Greg, i always enjoy your posts on American Flyer, they are always so instructives. It would be a great pleasure to visit an AF museum, with some Ives and other manufacturers it would be great. AF trains are not the most easiest one to collect, year of manufacture is often an enigma for me...
I have bought two wide gauge freight cars some time ago with 8 million plates, i think they may be around 1936, end of production. They have, for me, a much better size than Lionel ones.
Now i have to find some more....
Have a great tinplate weekend; Daniel