AMERICAN FLYER DISPLAY by John Bryan

American Flyer Trains were first manufactured by the American Flyer Manufacturing Co. in Chicago, IL.  They built Clock Work trains and later Wide Gauge and O Gauge Electric trains.  In the late 1930s the American Flyer line was bought by The A.C. Gilbert Co. of New Haven, CT, headed by the inventor of Erector sets and many other toys.  Gilbert had already begun the manufacturing of an HO line of trains. At the end of World War II, Gilbert resumed train and toy production.  He introduced a new S gauge train.  I was scaled to 3/16” to the foot and running on a two rail track. The A.C. Gilbert Co. was acquired by The Wrather Corp. in the early ‘60s and was closed in 1966.The American Flyer name, along with all the tools and dies, were later sold to the Lionel Corp.

BARR DISPLAY – HO SCALE (1:87)

Display is 20 feet by 30 feet. This display depicts the city of Baltimore, MD.  You can see the detail in the “Pennsey Station,” the Amtrak train station. Some of the buildings were scratch built to resemble the actual skyline in Baltimore.  It has working traffic lights, a Boy Scout camp, marble quarry with bear attack, and a water treatment plant.  It is a DCC layout using Lenz controls with two long trains running.

SANFORD DISPLAY – HO SCALE (1:87)

This 7’ X 10’ display is a fictional town of Waynesville. It shows a working town, a lumber mill, countryside lake with waterfall, with lots of detail in the city and in the mountains.  It is a DCC layout using Digitrax controls with three trains running.

LIEBRANDT DISPLAY – G SCALE (1:24)

Display is 20 feet by 50 feet — Part of this display shows the town of Schonweller, a train station near the Austrian border.  It has Alpine mountains with working cable cars, button activated Bavarian street band and a working Piper sawmill.  Visitors can operate five interactive buttons to activate displays and control one extra transformer that will run your own train. It is a DC layout using six standard train control transformers and six accessory power supplies.

LIONEL SEASONAL DISPLAY – O SCALE (1:48)

This 12’ X 36’ display is the centerpiece for the Christmas holidays with a scavenger hunt theme of “Frozen” and “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer.”  After Christmas, the display changes to a spring them summer theme, each with their own scavenger hunt.  There are over 160 houses with lights and colorful animated displays.  It is an AC layout using 4 standard train control transformers plus one that YOU can control, Thomas the Train.

GRILLS DISPLAY – N SCALE (1:22)

Display is 1 foot by 8 feet — This layout displays the Circus Train coming to a town in 1915.Pat Grills a graduate of Furman University donated it.Pat has been an art consultant, art juror, and his art is included in collections all over the U.S.It is a STATIC very colorful and detailed layout.

STELLER DISPLAY – HO SCALE (1:78)

Display is 8 feet by 12 feet — This display was built by Steller from Spartanburg, SC. It was modeled after his hometown of Welch, WV.  A map on our back wall shows the Norfolk and Western Railway Company in West Virginia and Welch is in the middle left.  It is a DC layout using 2 standard train controller transformers that can be operated by visitors.

WHISENANT DISPLAY – S SCALE (1:64)

Display is 6 feet by 8 feet — This display was built by Palmer Whisenant.  Palmer’s family owned Dairy Queen and was very happy when he found a DQ model to put on this layout.  The trains are American Flyer with original switches and controls.  You can push buttons for train crossings and whistle.  It is a DC layout using two standard train control transformers plus one train transformer that YOU can run center train.

JOE SANDERS DISPLAY – O SCALE (1:48)

When we picked up this 12’ X 18’ display, it could barely fit into a two-car garage.  We have expanded it and built a second layer with an engine roundhouse.  Joe excitedly would run the trains for his eight (adult) children, and the many grandchildren.  He’d half jokingly say with each new grandchild, he’d need a new engine. 

SAPPHIRE VALLEY DISPLAY – N SCALE (1:16)

Display is 18 feet by 27 feet — This layout displays the railroad line as it travels through the Carolinas and the southeast visiting Tryon, NC, Seneca and Greenwood, SC, and Jackson Yard among other scenic locations. It takes several minutes for the N scale trains to travel completely around the layout. Train movements are coordinated via a computer as there are multiple sections of track with traffic flowing in both directions. Microcontrollers assist with operation of signals, sounds, and lights.

OBSERVATION CAR

This Photo Scene was donated by Carolina Railroad Heritage Association.

Visit them at their Hub City Railroad Museum.