American Flyer set

I've seen them got for $125-150.00

Do the drive wheels show evidence of zinc pest?

Well you have an interesting set.  It is Pre-War and stems from the time when AC Gilbert took control of the American Flyer Manufacturing Company of Chicago.  American Flyer under its founders William O Coleman and John Hafner had been making and selling toy trains under the name American Flyer since about 1907.  AC bought the company in 1938 and decided to move manufacturing from Chicago to New Haven.  He also decided to change the scale of the trains from 1/4" to the foot (O scale) to 3/16" (S scale).  However he decided not to change (yet) the gauge so kept the trains at O-gauge so that they could run on the existing O-gauge track which American Flyer had used for years.  Thus these trains are somewhat of a transition, they are S-scale but O-gauge.  Your set was made in the years just ahead of the war, 1940-1941.  After WWII Flyer brought out the 2-rail S gauge track that we more commonly associate with American Flyer. 

Using Greenberg's Guide to Pre-War American Flyer O Gauge , edited by Steven Kimball, 1987 I found the following values.

561 Pennsylvania engine and 558 Tender $100

478 Box $10

480 Tank $13

478 Gondola $10

484 Caboose $8

So total value iaw this reference is about $140-150.  However who knows what has happened to the prices in the last 30 years.  I have no more recent reference although I am sure that they are available.  I do know that I bought a set of ONLY the cars in the 1990s for about $40 but clearly the engine is the most valuable piece.  They are not all that common but don't seem all that popular either as they are somewhat small to run with O-scale trains and of course don't run on the S-gauge track from the postwar years.  By the way Flyer also made a Auto Unloading Flat car, an Automatic Dump car, a Wrecker Crane, a Log car, a Girder car , a Hopper car and a Searchlight car all in the same "sheet metal" series.  All have about the same low-ish valuations except the Auto Unloading Flatcar which if found with its original Tootsitoy Armored car (required for the car to operate) has a valuation of $125.

Best of luck if you choose to sell them. 

Don

Tinplate Art posted:

Do the drive wheels show evidence of zinc pest?

I'll follow that up simply with does it run, Not just the wheels, but the chassis can be rotted too, or just one wheel etc.  Any one or a combo of those can bind up the mechanism and turn it into a parts loco or at least require some work.  If it is solid and runs, they yes I agree with the comments above.  Nice set. I don't see that exact consist in the catalogs.  I see one that is close from 1941, if your missing a 472 and if the tender is a 558C with chugger....

Here is a pic of my 559 K5 with the tin passenger cars, set 4119 above and the 531 Hudson with diecast cars in set 4131. I don't think prices have gone up much except for very nice examples.  A nice mostly boxed 556 Rpyal Blue  passenger set just finished for $206 yesterday on ebay  and it was one of the nicer ones I have seen lately.  I was bidding on it but got tied up and missed the end although the winner had several bids above so he likely raised the stakes considerably.  Passenger sets go for more than freight sets and the ones with diecast cars are higher yet.  The 474 coal dump is common, the 481 crane less so, in my opinion the 483 girder car is harder to find in tact and the 472 unloader car itself is common, but the correct Tootsie toy armored car is the tough part to find.  Also in my opinion I have seen far more 561's than any of the other engine's even the Royal Blues, but I still agree a very nice clean one could get to $100  or so depending on the situation.

If you want to trade it for some Lionel Prewar, send me an email Holler_dennis@catdotcom.