Usually, when planning which scale to run under the tree, I'll think for a while on what I haven't run, something that my wife and daughter like in my collection and we'll run that, or another factor that ultimately decides what will be the train of honor on December 25.
Well, this year my father and I were at one of our region's TCA shows, and I found on someone's table something I always wanted: an American Flyer set still in it's original box. This one is a later one, and I'll get the set number when I get home, but it has the Reading 21160 Atlantic leading the freight. The train is insanely clean, has all the track and the transformer, but the box lid was a little beat up. I got it for $50.00 because the seller said it needed one of the wires hooked back up and to be cleaned.
When I got it home, the wire to be reconnected was just one of the leads from the engine into the 2-prong plug that goes into the tender. I got that done in a couple minutes, and gave it a quick try. She ran and I knew I had a winner!
A couple nights later, I took the loco apart, checked and cleaned the brushes and cleaned everything else there, oiled the bearing and lubed the main gear. What was amazing was that the motor and everything look absolutely pristine, with only a minimum of wear and no errant dirt! Even the gears were completely clean!
So I reassembled her and when I got her on the track, she ran like she just came out of the factory yesterday!
So, a train that I've been looking for, at a price I didn't even bat an eye at, running and responding to the care I gave it gave me all the signs I needed: this year is gonna be an American Flyer Christmas!
This is also a good thing for our family: I also get to run my 350 Royal Blue freight set, which represents the locomotive my Grandfather worked on while in the paint shops for the B&O!
