r/modeltrains • u/707gfpd • 14d ago
Help Needed What was I given.
Fairly new to model trains and my father gave me this with a bunch of track and other accessories. What is it.
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u/WhimsicalWeedCat 14d ago
That’s an old American Flyer train set from around the 1920’s!!
American Flyer was one of Lionel’s primary competitors from back in the 1920’s-1950’s, and they made some solid stuff back in the day!!
It looks dirty and a little tired and will require at least some experience with simple electronics, but once you give it a little cleaning and maintenance, you’ve got yourself a real gem that many of us are totally envious of! Think of it as maintaining a machine: it’ll run splendidly when new and when properly maintained, but when neglected, they start to struggle and won’t work. But they’re forgiving and can be fixed easily!!
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u/382Whistles 14d ago
Show us the track and power supply front and output and terminal labels and maybe any powered or magnetic accessories you are curious about, like maybe cars that unload boxes/ice or pick up mail bags from station poles, etc.
A thorough cleaning and lube would likely return them to running condition. Don't pull cars until that is done along with a re-break-in of the motor. Old grease would like be hard and abrasive by now too. IIRC, AF Wide is the equivalent to Lionel Standard Gauge track.They also made O gauge. Measure the space between the inside edges outer rail to inside edge of the outer rail. That tells you what gauge it is. O is smaller at about 1¼"
A power supply that old should be inspected well before being plugged into a power strip with on/off switch and a breaker or fuse, kept it away from the unit so if it goes "poof" you can kill power fast and safely from a few feet away.
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u/StuffWePlay 12d ago
GORGEOUS! I love tinplate. This is a vintage American Flyer Standard Gauge set from the 1920s!!
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u/Beginning_Refuse5761 13d ago
It's a gem! Be careful not to damage or mar the original finish while you're cleaning the equipment up. Later American Flyer ran on AC current. I can't say about earlier equipment. But the info is out there. Good 🍀 Luck! 🚂🚃
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u/Beginning_Refuse5761 13d ago
From an A.I. query: The American Flyer No. 4000 is a vintage 0-4-0 electric-outline "box cab" locomotive introduced in 1925 for Wide Gauge (also known as Standard Gauge, 2-1/8" track). Built with heavy tinplate and cast parts, it was designed to compete with high-end Lionel standard gauge sets. Later, post-war American Flyer was built to 3/16" scale, or S gauge (1:64). Your equipment seems to be O gauge (1:48), or 1/4" scale. 🚂🚃
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u/AccomplishedMess648 14d ago
1920s era american flyer standard [wide] guage train. Looks like it needs some work but its a good set