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While growing up in Woodhaven in the borough of Queens in New York City in the 1950's, I had Gilbert American Flyer trains, while all of my neighbors had Lionel. I particularly liked my American Flyer S gauge trains for several reasons: The steam locos seemed more to scale (3/16") and better proportioned than many of the Lionel engines, The puffing smoke and "choo-choo" sounds were very realistic for the day, and I can still smell that wonderful pine-scented smoke fluid! The tubular two-rail track had a "T" rail shape, and in conjunction with the AF rubber roadbed, looked pretty realistic. I especially remember the terminal station and its accompanying train shed with platforms. The oil drum loader was one of my favorite accessories, along with the operating mail car. I had two favorite sets: the 5 car A-B-A North Coast Limited set and a work train with all-diecast frame cars, pulled by a Nickle Plate Road 0-8-0 switcher. Two other steam locos were the K5 and the diecast Atlantic with metal tender. Another favorite was the hand car set with three mine dump cars. I also had the operating AF semaphore with relays built into the base, and along with two track trips, could control two different trains on the same track. Another favorite accessory was the black bridge with the bridge tender's shack on the top. The New Haven style passenger cars were also nice and I had a set in red. I also had a green heavyweight set pulled by a Hudson. I had great fun with my Gilbert Flyer in my youth. Alas, in 1958, upon turning sixteen, I sold my trains and got into a new hobby: a reel to reel stereo tape recorder! Ah, memories!  

Last edited by Tinplate Art
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Growing up in Brooklyn NY  American Flyer trains offered the interesting alternative to Lionel.  Smaller but IMO more to scale and two rail. They only had maybe 25% of the train market but at that time who didn't have an Erector set???? They  fell on hard times in the late 50's when Lionel's sales began to decline and didn't last to the end of the next decade. I always liked the product but like many others my dad purchased the more popular brand and that got me started on O gauge trains.  IMO, Flyer trains were excellent and their trains and accessories were realistic looking. While still a small market today I have fond memories of them way back when. I just wish that the Gilbert Hall of science near 23rd street in NYC was still open when I was a young kid. Never got to see it but old movies show that it must have been a sight to see.

Did any of you guys make it to the Hall of Science at the 1964 Worlds Fair?
Until just now, I thought Gilbert was the sponsor. I found information on line, and discovered they were not. I guess I had heard of the Gilbert Hall of Science in NYC and got the two mixed up.

Never made it to the Gilbert Hall of Science or the Lionel showroom.
I don't know what year they closed, my father didn't like going into Manhattan, so visits there were very rare.

A lady in my Woodhaven neighborhood was the telephone operator at the Gilbert Hall of Science, and her sister lived across the street from us. This lady very generously offered her 40% discount when my parents purchased the then top of the line A-B-A North Coast Limited set for me! She also arranged for a friend and myself to have a tour of the layouts above the first floor normally reserved for buyers and wholesalers. It was a fascinating visit which I still recall.

Another interesting fact concerning the Gilbert Hall of Science were the folks who maintained the trains on the layouts there: the Savoy Merchandise Company on West 23rd St. They also bought and restored used AF locos from the Hall of Science and sold them at a discount. There was an AF expert mechanic named Ernie from whom I personally purchased motor brushes and other needed parts when I did my own maintenance. My dad and uncle purchased several of my engines there, as they were rebuilt as new and looked and operated well.

Last edited by Tinplate Art

My first train was a Christmas present and it was used american Flyer set as my older brother received a new on.

I received the Hudson 322 with the NYC logo on the tender and the bellows type smoke generator in the tender with a gondola, search light car an caboose track and a power supply. Also I remember the smell that pine-scented smoke fluid! 
My brother received the silver painted version of the silver bullet with passenger cars.

I still have the 322 and it was repainted by me a flat dull gray which I did in the 70's and the smoking bellows is long gone.
I also keep looking for a complete working 322 at a reasonable price and the cars at trains shows so the "S" gauge has not left me.
This engine sites in by book case as a constant reminder of Christmas's past.
My brothers train is still packed in a box in the basement, needs TLC and will get to it one day.

Question: Is the pine sented smoke fluid made for Lionel trains?

Another interesting fact concerning the Gilbert Hall of Science were the folks who maintained the trains on the layouts there: the Savoy Merchandise Company on West 23rd St. They also bought and restored AF locos from the Hall of Science and sold them at a discount. There was an AF expert mechanic named Ernie from whom I personally purchased motor brushes and other needed parts when I did my own maintenance. My dad and uncle purchased several of my engines there, as they were rebuilt as new and looked and operated well.

I discovered Savoy Merchandise Company walking down 23rd St on my way to Madison Hardware in the very early 1970's. They had a Gilbert American Flyer sign in an upper window that caught my eye. No old stock. But I did buy some current production Lionel MPC there from time to time.

My usual model train oriented rounds in 1950's Manhattan were the Lionel Showroom, Gilbert Hall of Science, Savoy Merchandise, Polk's (5th Ave.), and Model Railroad Equipment Corp on West Forty-Fifth St. Polk's was a multi-level hobby department store, catering more to the burgeoning HO hobbyists. The store on West Forty Fifth had a mini tinplate museum and carried tinplate and postwar Lionel. The greatest stop was the Lionel Showroom, which included a museum display as you entered the layout area, and of course that incredible layout, powered by four ZW's! They also had a parts and service dept towards the back.of the layout.

I received my first train (No.310 K5) and three cars for Christmas 1949 in New Orleans. Was always glad that 'Santa' liked the 2 rail models!

In 1960/61 I stumbled into a music store and there was a Flyer layout in the back room. Traded ALL my stuff for a cheap Supro electric guitar and small amp. Never did get really proficient on the guitar either...

Last edited by c.sam

Hello friends:

A topic was started last summer about whether our first trains were Lionel, American Flyer or Marx, so some of you may have seen my story when I posted a similar response then:

The first trains in my home were American Flyer.  I think my dad used my birth in 1947 as an excuse to purchase our first American Flyer S gauge train, an AF 302AC Atlantic freight set, that Christmas.  I still have a page out of an old Seattle newspaper from that time.  It is a local department store full page ad for AF and Lionel train sets on which Dad made notes of what he liked or disliked about each one following a personal "inspection" tour of the toy and hobby departments of the Seattle area department stores.  His conclusion was that AF trains and two rail track were most realistic.   Other AF sets followed, and I distinctly remember times that my dad, my uncle and a boyhood best friend of theirs got together many times to  set up a fairly large floor layouts.  I, of course, was allowed to watch while they ran the trains.  Although we packed a 5' by 9' sheet of plywood along with us through three moves, a permanent home layout was never built.  

I was given Marx trains from the time I was old enough to put them on the track, but it wasn't until Christmas 1960 that my dad finally entrusted all of the the AF S gauge trains to me.  My primary collecting and operating focus has been American Flyer S gauge ever since.  

I still have all of those first AF and Marx trains.

Insofar as guitars go, C.Sam, I still regret trading in my beautiful Gibson arch-top, f-hole acoustic guitar that I bought new in high school back to the music store on a Harmony(?!) solid body electric guitar and a Gibson amplifier.  Of course I thought I was going to be a rock guitarist.  Although I still have, but never play the old Harmony electric guitar, my brother sold my Gibson amp while I was away at college.  The professional guitarists in our family love those vintage tube amps, and pay big bucks for the good ones.

Regrets aren't limited to old toy trains that got away.  And don't get me started on the cars I drove in my youth!

Cheers!

Alan

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