Boxcars (2 of 11)

American Flyer S Scale Boxcars (2 of 11)

Gilbert made 65 distinct boxcars as listed on a little over three pages of the TM Guide, not counting the variations on some of the 65. Lionel made many more under the American Flyer name, in addition to their line of Christmas cars. Because there are so many, I have split them up over eleven web pages:

Gilbert boxcars #613 through #642 are on page 1
                       #734 through #973 are on this page
                       #974 through #24029 are on page 3
                       #24030 through #24057 are on page 4
                       #24058 through #25062 are on page 5
                       #25062 through #25082 are on page 6
Lionel boxcars #0700 through #9709 are on page 6
                       #9710 through #48268 are on page 7
                       #48300 through #48325 are on page 8
                       #48326 through #48355 are on page 9
                       #48356 through #48483 are on page 10
                       #48484 and above are on page 11

Unless otherwise specified, the large pictures on this page are of cars in the collection of The Upstairs Train.

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.

There were five versions of the #734 Operating Boxcar made between 1950 and 1954.
The unpainted red plastic #734 was made in 1950 and 1951.
The left door is where you load boxes or milk cans into the boxcar,
either manually or from the #775 Baggage Loading Platform.
On command, a little man in blue coveralls throws them out of the right hand door.

The other side.

Painted red #734 made in 1950 and 1951.
(Photo courtesy of an anonymous donor.)

In 1952 & 1953, it was painted Tuscan brown. This is the most common of the five versions.

The 1952-1953 version is lettered "AMERICAN FLYER" on the other side.
The harder to find version with "AMERICAN FLYER LINES" was made only in 1954
From the front, they look the same; the difference is only on this side.

There is also an extremely rare silver version with black lettering.
None of my books tell when it was made.

#803 Sante Fe Chief Boxcar made in 1956 & 1957.

It was allso made in 1956 with light gray lettering.
Isn't it odd that Gilbert didn't include a Sante Fe Boxcar in the Santa Fe freight set?

807 Rio Grande Cookie Boxcar made only in 1957

A preproduction prototype was made with an opening door, but it was never manufactured.

I have the painted version of the #913 Great Northern Boxcar made in 1953-1958.

It was also made with a decal logo.
(Photo courtesy of an anonymous donor.)

#922 GAEX Boxcar made in 1953-1957. The stripe on mine is a decal.

#922 GAEX Boxcar made in 1953-1957 with stamped stripe.
(Photo courtesy of an anonymous donor.)

In the transition year 1958, the #922 was sold as #24008.
(Photo courtesy of Don Hasenzahl.)

#933 B&O boxcar made in 1953-1954.

The #937 MKT Katy boxcar made in 1953-1954, was the knuckle coupler version of the #637 above.

#937 two-tone MKT Katy boxcar made in 1955-1958.

942 Seaboard Silver Meteor Boxcar made in 1954

#957 Erie operating boxcar made in 1957

#970 Seaboard Walking Brakeman made in 1956-1957.

Here's another of those subtle lettering variations: "Route of the" is slightly larger in the front car.
(Photo courtesy of Don Hasenzahl.)

#973 operating milk car made in 1956-1957.

In the transition year 1958, the #973 operating milk car set was sold as #25919.
Both versions were sold with the contact rail, button, four milk cans, and platform.
(Photo courtesy of an anonymous donor.)

Show me the rest of the boxcars.

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.

Now show me:
The Gilbert Gallery Home Page
Engines    Passenger Cars    Freight Cars    Freight Sets    Work Cars    Accessories    Infrastructure Gallery

Christmas Cars      Boxcars      Refrigerator Cars      Stock Cars      Hopper Cars      Gondolas
Tank Cars      Flatcars      Aquarium Cars      Autorack Cars      Mint Cars      Cabooses

Pictures Needed     Useful Links     For Sale     Wish List     Bibliography     The Upstairs Train