Steamliners - Streamlined Steam Locomotives

Very nice.  Thank you!

Thanks

Tom

THANKS for sharing your images and vast knowledge! ☺

If you are looking for pictures of some of the other American tinplate steamliners like the following, let me know how you want them photographed and I'll e-mail them to you.

American Flyer

Hafner

Lionel

Marx

Robert S. Butler posted:

If you are looking for pictures of some of the other American tinplate steamliners like the following, let me know how you want them photographed and I'll e-mail them to you.

 

 

Thank you for these great pictures. My e-book is a kind of catalogue of my collection, so adding pictures of items not in the collection to this book wouldn't be correct, but I like to see these here anyway.

Regards

Fred

RSB: NICE photos!

I second all the thanks above for your amazing dedication to the hobby and your collection Fred ... The world would be much poorer without it

Downloading it now , but without even looking I know I am going to be gobsmacked and quite a bit envious LOL!

I can add a little favorite one of mine to the thread , although actually HO in size , I love it regardless

A wee little Clockwork Rico ( Spain) from around 1934-7

OK just had a scroll through the complete PDF ... and ...

WOW!... just WOW!

Bravo sir BRAVO!

Fatman posted:

OK just had a scroll through the complete PDF ... and ...

 

WOW!... just WOW!

Bravo sir BRAVO!

Thank you.

I am envious on your Rico steamliner 

Regards

Fred

I've shown these before, but what the hey. They fit the topic. Some prewar gun metal gray magic in the form of an American Flyer Manufacturing Co. No. 1686 and a Gilbert AF No. 553. With its worm gear drive the 553 "Royal Gray" is a really smooth runner.

553 -

1686 and 553 -

Super e-book, Fred.

Have fun!

Bob

sncf231e posted:

Last week I mentioned a next e-book (picture book) that I am compiling on streamlined locomotives from the collection. The e-book is now ready for you to read or download (for free of course) from my website here: http://sncf231e.nl/steamliners/

Note that it contains not only tinplate like this:

but also more scale like models like this:

Regards

Fred

fantastic reference material Fred. Thank you for your efforts. 

A couple of modern era standard gauge ones.  Will have to find photos of the Lionel Hiawatha and Commodore in standard gauge as well

Fred,

Wonderful collection of streamlined steam locomotives, i.e., "steamliners". 

In addition to the Minihaha train pictured in your book, American Flyer also made several versions of the Milwaukee Road's original Atlantic Hiawatha steam locomotive.  These included both electric and windup versions.

T

The above medium priced "electric" Hiawatha set could also be purchased in a less expensive version with a "clockwork" motor.

Below is a photo of American Flyer's most expensive "electric" Hiawatha passenger set.  When it was released this set was intended to compete directly with Lionel's new Hiawatha set.

Th 

 In recent years both MTH and Lionel have produced both Atlantic and Baltic (Hudson) Hiawatha sets in different gauges and with various levels of detail in order to attract customers in different price ranges.  Pride Lines, Weaver, JAD and others have also produced Hiawatha streamliner sets in various gauges.  There have even been a few "craftsmen" who have handcrafted Hiawatha locomotives including "stretched" versions of the original Hiawatha "Atlantic" locomotive such as Bob Gale's "Baltic" Hiawatha below. 

There are several others some of which can be seen on my former home's basement wall.

Bob Nelson

That is a great E-book. I really enjoyed reading it and saw many trains I have never heard or seen of before. Thanks for sharing your collection.

I am not an American Flyer person, nor really a streamliner person, but I just bought this  prewar O set at a local antique auction yesterday. What number is this engine? I couldn't find any markings-although I haven't really looked either!!!

I believe that what you have is the #1686 from 1937 - 1938

The catalog art for the 1937 and 1938 catalog uses a version of the engine from 1936. (Flyer is notorious for using artwork from previous years.)  As you can see the engine pulled a freight consist and a passenger consist.

From your photo your set appears to be in beautiful condition.

Northwoods Flyer 

Greg

Thanks, Greg. I appreciate the information. I am mostly a standard gauge person but I thought this set was cool. 

You are welcome.

Be careful, buying something cool in a different gauge can be a slippery slope. I know from experience.  

Northwoods Flyer

Greg

Wow Guys what a great morning read.  Fred - thank you for your book on  streamliners, you can be sure that this reader has it downloaded and in memory, what super pictures.  Robert Butler - thank you for the pictures as well.  I liked the Hafner stream lined steamer and the Marx RED Mercury with an articulated tender (I had never seen one before).  Greg, your pictures of AF prewar trains and the trains themselves is really helpful, i know you posted some info on some Chicago Flyer I had and it was the only info I could find.  Thanks a lot

Now, although I also posted this on Front End Friday, I will include my Hafner streamliner here as well.  By the way, this one is clockwork as you can see but has a headlight (battery for a "D" battery under the forward streamlined hood) and a "bell ringer" and bell for when its in motion. Makes a lot of noise and runs way too fast, so you have to govern speed by adding cars. You know if I remember correctly some of the very earliest toy trains worked the same way before transformers were common.

Fred, thanks again for making that "e-book" available, I really loved it.

Don McErlean

Greg :  Sorry, I meant to add a thank you for the data.  I have the passenger cars (actually in the box) and the freight cars you pictured in the sets from '37-38 but they have been "orphans" (no engine) for years and I had no idea what sets they might have come with. so now the # 1686 goes on my finder's list !  Thanks again.

Don

Don,

You are welcome.   I'm glad that you have found the information helpful. 

The passenger cars and the freight cars that you have were headed up by other engines as well during those years. Do you have access to any of the catalogs from those years? I will check in my photo archive and see what else I can find.

I don't want to hijack the thread.  These aren't streamliners but they do pull the same cars.

Northwoods Flyer

Greg

I always have a few copies of my e-books printed in a version with a nice hardback cover for own use and some local friends.

My last book Steamliners can be seen at the bottom right of the photo.

And all e-books can be read or downloaded for free here: http://sncf231e.nl/my-e-books/

Regards
Fred

Some streamliners from the prewar era in Europe....

The Hafner streamliner that refused to die...

sncf231e posted:

Last week I mentioned a next e-book (picture book) that I am compiling on streamlined locomotives from the collection. The e-book is now ready for you to read or download (for free of course) from my website here: http://sncf231e.nl/steamliners/ <snip>

Regards

Fred

Fred,

Great book! Please permit me to make one small correction. The engine body of the American Flyer No. 350 "Royal Blue" (pg. 80) is die cast, not plastic. This type of streamlined Pacific named as the "Silver Bullet" was made using plastic shells starting in 1953. 

Respectfully,

Bob

Thank you very much, Bob,

The casting of the Royal Blue is much lighter than those of the American Flyer K5 and Hudson which mislead me. But I took a further look at it and of course agree. Thank you for pointing this out to me.

Regards

Fred

BIG and streamlined 

Steve