American Flyer Sets

winced36 · Post by **winced36** » Wed Nov 12, 2014 9:03 am

Hands down, my favorite AF S-gauge loco is the Hudson...it just looks perfect. This one is a shelf queen, a project cobbled together from a bunch of parts:

IMHO, better looking than any Hudson Lionel ever made. Some day I'll get back to it and get her running.

Paul

Post by **paulrace** » Thu Nov 13, 2014 5:21 pm

Paul, the proportions are very close to scale on all AF locomotives (except maybe the D-16 Casey Jones model that "turned out the lights")> When S scalers would replace the drivers with realistic-looking wheels, the results were just as nice as most HO being made in the same period, and better than a lot of it. - Paul

winced36 · Post by **winced36** » Fri Nov 14, 2014 7:46 am

I'd like to find a nice pre-war O-gauge version of this locomotive. It used the same boiler casting as the post-war S-gauge model. Alot of the pre-war late Flyer loco's are found in tough shape...there seems to be issues with zinc-pest, especially on wheels, both the pilot, driver and trailing trucks. If you can find a nice one they are beautiful pieces and I understand they can be returned to great running condition.

Post by **paulrace** » Sat Nov 15, 2014 4:37 pm

You're right about how banged up most of these are when they show up at train shows, etc. . . .

They're heavy little monsters, I wonder if kids literally couldn't handle them.

winced36 · Post by **winced36** » Tue Dec 16, 2014 12:30 pm

AF 300AC Atlantic:

Nice little locomotive, runs great. An early version with wire handrails.

Post by **paulrace** » Wed Dec 17, 2014 7:23 am

My 303 was plastic with molded-on handrails. I like this one better. Except for the tinplate-style drivers and lack of an eccentric, this was a VERY nice little scale model for its day.

winced36 · Post by **winced36** » Thu Jan 15, 2015 11:20 am

Perhaps the best running AF Pacific I have...a 290:

Simple valve gear, cast hand-rails, runs better than any of my others, smokes like a banshee and will pull a long string of cars. Love the heater over the boiler-front. I think I read somewhere that the 290-series was modelled after a New Haven Pacific. A favorite...

Paul

Post by **paulrace** » Thu Jan 15, 2015 9:22 pm

I had the plastic version (can't remember if it was a 292 or 293). It was a great runner and would pull plenty of cars. As a heavy USRA Pacific, it would have looked at home on a lot of railroads.

winced36 · Post by **winced36** » Mon Feb 23, 2015 4:35 pm

An American Flyer 350, modelled after the B&O's Royal Blue:

I don't think they ever made a set of Royal Blue themed passenger cars in S-gauge...I run mine at the head of a set of polished aluminum passenger cars.

Paul