American Flyer Information

I don't think there is a lot of information on Prewar Flyer out there. I was down at the TCA Museum's Library about a week ago researching my Green Diamond, and even they only had a couple books written covering the subject (not to mention scattered articles in American Flyer magazines, and the catalogs they had).

Andy,

I would suggest the American Flyer Catalog Archives by HSL. The are a featured advertiser and the are closing out all their Lionel/American Flyer Archives on CD. Check out the post above "Closeout of HSL Lionel Digital Archive Products -- 40-50% Off Until September 30th!"

I received this CD a couple weeks ago and it has already paid off for me searching for info.

ARNO

Andy: Here’s a link to a site which has scans of every page of every American Flyer catalog issued after Gilbert took over.  So there are a few years of pre-war catalogs available: MyFlyerTrains.Org - A.C. Gilbert Catalogs Index

Bill

David Doyle's book, "The Standard Catalog of American Flyer Trains" has info and pictures on all AF gauges. Although out of print, it can still be had for $40 on the bay.

Truth be told, there is no truly satisfactory free-bee resource on the Internet for prewar AF.

The HSL disks and Doyle's book are both worthy suggestions. The HSL disks (American Flyer "Chicago Era" Digital Archive 1907 to 1937 and the A. C. Gilbert Digital Archive 1937-45) cover all of the catalogs from 1907 to 1942 plus other goodies beyond what one will find on the Internet. Doyle's book is worth having for the pictures, however, please beware that the Doyle AF book has a fair number of errors, omissions, etc. And, its major emphasis is on postwar S gauge.

It won't be cheap because it is out of print, but the best single book to own for prewar AF O gauge is the REVISED edition of Alan Schuweiler's Greenberg Guide to American Flyer Prewar O gauge (1997). This is the superior resource to own if one is going to get serious about prewar O gauge Flyer.

You will find that picking up old copies of "The Collector" is rewarding. "The Collector" was the publication of the American Flyer Collectors Club published and edited by Frank C. Hare back in the day. The Toy Train Museum has a complete set (~84 issues), I believe.

Hope this is of some help.

Bob

  Northwoods Flyer has a very long thread (88 pages) over on the other forum - the thread title is Pre-War American Flyer Pictures - An Invitation.  There is a great deal of information and a lot of pictures.

Thanks guys. I found Northwoods Flyer's thread over yonder. VERY informative!

Here's the "gems" that got me looking for Flyer info, a pair of 1306 passenger cars I picked up at a train show Sunday. Paid less than the price of a guide book!  LOL

Have to say the gentleman I bought them from was very generous. Gave me a deal on the cars and threw in some prewar Lionel "projects" for free. It was about time for the show to end and he didn't want to drag stuff home!  LOL

Andy,

Pre-war (Coleman era) Flyer O Gauge is a particularly rewarding niche.  It's remarkably neglected - most Flyer nuts are postwar S - and so prices can be surprisingly favorable.  I also find the designs to be refreshingly idiosynchratic - that is to say, totally cool.  

As an offshoot to my prewar standard gauge layout, I got side tracked onto Flyer prewar accessories, which is an ongoing delightful adventure.  The early cast iron street lamps and signals, the later signals and crossing gates, the wide (and initially confusing) array of stations, and the Flyer concept of accessory "sets" (various combinations of stations and signals mounted together on one base)... very nifty stuff.  

And of course the trains themselves are marvelous, with great lithography (flying locomotives and lightning bolts, you gotta love it!)...  There are some great freight that are every bit as collectible - and as much a challenge - as Ives herald cars.  Morris box cars anyone?  

Steeple Cabs, Hummers, The Royal Blue, the Bluebird, Oriental Limited... it's a whole unique universe.. 

There are some great Flyer books out there.  I agree with Bob that the Greenberg 1997 reference is essential if you're going to try to make some sense out of it all.

Enjoy!!

Andy, nice find on the AF passenger cars.  I have a lone #1306 for one of my AF #13 clockworks to pull around.  It is a nice complement to the 4 wheel #1120 that my other #13 hauls.  Like you, I found the #1306 at a local train show at a price that was too good to pass up.  Gotta love lithographed tinplate behind a cast iron body clockwork locomotive!

Andy, a word of Warning!  Prewar AF tin can be a slippery slope!  Next you'll be looking for a 1206 Observation or a 1205 Baggage car, and then there is the whole litho freight car world!

Welcome to AF prewar !!!

Dave 

There are a lot of pictures here.

http://www.binnsroad.co.uk/railways/amfly/index.html

i have links to 20 or more American Flyer websites but most of them are focused on post-war, modern or Lyonel S-gauge trains. I'd be happy to email them to you if interested (am I allowed to post them all in a thread?. 

The HSL website seems to be down for the last few days...anybody else having problems accessing?

www.hslinc.com

Hi PD,

It has been working as far as I am aware as I regularly check it throughout the day and orders are coming through.  Please contact me directly at 800-779-2802 if you still have problems.

Thank you.

John Holtmann

HSL

800-779-2802

Collecting American Flyer Prewar is like hitting a moving target. Even the catalogs I have vrs the products released that same year do not match.

Some items where not even produced.

I have some early prewar freight cars and a tender and I still cannot identify the right engine for it... and that was 35 years ago!

I strongly agree with the suggestion for the American Flyer Catalog Archives by HSL. there are two, The American Flyer Chicago Era 197 to 1937 and the A.C. Gilbert 1938 to 1945. These are absolute must haves if you are interested in American Flyer prewar trains. They are a beautiful treasure of every catalog printed, perfectly laid out page by page. HSL is closing out their entire line of digital archive catalogs and there is not much time remaining to get these. The Lionel offerings from HSL are fantastic as well, and John Holtmann is a delight to deal with. I have spent many enjoyable hours viewing these wonderful archives and I know I will be enjoying them for years to come.  

Enjoy

Frank       

How about putting some pictures on the forum? Lots of tinplate guys and gals here.

Thanks guys.

I checked out that Binns Road site. Very interesting.

It's funny, when you mention O Gauge to regular, non-train folks, Lionel is all that is known. When I first started into O gauge all I knew about was Lionel and Marx. And I'd vaguely heard of Ives prewar stuff. AF was just S and therefore a non-player in the O gauge world! lol

Learning about old toy trains is nearly as much fun as getting them and running them! Finding stuff nearly twice as old as me that still runs is totally cool.

I'll be on the lookout for the baggage and observation cars to add to this train as well as an AF engine to pull it.