Got the American Flyer bug!

Sounds like you had a great time and got some nice pieces. You won’t regret getting a nice big motor 326, for me the best of all the Hudson’s they made.

Hello John,

Enjoyed hearing about the initial dipping of a toe into American Flyer S gauge.  I have long enjoyed your posts and your website.

As a long time Gilbert AF aficionado, I have gone the opposite direction to incorporate some three rail items into my “collection” and eventual layout.  Let’s face it, if it is a toy and train, I like it!

Oddly enough, the only operating layout I have in my home at the moment is a loop of O gauge FasTrack running a Lionel Hogwarts Express (A Christmas gift for my wife, a Harry Potter fan, several years ago).  My S gauge runs on the sectional Capitol Holidays Layout a buddy and I set up a couple times a year, and when I make it to our TCA/TTOS clubhouse which has a two S gauge loops for us two or three S gaugers to use located inside its Standard gauge layout.

I have a lot of nice, operator quality Flyer, some from my youth and more since getting back into the hobby in the early 70s.  But in the early 90s, the recovery of my actual very first train set, a Marx 6” tin set in its original box, opened up the three rail tinplate world to me, which now includes some Lionel, Atlas O and original Industrial Rail “Blue Box” trains along with Pre-War and 3/16 O American Flyer.  

Even though I should now be culling and disposing of items in order to downsize my hoard, having the multi-gauge affliction keeps me alert and interested at every meet and train show.

Cheers!

Alan

Thanks for the website input Alan, it was a Christmas gift several years ago, designed and maintained by my daughter - I'll pass on your comment.

I really liked learning more about you in your post. Sharing is a major part of this hobby, another reason why I've been enjoying this forum so much since I joined just a few months ago

                 John, if you come across one like this at a decent price grab it.... 

PAUL ROMANO posted:

                 John, if you come across one like this at a decent price grab it.... 

I would love to Paul, but while I would love to spend my train bank sheckles on a beautiful Northern like that I'm still on a hunt for a nice Lionel Postwar Denver & Rio Grand F3 A-B pair, the last Lionel engine on my wish list.

Hmmm, if I do well selling at the next few local train shows before April York perhaps I'll be able to swing for both.