| Although The American Flyer model trains were at | | | | the 1:64 ratio and made them smaller than the O scale |
| their peak of popularity between the 1940s and the | | | | trains, had a number of major advantages in terms of |
| 1960s, they actually had a long history before that, and | | | | the track and track layouts. |
| their popularity seems to be on the increase again | | | | In 1946 Gilbert made another major change to the |
| today. William Hafner, working as a toymaker in | | | | American Flyer. Until that stage model electric trains |
| Chicago, developed a clockwork motor for use in toy | | | | had run on three rails, with the centre rail carrying the |
| cars in the very early part of the 19th Century and by | | | | current. Gilbert developed a two rail system for running |
| 1905 was making toy trains using that clockwork | | | | the American Flyer. This two-rail track, which had |
| motor. | | | | seven-eighths inches between the rails, made the |
| With a friend, William Coleman, and using a small | | | | track layout, and hence train operation, more realistic |
| hardware manufacturing business known as the | | | | as the track now looked like 'real train track'. |
| Edmonds-Metzel Hardware Company, Hafner began | | | | With the advent of television - to distract both younger |
| producing toy clockwork trains during 1906-7. These | | | | people and older people from their regular hobbies - |
| Edmond-Metzel trains were sold so successfully | | | | together with the rise of the discount chain stores |
| through some major retailers that the brand name The | | | | which undercut prices and demanded lower wholesale |
| American Flyer was adopted for marketing purposes | | | | prices, A C Gilbert Company ran into trouble and in |
| and by 1910, the name of the hardware company had | | | | 1962 was sold to Wrather Group. The new owners |
| been changed to American Flyer Manufacturing | | | | produced lines of toys, including model trains, which |
| Company. | | | | were of very poor quality and sales dropped sharply |
| The American Flyer trains proved very popular, in part | | | | until in 1966 production of the American Flyer ceased. |
| because they were lower priced than other makes | | | | By 1967 the Company was bankrupt. |
| popular at that time, and also because their detailing | | | | At this time, Lionel Corporation, which was itself in |
| made them more realistic than other low budget model | | | | financial trouble although it had been the leading model |
| trains. | | | | train manufacturer for many decades, bought the |
| Hafner left the partnership in 1913 to start up his own | | | | rights to the American Flyer. However, by 1969 Lionel |
| company and Coleman's American Flyer trains did | | | | Corporation itself was bankrupt and sold the rights to |
| extremely well during the First World War as they had | | | | the manufacture of its model trains, including the |
| no competition in the US from the German companies. | | | | American Flyer, to General Mills. |
| By 1918, the first of the American Flyer electric trains | | | | General Mills began selling some of the original Gilbert |
| were in production and business boomed during the | | | | designed American Flyer trains by 1979 but in 1984 |
| 1920s but declined sharply during the Great Depression. | | | | sold its Lionel Company section to a toy manufacturer, |
| In 1938, William Coleman Jr, son of the company's | | | | Kenner who on-sold the company to Richard Kughn in |
| founder, who had taken over the business following his | | | | 1985. |
| father's death in 1918, sold the American Flyer to the A | | | | Kughn was very successful for over 10 years with the |
| C Gilbert Company. Gilbert had been manufacturing | | | | Lionel and American Flyer trains but sold in 1996 to |
| and selling an extensive range of toys but not toy | | | | Wellspring Partners who set up the company Lionel |
| trains. He moved the company from Chicago to New | | | | LLC, which operates today selling a range of model |
| Haven, Connecticut and immediately began to | | | | trains, including the S-scale American Flyer. Initially Lionel |
| re-design the trains. He re-developed the American | | | | LLC concentrated on promoting the O and O27 scale |
| Flyer as S-scale in 1939 , a scale which was a | | | | model trains of its original lines but since 2002 has |
| modification of the very popular O gauge model trains | | | | been releasing more and more American Flyer models. |
| then on the market. The S scale, which scales trains to | | | | |