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Tips About Trains & Model Trains
American Flyer Toy Trains - A
Tradition in Collecting Toy Trains
Ask any avid collector of toy trains about
American Flyer, and chances are they'll be able to talk about
these classic toy trains for hours. That's because American
Flyer is a tradition in the production of toy trains and has
been for years. Since the beginning of the 1900's, American
Flyer has been producing top-quality toy trains and brought
smiles to the faces of millions of people who received them as
gifts or heirlooms. A truly unique find in toy train systems,
American Flyer continues to be a popular name in toy trains and
continues to bring happiness to today's children and collectors.
American Flyer toy trains began as an idea to develop a
clockwork motor for toy cars in 1901 by a man named William
Fredrick Hafner. In 1905, he developed a train that could be
operated by a clockwork motor on O gauge track. After receiving
several requests and funds for orders, Hafner enlisted the help
of his friend, William Coleman, to begin producing these new
models of toy trains. At the time, Coleman had taken over
control of Edmonds-Metzel Hardware Company, who had experienced
financial hardship in 1906. The two friends immediately started
to produce toy trains by using the surplus manufacturing
potential of Edmonds-Metzel. The production was a success, and
by 1910 Edmonds-Metzel left the hardware industry and changed
its name to American Flyer. Originally American Flyer toy trains
were thought to be generic in comparison to its competitor
manufacturer, Ives.
During the First World War, American Flyer's business expanded
and eventually knocked out the German manufactures that produced
the majority of toy trains sold in the United States. American
Flyer introduced the first electric train in 1918. A windup
device replaced the clockwork motor developed by Hafner and
quickly became a popular toy among American children. Even with
the growing popularity of American Flyer, the company still took
second place to the Lionel Corporation - a rivalry that
continues among toy train collectors today.
American Flyer toy trains are a popular display item at modern
toy train conventions and shows, and are usually at the center
of heated auction bidding. Although finding pieces from American
Flyer toy train systems are not difficult, you can expect to pay
top dollar for these classic toys. Even American Flyer catalogs
are hot items up for sale and bidding at auctions and on the
internet.
A simple search of the internet will provide you with a complete
listing of where to find American Flyer toy trains and
accessories. You'll find several options for attending shows and
conventions that carry American Flyer trains, and you'll find
several items up for bid on eBay. The prices range from $20 for
accessories to $500+ for toy trains, box cars, cabooses, and
tank cars. Once you find a collectible from American Flyer, it
can be a quite addicting hobby to add more pieces and
accessories to your collection!