American Flyer plastic Pacific locomotives

Classic Toy Trains Forum
1

Did American Flyer ever make any diecast pacific locomotives like the plastic ones so often seen

2

All the Gilbert PRR K5 Pacifics were diecast. All the 290/295 style Pacifics were diecast. All the 283/285 style Pacifics were plastic. Gilbert made streamlined Pacifics. The Royal Blue and the Circus versions had diecast shells, the Silver Bullet version had a plastic shell as well as smoke and choo choo.
While not directly asked, some of the diecast engines came with sheet metal tenders and then later with plastic tenders.

3

Thanks.
Seems strang that they would make the pacifics plastic.
If I wanted to get one with a metal tender what model number and what should i look for.

4

Do you want link couplers or knuckle couplers?

5

I don’t recall if my Pacific was a 282, or 283, but it had the link bar couplers, and I am 98%sure that the tender shell was metal, but the Cab/Boiler was plastic

Doug

6

Thanks … I guess they were beginning to cut costs and decided to move up to plastic. I had a 4-8-4 northern set that my mother purchased for me in 1957.
What a grand engine. I had a friend in LA that purchased a 4-8-4 northern set in California in 1959 that had a plastic boiler? strange.

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7

Gilbert made four different Pacific’s. The 31X series was the top end diecast with full valve linkage and siderods. 310, 311, 312, 312AC, 314AW and 315 were link couplers and all also had diecast tenders. 313, 316, 21045 and the 21115 had knuckle couplers. The 21115 has a plastic tender that is almost indistinguishable from the diecast tenders. All these are PRR K5’s.
The 28X series is a plastic engine modeled after a different prototype with simplified valve gear and siderods. It was for lower priced sets. The 282 and 285 versions are link coupler with a sheet metal tender. The 283, 287, 289, 21084 and 21085 are knuckle couplers with a highly detailed plastic tender.
The 29X series is a diecast engine modeled after a NH prototype. It also has simplified linkage. It was used in mid priced sets. The 290 and 295 are link couplers with sheet metal tenders. The 293 and 296 are knuckle couplers with detailed plastic tenders.
All the streamlined Pacifics had sheet metal tenders. The 350 and 353 were diecast engines and link couplers. The 354 and 356 had plastic engines, the 356 with Link couplers and the 354 with knuckle couplers.

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8

Mine was a 282 then, I know it had link couplers, and the sheet metal tender

Thanks,
Doug

9

Doug, the 282 was the standard engine with smoke and choo choo. The 285 added the tender mounted AirChime Whistle.

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