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I was just thinking about the many facets of this hobby, and how there are a lot of different brands one can collect. And then l thought of a wind up Hafner set that got little use as l already had Marx electric trains. I don't know what happened to it, but my mother probably gave it to my brother's kids.  But does anybody collect Hafner?  How much of a variety is there?  I don't remember seeing (noticing) any in shows.

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I would venture a guess that there are some Hafner Collectors, but they would be few and far between.  The biggest factor against Hafner, is they are only Wind Up locos.  Hafner never produced anything powered, so with it strictly being a Wind Up, the market itself, and collectibility just isn't there.  The one ironic thing with the Hafner wind up motors, is that Lionel did use Hafner motors, but they were only issued in the European Market, and never for sale stateside.  This was referenced from the book "Early American Toy Trains-(Greenberg)", which also has two other sections covering Calisle & Finch and Dorfan.  The book is an interesting read into understanding the histories of Carlisle & Finch-Hafner-Dorfan.

I have quite a lot of Hafner but have recently been focusing on the earlier pre-Wyandotte stuff. 1010s and 2000, 970, 115041 streamliners are nice and pretty bullet-proof, but I like the earlier 1110 locos too. I also have an early tin 100 loco that was issued during WW I when cast iron was scarce (according to the book TeleDoc mentioned). That is now in the hands of Windup Guy hopefully getting a few new drive wheels. As a product line goes, Hafner produced just a few freights and passenger cars, but they sure mixed it up with all of the variations. Some of the 8-wheel Overland Flyer Pullmans will cost you an arm and a leg.

Have a picture from 1955 ( I was 5 at the time ) with my Dad and I playing with a tin train at Christmas. I couldn't make out the manufacturer and somehow I was steered towards a gentleman who was co-author of Greenberg Guide to Early American Toy Trains, Paul Doyle. I sent him my picture and he knew exactly what I had....a Wyandotte set 2158 ( black 970 locomotive,  brown Santa Fe boxcar, green sandcar, and red caboose.). I never knew what happened to the set after all the years, but I was determined to find one, preferably, in pristine condition. I kept all the letters Paul sent , learning not only about Hafner trains, but his personal life. It's fascinating the backgrounds of train enthusiasts. I purchased the Greenburg Guide to American Toy Trains as a referral to start my search. I hadn't used Ebay back then so it was a trek thru many  train shows for years, without results. Then, one day out for that Saturday/Sunday drive, I stopped by antiques shop aprox 25 miles from home. BAM.....THERE IT WAS.....and in ALMOST MINT condition. I bought it from the elderly lady storeowner, in a heartbeat. Twenty five miles away ......I couldn't believe it !!!!!  In the years since, I have added a yellow Wyandotte sand car, a blue FNP sand car, and an orange/brown Sante Fe boxcar to make a very colorful consist. The train set comes off the shelf each Christmas to help decorate......now, I need a picture of my son and I playing with that tin train !!

Taconite Hauler posted:

Have a picture from 1955 ( I was 5 at the time ) with my Dad and I playing with a tin train at Christmas. I couldn't make out the manufacturer and somehow I was steered towards a gentleman who was co-author of Greenberg Guide to Early American Toy Trains, Paul Doyle. I sent him my picture and he knew exactly what I had....a Wyandotte set 2158 ( black 970 locomotive,  brown Santa Fe boxcar, green sandcar, and red caboose.). I never knew what happened to the set after all the years, but I was determined to find one, preferably, in pristine condition. I kept all the letters Paul sent , learning not only about Hafner trains, but his personal life. It's fascinating the backgrounds of train enthusiasts. I purchased the Greenburg Guide to American Toy Trains as a referral to start my search. I hadn't used Ebay back then so it was a trek thru many  train shows for years, without results. Then, one day out for that Saturday/Sunday drive, I stopped by antiques shop aprox 25 miles from home. BAM.....THERE IT WAS.....and in ALMOST MINT condition. I bought it from the elderly lady storeowner, in a heartbeat. Twenty five miles away ......I couldn't believe it !!!!!  In the years since, I have added a yellow Wyandotte sand car, a blue FNP sand car, and an orange/brown Sante Fe boxcar to make a very colorful consist. The train set comes off the shelf each Christmas to help decorate......now, I need a picture of my son and I playing with that tin train !!

ahh, but the blue FNP sand car is technically not Hafner. It is from the Plastimarx era when the Hafner equipment was bought by Louis Marx and moved to Mexico to reduce the competition. Marx made dozens of gondolas, cabeese and boxcars using the Hafner equipment. Plastimarx is yet another collecting niche.

 

Yes, Jim.....you are correct about the blue sand car being Plastimarx.

However, seeing that it has a lineage from Wyandotte to Hafner, to Marx, to Plastimarx , allows it to be considered in the makings of a very colorful tin train set. Now if I could only find the FNP red sandcar.  BTW, I live 30 minutes from the location of  the old Louis Marx Toy Co. in Girard, Pa.  I probably had Marx toys as a young kid too !

Hafner trains do in generally not like to be run on 3-rail track, at least the versions with a bell; this makes Hafner less popular I assume. The actuator for the bell is designed to touch the sleepers and will be in the way on three rail track. I bent the actuator to run Hafner trains on my 3-rail track.

 

Regards

Fred

RoyBoy posted:
Robert S. Butler posted:

Here's an example of the early and late Hafner passenger trains.

 

Ealy

Set_Hafner_Passenger

 

Late

Hafner_Set_1010

Why does the early Hafner look so much like early American Flyer? Were they connected somehow?

Hafner worked for American Flyer during the Chicago years, eventually splitting off to found Hafner in 1914. There is speculation (heard this from Greg) that Hafner and AF worked together for a few years after the split on some designs due to similarity.

RoyBoy posted:
Robert S. Butler posted:

Here's an example of the early and late Hafner passenger trains.

 

Ealy

Set_Hafner_Passenger

 

Late

Hafner_Set_1010

Why does the early Hafner look so much like early American Flyer? Were they connected somehow?

When Hafner left AF he took nothing with him and had filed no patents for his clockwork designs or other trains, so both Hafner and AF coaches (specifically the 1100 and 1200 series AF consists) looked very similar. I have seen other opinions expressed here in on other forums that quite a few cast iron and possibly Hummer AF locos continued to be driven by Hafner clockwork well into the late teens. I agree that the Overland Flyer coaches look pretty **** close to the 1107 Flyer Pullmans, but they also resemble some Bing 210 and 516 metalwork coaches of the same era. So, it is entirely possible it was cheaper for both companies to buy passenger coach shells from Bing and adorn them at the factory before assembly.

Jim O'C posted:

 

 So, it is entirely possible it was cheaper for both companies to buy passenger coach shells from Bing and adorn them at the factory before assembly.

Not if I understand you correctly. If a coach is lithographed, the printing takes place on a blank sheet of metal, then the sheet is punched and formed into the shape and size required. In effect, it is decorated/adorned before it is formed, so what you are suggesting could not happen.

Last edited by RoyBoy

I don't have a huge collection of Hafner, but I do enjoy the ones that are in my fleet.  The Hafner windup motor is a reliable, well governed motor.  My only complaint is that they can be very difficult to repair due to the nature of the "basket winder" on the mainspring and the design of the front axle.  Regardless, the Hafner trains are a fixture in the windup world, and the cast iron locomotives have a ton of character.

Hafner109old

 

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  • Hafner109old
sncf231e posted:

Hafner trains do in generally not like to be run on 3-rail track, at least the versions with a bell; this makes Hafner less popular I assume. The actuator for the bell is designed to touch the sleepers and will be in the way on three rail track. I bent the actuator to run Hafner trains on my 3-rail track.

i have seen this fix before and it is really unnecessary.  rather than bend the clapper, loosen the motor (only held on by one screw) and when it drops down a bit, pivot the clapper and pin it behind the bell.  a lot easier to visualize with an engine in hand.

[edit:  i'll have to modify this a bit... this fix works for the 1010 locomotives, but the bells on the 1110 locomotives are mounted too close to the motor to give the clapper the space it needs.]

Last edited by overlandflyer

think all manufacturers didn't consider the tradition of trains around the Christmas tree? ...

Hafner 1110 greens
most of the 1110 locomotives came with either a dummy or working (battery op) headlight.

Hafner 1110 red
i don't have a red "Hafner Lines" tender for this one, but their Santa Fe tender matches up nicely.

Hafner trio
and here are a few less commonly seen Hafner cars.

left:  Adams Express Baggage with 'mottled' brown frame.
center:  Overland Flyer Express Baggage with boxcar roof.
right:  lighted Overland Flyer observation car.

cheers...gary

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  • Hafner 1110 greens
  • Hafner 1110 red
  • Hafner trio
overlandflyer posted:
sncf231e posted:

Hafner trains do in generally not like to be run on 3-rail track, at least the versions with a bell; this makes Hafner less popular I assume. The actuator for the bell is designed to touch the sleepers and will be in the way on three rail track. I bent the actuator to run Hafner trains on my 3-rail track.

i have seen this fix before and it is really unnecessary.  rather than bend the clapper, loosen the motor (only held on by one screw) and when it drops down a bit, pivot the clapper and pin it behind the bell.  a lot easier to visualize with an engine in hand.

[edit:  i'll have to modify this a bit... this fix works for the 1010 locomotives, but the bells on the 1110 locomotives are mounted too close to the motor to give the clapper the space it needs.]

Thank you,

That is a much better method and it works for my 1010!

Regards

Fred

as long as it's the topic, here is a little warning i like to pass on about Hafner CI that i've never seen documented anywhere and it has to do with the 'stretch' model in the early cast iron series, the #112 locomotive...

Hafner 112
the #112 is very identifiable with its two boiler bands, but the problem encountered is with the motor.  if your #112 had siderods that keep falling out of the cylinder pockets, chances are you have a motor someone has substituted from the much more common #109 locomotive.

Hafner 109
here is a #109 with the siderods placed in the same position but notice where the bend occurs.  the correct motor for a #112 has drive rods that are ~¼" longer and without this extra length, they will either slip out or worse, jam and cause the wheels to lock-up.

cheers...gary

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Images (2)
  • Hafner 109
  • Hafner 112
Last edited by overlandflyer

for the first 16-17 years of their existence, all Hafner locomotives were cast iron except for two oddballs.  the first occurred in the 1917-1919 timeframe when war shortages forced Hafner to turn to pressed steel to supplement their cast iron line...

Hafner steel.02

Hafner steel.03
i've got to imagine this model either replaced or heavily supplemented the economy sets that were headed by the #100.  without a brake or siderods and with the extremely spartan detail, you can't get much more plain-Jane, though it did still feature their standard, solid performing, clockwork motor.

 the other unique locomotive was produced (1931-32) to supposedly cut down on shipping weight, the aluminum cast #112(late)...

Hafner 112 late.02

Hafner 112 late.03
you only have to handle this model briefly to realize something isn't right.  though it is larger than any other cast model Hafner produced it is by far the lightest and since weight translates to traction, you can probably guess its not a very powerful locomotive, though i've never put it through any extensive testing.  one caution when looking to buy this engine, the increased length dictated the need to extend the brake control lever...

Hafner 112 late.04
just another tip to make sure you get the correct motor.  Doyle states in Greenberg that this modified motor sometimes appeared in other models, but personally i've never seen another besides the one in my locomotive.

i would certainly like to know if anyone has ever seen a valid set with either of these two engines.
cheers...gary

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Images (5)
  • Hafner 112 late.02
  • Hafner 112 late.03
  • Hafner steel.02
  • Hafner steel.03
  • Hafner 112 late.04
Last edited by overlandflyer

thanks for that picture, Steve.  i especially like all the accessories in that set!  the bridge and clock are two pieces i've yet to come across, not that i'm actively looking for much of anything these days.  i forgot about those big 6¼" cars as they really don't look right mixed in with anything else Hafner.  here is a shot of one next to one of the more common 5½" cars...

Hafner 5.5 vs 6.25 inch cars
unlike the larger Flyer cars, these aren't just longer, they're bigger in every dimension.  but i can also see how the #112(late) aluminum locomotive probably wouldn't have that hard of a time dealing with only 6 - 8 axles in the entire consist and with a size more fitting than any other Hafner loco of that era.

cheers...gary

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Images (1)
  • Hafner 5.5 vs 6.25 inch cars
Last edited by overlandflyer
overlandflyer posted:

for the first 16-17 years of their existence, all Hafner locomotives were cast iron except for two oddballs.  the first occurred in the 1917-1919 timeframe when war shortages forced Hafner to turn to pressed steel to supplement their cast iron line...

Hafner steel.02

Hafner steel.03
i've got to imagine this model either replaced or heavily supplemented the economy sets that were headed by the #100.  without a brake or siderods and with the extremely spartan detail, you can't get much more plain-Jane, though it did still feature their standard, solid performing, clockwork motor.

 the other unique locomotive was produced (1931-32) to supposedly cut down on shipping weight, the aluminum cast #112(late)...

Hafner 112 late.02

Hafner 112 late.03
you only have to handle this model briefly to realize something isn't right.  though it is larger than any other cast model Hafner produced it is by far the lightest and since weight translates to traction, you can probably guess its not a very powerful locomotive, though i've never put it through any extensive testing.  one caution when looking to buy this engine, the increased length dictated the need to extend the brake control lever...

Hafner 112 late.04
just another tip to make sure you get the correct motor.  Doyle states in Greenberg that this modified motor sometimes appeared in other models, but personally i've never seen another besides the one in my locomotive.

i would certainly like to know if anyone has ever seen a valid set with either of these two engines.
cheers...gary

Thanks for posting this one, Gary. I have one of the sheetmetal locos currently being freshened by Windup Guy but it lacks the front boilerplate. The mechanism still runs great but it was missing a few wheels and the governor needed attention.

for the most part, Hafner only made five common cast iron locomotive styles from 1914 until the early 30's.  the early design, #100, #109 & #112 and the late #109 & #110 shells.  but if you think there isn't enough here to form a collection, think again.

the early #100 and #109/110* locomotives are the easiest to find.  here is the basic #100 economy locomotive...

Hafner 100.1
it has no brake and since the cylinder castings are incomplete, it cannot support siderods.

*[i have an issue with Greenberg (Doyle) when it comes to his listing of the #109 & #110 (early) locomotives which probably happened in editing.  the text states, "Number taken from shell casting and from catalogue.", but no matter how you interpret it, i do not believe a shell casting with an embossed "110" exists since his description of the #109 & #110 shells are identical, the only difference being the motor.  his listing of a #109 uses the same plain motor as in the model #100 while his listing for the #110 has a motor with brake and siderods attached.  so, while #110 might be a catalog designation, all shells (i have seen) are stamped "109R" and "109L".  to be less confusing, i only refer to this shell as a #109 locomotive regardless of the motor it uses though i sometimes designate basic or deluxe model where appropriate.]

with that out of the way, in comparison, the #109 is very similar in design but about ½" longer...

Hafner 109
the most distinguishing difference between the two shells is the location of the motor mounting screw.  on the #100 it is centered on the cylinder centerline (no hole is on the opposite side) and on the #109, the screw is located behind the cylinder (there are holes on both sides, but only the right side of the motor is tapped to hold the mounting screw).  and of course if it does have siderods, it must be a #109, while having a brake without any siderods is almost certainly a motor that used to have siderods.

as a collector, you could stop at these two basic models, but what fun would that be.

there are three motor variations that Hafner produced during the cast iron era...

Hafner motor no brake
the economy motor was the only one found in the #100 model.

Hafner motor wheel brake
the friction wheel brake was the early deluxe motor design...

Hafner motor paddle brake
replaced with the paddle/ pivot brake in later production.

a note about the two different brake designs.  the early friction wheel brake was the more complex mechanism in comparison, and is by far the better of the two in my opinion.  while this design uses spring tension to hold the friction brake in place, the paddle design is a lever which throws a pin into the governor which can easily damage the governor especially if the brake lever is used while the motor is not turning.

three different motor variations, ok but the differences do not stop there...  notice the wheels which went through three different versions from 1914 to 1932.  the earliest models featured 10-spoke cast iron drivers, but shortly after war shortages started to affect the industry, these were replaced with two different variations of 8-spoked stamped steel drivers which i refer to as curved (early) and flat spoke (later) versions.

from top to bottom, the three motors shown display the three different wheels... flat spoke, cast iron and curved spoke.  i have no hard data on this, but from my experience i'd say the cast iron wheel motors are much less common than the other two.

getting the groups together...

Hafner 100 group
the three different wheeled #100 models...

Hafner 109 group
and three different deluxe #109 models.

to eliminate a few variations, i doubt if you will find a paddle brake on a motor with cast iron wheels or a wheel brake with flat spoke wheels, but when you do the math that is still a lot of engines.  and of course the #109 was apparently available with the economy motors, but seeing they are completely interchangeable, to me that makes them a needless find.

and if you hadn't noticed before now... check the boiler bands.  while the only color i've seen on the #109 shell is the basic grey metal band, i have both a red and a gold boiler band versions of the #100.

fun stuff!
cheers...gary

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Images (7)
  • Hafner 100.1
  • Hafner 109
  • Hafner motor no  brake
  • Hafner motor wheel  brake
  • Hafner motor paddle brake
  • Hafner 100 group
  • Hafner 109 group
Last edited by overlandflyer
David from Dearborn posted:

I added the STOP FEATURE to my Hafner/Wyandotte layout as well as a WOLVERINE COAL LOADER that will unload marbles into the V shaped trough of a Hafner gondola.  Here are the videos.

 

David,

I love the action of that Wolverine coal loader with the Hafner gondola.  Wonderful!  

Did the black balls (coal) originally come with the Wolverine coal loader or did you substitute something else?  If the latter, what specific brand, type and size of black balls did you use?

Why is the insert needed?  Won't the black balls work without the insert installed?

Bob Nelson

navy.seal posted:
David from Dearborn posted:

I added the STOP FEATURE to my Hafner/Wyandotte layout as well as a WOLVERINE COAL LOADER that will unload marbles into the V shaped trough of a Hafner gondola.  Here are the videos.

 

David,

I love the action of that Wolverine coal loader with the Hafner gondola.  Wonderful!  

Did the black balls (coal) originally come with the Wolverine coal loader or did you substitute something else?  If the latter, what specific brand, type and size of black balls did you use?

Why is the insert needed?  Won't the black balls work without the insert installed?

Bob Nelson

Bob,

After purchasing a Wolverine Coal Loader I have learned a whole lot about marbles and how easy they jam.  At first I thought that the concept was simple, get a bunch of marbles and dump them into the loader.  I found that they either continuously  jammed or let more than one marble out at one time.  After studying the problem I found that 17mm marbles worked the best, however only 4 marbles lined up in a row in the trough of the loader would work.  The insert I made would allow 9 marbles to line up in an even row (9 marbles will fill up the Hafner gondola).  The side view of the diagram shows 8 marbles, but I found that one more could be added as long as it is added on top of the last row near the end. 

Here is a photo and diagram of the insert.

Last edited by Former Member
navy.seal posted:

David,

Thanks for the info.  It was just what I wanted to know.

On ebay I noticed that Wolverine also made a "sand loader" of a similar swinging-arm design.  Do you know anything about this tin toy?

Bob Nelson

Hi Bob,

Yes, I tried the Wolverine Sand Loader.  When using dry sand, the loader worked fine although it throws the sand around somewhat.  I didn't want to have sand around the layout so I enlarged the opening at the bottom and tried to use small round dried peas instead.  However, just like the marbles in the coal loader, the peas would jam in the opening at the bottom.  I tried enlarging the opening in varying degrees but never could get it to work right. 

Here is an updated plan for the Wolverine Coal Loader insert showing all 9 marbles and 17mm diameter.  One of the common sizes for marbles is 17mm and there are many dealers that specialize in marbles of all sorts of sizes and colors.  I purchased black ones to simulate coal but other colors or fancy swirled coloring might even look like more fun.  Kids love to load the marbles and I am still fascinated by the physics involved in its automatic operation.

Another solution instead of the insert might be to use a 3/4" tube of some sort that would line up the marbles in a row.

 

Last edited by Former Member

When I saw the set box of the Hafner Century of Progress train, I realized that I have some Hafner  banked track and it does have curves that are 19" from outside rail to outside rail.  So I put the track together to see how it would run.  I only have 2 Hafner straights, but here is a video I made to show how it would run on original track.  I wound up the spring fully to show how long it would run.  I you watch to the end, you will see a slow motion derailment.

There is a real nice TCA link to the history of Hafner here:

http://www.tcawestern.org/hafner.htm

 

 

Last edited by Former Member
David from Dearborn posted:

When I saw the set box of the Hafner Century of Progress train, I realized that I have some Hafner  banked track and it does have curves that are 19" from outside rail to outside rail.  So I put the track together to see how it would run.  I only have 2 Hafner straights, but here is a video I made to show how it would run on original track.  I wound up the spring fully to show how long it would run.  I you watch to the end, you will see a slow motion derailment.

There is a real nice TCA link to the history of Hafner here:

http://www.tcawestern.org/hafner.htm

 

 

Cool video Dave. Sorry about the derailment, but the slow motion replay was interesting to watch. Especially when the giant hand came down to rescue the loco!  

Here are 3 my Hafner and Wyandotte engines.  They are late production from the late 1940's to 1956 when Wyandotte went out of business.  They are the  streamlined engines, a Hafner 2000, a Hafner/Wyandotte and a Wyandotte.  The Wyandotte tender states that it was "built 4-6-55".

to wrap up the Hafner cast iron...

by the mid 20's Flyer clockwork models were in their third redesign with rivet and piping detail not found in the early castings...

Flyer Type XIV and XV
even the economy Hummer line showed some details.

Hafner responded with two new models, the economy #109 (late) replacing the #100 locomotive and more than likely the early #109 which was the larger casting but without the brake and siderods...

Hafner 109.late 03

and to replace the higher end #110 (early), the #110 (late).

Hafner 110.late 03
fairly similar to the #109 with a little extra length, side rods and a brake.  the extra dome on the #110 (late) is the most identifiable difference between the two, though with the lack of complete cylinder castings, the #109 (late) cannot support siderods.

in my experience the smaller #109 (late) is the harder of the two models to find.  both late models were replaced when Hafner phased out cast iron completely in the early 1930's with the newer #1110 sheet metal Types.

cheers...gary

(yes, the #109 motor side frame is olive drab... it's actually gray on the other side.  definitely factory original. ... one of those tinplate mysteries)

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  • Flyer Type XIV and XV
  • Hafner 109.late 03
  • Hafner 110.late 03
David from Dearborn posted:

Here are 3 my Hafner and Wyandotte engines.  They are late production from the late 1940's to 1956 when Wyandotte went out of business.  They are the  streamlined engines, a Hafner 2000, a Hafner/Wyandotte and a Wyandotte. ...

many of these streamline models through the Wyandotte production were also available with a battery operated headlight...

Wyandotte 970

a "C" cell mounted in the nose provided the power with a pilot mounted on/off switch.  with a deep, unthreaded socket, i've never been able to definitely identify the original bulb type, but with the extended hood (WW II "blackout" influence?) it could not have had a large globe.  operational tip... even if you don't have a bulb in place, the locomotive tracks a bit better with the battery weight.  i don't have any of mine out to check, but i believe some of the non-headlight models had a weight attached up front.

cheers...gary

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Images (1)
  • Wyandotte 970
Last edited by overlandflyer
David from Dearborn posted:

I added the STOP FEATURE to my Hafner/Wyandotte layout as well as a WOLVERINE COAL LOADER that will unload marbles into the V shaped trough of a Hafner gondola.  Here are the videos.

 

Dave

ive watched this video about 1000 times and the track, layout, trains and that coal loader(marbles) has got to be the coolest thing I have ever seen.

Jim O'C posted:

Theme of the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago ...

century of progress set w box

with the same head end power, Hafner also offered a Century of Progress freight set...

Hafner CoP Freight Set

hard for me to say as a freight car fan, but i can see why the passenger set was far more popular.  while the passenger set had some embossed detail around the windows and doorways, the freight cars were punched flat without much lithograph detail...

Hafner CoP 62425 Boxcar
the boxcar (no doors) was essentially the passenger set express - baggage - mail car without the end doors and a less detailed roof.

Hafner CoP Caboose 01
add a cupola with side windows rather than a doorway and the rear end light from an observation car to make a caboose,

Hafner Sand cars
and the sand car already existed as an all red version of the early NYC Sand & Gravel car.
cost saving ideas like this, however, likely helped Hafner survive the depression years.

the last oddball from this era...

Hafner Baggage
not considered an error, the plain-Jane version of the baggage car.
simple, but IMO really says it all ...

cheers...gary

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Images (5)
  • Hafner CoP Freight Set
  • Hafner CoP 62425 Boxcar
  • Hafner CoP Caboose 01
  • Hafner Sand cars
  • Hafner Baggage

sticking with the Type VI transitional frame, i must admit i'm usually a stickler for condition, but once in a while something comes along were you have to lower all standards* ...

Copper 1110.01
the all copper boiler was the last #1010 model made and is shown here with the equally rare Type VI frame copper tender.

Copper 1110.02
the uniquely identifiable feature of this engine is an extra long drawbar to be able to reach down to the low tender coupler,

Copper 1110.03
plus it is the only drawbar in the 1110 series that swivels.

Greenberg (Doyle) lists/ pictures a few freight cars with the Type VI frame and also mentions that the copper #1110 & tender may have only appeared in a single ca. 1938 freight set, but for some reason he doesn't go as far as identifying the actual freight cars.

Hafner SSS with copper tender
the small SunShine Special cars work for me for now, but i'd certainly appreciate any input on the 1937 Grainger's Catalog ad which may at least graphically show that freight set.

cheers...gary

* a note to the reliability/ durability of the Hafner clockwork motor... i would have accepted this one with a frozen mechanism or worse, yet despite its visible cosmetic condition, the motor winds and operates as smoothly as it probably did on day one.

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Images (4)
  • Copper 1110.01
  • Copper 1110.02
  • Copper 1110.03
  • Hafner SSS with copper tender
Last edited by overlandflyer

Back in the late 1970’s I was working for the Missouri Pacific and was talking to the Chief Clerk to the Superintendent in North Little Rock. He was quite the railroad historian and had written many articles and two books. He’d mentioned his parents had given him a Sunshine Special train for a birthday.  Obviously this was preInternet searches and I had no idea who’d made them. I finally bought a set of yellow and red cars with a locomotive and tender and have them displayed with my Mopac collection.  The locomotive is missing the side rods so am trying to find a replacement set.

Back in the late 1970’s I was working for the Missouri Pacific and was talking to the Chief Clerk to the Superintendent in North Little Rock. He was quite the railroad historian and had written many articles and two books. He’d mentioned his parents had given him a Sunshine Special train for a birthday.  Obviously this was preInternet searches and I had no idea who’d made them. I finally bought a set of yellow and red cars with a locomotive and tender and have them displayed with my Mopac collection.  The locomotive is missing the side rods so am trying to find a replacement set.

Many came without side rods.

Steve

When I started collecting Hafner, the early stuff resembling Flyer were pretty pricey so my collection was mostly the later streamliner types as seen in the old photo's below. Prices on the earlier started dropping so my collection has gone more to the earlier types and much of the streamliner ones have been sold.

Steve



Wall of Hafner 2Wall of Hafner 3Wall of Hafner 4

hey Steve, what number is that copper and green streamlined wind-up Hafner? I'm trying to do an evaluation of value on one I have. Mine's not as nice as yours though but it is complete. Thanks

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OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

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