@balidas posted:Nice video! Thanx! On 2 of the tunnels are red & green lights, were they added or is that original? I've never seen lights on a tunnel before.
American Flyer cataloged lighted tunnels for 2 years in the middle 1930s. The first year included the 2 tunnels shown in the video and the 2nd year featured a new and different tunnel. You will have to watch the next video to see the 3rd lighted tunnel that American Flyer sold.
OK, here is a longer video of some trains running on the layout.
These are two c. 1918 American Flyer electrics running like crazy. Here are photos of the two engines/sets, taken a few years ago, the last time I ran them.
NWL
You have done nice videos, a real pleasure to look at. A great layout an I especially enjoy the color of you trees, perfect color for AF trains. Daniel
Had to make a hook coupler so I can use the rest of my ETS cars with a Dapol tank engine I have coming from the UK.
Between 1902 and 1904 Marklin offered a model of a suspended "floating" tram or "Schwebebahn" inspired by the system that still exists in the town of Wuppertal, Germany. This vintage film features a ride on the system. I don't know if any examples of the original Marklin model survive.
Jim Kelly-Evans that "floating train" is a real wonder and its age and the fact that its still operating talks to the skill and level of engineering that went into it. I especially liked the fact that they put it over the river, thus not taking up any of the land in the village, quite a feat of construction I would imagine. NWL those flyer trains really do "fly"...I have many of the cars but the engines have remained elusive at least to me... I wonder do they travel that fast due to a fixed voltage setting or is it possible to control the speed and run them slower. Nonetheless they are really cool, thanks for posting the video.
Happy and healthy week everyone
Don
Hi Jim,
A few examples of the Marklin Schwebebahn do survive. I have seen one at the Hara Museum in Yokohama, Japan and I believe there is one at the Technorama in Winterthur, Switzerland. There are also a couple on youtube, but again, a very rare, but wonderful piece. Miketg
@Don McErlean posted:NWL those flyer trains really do "fly"...I have many of the cars but the engines have remained elusive at least to me... I wonder do they travel that fast due to a fixed voltage setting or is it possible to control the speed and run them slower. Nonetheless they are really cool, thanks for posting the video.
Don
Don,
The early engines are being run on a regular transformer, but they seem to either go or stop. I was running them at the lowest setting I could in order for them to run. I tried running one on the inner dog bone loop, but it kept flying off the rails due to the limited ability to vary the speed and the tighter curves.
The passenger set was running with a very early motor that seems to be some sort of experimental engine that has tube brushes, something that American Flyer did not make standard on their engines until 1925. This engine is the earliest American Flyer engine that I have ever observed and is believed to be either an engineering sample or one of the 50 engines that American Flyer made to test the market. It has several unusual features, as compared to the known production engines. All I know of its history is that it came to me via a Chicago area flea market. Since it came to me missing its brushes, it was running with new springs and brushes.
The engine pulling the freight cars was running with its original brushes, which are simple copper fingers (no other brush of any sort) so it was running a bit slower. This engine is also an early engine, with the machined cast iron wheels, which are found on the early engines.
NWL
NWL: THANK YOU for the pictures and explanation on the early Flyer engines. Data on these cast iron guys is hard to come by and really interesting. I saw one on e-bay recently but with the normal high shipping charges it was a bit out of my reach and the ad really had no information beyond the fact that it was reported to be AF (based on what it said on the tender). I will keep looking.
Thanks again for taking the time to post the data.
Don
Jim Kelly-Evans,
in the last 30 years, I have seen 5 of the Marklin Schwebebahn.
Arne
@Don McErlean posted:NWL: THANK YOU for the pictures and explanation on the early Flyer engines. Data on these cast iron guys is hard to come by and really interesting. I saw one on e-bay recently but with the normal high shipping charges it was a bit out of my reach and the ad really had no information beyond the fact that it was reported to be AF (based on what it said on the tender). I will keep looking.
Thanks again for taking the time to post the data.
Don
Don,
If you want an early engine, especially one with the bigger casting, with the square windows and the cast iron drivers, be prepared to pay for it. They tend to sell at premium prices.
NWL
@Arne posted:Jim Kelly-Evans,
in the last 30 years, I have seen 5 of the Marklin Schwebebahn.
Arne
Now that is very cool!
@Arne posted:Jim Kelly-Evans,
in the last 30 years, I have seen 5 of the Marklin Schwebebahn.
Arne
Great video. An amazing model, in great condition, and it RUNS.
Looks like it could be an interesting project to build a facsimile from erector set parts and a passenger car.
Here is a version that was made out of Marklin 's version of the erector set. Miketg
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ISzwhyYybH8
JKE, Arne and Miketg: You ALL get the honors for sharing those unique and awesome videos ranging from the REAL thing to a RARE Marklin model and finally a CREATIVE Marklin model from their construction set. BRAVO, gentlemen!
I want to second the comment made by Tinplate Art...3 versions including the real thing...of an amazing train and superb models. What a thread today. NWL thanks for letting me know about the pricing of the locomotives, its good to know that what I see is reasonable.
Don
Chris: THANK YOU for this wonderful thread!
Let's share some more awesome models! :-)
Return to old tinplate model, I just got the most classic and common Bassett-Lowke model, the Duke of York 1927. This one is the electric version which is far less common than the clockwork model. Now I have one to go.... but not easy to part with..... This model has been made from 1927 to the thirties and is a very good quality piece.
And the sister clockwork model,
Have a nice weekend, Daniel
Here is a video for the weekend. Some Prewar American Flyer freight sets c. 1925-1930
OK, so the outermost loop of O gauge is not a cataloged set, but rather a grouping of cars behind an engine and the middle O gauge set has an extra car, but they are great to watch!
NWL
NWL: I observed your video of the American Flyer freights. I wondered about the standard (wide) gauge set on the outer track. I obtained from my brother (he was not interested in trains) an AF std gauge set which was cataloged (I think) as "The Pioneer" which contained the 4644 New Haven type box cab in red (just as your video shows) with the green gondola and red caboose but no box car. I wondered if you might know, if the box car came in the original set or if you added it for the video.
Don
Daniel: Two very NICE locomotives! :-)
NWL: ENJOYED those aptly named speedy Flyers! :-)
@Don McErlean posted:NWL: I observed your video of the American Flyer freights. I wondered about the standard (wide) gauge set on the outer track. I obtained from my brother (he was not interested in trains) an AF std gauge set which was cataloged (I think) as "The Pioneer" which contained the 4644 New Haven type box cab in red (just as your video shows) with the green gondola and red caboose but no box car. I wondered if you might know, if the box car came in the original set or if you added it for the video.
Don
Don,
The set running on my layout is the Nation Wide Lines standard gauge set that was sold through JC Penney as a store brand train. All cars are original and marked 4667 and Nation Wide Lines. The engine has a different number, but also the Nation Wide Lines plates on it. So yes the boxcar is original to this set and was not added. However, there are many different variations of freight sets and I am not that knowledgeable about Standard Gauge. I would have to consult the catalogs to learn more.
NWL
NWL: thank you for the information.
Don
Hello everyone,
Here are some items you do not see too often, all Austrian tinplate. I aquired these through a friend in Vienna. The first car, meant to compete with Marklin prewar, is by Herkules of Vienna, who were producing trains from 1946 until the early 1950s. The other three are by Loma of Vienna, who also produced trains during this period. We always here about the great German, French, Swiss and British producers, but so much less about the Austrian and othe Central European producers of the same period.
Miketg
Mike: Very NICE, but need better lighting in your photos. :-)
@Nation Wide Lines posted:Here is one from the layout.
NWL
NWL, what are the toy cars? Are they Dinkys?
MESG smash up
@Will posted:NWL, what are the toy cars? Are they Dinkys?
A mix of Tootsietoy and Hubley. They are the c. 6 inch long sized cars.
Hi Arne,
your LNWR Guards van was also cataloged in the Carette 1911 catalog.
There are variations, the duckets on this one are brown, I also have one like yours with the "spilt milk" duckets.
Plum & Split Milk is a description of LNWR colours that I have seen, LSWR being described as Chocolate & Salmon!
Roland
Scott Smith
Arne: VERY NICE selection of both eight and four-wheel gems! THANK YOU for sharing! :-)
I know this is not really tinplate, but I repainted it in the spirit of the prewar CV locos like Lionel did in the late 90s blue and red versions. This started out as a mid 90s 777 in silver. I bought this real cheap because someone decided to attempt a repaint with a brush on this poor thing. The color is gunmetal from Hobby Horse Products, the silver squares are Krylon metallic shimmer. Decals are home made. The TMCC electronics in the loco work fine, but the sound system in the tender was really fried. I installed an "analog" motor driven air whistle. These locos get a bad rap on being poor runners, with some tuning this runs and pulls quite well. I am using it to pull my 14 car USTTC repainted box car/caboose set. I am using a knuckle to latch coupler adapter.
My new Dapol pannier tank engine with some tinplate add vans.
I've always wondered what a McCoy TTOS Circus passenger set would look like. Now I know. 
"Flats" on my layout..I don't know who made them or when.
JKE: Interesting! Likely European provenance?
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