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Couple questions for anyone who already received this item:

Was the box covered with the normal "clear" plastic

Were there instructions included within the box

Was the tower covered in plastic within the box

Were the wires pre stripped

Reason I'm asking is because mine seemed previously used...

I purchased from one of the "Big" on line dealers and was told all of the above was normal.

Any details you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

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A friend of mine brought over his AF water tower/shed and asked if I'd take some pictures.  So, here they are.

 

First up, in response to yours cards and letters, thinking inside the box:

AF Tower 050915 001r

 

Now, let me say that this thing is a little too rustic for my tastes, but overall it's not all that bad looking.  S Scale?  Maybe yes, maybe no.  Looks a little on the large side to my eyes.

 

Using the doors as a guide, the door under the tank measures out around 9'6" in S and the door on the shed measures about 9'0".  In O, these come out to 7'0" and 6'9" respectively.  Didn't measure the rung spacing on the ladders, but it would be quite a workout for the folks in 1:64 land.

 

Here's an S Scale Artista figure takin' a lean by the door under the tank:

AF Tower 050915 003r

 

So, let's pull back a little and take general look front and back:

AF Tower 050915 002r

AF Tower 050915 007r

 

As I've said, overall it's not a bad looking structure with a folksy charm.  It's definitely better suited for a back-woodsy branch line than out on the main trunk.  But that's just my opinion.

 

Of course, I couldn't let this get away without a comparison with an S Scale structure, a two story Soo Line depot made by I don't remember. (I might just even finish it one day...)

 

AF Tower 050915 006r

 

Enough nits...  How does the water tank/shed look with some trains?  It actually holds up pretty well with traditional Flyer on tubular track:

AF Tower 050915 012r

Scale? OK sorta, but would stick out like a sore thumb in a full scale environment:

AF Tower 050915 013r

 

I actually think this would be a pretty good structure for the On30 folks:

AF Tower 050915 009r

Over all, it's a judgement call for the individual.

 

Rusty

Attachments

Images (8)
  • AF Tower 050915 001r
  • AF Tower 050915 002r
  • AF Tower 050915 006r
  • AF Tower 050915 007r
  • AF Tower 050915 009r
  • AF Tower 050915 012r
  • AF Tower 050915 013r
  • AF Tower 050915 003r

Like I've said on other threads, I have no idea what Lionel is doing with AF.

 

The only Locomotives that Lionel or American Flyer have made that might fit in with the rustic nature and era of this structure are the Frontiersman and Casey Jones 4-4-0, both of which are, to judge by their cabs, "big" for  S and are actually closer to being narrow gauge O in size, so the oversize doors and ladders that Rusty noted above are "not a problem".  Having said that, none of those locomotives have been produced by Lionel or Gilbert in the last 50 years, so for whom is this structure (which is well built, and well detailed) being marketed?   Given the "Big Steam" Lionel has recently produced, I would have expected that a steel water tank and a free standing water column would sell better.

 

Little Tommy 

 

Here's a couple of broadsides I took.  The Southwind 2-8-0 is certainly on a par with the SHS 2-8-0.  I thought of using the SHS model, but I just didn't feel like dragging mine out.

AF Tower 050915 014r

 

The oversize doors and ladders on the building are what bother me for S, but to each his own.

 

I still think it's a better structure for the ON30 crowd.

AF Tower 050915 010r

 

Rusty

Attachments

Images (2)
  • AF Tower 050915 010r
  • AF Tower 050915 014r
Last edited by Rusty Traque

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