American Flyer Flatcars (4 of 6)

American Flyer S Scale Flatcars (4 of 6)

The TM Guide lists three and a half pages of Gilbert flatcars, 56 in all and many had variations. Between 1981 and 2006, Lionel made 35 more flatcars under their American Flyer name. Because there are so many, I have split them up over six web pages:

Gilbert flatcars #605 through #714 are on page 1
                       #715 through #948 are on page 2
                       #956 through #24564 are on page 3
                       #24565 through #25515 are on this page
Lionel flatcars   #9000 through #48531 are on page 5
                       #48532 and above are on page 6

The large pictures on this page are of cars in the collection of The Upstairs Train. Unless otherwise specified, the smaller ones are from ebay auctions I didn't win.

If you have a picture that you would like to share with the world of any of the cars not shown here (or a better picture of one that is shown!), email them to me: theupstairstrain@yahoo.com.   Click here for a list of the pictures I need to complete the Gallery.

#24565 FY&PRR Flatcar with cannon made in 1960-1961.
(Photo courtesy of Wayne King from one of his ebay auctions.)

Disassembled, you can see the end pieces (often missing in auction cars) notched to fit into the sides.
(Photo courtesy of Wayne King from one of his ebay auctions.)

Here's how to tell the original cannon from a reproduction: "Made in Japan" is molded into the underside.
In addition, the original fires tiny projectiles.
(Photo courtesy of Wayne King from one of his ebay auctions.)

#24566 New Haven Flatcar with auto carrier made in 1961-1964.
(This is a photo I took at the March 2006 Cal Stewart Show, courtesy of Phil Carey.)

There is also an extremely rare version with gray flatcar body in its original packaging.
(Photo courtesy of an anonymous donor.)

And here's how it looked rolling down the rails..
(Photo courtesy of my friend Joe Philippson.)

#24572 U. S. Navy Flatcar with two TootsieToy jeeps made in 1961.
It was made in two versions, painted body and unpainted body.

It also came with red TootsieToy jeeps.
(Photo courtesy of an anonymous donor.)

Rare #24574 U. S. Air Force Flatcar with two silver canisters and red bulkheads made in 1960-1961.
It was also made with Pike Master couplers.

#24575 National Car Company Flatcar with Bordens Milk Containers made in 1960 with knuckle couplers.
(Photo courtesy of an anonymous donor.)

It was made in 1961-1966 with Pike Master couplers.
(Photo courtesy of an anonymous donor.)

An unnumbered variation was also made in 1966.
(Photo courtesy of an anonymous donor.)

I got my 1960 #24575 Flatcar in that same set with this grader on it.

#24577 IC jet engine transport made in 1960 with knuckle couplers.
(Photo courtesy of an anonymous donor.)

#24577 IC jet engine transport made in 1961 with Pike Master couplers.

The rare #24578 Neq Haven Corvette flatcar made in 1962-1963 with Pike Master couplers.
Someone turned the windshield frame on this one around; here's how it should look:

(Photo courtesy of Jack Larson.)

The probable explanation is that the car wasn't assemblecd when it came from the factory.

#24579 IC multi-load (2 canisters & bulkheads, 8 stakes, 3 pieces lumber, 4 pipes).
Both the knuckle coupler version made in 1960 and the Pike Master made in 1961-1964 are rare.
(Photo courtesy of an anonymous donor.)

#25003 Log Unloading Car made in 1957-1960. This is the common unnumbered version.
(Photo courtesy of an anonymous donor.)

This is the rare numbered version.
(Photo courtesy of Don Hasenzahl.)

#25016 "Moe and Joe"SP Lumber Unloading Car made in 1958-1960.
(Photo courtesy of an anonymous donor.)

25045 Rocket Launcher made in 1958-1960.
(Photo courtesy of John Heck.)

#25046 Rocket Launcher made in 1960.
(Photo courtesy of Rick Dunn.)

The very rare #25056 Operating Boxcar and Rocket Launcher Flatcar set made in 1959.
The original rocket was white plastic with a red tip.
(Photo courtesy of Don Hasenzahl.)

#25058 unpainted "Moe and Joe" SP Lumber Unloading Car made in 1961-1964; somewhat rare.
(Photo courtesy of Marvin Thiel.)

#25059 Rocket Launcher car made in 1960-1964.
(Photo courtesy of New England Toy Train Exchange.)

A close-up of the rocket on the #25059.
(Photo courtesy of Doug Weronick.)

Unpainted #25515 USAF Rocket Sled flatcar made in 1960-1963.
(This is a picture I took of a car in Jack Larson's collection.)

The unpainted version is somewhat rare; the painted version is extremely rare.

Like many sleds for sale these days, my sled doesn't have the pilot or ejection mechanism.

In addition to riding on the flatcar, the rocket sled can ride on the tracks. It has its own motor.

Bottom view showing motor and gearing. Since there is no reversing e-unit, it only goes foreward.

The pilot and ejection mechanism are missing from my sled. They should be in the empty holes to the left.

Here are both sides of the instruction sheet. It's an uncoupler that ejects the pilot from the sled when it's running on the track by itself. There is no way to eject him when the sled is on the flatcar.

#26421 Acccessory Pack comprising a #25046 Rocket Launcher and a #25515 USAF Rocket Sled flatcar.
(Photo courtesy of Rick Dunn.)

#25534 Rocket Carrier? This was listed on ebay in March 2006, but is not listed in any on my books.
I put out an inquiry to some knowledgeable friends and the whole S-Trains group.
I learned that there are a lot of reproduction flat cars out there that have the A.C.Gilbert name on them
but nothing to reveal that they are reproductions.. The concensus was that this is a repro car.

Show me the rest of the flatcars.

Over the years, Gilbert made four different kinds of couplers, three of which are common and familiar to most American Flyer owners: link, knuckle, and Pike Master. The fourth, the so-called "solid knuckle coupler," was short-lived and not used on very many cars. Lionel later came up with its own version of knuckle coupler. American Flyer has therefore gone through five generations of couplers. Because there seem to be a lot of people confused by this, I created a page to show the differences. Click the picture below for more detail.

It takes time and money to maintain a website like this. If this site is interesting and helpful to you, please contribute financially to its ongoing success. You may send a contribution via PayPal using theupstairstrain@yahoo.com as the payee. Both credit card and direct transfers would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

If you or your friends have some American Flyer trains and would like them to go to a nice home where they'll be loved and cared for, this is the place! Email me: theupstairstrain@yahoo.com. See my Wish List for the items I need most. Thank you very much.

On the other side of the coin, I post pictures from time to time on my For Sale page of surplus items I have for sale.

This gallery will continue to grow and become more comprehensive as I collect more cars and as visitors like you send me pictures of the cars I don't yet have. If you have a car that you would like to share with the world, email me a picture: theupstairstrain@yahoo.com. Click here for a list of the pictures I need to complete the Gallery.

The books I am using for reference are listed in the Bibliography page. All the writing and all the pictures on this website are, however, my own, except where cited. No copyrighted materials have been included and all pictures provided by others are used by permission.

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