there are a lot of old store catalog pages on the internet, so i thought it might be a challenge to see how many advertised sets i could make up. i'd like to keep this string with the theme of prewar tinplate, so if you have something to add, please be my guest. i will probably revisit this topic from time to time if only for my own amusement.
to start it off, a 1923, all American Flyer catalog page from ...
according to Schuweiler's dating, however, most of the drawings represent 1922 production.
here is the complete page...
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headed up by the large Type XI locomotive, it is unusual to see a clockwork locomotive pulling 8wh cars. i could probably come up with the track and switches, but i can see right off that the accessories on this page will be a challenge. in 1923, an average labor union job paid on the order of $6-8/ day.
once again i had to timeshare my lone #120 tender to put together this 4wh passenger train. from my observations, Type XII locomotives without siderods & a brake are much more common. slight problem with this selection, however. the mismatch of colors? not according to a note by Schuweiler... "American Flyer offered sets with only 1107 passenger cars as well as combining different color baggage and passenger cars, so there are not always baggage cars that exactly match the passenger cars". no, the bigger problem is that the 1108 baggage car is not sitting on a Type III frame but rather the later Type V frame not produced for another 2 years. i'll have to keep working on this one. might give me enough time to track down the telegraph poles... pretty sure i have some of those ...somewhere.
a smaller Type XII locomotive was enough power for this 4wh freight. since the Morris & Company reefer, M.R.L.X. 8136, came in configurations with any two of eight different sides & with many different door styles, i'm going to call the slight variation along with a nearly correct, aside from the roadname, sand car, ...close enough.
for less than $1? ... "It must be a Hummer!"
fun stuff...!
cheers...gary