Maker record
American Flyer
American Flyer is an American model train brand that began in Chicago as William Hafner’s clockwork train line. Its products included clockwork and electric train sets, locomotives, rolling stock, track and accessories. Under the Coleman family, the company introduced electric trains in 1918 and wide-gauge trains in the 1920s. A. C. Gilbert acquired the Chicago company in the late 1930s and moved production to New Haven, Connecticut. After the Second World War, Gilbert re-engineered the trains for two-rail track, and the line became known for its 1:64 scale S gauge models.
- Founded
- 1907
- Countries
- United States
- Locations
- Chicago, Illinois, United States · 1907
- Founders
- William F. Hafner · William Ogden Coleman
The story of American Flyer
American Flyer began as a Chicago train line developed by William Hafner. In 1907, Hafner partnered with businessman William Ogden Coleman, and the American Flyer name was adopted for the train line, initially produced by Edmonds-Metzel Manufacturing. The operation was reorganized as American Flyer Manufacturing Company in 1910, with Coleman as president and Hafner as vice president. Hafner left in 1914 to establish his own toy train company. Under Coleman, American Flyer entered the electric train market in 1918. In the 1920s, it sold electric and clockwork trains and introduced wide-gauge models, including the Rainbow Line, with individually painted cars and brass details.
During the Depression, the company cut staff and shifted to less costly materials. It introduced a cast-iron O-gauge locomotive in 1930, then moved to sheet metal and die-cast construction by 1932. Streamliner models became a major part of the range in the mid-1930s. A. C. Gilbert acquired the company in the late 1930s, closed its Chicago factory and moved manufacturing to New Haven, Connecticut. The 1939 catalog featured smaller 1:64 scale models and revised couplers. After the Second World War, Gilbert re-engineered the trains for two-rail track, with metal locomotive and tender bodies and plastic car bodies. The postwar line became associated with S gauge.