@Tinplate Art posted:The technology obviously was there for using aluminum as a casting material. Was it a matter of cost to use the problem-prone zinc alloys? Of course, aluminum would soon be increasingly utilized for military aircraft production.
Actually, the technology for aluminum casting was not quite advanced at that point, at least for the production of American Flyer trains. I know that the Zephyr sets and 9915 engines were cast using sand casting molds, as opposed to dies. Not sure about the tender bodies, but I suspect it was somewhat crude technology also.
