Description
This article is from the Model Trains
FAQ, by Christopher D Coleman with numerous contributions by
others.
04 Collectable Model Train Manufacturers: A
Which manufacturers are commonly collected?
Those with address are currently in production:
AMERICAN FLYER
The Edmonds-Metzel Manufacturing Company was founded by William
O.sColeman in partnership with William Hafner (Hafner left to
foundsHafner Mfg. Co.) in 1907. It's train line included
clockwork O gaugestrains. The company first identified itself as
the American FlyersManufacturing Company in 1919. At about that
same time Flyersintroduced electric trains. Both cast iron and
stamped steel were used in the trains.
American Flyer introduced 2 1/8" Wide gauge trains in 1925 to
competeswith Lionel's Standard Gauge. Wide gauge was the fad
gauge of thes1920's, with Flyer and Lionel the big makers, and
Ives, Boucher andsDorfan with significant shares of the
market. The Great Depressionskilled all the Wide gauge lines and
O became the mainstay of allsmakers that survived. Flyer Wide
gauge production ended in 1932.sHaving weathered the depression,
Flyer, like Lionel, concentrated onsmore scale accurate trains
that the public was demanding.
W. O. Coleman Jr. sold Flyer to A. C. Gilbert of New Haven, CT
ins1938, who moved production and senior staff to Gilbert's
factory.sGilbert also made the highly collectable Erector
Sets. Gilbert'ssmomentum, however, was interrupted by the
onset of World War II andsthe collateral shift of American
factories from private production toswar-time production.
After the war, production resumed but in the S Gauge line,
whichsfeatured realistic two rail "T" track. Later, appearance
was improvedsby the introduction of the knuckle coupler. Gilbert
and Flyersprospered in the early 1950's as second in sales to
Lionel. Theirsprimary selling point over Lionel was realistic
length trains and twosrail track. By the 1960's Gilbert was in
the same trap as Lionel withsrapidly decreasing demand for their
"old fashioned" toys. A. C.sGilbert Jr., then president, was
unable to curb the slide and in 1962sthe company was taken over
by an east coast holding company. Withstheir own staff they were
equally unsuccessful and ended Flyersproduction in 1966 only to
declare bankruptcy in 1967. Flyer rightsswere bought by
Lionel. Not until 1979 did Fundimensions reintroducesthe Flyer
line and there have been limited offerings in most yearsssince
then, using mostly old Flyer dies.
Address mail to Lionel LLC below
concerning their American Flyer Line
AMERICAN MODEL TOYS/ AUBURN MODEL TRAINS
Founded in 1948 in Fort Wayne, IN by Jack Ferris Jr. They
produced aslarge line of the most realistic passenger cars made
during thesimmediate postwar era until being displaced by
Lionel's extrudedsaluminum cars. AMT also beat Lionel to the
boxcar market with a linesof highly detailed cars, only to be
displaced again, by Lionel's 6464sline. As American Model Toys
the firm brought out starter sets ins1953. The firm continued
with production of F-3 Diesels and Budd cars,sbut by that time
the market had shrunk and the company was insfinancial
straits. In 1954 after an unsuccessful reorganization assAuburn
Model Trains, the line was sold to Kusan who
continuedsproduction.
AMERICAN MODELS
Maker of S gauge models
American Models
10087 Colonial Industries Drive
South Lyon, MI 48178
Phone: 810-437-6800
Fax: 810-437-9454
e-mail:info@americanmodels.com URL: http://www.americanmodels.com/
AMERICAN STANDARD CAR COMPANY
American Standard Car Company
PO Box 394
Crystal Lake, IL 60014
ARISTO-CRAFT
(Polk's Model Craft Hobbies Inc./Aristo-Craft Trains): Scale like
G-Gauge equipment in 1:29 and 1:24 scales.
Polk's Model Craft Hobbies Inc./Aristo-Craft Trains
346 Bergen Avenue
Jersey City, NJ 07304
Phone: 201-332-8100
Fax: 201-332-0521
URL: http://www.aristocraft.com/
ATLAS O
Recent entry into O from a background in HO and N, Atlas now offers
locos, cars, structures and track.
Phone: 908-687-9590
Fax: 908-687-6282
URL: http://www.atlaso.com/
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recreation, model trains, tinplate, trains, collectible, car, transformer, locomotive, switches, tracks, railroad, railway, manufacturer, collecting, maintenance
