Hafner?

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.

When I was in purchasing mode, I wish I had purchased more than the one Hafner 1010 locomotive and assorted cars I have in my wind up collection.

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

I replaced my first train, a yellow streamlined Hafner, just last year. Then I bought another loco just like it and put a Marx motor in it. It looks original.

Goodie! I figured somebody collected it, and there was more to it than the one set l barely remember.  Thanks for posting. 

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.

Neat story about your glomming that childhood Hafner set. That was a coup.  I am sure mine was very common, from the '50's, and am not looking for it.  Collect too much already, and am not going there.

Hello Hafner fans ....

here is an innocent photo from the WWW..note egg in gondola ..... hope it is hard boiled ..or the resale value of this train was diminished upon it's cranking.

Wind it up and watch it go

Cheers Carey

PS last time I wound mine up it went like the wind .... warranty on Hafner must have been 90+ years 

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 !

Well, you certainly don't have to worry about compatibility. That's for sure. The plastic seven-inch passenger cars are pretty elusive too but I really like the variations of the Ferrocarilles cabeese and especially the yellow open gondola.

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

Ealy

Late

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

Robert S. Butler posted:

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

 

Ealy

 

Late

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

RoyBoy posted:

Robert S. Butler posted:

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

 

Ealy

 

Late

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

 

Late

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.

One of my favorite Hafner loco's

Geez, y'all are making me want some Hafner. Can't decide if I like the cast iron era better or the more modern stuff. Guess I'll need to sample both! LOL