - one of them is a delete post. I used this earlier in the thread after I discovered I had posted some incorrect information in one of mine.
I tried to use the delete button, but I am getting a message that says "denied permission" to delete the post. Maybe I broke it?
I am continually impressed with the content of this awesome thread. It is a veridible museum of American Flyer Pre-War. I find myself going back and looking at the photos again and again. If we ever go over into Post-War, I think it would of interest also, but for right now, please keep them coming!!!!
For now, just a tickler!
Jim
Let me try that one more time. This is a recent find. The instruction sheets are there and the engine runs. (Admins, feel free to delete my last post. I made an error uploading the photos).
IMG]http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b241/orchidhouse/100_5031.jpg[/IMG]
This was a recent find. It includes the original instruction sheets, and it runs.
90 Passenger Station
It has been much too cold lately to take my evening walk along the tracks. You would think that Spring was never going to arrive and break Winter's hold on the Midwest. With all of the rain recenlty it feels like Wisconsin is going to have its own monsoon season. The weather has finally cleared a bit and I decided to hunt down some of the architecture that mersenne6 mentioned. I knew that I had seen a station somewhere nearby that resembled the #90 passenger station. I was describing it to some of the old guys down at the coffee shop and they assured me that it was in the little town to the north of here called Brokaw. Its a paper mill town and lots of folks from Wausau travel up there to work in the mill. I decided to motor up there this evening and take a look.
While I was coming into town I spotted the station right away. I jumped out of the car with my Brownie and caught the engine for the last commuter run back to Wausau just pulling into the station.
There weren't any folks waiting around tonight, but being a friday night I guess no one was going to hang around. They must have headed home earlier.
That station is a nice sturdy looking building, no frills, but built to last.
The #90 looks like thousands of other passenger stations across the country from the Plywood Prairie to the Broadloom Basin, to the Deckturf Ocean.
I had to stop and take one more picture of the station at Brokaw and the steamer waiting to head back to the roundhouse for the night from the ridge above town.
I'm still hoping that the excursion run with the Zephyr will be coming through soon. The town folks and locals are all excited to see the speed demon, and hoping to take a ride on her.
The West Wind
The American Flyer Zephyr
American Flyer's cast aluminum Zephyr was first cataloged in 1934. Flyer pursued two different approaches to the model - die cast or sand cast and sheet metal. Early in the development effort Flyer discovered die cast technology couldn't produce the kinds of models they wanted so they focused on sand cast aluminum. The sand cast bodies had a mold seam down the middle of the body which had to be ground off and then polished - the result a very bright smooth finish to the roof of the cars and the power unit. Decals were use for identification numbers and car and power car lettering.
According to the Greenberg book the effort involved in the grinding and polishing was expensive and dirty - no one wanted to walk through the final polishing room where polishing rouge was flying in every direction.
The 1934 set came with either 3 or 4 cars.
1934 set
The 1934 power car shape was a reasonably accurate representation of the actual Zephyr. It came with a manual reverse motor with the reverse lever mounted on the underside. Because of the way the train was coupled together with the close fitting hinged vestibules and the top mounted latches it was difficult to reach under the power car to work the reverse lever.
In 1935 Flyer introduced a longer and wider power car. The extra length and width gave clearance to the remote control reverse unit. The front of the new unit doesn't have the smooth streamlined look of the earlier version
1935 power car #9914
The 1935 set had 5 cars
Set 1935
In 1936 Flyer put a whistle in the baggage car. In order to operate the whistle the train had to run on special 4 rail track. The power pickups on the car trucks had problems going over switches. In 1937 Flyer dropped the on train whistle and substituted a whistling billboard.
Whistling Baggage
According to Maury Romer in a TTOS interview in 1983, Jack Olds, the advertising manager of American Flyer took the very first American Flyer aluminum Zephyr to the Burlington offices and set it up in one of their conference rooms. They were impressed and the CB&Q bought enough sets to put in every station on the line where the first Zephyr ran....and before you get your hopes up - they were just standard Flyer production - no special markings or details.
1934 Baggage Car - something different
The first production 1934 baggage cars had a manual light switch with the lever protruding from a milled slot in the side of the car. The switch unit was held in place by a single screw on the top of the car (arrow pointing to screw circled in the picture).
The switch allowed the engineer to turn off the lights in the passenger cars. I suppose if you were running the set using dry cells this would extend their life and hence your running time but most people would have probably preferred to see the train zoom across the broadloom prairie with all lights ablaze. It is obvious that this feature was dropped early in the manufacturing cycle and it is also obvious that many baggage cars had already been milled and drilled for the switch when the decision to eliminate this feature was made. The end result is that one can find baggage cars with a slot milled in the side and a hole drilled in the roof for no apparent reason.
I think the process for machining was drill the hole in the roof first and then mill the slot. The reason I say this is I've seen baggage cars with a slot and a hole in the roof and ones with just a hole in the roof but I've never seen one with just a slot milled in the side. The baggage car below is from the 1935 set and it has one of those leftover screw holes (circled in the picture).
Lithographed Sheet Metal
The sheet metal Zephyrs were offered in the 1935 catalog and in special promotional paper in 1936 and 1937. The train was made of thin sheet metal and it is very vulnerable to denting and crushing. The trains are articulated and the cars are mutually supporting. In the first version of the set the power car has no rear wheels. Rather it has an extension of the roof which pins into the passenger car which has a supporting truck on one end. This repeats for each car until the observation which has two sets of trucks. The passenger cars in this set have six windows.
The second set, probably manufactured after the introduction of the Comet in 1936, has 4 window passenger cars in the same pattern as the Comet cars. The power car now has drive wheels and a rear truck and the order of the pins and mutual support are in the reverse order of the first set with the observation now having only a single truck. The nose of the power car in this later set is silver painted stamped sheet metal.
Second sheet metal set ca. 1936
214 - variation
Back on page 8 of this thread I posted some information and pictures of the 92 and 214 Watchman's Tower. I recently came across another version of the 214. The main variation is that it has a green pole and a green roof. The light inside is positioned a bit differently than other towers that I have, but it is almost identical to the tower used on the 236 Crossing set except for the roof color. The style of bell and striker are identical to the 236 set as well, which puts this version at 1933-1935.
The light sits in a corner, and the windows are roughly cut out. It all appears to be factory original.
American Flyer Clockwork I
Hummer
Hummer....once upon a time meant small and inexpensive.
The first Hummer trains were introduced by American Flyer in 1916 and were listed in the catalogs through 1926. The sets were not identified as American Flyer (even though you can see the engine in the cover art above says "American Flyer"). The first engines were sheet metal with clockwork motors and the tenders were simple 4 wheel affairs with a dark green wrapper and either "No. 50" or "No 513" lithoed on the side in yellow inside a yellow rectangle.
The sheet metal engines came in an earlier style from 1916-1918 and then were changed to a slightly larger engine with a few embellishments such as hand rails and gold highlights. The second version was offered through 1926. The second also came with two types of motors. The first had close wheel spacing and the second had the wheels further apart. Engines with close wheel spacing run well on straight track but have a real problem going around curves.
Second version of Hummer engine - narrow wheel spacing
The first cars (1916-1918) said simply "The Hummer" on the letterboard.
Around 1920 this changed to one of three railroad names "Continental Ltd" with "Canadian National Railways" in a rectangle under the windows or "New York Central Express" or "Pennsylvania Lines" on the letterboard above the windows.
Empire Express
In 1924 Flyer changed the name of the Hummer line to Empire Express. The first offering under this name was a No. 9 cast iron engine pulling a 999 Type 1 tender and a larger type 515 passenger car with "New York Express" on the letter board. As with the Hummer cars these cars were simple one piece stamped and lithoed steel with hook and loop couplers that were part of the stamped sheet that made up the car body.
In 1926/27 Flyer catalogs offered New York Express sets but the engine (still identified as No. 9) was new with a straight boiler and a plain black No. 509 tender. The cars were the same shape and size as the earlier Hummer cars but the now bore "Empire Express" on the letterboards. The Express line became part of the Flyer clockwork line but disappeared from the consumer catalogs and were listed only in advanced catalogs and catalogs sent to wholesalers. They were listed in these documents through 1933.
In 1928 Flyer the Express lineup included a clockwork electric outline locomotive which came with cars lithoed with either 517 or 515. The 517 cars are the shorter Empire Express cars whereas the 515's are the larger New York Express style.
Clockwork Electric Outline
The picture below illustrates the similarities and differences of the three car types.
The 1928 consumer catalog offered sets similar to the Express sets but the cars were the longer 515 style and carried "American Flyer Lines" on the letterboard. The engines in these sets were of more substantial construction (it should be noted that in its literature Flyer would not guarantee the quality of the clockwork motors for the Hummer and Express engines). The 1928 set was cataloged as "the Bearcat" and the 1930 set was cataloged as "The Niagara".
Niagara Set - 1930
The Niagara and came with a No.34 engine, the American Flyer #119 tender and two of the #515 cars with the new logo on the letterboard. The #515 came in a variety of litho treatments. Two of them are illustrated in the pictures above and below.
One aspect of these inexpensive cataloged American Flyer sets that is of interest to collectors are the #509 tenders lithographed with the names of real railroads. The railroads were: C&NW, Rock Island, UP, IC, SP, B&O, GN, NYC, Nationwide Lines, and PRR.
Set with Union Pacific #509 Tender
One of the last Empire Express sets to be offered was the set below headed by a red, cast iron engine. Earlier in this thread I made reference to electrified cast iron, well this engine could be called electrified clockwork. The engine has a small light bulb and a wire which connects to the tender. The underside of the tender has a space for a small battery...so it is possible to have a battery powered wind up train.
Set from 1933 - I have no explanation for the two wheel sizes on the tender.
Underside of tender showing battery housing
Wide Gauge Stock Cars
Flyer did not do any better with their Wide Gauge line then they did in the Narrow Gauge line when it came to honoring the industry in their back yard. There are only two styles of Stock Car offered in Wide Gauge.
4005
In 1926 American Flyer first offered freight cars in their Wide Gauge line. There were four styles of car offered, but none of them were manufactured by Flyer. The 1926 catalog shows a 4005 stock car using a Lionel 13 body. The car had black American Flyer flex trucks, without journal boxes.
These are pictures from the 1926 catalog
4020
In 1927 Flyer introduced freight cars of their own design. The 4020 Stock Car was introduced in 1928 and continued in the line until the end in 1936.
The Stock Car did not change significantly during its run. The main variations consist of whether the sliding doors match the color of the body of the car or the roof. Variations also include the types of plates used on the body of the car.
Stock Cars
#1119, #535
Carl Sandburg said it best -
Chicago
"Hog Butcher for the World, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler;"
Huge stockyards were an everyday fact of life in the Chicago that was home to American Flyer. The stockyards figured in poetry, novels (The Jungle - Sinclair), and even in U.S. paper money where one can find the names of Chicago banks with the word "stock yard" in their title and on their bills. (There is a series of U.S. currency known as National Bank Notes - basically, if you met Uncle Sam's criteria he would provide you with U.S. money with an ad for your bank on the bill front). Those stock yards meant any train watcher of the period would have seen a lot of stock cars.
With all of this practically on their front doorstep one would think American Flyer would have had a really impressive stock car offering. Sadly, for whatever reason, it wasn't to be. The best American Flyer could do was a drab, nondescript, 4-wheel stock car.
#1119 was introduced into their lineup around 1921 but it was not part of any of the cataloged train sets. The first cars were yellow, tan, or green and came with or without doors. The doors can be found either painted or lithographed. Later colors were dark blue green, dark red, dark, brown, and maroon. The roofs can be either smooth or ribbed. Most of the cars are not marked. The car was produced until 1932.
#1119
Flyer's second stock car, #535, is a small, Hummer style, all litho affair whose lithography is such that many people don't even realize they are looking at a representative of a stock car the first time they see one. It came with or without a door. The door colors I've seen have been either green or cream. It was made from 1933 To 1935.
#535
Even more depressing, for those of us who like American Flyer pre-war, is that every single competitor of Flyers offered really impressive stock cars.
Bing - Upper left - made the same generic litho in both 4 and 8 wheel - dark but very realistic.
Ives - Upper right - made the 6 ½" car in several litho treatments and turned out a spectacular 9½" version with the same variety of litho treatment.
Lionel - lower left - no litho but a 6 ½" car in several different enamel color combinations as well as a 8 7/8" car with equally interesting paint variations.
Marx - lower right - litho - logo - UP label - 4 or 8 wheel. - what else can you say.
And there were others
Fandor
Hafner
Hornby
....and on and on.
The irony is that none of these manufacturers had anything approaching the Chicago stockyards to fire the imagination and motivate the people designing their product lines.
Oh well, I guess I'll just take some solace in the fact that at least Flyer offered their cattle car in more color variations than any of their competitors.
Northwoods Flyer wrote: Thanks Sturgeon-Phish, It may not come as a surpise that it is my favorite thread too. Its nice to see that you are still checking in on us. Have you been lured into venturing into Flyer O Gauge yet?
Thanks Sturgeon-Phish, It may not come as a surpise that it is my favorite thread too. Its nice to see that you are still checking in on us. Have you been lured into venturing into Flyer O Gauge yet?
Lured mentally but not made the financial commitment yet. What is your ebay user name so I don't compete with you?
This is one of my favorite threads too even though I have nothing AF except a water tower I mentioned a couple of thousand posts back.
What I have come to enjoy in this thread is your approaches to the condition of the pieces you have acquired. Cosmetic restoration seems confined strictly to preservation, and only when critical.
Drool. Slobber. Pant. Nice stuff.
Type XX Steam Engine - new addition
The mailman brought another package the other day bearing an ebay purchase. I aquired another example of a Type XX engine to add to the collection. I have edited some photos into the original posting about Type XX engines on page 5, and added a few more here.
This is the 401, part of the 403 engine/tender combination offered in 1939. It has a 2-4-4 wheel arrangement.
It came with a Type IV tender. My example came with a Type IV tender - which should be a #402 to go with Flyer's numbering of equipment in combination.
The tender has a sheet metal "curly Q" coupler which I think is correct for this model and year.
I think she looks pretty nice making her maiden run on the Blueboard Central Division.
mersenne6,
The evenings here have been absolutely beautiful the last few days, so I decided to take your suggestion and go for another walk along the tracks. I had heard down at the coffee shop that the Oriental Limited was going to be doing some commuter duty around town tonight, so I decided to hustle down to the station after supper and see if I could get around to a few of the stations you have been mentioning with my Brownie.
I live close to the Central Station so I decided to see if I could catch the Oriental Limited there. Sure enough, I got there just as she was pulling in.
She pulled into the station and I knew I had a few minutes to take a few more pictures.
Here is a picture of that big impressive sign out front.
I managed to snap this one just before she was ready to pull out.
There are a couple of residential areas along the line, manily homes of the employees of Wausau Widgets. We made a stop at one whistle stop, just long enough for me to jump out and click the old shutter.
We traveled down the line a ways and before you know it we were pulling into the other whistle stop. Not many frills at either of these stops, but good places to get in out of the rain or snow on bad days.
I got back into the coach "Paul Revere" and settled back to enjoy the ride and the scenery and before you know it, we were headed into Terminal Station. It sits almost at the edge of town, you can see the corn fields from the platform and when the wind is right you can smell the dairy herds. I guess the city fathers really expect town to grow out this direction.
You have to admit its a beautiful station, with tasteful architecture and colors.
And another impressive sign out front.
Well I guess its time to head back into the coach and settle down for the trip back home. A nice cup of tea, the paper, and off to bed when I get back.
I know there are a few more stations with some interesting architecture around town and down the line. One of these evenings I will have to take a tour of them. I've heard that the Zephyer is going to be passing through one of these days on an excursion run. I have to see if I can get some tickets for that ride.
Down by the American Flyer Station IV
Whistle Stops
M90 and 90....and a stranger
The first of the American Flyer #90 stations - M90 was, like the freight station, an import from Germany. The station has the subdued look of the stone edifices of the real stations of the day. The roof was multicolored enamel and the base was a light green/grey. The station below is from a Flyer set and it is an excellent match with the catalog cut.
Station M90
Catalog illustration
About the same time Flyer started making its own freight stations it also began making its first whistle stops. The brick is a bright red litho and the base and the roof are usually found in black enamel paint. Other colors have been observed - dark gray for the base and a dark brown for the roof. This version was manufactured from 1916-1924.
#90 ca. 1916
Starting in 1925 the litho treatment for the sides became very bright and colorful. The roof was a flat piece of sheet metal painted a bright green.
#90 ca. 1926
In 1928 #90 became #90 Hyde Park and the roof changed from flat sheet metal to embossed and the color from green to red. In this form it was cataloged until 1933
#90 Hyde Park ca. 1928
.....and then there is this other station.....
The station below has been exhibited and sold as being an American Flyer #90 - it isn't - it is the Glen Ellyn and it is the product of Hafner. The semaphore is mounted on a removable steel rod and, as a result, is often missing.
Hafner Station - Glen Ellyn
Since Northwoods Flyer has already covered the suburban stations, the watchmen's shanties, the #237 station complex, the #235 Water Tower complex, and the #236 Watchman Shanty, crossing gate accessory, I think this concludes our walking tour of American Flyer railroad architecture.
Down by the American Flyer Station III
#97, #98, #99
American Flyer introduced the #97 and #98 passenger stations in 1923. These two models, along with the no. 99 introduced two years later, were the same building but with different features.
#97 consisted of a chimney of lithographed brick mounted on a flat olive green enameled roof. The rest of the station featured sides lithographed in smooth yellow (perhaps to represent stucco) and brick and stone framing of the corners, windows, and doors. The lithographed door was cut and bent back. On the ends appeared the lettering, "FLYER TOWN STATION NO. 97." The station had no lights.
#97 Passenger Station
#98 was identical except that it had punched-out windows with acetate inserts and a single interior light. I've often wondered about the nature of this "interior light". Every non-illuminated station from this period that I've seen as well as what I assumed to be a #98 do not have an actual interior light fixture. Instead they have a base that has been die punched with a small circle with two "ears". The size and shape of the circle is the footprint of a small porcelain light base and the ears would provide clearance for the wires.
Base with cutout for internal lamp socket
The deluxe station, #99 (first cataloged in 1925) had all of the features of the #98 except that its roof was a bright red and it had two exterior lights in addition to the interior one. All three passenger stations appeared in the catalog in 1926 and then were dropped.
#99 ca. 1926
#105
In 1927 Flyer introduced #105, which was an amalgam of the three earlier stations. This new passenger station, still lettered "FLYER TOWN STATION NO. 97," had two exterior lights, the red roof and lithoed windows.
#105 ca. 1927
In 1928, American Flyer upgraded the 105, which it assigned a new number (107) and a name ("Terminal Station"). Improved features included modified stampings and colors for the chimney, roof, and base. The chimney was now green enameled sheet metal. The embossed roof was a bright orange and included a dormer made of dark green enameled sheet metal. The front of the dormer had a brass plate riveted to it that bore the inscription "American Flyer Terminal Station".
The base of the #107 became an embossed piece of sheet metal finished in bright red and later bright maroon enamel. The embossing resembled slabs of concrete.
Since Flyer made sure they used up old inventory one variation of the #107 station for 1928 has the plain gray base of the #105.
#107 ca. 1928
The illustrated station for 1928 also has an example of the vagaries of the Flyer assembly line. The brass plate on the dormer should read "Terminal Station" but, as you can see this example has the brass plate for the #102 "Central Station".
In 1929 the #107 was given cut out and frosted windows and a permanent interior lamp to go along with the two exterior lamps. This extra detail probably explained why the price of this passenger station increased 25 cents from the previous year. As the Terminal Station with three lamps, the 107 was cataloged until 1932.
#107 ca. 1929
#100, #101
#100 was catalogued in 1922-1923. It had the same general brick litho treatment as the #101 but the telegraphers bay was a separate piece of litho and the sides were higher with a black and orange half-timbered section between the brick facade and the roof. The gabled roof was a single piece of stamped sheet metal.
#101 appeared in 1925 and was cataloged through 1927. The height of the station was reduced with the elimination of the half timbered section and the roof changed from gable to hip and the separate telegraphers bay was now just part of the litho treatment of the flat station wall.
#101
#102 Central Station
102 Central Station was made from 1928-1938. It came with either an orange or a red base, operating brass doors, two external and one internal light and a lighted dormer.
#110 Union Station - 1928
This station was huge - 17 ¾ x 29" wide base with a 17 ½" high clock tower. It wasn't, however, tin litho. It was wood and composition board construction and painted in red with white trim and green roofs. It had 4 interior lights and one light in the clock tower. Reproductions of this station have been made.
Catalog illustrations of #110 Union Station
After supper tonight I decided to take a walk down by the freight station after reading your most recent post. I took my trusty Kodak Brownie with me in case I ran into something interesting to take some pictures of. I'm glad I did, because I recognized that here on the Blueboard Division of American Flyer Lines we have a #97 station that must have been designed by the same architect as the one who designed your stations. As I walked along the track from my house, I couldn't help but notice the string of box cars waiting to be unloaded.
It looks as if they have the old crane ready to start unloading.
I've paid closer attention to the cars that rumble through town since I started reading this thread. I was surprised to see that no two of those box cars were the same.
I must say though, its nice to see those cars bringing components into town to keep things going at Wausau Widgets. We don't seem to be noticing any down turn in the economy here.
I decided to finish up my evening walk and go back and investigate those box cars later. I'll have to report back to you on the differences between them.
Down By the American Flyer Station II
Well, the limited was looking mighty fine and what about that double headed red electric consist that zoomed past on the main just a few minutes later? I thought we'd take a walk over to the freight shed but as long as we're out here we might as well take a look at the passenger platform first
Flyer made two station platforms. The first was #91. It is 15 ½" long with an enameled base and supports and a lithographed roof. The roof supports are fragile and easily bent. This platform was made ca. 1922-25.
#91 Passenger Platform
View of the top of the #91 Station
The second passenger platform, #586, was introduced in 1939 and was carried over into the postwar period.
#586 Passenger Platform
Freight Stations
M93 and 93
American Flyer's first freight station was, like many of its early accessories, imported from Europe. M93 is illustrated in the catalog cut below.
The freight station below came with an American Flyer set but it differs from the catalog cut in several features. To be on the safe side we'll just call this station a typical European export from the period.
Unmarked European Export freight station
In 1917 American Flyer introduced #93, its own litho freight station and in 1931 it was replaced with the #91 Fast Freight station.
#93 Freight Station
#91 Freight Station
Freight Stations #95 and #97
1926-1934
In 1926 Flyer introduced their large freight station. It used the same red enameled roof that was being used for some of the stations in the 97,98,99 series (more on these later). The freight station was cataloged as the #95. Except for the roof and the gray enamel base everything else, was litho. The doors opened and the ramp up to the raised platform was wide enough to put figures or loads of freight for the next train. The front and the back were identical so the station had two doors and two platforms.
#95 ca. 1926
In 1928, the freight station, like all of the other stations, got a facelift. The enameled roof was replaced with a litho tile roof with a litho dormer indicating that this was now the American Flyer Inbound Freight Station. The first year the station was listed as having an interior light. This became an exterior light in 1929. The catalog listed the new and improved #95 as #97 - so there are actually two Flyer stations with this identification number - a freight and a passenger. While the number changed the litho number on the building side did not- through the entire run #95 appeared on the station ends. The freight station was dropped from the catalog in 1935.
#97 Freight Station
#97/98 Long Base Freight Station
1936-1939
In 1936 Flyer re-introduced the #97 but now it was part of a much larger accessory. The new #97 station was mounted on a long metal base which it shared with the #3025 O gauge wrecker car body mounted on a turntable base. The early turntable bases were reworked bases of the #90 Hyde Park Station complete with tab slots for the Hyde Park walls. The earliest version came with a tan base. This was replaced with a red base. Chimney colors can be found in yellow, green, and orange. The crane can be found mounted to either the right or the left of the freight station. (For a list of all of the variations of which I'm aware see page 3 of this thread). The freight station, which had had a front and a back door (both operating) as well as a front and rear ramp now only featured a front ramp and door. The rear station litho treatment was left unchanged. The result is a very odd looking back with a brownish black blank where the door entrance would have been die cut and lithoed freight that now gives the appearance of floating in the air.
#97 tan long base, left hand crane, ca. 1936
#97 red long base, right hand crane
A.C. Gilbert's purchase of American Flyer resulted in changes in everything in the Flyer line. Just as with the transition from cast iron to die cast and sheet metal old inventory was used up first. In the case of the #97 it would appear that the wrecker bodies were used up before any other part of the station. It was replaced with the #514 crane cab but, as far as I've been able to determine, it was still being shipped in boxes marked #97.
#97 with the A.C. Gilbert crane
In 1940 Gilbert cataloged the last remnants of the Chicago Flyer station line. #98 Freight Station with Crane was shown with the #514 crane body and a mint green crackle enamel roof.
#98 Freight Station with Crane
Wide Gauge - Electric Outline Locomotives III
St. Paul type
The third type of electric-style locomotive was first offered in 1928 and called the St. Paul type. It appeared in the catalog for a number of years in several variations. It headed up some of the most popular sets. It came in the following numbers: 4633, 4635, 4637, 4683 and 4685. This style of locomotive appeared in catalogs until 1934.
4635
Available in 1929 and 1930
4685
Available in 1929 and 1930, it has a remote control motor.
Other than the remote control option present in the 4685 there is very little difference between these two engines.
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