Bidspirit auction | A Collection of American Flyer

A Collection of American Flyer and HO Scale Model Railroad Equipment and Parts - A group of vintage model railroad equipment and components primarily from the mid-20th century. The collection features a plastic coal tender marked American Flyer Lines with a Reading Lines diamond logo, equipped with a four-wheel truck and plastic knuckle coupler. Included is an American Flyer No. 1 1/2 Transformer manufactured by the A.C. Gilbert Co., New Haven, Conn. The transformer features a metal faceplate with a miles per hour dial scale from 20 to 120 and a black plastic control handle. The transformer is housed in a cardboard box with a printed label reading Super Pow'r Battery Charger. The lot includes a lithographed tin-plate shanty with yellow walls and a red gabled roof. Track supplies consist of three cardboard boxes for Atlas Custom-Line HO Rail Joiners, marked Hillside, N.J. A variety of original paper parts envelopes are included: three Mantua Metal Products envelopes for part no. 5616 fishplates from Woodbury Heights, New Jersey; two Varney Scale Models envelopes for ice hatches and roof ribs; and three typed envelopes for knuckle couplers. A black paper tag printed with 73D. SESSION 1850. is also present. , The collection is in varied vintage condition. The American Flyer tender shows surface dust and grime, and is missing one truck assembly (photo 12). The tin-plate shanty exhibits moderate paint loss and oxidation, particularly on the red roof (photo 11). The transformer wiring is in poor condition with severe cracking and perishing of the gray insulation along the entire length of the power cords (photo 3). Original packaging and envelopes show significant aging, toning, creases, and small tears (photos 2, 8, and 10). The transformer box is distressed with missing sections and edge wear (photo 1).