Gauge Model
Gauge Model
The American Flyer Model Train
Although The American Flyer Model Trains were at their peak of popularity between the 1940s and the 1960s, they actually had a long history before that, and their popularity seems to be on the increase again today. William Hafner, working as a toymaker in Chicago, developed a clockwork motor for use in toy cars in the very early part of the 19th Century and by 1905 was making Toy Trains using that clockwork motor.
With a friend, William Coleman, and using a small hardware manufacturing business known as the Edmonds-Metzel Hardware Company, Hafner began producing toy clockwork trains during 1906-7. These Edmond-Metzel trains were sold so successfully through some major retailers that the brand name The American Flyer was adopted for marketing purposes and by 1910, the name of the hardware company had been changed to American Flyer Manufacturing Company.
The American Flyer Trains proved very popular, in part because they were lower priced than other makes popular at that time, and also because their detailing made them more realistic than other low budget model trains.
Hafner left the partnership in 1913 to start up his own company and Coleman's American Flyer trains did extremely well during the First World War as they had no competition in the US from the German companies. By 1918, the first of the American Flyer Electric Trains were in production and business boomed during the 1920s but declined sharply during the Great Depression.
In 1938, William Coleman Jr, son of the company's founder, who had taken over the business following his father's death in 1918, sold the American Flyer to the A C Gilbert Company. Gilbert had been manufacturing and selling an extensive range of toys but not toy trains. He moved the company from Chicago to New Haven, Connecticut and immediately began to re-design the trains. He re-developed the American Flyer as S-scale in 1939 , a scale which was a modification of the very popular O gauge model trains then on the market. The S scale, which scales trains to the 1:64 ratio and made them smaller than the O Scale Trains, had a number of major advantages in terms of the track and track layouts.
In 1946 Gilbert made another major change to the American Flyer. Until that stage model electric trains had run on three rails, with the centre rail carrying the current. Gilbert developed a two rail system for running the American Flyer. This two-rail track, which had seven-eighths inches between the rails, made the track layout, and hence train operation, more realistic as the track now looked like 'real Train Track'.
With the advent of television - to distract both younger people and older people from their regular hobbies - together with the rise of the discount chain stores which undercut prices and demanded lower wholesale prices, A C Gilbert Company ran into trouble and in 1962 was sold to Wrather Group. The new owners produced lines of toys, including model trains, which were of very poor quality and sales dropped sharply until in 1966 production of the American Flyer ceased. By 1967 the Company was bankrupt.
At this time, Lionel Corporation, which was itself in financial trouble although it had been the leading model train manufacturer for many decades, bought the rights to the American Flyer. However, by 1969 Lionel Corporation itself was bankrupt and sold the rights to the manufacture of its model trains, including the American Flyer, to General Mills.
General Mills began selling some of the original Gilbert designed American Flyer trains by 1979 but in 1984 sold its Lionel Company section to a toy manufacturer, Kenner who on-sold the company to Richard Kughn in 1985.
Kughn was very successful for over 10 years with the Lionel and American Flyer trains but sold in 1996 to Wellspring Partners who set up the company Lionel LLC, which operates today selling a range of model trains, including the S-scale American Flyer. Initially Lionel LLC concentrated on promoting the O and O27 Scale Model trains of its original lines but since 2002 has been releasing more and more American Flyer models.
The American Flyer then, is now more that 100 years old, and has gone though a number of ownerships and fluctuations in popularity. Dedicated S-scale enthusiasts now believe that this renowned model train is once again making a resurgence.
About the Author
John Vanse, a model train enthusiast, has a number of websites concerned with model trains. All these sites can be accessed through the hub site:
The Model Train Guide
For more specific information about American Flyers see:
American Flyer Model Trains
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16PC MODEL PINE TREE Train Railroad House Park HO SCALE |  |
0 Bid | US $.99 | 18m |
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LIONEL CANADIAN PACIFIC BOXCAR O GAUGE BRAND NEW | |
9 Bids | US $16.49 | 22m |
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VTG ATHEARN 5404 HO SCALE OFFSET SIDE 2 BAY HOPPER SL SF 91736 MODEL RR CAR VG | |
2 Bids | US $4.77 | 27m |
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K Line Scale NYC Hudson Excellent Condition TMCC and RailSounds K3270 5343S | |
1 Bid | US $399.95 | 29m |
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Golden West Service 50 PD Reefer with extras LOOK | |
1 Bid | US $12.99 | 39m |
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LIONEL16718 UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS MISSLE LAUNCHING CAR MINT WITH BOX LOOK | |
5 Bids | US $25.00 | 41m |
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LIONEL ALBERTA CYLINDRICAL HOPPER O GAUGE NIB | |
7 Bids | US $21.00 | 42m |
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LIONEL 16704 LIONEL OPERATING TV CAR O GAUGE TRAIN LN WITH BOX ACTION CAR | |
2 Bids | US $19.45 | 44m |
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BAR MILLS MODELS JEBEDIAHS CARRIGE WHEEL REPAIR | |
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US $72.00 | 50m |
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Lionel O27 Right Hand Remote Control Switch 1122R 6 65122 | |
1 Bid | US $14.95 | 55m |
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BAR MILLS MODELS O SCALE BUD SMILEYS GAS STOP | |
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US $81.00 | 59m |
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K LINE FRITO LAY LAYS CHEETOS TANK CAR BRAND NEW FROM SET BREAKUP | |
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US $54.95 | 1h 1m |
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BACHMANN On30 HOPPER CAR 2 CAR SET MIDWEST QUARRY MINNING | |
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US $65.00 | 1h 5m |
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LIONEL WEYERHAEUSER LOG DUMP CAR O GAUGE BRAND NEW | |
4 Bids | US $8.00 | 1h 6m |
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BACHMANN On30 HIGHSIDE GONDOLA UNLETTERED | |
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US $31.00 | 1h 8m |
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BACHMANN On30 DRGW FLAT CAR | |
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US $28.00 | 1h 11m |
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Lionel O Gauge Scale Boston Albany 6 8606 Hudson Train Set NEW in Box | |
0 Bid | US $1,200.00 | 1h 12m |
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BACHMANN On30 DRGW HIGHSIDE GONDOLA | |
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US $31.00 | 1h 14m |
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round house N gauge Asst 891 Military cars army | |
4 Bids | US $41.00 | 1h 14m |
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LIONEL LOG CAR O GAUGE BRAND NEW | |
2 Bids | US $5.24 | 1h 27m |
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Lionel and Bachman Trains Engines Rolling Stock and other items Estate Sale | |
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US $2,000.00 | 1h 34m |
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44 Mercedes Benz Aerial Ladder Truck 143 scale for O Gauge Lionel MTH Williams | |
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US $20.95 | 1h 36m |
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Lionel Train O gauge Layout Logging Empire Workin On the Railroad | |
5 Bids | US $35.99 | 1h 36m |
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4 MANTUA HO models Each Different All need work parts but all do run | |
8 Bids | US $64.00 | 1h 56m |
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Athearn Soo Line 50 PD Box with extras LOOK | |
1 Bid | US $12.99 | 1h 58m |
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LIONEL 12059 EARTHEN BUMPERS FOR O GAUGE FASTRACK NEW IN BOX FOR YUR LAYOUT | |
2 Bids | US $11.00 | 2h 6m |
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DEPARTMENT 56 HERITAGE VILLIAGE COLLECTION REVOLVING TURNTABLE 18 INCH NEW LOOK | |
1 Bid | US $23.95 | 2h 7m |
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Green Tree Railroad War Scene Model Scale O OO 55 10 | |
0 Bid | US $6.99 | 2h 11m |
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16 MODEL RR TRAIN PINE TREE for Railroad House Park mix | |
1 Bid | US $.99 | 2h 18m |
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50 N Z Model TREE RAILWAY FARM HOUSE STREET PARK Layout | |
0 Bid | US $.99 | 2h 26m |
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O 27 Canadian Pacific Boxcar 6464 399 w Sprung Trucks Lionel MTH K line | |
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US $26.99 | 2h 26m |
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10pc OO HO TT scale Palm Trees Model Train Layout Green | |
0 Bid | US $.99 | 2h 27m |
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VTG HO SCALE ATHEARN 40 SINGLE DOME TANK ATSF 100801 MODEL RR TRAIN CAR V GOOD | |
1 Bid | US $6.50 | 2h 31m |
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2 Aurora Postage Stamp sets 4703 Cannon ball 4728 Penn Central Express | |
3 Bids | US $56.99 | 2h 34m |
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Fox Valley Models FVM FMC 5347 SD Box Car Virginian Ohio 38624 | |
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US $17.60 | 2h 35m |
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FINE SCALE MINIATURES WEARY WILLYS TRUCK TERMINAL KIT 55 NEW IN BOX NIB | |
0 Bid | US $149.99 | 2h 37m |
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MICRO SCALE MODELS TWO STALL ENGINE HOUSE 142 of 1000 | |
0 Bid | US $145.00 | 2h 37m |
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20PCS HO Gauge Model Train Layout Lamppost 433 inch 6V Street Park Layout Light | |
0 Bid | US $.99 | 2h 42m |
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WILLIAMS 5017 4 6 0 BRASS CAMELBACK STEAM ENGINE TENDER LOOKS NEW | |
6 Bids | US $178.00 | 2h 42m |
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Delton Locomotive Works Redman Tobacco Box Car 4255R | |
13 Bids | US $32.99 | 2h 46m |
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LIONEL TMCC 14552 14555 24517 NYC F3 A B B A LTD EDITION 2002 SET EXCELLENT | |
0 Bid | US $699.00 | 2h 48m |
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Delton Locomotive Works Colorado Southern Combination Car 3281 | |
9 Bids | US $41.00 | 2h 48m |
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Delton Locomotive Works Pennsylvania Combination Car | |
12 Bids | US $31.00 | 2h 50m |
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48719 MARKLIN HO Heavy Duty Flat Car Set NEW | |
0 Bid | US $109.99 | 2h 50m |
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Delton Locomotive Works Colorado Southern Box Car 8327 | |
10 Bids | US $31.05 | 2h 51m |
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Delton Locomotive Works Busch Box Car 4255A4 | |
11 Bids | US $42.00 | 2h 53m |
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Durango Silverton RR set | |
1 Bid | US $89.00 | 2h 56m |
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Delton Locomotive Works Colorado Southern Reefer Car 1104 | |
9 Bids | US $29.99 | 2h 56m |
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Delton Locomotive Works Pennsylvania Passenger 2 Coach Car Lot | |
11 Bids | US $24.50 | 2h 59m |
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Delton Locomotive Works Denver Rio Grande Mack Rail Bus 2264 Y | |
18 Bids | US $159.69 | 3h 1m |
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Delton Locomotive Works Western Union Telegraph Flat Car w Cable Reels 310 | |
9 Bids | US $25.11 | 3h 4m |
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CLASSIC MODEL TRAINS BOXCAR FROM 1982 TOY TRAIN MUSEUM STRASBURG | |
1 Bid | US $29.99 | 3h 6m |
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Delton Locomotive Works Colorado Southern Postal Baggage 3282 | |
10 Bids | US $39.09 | 3h 7m |
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100 Model Tree Train Railroad Building Street Scale N Z | |
0 Bid | US $4.99 | 3h 9m |
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16 Forest Green Pine Tree Model Train HO OO Scale MIX | |
0 Bid | US $.99 | 3h 12m |
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Pair 2 Vintage OO Gauge ROSEBUD Kitmaster British Pattern Railway Cars | |
6 Bids | US $22.50 | 3h 16m |
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O S Gauge Lot Of 2 Packs Lemax Coventry Cove Colonial Street Lights NIP | |
0 Bid | US $8.99 | 3h 18m |
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25 Lot Train Layout Model Tree FARM HOUSE STREET PARK | |
0 Bid | US $.99 | 3h 18m |
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Lima Models Restaurant car 00 gauge model railway carriage boxed and complete | |
4 Bids | US $5.31 | 3h 18m |
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Lima Models 00 gauge Locomotive 20 8151 LG BOXED | |
10 Bids | US $18.19 | 3h 19m |
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Shuttle Reversing Circuit | |
0 Bid | US $44.00 | 3h 25m |
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Lima Models 00 gauge 30 2870W Coach BOXED | |
2 Bids | US $1.89 | 3h 27m |
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LOCO COALING DIORAMA NEW OO GAUGE 1 76 | |
0 Bid | US $31.49 | 3h 28m |
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Lionel Model Train Assortment | |
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US $60.00 | 3h 32m |
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Lima Models 00 gauge model railway carriage boxed and complete | |
4 Bids | US $6.62 | 3h 33m |
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SUYDAM Combo Town Depot INTERIOR LIGHTING Kit 70 IN RARE | |
0 Bid | US $15.99 | 3h 33m |
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