American Flyer Model Railroads & Trains

The American Flyer Manufacturing Company was founded in 1910 by William Fredrick Hafner and William Ogden Coleman, both of Chicago. The pair originally produced clockwork model trains that ran on O gauge track through the Edmonds-Metzel Hardware Company around 1906. Edmonds-Metzel adopted the name "American Flyer" for its trains in 1908. By 1910, the company dealt solely in model trains and changed its name to American Flyer.

American Flyer produced its first electric model train, which ran on O gauge track, in 1918. In 1925, the company began producing model trains that ran on wide-gauge track. These trains were popular and the company did well, but ran into trouble during the Great Depression. Under the A.C. Gilbert Company, American Flyer S gauge trains were introduced. These models were popular in the late '30s and '40s.

The A.C. Gilbert company began to flounder in the late '50s. The American Flyer name was ultimately sold to Lionel in 1967, and Lionel continues to manufacture American Flyer model railroad trains to this day.

Quick Facts

• After World War II, American Flyer re-engineered their 3/16 inch O gauge trains to run on a more realistic two-rail track. These trains became the S gauge trains that were popular in the '40s
• During World War II, the A.C. Gilbert company was required to devote 95 percent of its resources to manufacturing pieces for machine guns and landmines
• To keep his toys in the limelight during World War II, A.C. Gilbert opened the Gilbert Hall of Science in 1941. The museum featured an 80-foot American Flyer layout