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