American Flyer All Aboard Panels

My panels are stored so I cannot take a look; there are some websites on Al Aboard panels; start here: http://www.americanflyerdisplays.org/index.htm

Regards

Fred

Hobby Surplus sales used to have all the scenery stuff that went on those panels. Not certain what they have left.
The company has more than one web site.

Maybe these attached scans of pages from the All Aboard Brochure will help.

Bill

WftTrains posted:

Maybe these attached scans of pages from the All Aboard Brochure will help.

Bill

Bill,

That is exactly what I was looking for, thank you for providing these pages.

Aflyer

sncf231e posted:

My panels are stored so I cannot take a look; there are some websites on Al Aboard panels; start here: http://www.americanflyerdisplays.org/index.htm

Regards

Fred

Fred,

Thank you for the links, your YouTube channel has lots of great video's, this could take days to review, LOL.

Aflyer

C W Burfle posted:

Hobby Surplus sales used to have all the scenery stuff that went on those panels. Not certain what they have left.
The company has more than one web site.

Thanks C.W. that is who I ordered my catalog from.

Aflyer

Check out this story about Hobby Surplus Sales and the Gilbert American Flyer liquidation. All Aboard panels are mentioned.

Aflyer posted:

WftTrains posted:

Maybe these attached scans of pages from the All Aboard Brochure will help.

Bill

Bill,

That is exactly what I was looking for, thank you for providing these pages.

Aflyer

You’re welcome. I have scans of the other 10 pages of that 12-page booklet and if you or anyone else is interested let me know and I will post them.  Each page is a separate pdf file. 

In addition to the assembly and operating instructions, the other pages show the configurations for each of the different All Aboard sets, give maintenance instructions and show alternate layouts that can be made.  There are even two pages of templates which can be cut out and used to plan a layout.  Without easy access to copiers back in those days, chances are many young hobbyists cut them out which means that those pages are likely missing from most remaining copies of this booklet.

Bill

C W Burfle posted:

Check out this story about Hobby Surplus Sales and the Gilbert American Flyer liquidation. All Aboard panels are mentioned.

C.W.,

I grew up in CT, and have been to Amato's both in Middletown, and New Britain.  I am still playing with A/F trains, lets see I got my first one in 1952, a long long time ago.

That is an amazing story, and I have read it before.  Hopefully other readers will be seeing this for the first time, thank you so much for posting.

George

WftTrains posted:

Aflyer posted:

WftTrains posted:

Maybe these attached scans of pages from the All Aboard Brochure will help.

Bill

Bill,

That is exactly what I was looking for, thank you for providing these pages.

Aflyer

You’re welcome. I have scans of the other 10 pages of that 12-page booklet and if you or anyone else is interested let me know and I will post them.  Each page is a separate pdf file. 

In addition to the assembly and operating instructions, the other pages show the configurations for each of the different All Aboard sets, give maintenance instructions and show alternate layouts that can be made.  There are even two pages of templates which can be cut out and used to plan a layout.  Without easy access to copiers back in those days, chances are many young hobbyists cut them out which means that those pages are likely missing from most remaining copies of this booklet.

Bill

Bill,

I have ordered the catalog, in fact from Amato's, the hobby shop in the story above posted by C.W.

If you don't mind posting the other I would love to look at them, you know how it is standing by the mailbox waiting for deliveries, LOL.

George

How well do those "All Aboard" panels hold up over time? Do they get warped, are they practical to rehabilitate and run trains on? I understand they used a cheaper type of track (Pikemaster?) with 15" radius curves instead of the usual 20" radius for AF.

I found this pic online, labelled as a #20813 Westerner 1200 set (with extra panels?) and a 1953-only #790 "trainorama" backdrop behind it.

http://thegilbertgallery.org/A...lery/Trainorama.html

http://www.americanflyerdispla...-layout_in_a_box.htm

Ace,

I have been playing with American Flyer trains for many years, but this is my first experience with the All Aboard panels.

A couple of the ones I have are slightly warped, I will try to straighten one today with a heat gun.

The Westerner in the pic you included is the largest packaged kit that Gilbert made, and that picture looks like the panels may be permanently mounted.

What you said about the Pike Master track is what I have heard as well, but what I have on these panels is secure and not broken anywhere.

Time will tell, but it is an interesting Journey.

Aflyer

My Westerner 1200 set as set-up a few years ago...

FLYERRICH,

Thats a great photo, thanks for posting.

Aflyer

Aflyer posted:

WftTrains posted:

Aflyer posted:

WftTrains posted:

Maybe these attached scans of pages from the All Aboard Brochure will help.

Bill

Bill,

That is exactly what I was looking for, thank you for providing these pages.

Aflyer

You’re welcome. I have scans of the other 10 pages of that 12-page booklet and if you or anyone else is interested let me know and I will post them.  Each page is a separate pdf file. 

In addition to the assembly and operating instructions, the other pages show the configurations for each of the different All Aboard sets, give maintenance instructions and show alternate layouts that can be made.  There are even two pages of templates which can be cut out and used to plan a layout.  Without easy access to copiers back in those days, chances are many young hobbyists cut them out which means that those pages are likely missing from most remaining copies of this booklet.

Bill

Bill,

I have ordered the catalog, in fact from Amato's, the hobby shop in the story above posted by C.W.

If you don't mind posting the other I would love to look at them, you know how it is standing by the mailbox waiting for deliveries, LOL.

George

 

George: I found my original 12-page “All Aboard” Instruction  booklet and went ahead and rescanned it for you into a single pdf file which is attached. Those original individual page jpg files were done on an older scanner in 2010 that didn’t have the ability to save multi-page documents into a single pdf file.

You said you ordered a “catalog” from Hobby Surplus Sales/Amato's so this may not be the same document that you ordered.

I also bought from HSS years ago. I bought some small All Aboard accessory pieces which I needed to replace some of the small pieces like crossing signals and fences that had been broken. 

I had the Westerner 1200 set like Flyerrich.

HTH,

Bill

Bill,

Thank you for posting, that is a great quality scan, I should cancel my order and just print this one out.  HA HA. And yes that is exactly the catalog I ordered.

What I have is most of a 600 set, it has some broken telephone poles and Street lights as well as some missing tree parts etc.

I have had to order the track connector pins, and still need to order the panel connector wires.

This is not my main layout, but I have always been interested in these panels and wanted to see and play with them.

Thank you again for providing the catalog,

George

Bill, thanks for posting the instruction booklet. I was interested to see that. But why would it say to run the trains clockwise ?

Ace posted:

Bill, thanks for posting the instruction booklet. I was interested to see that. But why would it say to run the trains clockwise ?

Ace:

You’re welcome and that’s a good question. I had the Westerner 1200 set which had a dead-end siding so I always ran it clockwise in order to drop off cars in the siding. But in rereading the instructions I see that they say that for the other sets as well that don’t have the dead-end siding. Can anyone else answer?

Bill

The Montgomery Ward store that was in Lexington, KY had the larger panel set up for Christmas circa 1965. 

I wish Lionel would remake these panels using the 22 or 27 inch radius fastrack!

Imagine an instant layout in a box.

Thanks, Phil 

My brother and I had a few sets of  All Aboard panels over the years. I wonder how well they sold in the 1960's and how well they would sell today.
From what I remember reading, it was the James Bond stuff that sunk Gilbert. The James Bond attaché case was late to ship. They sold the James Bond road racing set on approval and got a lot of returns. I think there may have also been a lot of defective merchandise. 
I remember wanting the case, but the store where my family shopped for toys didn't have any, just an empty spot reserved for it. Don't remember what I got instead.