Born in 1953, I am a diehard postwar Lionel purist, but I salute AF for having the best choo choo sound, as well as the talking station, light tower, and best of all - the oil drum loader. Enjoyed your video!
That is nice to hear. We didn't have much growing up in a rural area, and the few things we had were cherished and taken care of. I still have the trains I had as a youngster and still play with them today. As you know our family plays with trains from Z scale to 12" to the foot gauge ! Thank you for watching, we appreciate it.
A C Gilbert was a man of many talents, and after buying American Flyer, he put together a vary talented group to make the company a big success for a long time.
Thank you for sharing. Born in 1942, my first set was a pre WWII as none were produced during the war. Sill have it as part of my layout and it still runs well.
Born in 1953 too!, But I'm an American Flyer fan, (Only the rich kids had Lionel's when I was growing up!).... Love your set up; I have a lot of the same cars and pieces.... and Yes, you do need a haircut! ☺
@@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156 I was joking about the haircut!....(but all humor, if it's funny, must be based in truth!).... There I go, joking again!
Oh man! You're killing me with good memories. I've had a set sitting in by basement for 30 years that I got in the mid 50's. I've contacted a local repair shop and they'r willing to look at it! Wish me luck!!
Repair parts for American Flyer trains are readily available, and anyone who has some experience working on them should be able to put the trains back in operation. Thanks for watching.
Very cool setup. What they accomplished with just electro mechanical systems is fascinating. I would have a blast seeing how it all works and how it was engineered. I just brought home some more things to play with on the PAD trainer (power analog digital power supply from electronics school) will be building some basic circuits on the breadboard, my son is 10 time to challenge him!
Wow ! That must have taken allot of knowledge and care...to set up this " Village " or town or society...with allot of different functions and purposes...that i guess makes me tell a " town. If you understand he he. Thx for sharing. This looks like something that function and stood the test of time as you told. Do you cover it all...to keep dust away ? I do not know much of this kind of hobby or things...but this was very beautiful and dust free and clean. Allot of smart technology from the past. Clever peoples makes allot of good things. I guess we should be thankful to all the peoples behind the good inventions and good products. Not too thankful to corrupt leaders and selfish politicians and other decivers...that sabotage....for some stupid strange reason, all the good stuff and things...coming from all the good peoples he he. I got philosophical. Very nice view and absolutely rare i would guess and must be interesting and inspiring for the many. Keep up the good work ! :-)
Thank you for such nice comments. We used to have many great thinkers and inventors, not for just toys, but for industry as a whole. Today we have power crazy politicians trying to control every aspect of our lives, not a good scenario. Playing with out toys is what keeps us happy and on an even keel !
I had to repair some decking on my front porch and it was pouring down rain and lightning. We had tornadoes north and south of us. I got soaked a couple of times going to and from the shop getting tools and various equipment that I needed. Cutting wet decking with my Skil saw was fun, but I got it done. I will wait until everything gets dry to stain the new decking. The weather would not let me use my chop saw, so I had to cut everything by hand and a square. Normally, I just mark it and cut it with my big chop saw. However, I got it done. The sleepers that I had to put in were tough because I cannot jump down through slots in the joists, like I used to be able to.I used nails and screws on them. My DeWalt impact and drill did most of the work, along with my framing hammer.
A beautiful layout and nice track system. Enough track for 13 car freight and my 7 car Santa Fe A-B-A train. I am sure you know that is Gabe the lamplighter that climbs the ladder to light the tower. Louie the oil drum loader dumps the metal barrels into the gondolas. I know the names of most like Smitty the walking brakeman because I read the catalogs from cover to cover as a kid and I still do once in awhile. My favorite is on the cover of the 1957 AF catalog.....Most realistic trains ever made! I have that 4 pc 302 Die Cast and it is heavy enough to pull 19 well oiled box cars. Can you do that for us? Thank you.
I flubbed up on Gabe, but didn't want to go back and re-do the video, so left it as is. We can only run shorter trains on the layout, due to the steep grades. We enjoy our catalogs too, we thumb through them a lot. Thanks for the nice comment and for watching.
If you run Pul Mor KC trains, the 283 Pacific will pull 16 Heavyweight passenger cars up to the highest trestle. My 283 Pacific in 1968 pulled a 960, 2, 962s, a 952,953, 954, heavyweights and 3 aluminum AF cars up the trestles for hours. And fast too, Could have pulled twice that many but I ran out of cars!
Enjoyed your layout, nice collection of accessories! Question: At the 8:40 mark on your video … You show a Floodlight Tower with “Sam The Semaphore Man”. I have the American Flyer “Sam” #758, but I’ve NEVER seen the Floodlight with Sam? Can you provide any details on this floodlight accessory? Model No., Year made, etc.? It’s pretty cool the way he climbs the ladder and turns on the light. I’d like to find one for my layout. Thanks for any help you can provide.
I did a boo-boo on the video and called the accessory Sam the Semaphore man, when in reality the accessory is Gabe The Lamp Lighter, which was made in 1958 only. I didn't want to re-do the video to correct my mistake, so I released the video as it was. This is one of their best accessories. My catalogs are loaned out, so I don't have the model number for you.
@@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156 Thanks for getting back with me. The info you provided helped tremendously. I was able to find the catalog number on Gabe the Lamplighter. Thank God they make a reproduction, there’s no way I could justify spending the money on an original. Kool accessory 😎😎😎 Thanks again!
The earliest Flyer trains were called Chicago Flyer. Standard gauge was called Wide Gauge, and the earliest 3/16 trains were 0 gauge, and after WW-2, they were called S gauge. HO was made pre-war and post war also. We have Flyer trains from all era's
A 4-4-2 locomotive designation is in reference to the wheel arrangement. The 4 means that the front wheel set has 2 axles with 4 wheels, this is called a pilot truck, which helps the locomotive going into curves, the next 4 is for the number of powered driving wheels, and the 2 is for what is referred to as a trailing truck, which in a real locomotive would be for helping support the weight of the boiler. Common wheel arrangement for steam loco's are: 4-6-2, 4-8-4, 2-8-2, etc.
I accumulated the trains and accessories over many years. I used to do do toy train repairs and restorations for many years, and many times customers would trade in part of their collections as part payment for the work I did. So after many years of the stuff sitting in boxes, my son and I built the layout so we could play trains. Great family fun !
You have a very rare engine, and the chugger tender will be difficult to find. Large train swap meets such as York Pa. would be one avenue, the other would be to join the TCA, Train Collectors Association, and advertise for one there.
You have to look at the motors to tell what type they are. DC motors have a permanent magnet surrounding the the motor armature, and AC motors have a set of field wires around a set of metal armature plates, and they also have a reversing mechanism that changes the polarity of the field wires and brushes to get either forward or reverse. DC motors just change the polarity of the motor brushes to do the same thing.@@robrobb1638
Born in 1953, I am a diehard postwar Lionel purist, but I salute AF for having the best choo choo sound, as well as the talking station, light tower, and best of all - the oil drum loader. Enjoyed your video!
Thanks for the nice comments. Me and the family all collect trains. A great hobby !!
boy i hope you have grand kids to share this with, this is what memories are made of and to have a grandpa like you... priceless
The train layout is a family project for all to share in !
I was 4 in 1965 when I received my used American flyer for Christmas. Still have it. Thanks for showing us your layout
That is nice to hear. We didn't have much growing up in a rural area, and the few things we had were cherished and taken care of. I still have the trains I had as a youngster and still play with them today. As you know our family plays with trains from Z scale to 12" to the foot gauge ! Thank you for watching, we appreciate it.
Thanx 4 sharing, I had no idea they designed such complex accessories for train sets.
very nice layout Mr Obsolete!! AC Gilbert and his associates really knew what they were doing.
A C Gilbert was a man of many talents, and after buying American Flyer, he put together a vary talented group to make the company a big success for a long time.
Thank you for sharing. Born in 1942, my first set was a pre WWII as none were produced during the war. Sill have it as part of my layout and it still runs well.
Amazing how things were made to last, unlike today.
Born in 1953 too!, But I'm an American Flyer fan, (Only the rich kids had Lionel's when I was growing up!).... Love your set up; I have a lot of the same cars and pieces.... and Yes, you do need a haircut! ☺
Thanks for the nice comment and for watching. I usually am in need of a haircut, as I spend too much time working and playing.
@@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156 I was joking about the haircut!....(but all humor, if it's funny, must be based in truth!).... There I go, joking again!
That looks like a lot of fun layout. Love American Flyer 👍
The layout has been a lot of fun building and operating it. Thanks for watching.
I'm a Lionel man, but AF 2 rail track looks 10x better than Lionel's. Great layout, thanks for sharing.
We also have a 3 rail Lionel layout that we did a video on. Take a look for the video. Thanks for watching.
That’s a beautiful setup. Great stock!
Thank you kindly
Very nice layout! Amazing what was designed without (before) computers.
The engineers and entrepreneurs from the past and how they accomplished so many things is truly amazing.
I like the passenger cars that light up inside and that log loader is really interesting. Thanks Mr Obsolete 👍
That's a great way to spend a rainy day!
Playing trains is a great way to get spend some time when we can't get outdoors to do some work.
Oh man! You're killing me with good memories. I've had a set sitting in by basement for 30 years that I got in the mid 50's. I've contacted a local repair shop and they'r willing to look at it! Wish me luck!!
Repair parts for American Flyer trains are readily available, and anyone who has some experience working on them should be able to put the trains back in operation. Thanks for watching.
Thank you so much for sharing that is a nice setup brings back a lot of memories thank you for the video
Glad you enjoyed it
I like the little details all throughout. The log loader is my favorite.
This layout is so much fun.
Great layout!!
The layout came out real well, and is a lot of fun to operate.
Thanks for sharing love the log loader and forklift awesome
The old AF trains are a lot of fun.
Very impressive train set sir i love it!!!
The trains and layout is shared by all the family. Lot's of fun !
@@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156 absolutely
Chooo...choo me home to my little train shack in the back woods of Plunkerville N.H. There the folks are a bit slow and so am I.
Just fantastic ! thank you.
Thank you
Gabe,the lamplighter!!
I know, I flubbed up !
Very cool setup. What they accomplished with just electro mechanical systems is fascinating. I would have a blast seeing how it all works and how it was engineered. I just brought home some more things to play with on the PAD trainer (power analog digital power supply from electronics school) will be building some basic circuits on the breadboard, my son is 10 time to challenge him!
Some vintage tech along with some modern tech will make for a well rounded education.
Wow ! That must have taken allot of knowledge and care...to set up this " Village " or town or society...with allot of different functions and purposes...that i guess makes me tell a " town. If you understand he he. Thx for sharing. This looks like something that function and stood the test of time as you told. Do you cover it all...to keep dust away ? I do not know much of this kind of hobby or things...but this was very beautiful and dust free and clean. Allot of smart technology from the past. Clever peoples makes allot of good things. I guess we should be thankful to all the peoples behind the good inventions and good products. Not too thankful to corrupt leaders and selfish politicians and other decivers...that sabotage....for some stupid strange reason, all the good stuff and things...coming from all the good peoples he he. I got philosophical. Very nice view and absolutely rare i would guess and must be interesting and inspiring for the many. Keep up the good work ! :-)
Thank you for such nice comments. We used to have many great thinkers and inventors, not for just toys, but for industry as a whole. Today we have power crazy politicians trying to control every aspect of our lives, not a good scenario. Playing with out toys is what keeps us happy and on an even keel !
I had to repair some decking on my front porch and it was pouring down rain and lightning. We had tornadoes north and south of us. I got soaked a couple of times going to and from the shop getting tools and various equipment that I needed. Cutting wet decking with my Skil saw was fun, but I got it done. I will wait until everything gets dry to stain the new decking. The weather would not let me use my chop saw, so I had to cut everything by hand and a square. Normally, I just mark it and cut it with my big chop saw. However, I got it done. The sleepers that I had to put in were tough because I cannot jump down through slots in the joists, like I used to be able to.I used nails and screws on them. My DeWalt impact and drill did most of the work, along with my framing hammer.
Nice to get projects done, even when the weather isn't that good.
muy buen trabajo..very good....
Thumbs up!!!
American Flyer was dads favorite.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156 👌
excelente
We had rain today so i ain't struck a lick at nothn lol.
We always knew it as Gabe the Lamplighter🙂
I flubbed up on that, but didnt want to re-film it, so I just went with it !
A beautiful layout and nice track system. Enough track for 13 car freight and my 7 car Santa Fe A-B-A train. I am sure you know that is Gabe the lamplighter that climbs the ladder to light the tower. Louie the oil drum loader dumps the metal barrels into the gondolas. I know the names of most like Smitty the walking brakeman because I read the catalogs from cover to cover as a kid and I still do once in awhile. My favorite is on the cover of the 1957 AF catalog.....Most realistic trains ever made! I have that 4 pc 302 Die Cast and it is heavy enough to pull 19 well oiled box cars. Can you do that for us? Thank you.
I flubbed up on Gabe, but didn't want to go back and re-do the video, so left it as is. We can only run shorter trains on the layout, due to the steep grades. We enjoy our catalogs too, we thumb through them a lot. Thanks for the nice comment and for watching.
If you run Pul Mor KC trains, the 283 Pacific will pull 16 Heavyweight passenger cars up to the highest trestle. My 283 Pacific in 1968 pulled a 960, 2, 962s, a 952,953, 954, heavyweights and 3 aluminum AF cars up the trestles for hours. And fast too, Could have pulled twice that many but I ran out of cars!
I've got a min train set that I get out once in a while and tinker with
That's what they are for !
Enjoyed your layout, nice collection of accessories!
Question: At the 8:40 mark on your video … You show a Floodlight Tower with “Sam The Semaphore Man”. I have the American Flyer “Sam” #758, but I’ve NEVER seen the Floodlight with Sam? Can you provide any details on this floodlight accessory? Model No., Year made, etc.? It’s pretty cool the way he climbs the ladder and turns on the light. I’d like to find one for my layout. Thanks for any help you can provide.
I did a boo-boo on the video and called the accessory Sam the Semaphore man, when in reality the accessory is Gabe The Lamp Lighter, which was made in 1958 only. I didn't want to re-do the video to correct my mistake, so I released the video as it was. This is one of their best accessories. My catalogs are loaned out, so I don't have the model number for you.
@@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156 Thanks for getting back with me. The info you provided helped tremendously. I was able to find the catalog number on Gabe the Lamplighter. Thank God they make a reproduction, there’s no way I could justify spending the money on an original. Kool accessory 😎😎😎 Thanks again!
Glad to help.
Flyer made trains back to 1920s in O, standard and 3/16 O which became S in 1946. HO too post war era.
The earliest Flyer trains were called Chicago Flyer. Standard gauge was called Wide Gauge, and the earliest 3/16 trains were 0 gauge, and after WW-2, they were called S gauge. HO was made pre-war and post war also. We have Flyer trains from all era's
What are the actual dimensions of your layout? Just building my retirement layout. Your looks great!
The width of the layout is 11 1/2 ft, the left leg is 7 feet long, and the right side leg is9 1/2 feet long
What is a 4 4 2 wheel arrangement? Could you please explain? Thanks.
A 4-4-2 locomotive designation is in reference to the wheel arrangement. The 4 means that the front wheel set has 2 axles with 4 wheels, this is called a pilot truck, which helps the locomotive going into curves, the next 4 is for the number of powered driving wheels, and the 2 is for what is referred to as a trailing truck, which in a real locomotive would be for helping support the weight of the boiler. Common wheel arrangement for steam loco's are: 4-6-2, 4-8-4, 2-8-2, etc.
@@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156 Thank you and best wishes.
What scale is your railroad and what scale are your accessories?
The train layout is 0 gauge, as are the accessories.
Sam the semafore man is the man that comes out of she'd at the signal not the tower
I messed up when filming, but didn't have time to go back and re-do it with the correct info, so left it as is.
I would love to know the amount you have in this train setup!!!???
I accumulated the trains and accessories over many years. I used to do do toy train repairs and restorations for many years, and many times customers would trade in part of their collections as part payment for the work I did. So after many years of the stuff sitting in boxes, my son and I built the layout so we could play trains. Great family fun !
I have a 572 where can I find them matching chuggar
You have a very rare engine, and the chugger tender will be difficult to find. Large train swap meets such as York Pa. would be one avenue, the other would be to join the TCA, Train Collectors Association, and advertise for one there.
Thank you
I thought a/c was only 3 rail track
In most cases it is.
How would I know if a vintage model train is ac or dc? Thanks for the info. I'm still new to the hobby and trying to get info
You have to look at the motors to tell what type they are. DC motors have a permanent magnet surrounding the the motor armature, and AC motors have a set of field wires around a set of metal armature plates, and they also have a reversing mechanism that changes the polarity of the field wires and brushes to get either forward or reverse. DC motors just change the polarity of the motor brushes to do the same thing.@@robrobb1638