INTRODUCTION
Anyone hearing the words "Gilbert American Flyer" will immediately think of the S gauge line of trains that made the company famous in the post-WWII period. But Gilbert first entered the tinplate train market in 1938 with a line of O gauge trains made to 3/16" scale that served as the essential basis for the much more successful postwar models. These prewar trains were well designed and (mostly) well manufactured, and still have a lot of value for operation.
Of course, the objections are obvious. In 3/16" scale, O gauge track corresponds to a gauge of 6' 8", which is absurd. And nobody really likes three-rail track. You can disguise the center rail with black paint, or other means of camouflage, but in the end you just have to avert your eyes and pretend it isn't there.
A. C. Gilbert got into the tinplate market by purchasing the American Flyer line from the Colemans in 1938. Faced with the problems of moving production from Chicago to New Haven while continuing to sell the existing inventory, switching to a different gauge of track seemed out of the question. He wanted to produce trains that were as accurate scale models as possible, like the HO line which he had just started. It was apparent that 1/4" scale models would be too large for most consumers, and with some experimentation the designers decided to produce 3/16" scale models for O gauge track, in spite of the glaring width of the rails. (Here's an entire catalog page explaining their thinking!) The resulting models are an interesting study in compromise. Whether the designers planned at this point for an eventual conversion to two-rail S track is hard to say. But O gauge was probably the correct marketing choice, since anyone who already had O gauge trains from any manufacturer could add the new 3/16" scale trains to his layout.
Gilbert O gauge was produced for barely four years, from sometime in 1938 to the early days of 1942, when all production was converted to defense. But it seems to have sold well, since a lot of these trains are still in existence in the hands of collectors and operators 80 years later. And with proper care, they can be kept operating indefinitely.
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Gilbert also wanted to sell trains to more-or-less serious modelers, which could hardly be done with the Chicago AF line. Among other things, many of the prewar locomotives and cars were available in kit form. Whether these kits sold well, I don't know, but I doubt it. And in any case the postwar trains were never available as kits.
Gilbert HO is another interesting topic. That's been well covered at this site.
In what follows, the reader is assumed to have a basic familiarity with American Flyer S gauge.
It costs nothing to build and maintain a website like this, so there's no tip jar. However....
The Illinois Railway Museum is developing a world-class model train museum on its campus. We welcome the donation of complete model trains, track, and accessories of all scales. If you'd like to help, see the donation page here and use the contact form. Thanks!
Comments are enabled, but are moderated and thus there may be a delay in seeing your comment appear.
Anybody can make a mistake, so corrections are always welcome. You can use the contact form in the right-hand column for this purpose.
Gilbert AF Catalogs for 1939, 1940, and 1941
Railroading with American Flyer (1940 booklet, reprinted by Don Heimburger)
Greenberg Guide to American Flyer O Gauge
Gilbert HO is another interesting topic. That's been well covered at this site.
In what follows, the reader is assumed to have a basic familiarity with American Flyer S gauge.
It costs nothing to build and maintain a website like this, so there's no tip jar. However....
The Illinois Railway Museum is developing a world-class model train museum on its campus. We welcome the donation of complete model trains, track, and accessories of all scales. If you'd like to help, see the donation page here and use the contact form. Thanks!
Comments are enabled, but are moderated and thus there may be a delay in seeing your comment appear.
Anybody can make a mistake, so corrections are always welcome. You can use the contact form in the right-hand column for this purpose.
REFERENCES
Gilbert AF Catalogs for 1939, 1940, and 1941
Railroading with American Flyer (1940 booklet, reprinted by Don Heimburger)
Greenberg Guide to American Flyer O Gauge
Locomotives - Northern
Locomotives - Pennsylvania K-5
Locomotives - B&O Pacific
Locomotives - Atlantic
Locomotives - NKP Switcher
Passenger Cars - 400 Series
Passenger Cars - 500 Series
Freight Cars - 400 Series
Freight Cars - 500 Series
Accessories - Overview
Accessories - Track
My Layout
Test Track
Odds and Ends
Locomotives - Pennsylvania K-5
Locomotives - B&O Pacific
Locomotives - Atlantic
Locomotives - NKP Switcher
Passenger Cars - 400 Series
Passenger Cars - 500 Series
Freight Cars - 400 Series
Freight Cars - 500 Series
Accessories - Overview
Accessories - Track
My Layout
Test Track
Odds and Ends
You labeled the scale width of O gauge track for 3/16 scale trains of 6' 8" as absurd. As usual, however, I believe American Flyer was simply ahead of its time. The size of prototypical rolling stock has grown substantially since the current standard was established, and when viewed from the end the narrow width of the wheelsets make them look pigeon-toed and unstable (which they increasingly are). The VERY close approximation of AF and Marx to 2 meters is probably right where track of the future will need to be built to handle the sheer size and bulk of the traffic. Even with model trains, the wider width of the rails makes for better handling and a lesser tendency to stringline. (especially with the eccentricities of tinplate track. There is a lesson in this for all to see.
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