The American Flyer is in all probability the most famous of all model train series. They did achieve their peaks around the 40's and some other peak in the 60's, they are around longer than that. Their popularity is also very popular nowadays too and they are,i personally reckons that they will be hanging around another 100 years!
A toy maker in Chicago called William Hafner, in the very early 20th century built a model train developed on a clockwork motor, primarily for the use in toy cars. By about 1905 how ever he decided to put them into use in model trains too. Good thing he did, the model cars sold no where near as well as the trains.
William Hafner and his partner share the same name, William Coleman approached a small manufacturer of hardware, Edmonds-Metzel. They used this company to start selling clockwork trains in 1907.
They were first marketed under the name of Edmond Metzel trains, as they were selling so well they needed a perfectly new name and they came up with the name of the American Flyer. This occur around 1910. Even the name of the hardware company they were using had also changed its name to incorporate the American Flyer name in it.
They were very popular and there are numerous reasons for it. They were quite cheaper then some other popular makes of model trains at the time and because they were also quite a bit more practical then more budget style model trains of the time.
Mr William Hafner draw out from the enterprise around 1913. He used the funds he had already made and set up his own corporation. Colemans American Flyer Trains. It did well for quite some time around the first world war. There was little to no competition at the time due to the war efforts. Right before the break out in 1938, the founders son with the same name,took over the business after his father died in 1918 traded the American Flyer to a firm called A C Gilbert Company. Gilbert already had experience in producing toys, but had never done so with trains.
At the same time he decided to moved the corporation from Chicago where it was established to New Haven in Connecticut where he lived. He also began to drastically re design the American Flyer and turned it into an S-scale model train in 1939. This scale is a modification of the popular O scale or model which was then the leader on the market.
The S-scale was much smaller then the O-scale and this made it more famous with enthusiasts as it needed less room to setup a decent track. The scale is 1:64, considerably smaller then the O-scale yet still very detailed and accurate.
He also made another change in 1946 that amended the realisticness of the American flyer more so. Model trains, electric model trains at that time had been run on 3 rail tracks. Not realistic. He modified it so they ran on 2 rail tracks, much like their huge counterparts. These tracks had 7/8th inches 'tween every rail. This made the trains function better as well.
How ever, television was starting to take hold at this time also. This distracted many from their hobbies they would normally spend their extra time on. Likewise at this time, discount chain stores came into play, discounting train sets that organizations like A C Gilbert could not compete with. in 1962, Gilbert traded the American Flyer to Wrather Group. This organisation produced toys as well, but usually on a huge scale and tended to make poor quality as well. Sales of course fell through the floor and in 1967 the corporation went bankrupt.
A higher-ranking toy train maker and the market leader at time, Lionel Corp purchased the American Flyer. This company itself was having trouble with finances as well and they too went bankrupt in 1969, so they sold off the rights to the American Flyer to some other maker, General Mills.
This firm, General Mills, started selling numerous of the designs of the original designed Gilbert American Flyer, it however sell everything it purchased from at that time Lionel Corporation to Kenner, who then in turn sold the organisation to a man named Richard Kughn. This occurred in 1985.
Mr Richard Kughn had large success with the firm and design for 11 years, but he sold out in 1996 to a enterprise also known as Wellspring Partners, who then took on the first name of Lionel and named themselves Lionel LLC, which still operates now.
They sell the S-scale American Flyer still. They were initially focusing on selling some other scale models, but in 2002 they started selling more and more of the American Flyer.
The American Flyer now is more then one hundred years old and has gone through many extraordinary hands. It is still famous and growing stronger and stronger. Lionel trains will not disappear so fast - 20605
A toy maker in Chicago called William Hafner, in the very early 20th century built a model train developed on a clockwork motor, primarily for the use in toy cars. By about 1905 how ever he decided to put them into use in model trains too. Good thing he did, the model cars sold no where near as well as the trains.
William Hafner and his partner share the same name, William Coleman approached a small manufacturer of hardware, Edmonds-Metzel. They used this company to start selling clockwork trains in 1907.
They were first marketed under the name of Edmond Metzel trains, as they were selling so well they needed a perfectly new name and they came up with the name of the American Flyer. This occur around 1910. Even the name of the hardware company they were using had also changed its name to incorporate the American Flyer name in it.
They were very popular and there are numerous reasons for it. They were quite cheaper then some other popular makes of model trains at the time and because they were also quite a bit more practical then more budget style model trains of the time.
Mr William Hafner draw out from the enterprise around 1913. He used the funds he had already made and set up his own corporation. Colemans American Flyer Trains. It did well for quite some time around the first world war. There was little to no competition at the time due to the war efforts. Right before the break out in 1938, the founders son with the same name,took over the business after his father died in 1918 traded the American Flyer to a firm called A C Gilbert Company. Gilbert already had experience in producing toys, but had never done so with trains.
At the same time he decided to moved the corporation from Chicago where it was established to New Haven in Connecticut where he lived. He also began to drastically re design the American Flyer and turned it into an S-scale model train in 1939. This scale is a modification of the popular O scale or model which was then the leader on the market.
The S-scale was much smaller then the O-scale and this made it more famous with enthusiasts as it needed less room to setup a decent track. The scale is 1:64, considerably smaller then the O-scale yet still very detailed and accurate.
He also made another change in 1946 that amended the realisticness of the American flyer more so. Model trains, electric model trains at that time had been run on 3 rail tracks. Not realistic. He modified it so they ran on 2 rail tracks, much like their huge counterparts. These tracks had 7/8th inches 'tween every rail. This made the trains function better as well.
How ever, television was starting to take hold at this time also. This distracted many from their hobbies they would normally spend their extra time on. Likewise at this time, discount chain stores came into play, discounting train sets that organizations like A C Gilbert could not compete with. in 1962, Gilbert traded the American Flyer to Wrather Group. This organisation produced toys as well, but usually on a huge scale and tended to make poor quality as well. Sales of course fell through the floor and in 1967 the corporation went bankrupt.
A higher-ranking toy train maker and the market leader at time, Lionel Corp purchased the American Flyer. This company itself was having trouble with finances as well and they too went bankrupt in 1969, so they sold off the rights to the American Flyer to some other maker, General Mills.
This firm, General Mills, started selling numerous of the designs of the original designed Gilbert American Flyer, it however sell everything it purchased from at that time Lionel Corporation to Kenner, who then in turn sold the organisation to a man named Richard Kughn. This occurred in 1985.
Mr Richard Kughn had large success with the firm and design for 11 years, but he sold out in 1996 to a enterprise also known as Wellspring Partners, who then took on the first name of Lionel and named themselves Lionel LLC, which still operates now.
They sell the S-scale American Flyer still. They were initially focusing on selling some other scale models, but in 2002 they started selling more and more of the American Flyer.
The American Flyer now is more then one hundred years old and has gone through many extraordinary hands. It is still famous and growing stronger and stronger. Lionel trains will not disappear so fast - 20605
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