I have a small collection of Lionel trains (Post War and Modern). Purchased a few boxes today of Lionel and there was a really nice, long American Flyer engine. I think it is a 4-8-4 with a really nice tender. Could someone please share the approximate value and any other pertinant information related to this set? Thank you!
American Flyer actually called their 4-8-4 a Challenger. I’ve seen them draw from $400-$800 on eBay, depending on model and condition. The engine number will give you the version. You’d probably get better info on the Classic Toy Trains forum though, since the Model Railroader side caters more to scale stuff. Also check eBay auctions for the current going price.
I tried the ebay route. Could not find an actual 571 and could not figure out how to see “completed” auctions like you can on some sites… Will keep looking. Thank you for your reply. This looks like a nice forum to “learn the ropes”.
Are you sure the engine number is 571? When I do a Google search, all I come up with is an American Flyer/Lionel (Flyonel) truss bridge. My Greenberg factory manual lists the Northerns as the 332, 335, 336, and 221139 series. [%-)]
Ya, it really says “571” on both sides of the engine. Turns out that it runs on my o gauge track. One of my friends mentioned that it was a pre-war “Challenger” series. I am still trying to find information on the engine. The tender is a Union Pacific. I will try to post a picture in the next day or two. Do you happen to have a book about American Flyers that references o gauge trains?
No, just the S gauge factory manual. I had no idea they ever made a pre-war O gauge version of the Northern. That really must be rare. How much did you pay?
Looks like there is an auction going on at http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/6091768. I presume that this is what you have. There are a bunch of pictures if any other forum members are curious.
Maybe when the auction is completed they’ll be willing to tell you the final selling price.
Yes, that is what mine looks like. The only thing different is that mine is in significantly better shape. Will look to see what that one goes for on ebay. As far as what I paid, got it in one big lot. It is actually one of the engines that I was not interested in. [8D] It would be a very pleasant suprise to find out it is worth something…
oh ya, the rear trucks for the tender appear to be replaicements.
I don’t believe that this is ebay…looks like something different.
The first web site seems to reference the ebay site.
Nice find, Max. It will be interesting to see what they get for it.
Here is the Wikipedia history for AF: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Flyer
According to this, that 571 had to be manufactured between 1939 and 1946, the years that A.C. Gilbert made the S scale locos gauged for O scale track.
Yes, it looks like you’re correct. I missed the ebay link when I looked. And your engine does look to be in better condition, except for that tender truck. If you can find a replacement that will probably increase the collectible value.
where is the best place for me to locate a matching/correct truck for the tender?
You would have to scour AF dealers for O scale truck parts, but I think they’re pretty rare. The trucks are identical to those on the S gauge 12-wheel tenders except for their width, so you could cut the steel frame on each side of an S gauge version and splice in some metal to widen it enough for O, though that’s not an easy job.