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Time to dream and let them come true

"Hey son have you been thinking about a present mom and dad can buy you for Christmas?  Remember I just got promoted to a much better position in the company headquarters  , so you can ask for something really special this year. You older sister is looking through some catalogues now.  Here's a couple of train ones I picked up for you."

What would you ask for?  Remember parents are well to do right now.

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I purchased this set from the original owner's nephew, shortly after the original owner passed away (roughly in the 2005-2010 era).  The story I got with the set is that the original owner received it in 1928 as a Christmas present.  I realize that all of you Flyer people out there will recognize it as a 1927 model, but it certainly could have been a prior year's model that did not sell and finally sold in 1928.  The story related to me is that the boy was 8 years old when he received it.  I know that the gentleman was from the North Freedom, WI area, so I suspect that it was likely purchased in the Baraboo, WI area, as I have found quite a number of American Flyer trains in the Baraboo area (which is near where I was raised).  Not shown, is the original box, which came with the set.

NWL

You have sent me on a search for the catalogues of 1928. Can't fid them, so if anyone has photos of some of the sets from Lionel, Ives, or American Flyer, please post! In the mean time, I did find this, so Dad, since the company you got promoted to VP is General Electric, how about this under the tree?                                                Screen Shot 2020-04-03 at 1.46.54 PM

 

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Jushavnfun posted:

 

Time to dream and let them come true

"Hey son have you been thinking about a present mom and dad can buy you for Christmas?  Remember I just got promoted to a much better position in the company headquarters  , so you can ask for something really special this year. You older sister is looking through some catalogues now.  Here's a couple of train ones I picked up for you."

What would you ask for?  Remember parents are well to do right now.

A time machine - 1929 is right around the corner...........and that promotion is about to go up in smoke.

How about a Ives 3245R (4 4 4) in black and orange. Developed and coming to market in 1928 as Ives was going  out of business, this unit has remote reversing control. Add to this a 4 car set of  240 black & orange cars.

Christmas  1928 was 10 months before the bottom fell out  October  1929, and no one saw that coming.

Jushavnfun posted:

American Flyer was on of the first American wide gauge toy train company's,  I think they predate Lionel,  who chose to call his track Standard gauge,  though I  believe it is the same size, just Lionel had better marketing.

Lionel was the first to produce that gauge and called it Standard Gauge.  Lionel began producing it sometime in the early 1900s.  I believe Lionel first introduced 2 7/8 gauge trains and then went to Standard Gauge, which is slightly smaller (is it 2 1/4 gauge?).  At the time Lionel started producing Standard Gauge, other manufacturers were making 0,1, 2, 2 7/8, & 3 gauge (and possibly other sizes, I am not an expert on the sizes).  Lionel started making Standard Gauge and for whatever reasons, it took off and other manufacturers began to make trains in Standard/Wide Gauge.

American Flyer began making O gauge windup trains in 1907 and brought out O gauge electric trains in or around 1918.  American Flyer introduced Wide Gauge in 1925. I believe American Flyer "killed" standard gauge around 1933-1934 and continued to catalog unsold items through 1936.

Additionally, Lionel was the last company (in the prewar era) to discontinue Wide Gauge, which I believe it did in 1939.

NWL

Last edited by Nation Wide Lines

1928?  I think Marx had introduced its first Joy Line trains.  They faced the Depression, so wait, please, Dad, for the WWII interruption, just after Marx introduced the 3/16 in 1941.  I want every Marx 3/16 engine and car version.  While, waiting, save the money and get us a new car...there are dozens of makes and body styles by American companies.  Have you seen the Kissle White Eagles, or Jordan 90's. You said you'd hit it in the stock market, and made a killing...how about a triple ignition McFarlan TV-6 with a 572cu. in 6  like some of the movie stars?  Gas is cheap..live it up....it is 1928!

 

Jim Waterman posted:

Too early for an Ives Prosperity Special? Or talk the department store into selling their demo white set? How close are we to Wanamakers?

Jim

Wanamakers are all 1924, so likely gone by now.

Same with the white sets, likely gone by now.

Prosperity, is a bit later (1929).

 

In 1928 for Christmas from Ives (who just went into bankruptcy over the summer), you should be happy with anything you get from them.  The trains were hodge podge put together this year.  Whatever it took to get things out of the factory and make some sales...

The dream set is probably a short cab 3245 or 1134 with 4 American flyer body cars, making either an Interstate limited, or a Black diamond SR. set in wide gauge.

In O gauge, you're likely hoping for the mottled grey 3257 set, or something similar, like the Oriole, Greenway special, or Black diamond Jr.

The two window wide gauge caboose is also high on the desire list.

Last edited by Ives1122

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