Hello tinplate fans...here I am posting another crossing signal, although this one is potentially a lot older than the Lionel one I posted on 7/24...this one has all the "bells and whistles" (somewhat literally). It is an American Flyer #2116 with a light and a ringing bell all connected to track power. This is complete including the bulb for the red light, but I don't know if I have the courage to put power to it...(LOL)!
OK here is my "mystery"...all my references for prewar AF do not cover accessories. The internet yielded lots of pictures of the #2116 variations but they were all in selling articles and no one listed any history of the item beyond stating it was pre-war. I know there are those on this thread that are far more familiar with pre-war flyer than I...does anyone know the years that this signal was available?? If so I would really appreciate you sending me a response via this thread. Thank you.
Here she is...sign, light, bell, and fancy "hat" still all intact. The square little black / gold sign on the base is a metallic add on piece that says simply..."American Flyer Lines" in gold letters on a black background. The construction is rather neat and is designed to allow "variations" The bell and the light for example are held onto the main support via a nut and bolt clamping arrangement that can easily be added or removed from the main support. The power wire is inside the hollow support and just runs to two simple pressure activated contactors on the side of the bell mechanism housing. From my internet research, I could see that AF offered this item with and without these add on's.
well anyway, that's my mystery for today
Regards, Don
