Toy Trains 101 American Flyer Maintenance and Cleaning How To Postwar

[@johnheimel5594]

I can't thank you enough for this video. I was able to get a train running that had not been functional for nearly 60 years.

[@tsgmultimedia]

Thanks for your comment - this is one of the best reasons to work on these videos!

[@robertherrera3616]

Very helpful in maintaining my locomotives. So much I never knew about my 70 year old trains, now they run like new again

[@SanDiegoKellers]

Thank you! After watching this my 283 is purring like a kitten and the kiddos are happy! You guys are awesome!

[@bethanyroselarson9002]

This video is absolute gold - I've come back to it time and again as a guide for cleaning and maintenance, and can't thank you guys enough for doing this!

[@gregcoates4305]

Thanks for the great tips on American Flyer maintenance. Still running my Flyer freight train I received Christmas 1953.

[@Airbender19]

Thanks a lot for this. I'm cleaning my dad's and needed some help. It's from June 1957.

[@davidg5704]

Just acquired American Flyer 200 car set. Learned alot here. Thank you for making these videos. Very useful and informative. Subscribed 👍

[@tsgmultimedia]

Great to hear!

[@LarryWGrant-dw6jo]

John, thanks so much for this excellent coverage of toy train maintenance. As an O-Gauge Hi-Rail guy myself, I really enjoyed this video a lot. I grew up with Lionel trains as a kid. Lots of my friends had American Flyer so I was exposed to both O and S Gauge trains. Later in life I got into HO Scale trains but after I retired, I found myself with a keen interest in Lionel trains again. I now have a small O-Gauge Hi-Rail layout and am having the time of my life.

[@tsgmultimedia]

Thanks Larry! It was a hoot making the video too. Lots of laughs and good times there. Super huge thanks to Kevin for suggesting this topic and coming through with some really great content! What a dude!

[@natural-born_pilot]

Kevin I can’t thank you enough excellent presentation I appreciate it. I have my post war AF that I got for Xmas of 1954 and used it extensively during my childhood yrs. I’ve got several neat accessories, light tower, station with audio player inside, whistle, Air floodlight car, rocket car that launches missile, uncoupler, couple of track switches and a little extra track. I only have remnants of the b&w start up instructions and nothing to go on for self repair and up keep. Last time I had set it up it ran fine but the directional control was acting finicky which invariably leaves me thinking dirty contacts. I can’t wait to get that beauty out of storage and overhaul and clean it up good with the knowledge you provided me. Thank you so much you are an AF Guru.

[@whatchacookin1096]

Kevin did a good job. I don't own American Flyer, but I can troubleshoot one now.

[@JoeG-firehousewhiskey]

Wow, great video, very detailed and informative. Thanks for all the information.

[@Mrruneight]

This video is an invaluable resource as it answered a lot of my questions. I received an American Flyer Train set in 1974 from a Family Friend. I've done some cursory lubrication on my locos over the years but what I've learned here goes way beyond anything I've ever done. I've ordered the books as you suggest and have already changed out a set of brushes on one of my locos and looking forward to doing more of what you showed in the video. Thank You so much for doing this. My Trains are super happy now!

[@larrycrawford9983]

Thanks very much for doing this video. I found this video to be invaluable as I undertook the restoration of an old 1948 American Flyer that I inherited from my brother. It was in good shape but it was inoperative after being stored for more than 65 years. I had no prior experience in working on model trains, but with the visual demonstrations and commentary in this video, I was able to get it back to running condition. Now it would be great to have a similar video on repairing smoke units, as that is the only thing left on my train that doesn't work.

[@ChonnyC]

Thanks!

[@tsgmultimedia]

You bet! And thanks to you as well!

[@tdbeltz2]

The video was very helpful. I just pulled mine out form storage after 20 years and still working great.

[@kennethferguson8149]

Thanks for the video I am having problems with the forward reverse on a 283 good info thank you

[@donaldtemple7189]

A very informative video. I enjoyed this and learned a lot. Thank you

[@ntr222]

Huge thank you for this video! A little tweak to the “fingers” and some of that electronic cleaner and my dad’s old 312 is running like a champ

[@Vinyl_guy]

i’m fixing a 312 aswell great to hear about your dads

[@alan5795]

Thanks for the work making this video! Taking out my Father's 1949 American Flyer and looking forward to some long overdue maintenance

[@tsgmultimedia]

That's awesome, and exactly why we did it!

[@rogerhuber3133]

I grew up with Flyer. It was so much nicer than 3 rail Lionel. Shame it didn't stay around. Much good maintenance info here.

[@cliffordkiehl3959]

Lionel bought American Flyer and makes 2 rail trains today.

[@bassflyer]

Tom IS a Guru! Thanks guys!

[@bassflyer]

Love my Flyer from the '40s and '50s!

[@dave3156]

Thanks John! Very timely, as our two American Flyer trains were always around the Christmas Tree. Dad's was a present when he got back from the war; mine was a very special Christmas present as a young boy. Both are still running today. Nice job!

[@richardboucher6904]

Thanks guys!! Great video, lots of information that I can use if I ever get my American Flyers off the beams here in my shop and get them running again. Best information was on the Crud Cutter for cleaning the many many pieces of track I have. I will be looking forward to more information on American Flyer such as remote switch and remote accessory care. I think I have a book much like those you spoke about.

[@thenormalplatypus3514]

My dad got one of these brand new when he was a kid and now were trying to get them running for Christmas, they haven't been used in 50+ years

[@christophermondone6864]

Another Great informative information video. Thanks guys, I appreciate your great effort.🚂🚂🚂🚂

[@THEZEKER1964]

Watch this video every Christmas when setting my AF trains up under the tree.

[@tsgmultimedia]

Excellent - thanks for doing that!

[@SGTGhost]

Enjoyed and love the video John, keep it up

[@BritanniaPacific]

This is something that I love toy trains never taught me. Well, maybe the version now on rfd tv does, but not the original children’s show that I grew up with. It’s also the same show that introduced me to Lionel, and mth electric trains.

[@8avexp]

You'd be amazed at all the hardened grease I've cleaned out of my locomotives.:) My 326 Hudson can smoke up a storm!

[@spudman1125R]

Well guys....I am COMPLETELY stumped! As I posted a few days ago, I have the identical #283 locomotive and was very excited to see this video. I ordered all the parts and supplies I needed (lubes, grease, track cleaner, brushes and springs, etc.) and today was going to be the day for the big "tune-up". I cleaned and lubed everything that you suggested and then turned to the motor. The brush and spring replacement was a snap. When all was finished, I applied power and the locomotive wouldn't move. I have power to the headlight but the motor doesn't turn. I have the cover of the tender off and can see that the drum is turning fine and "clicking" and the fingers are in good shape (I cleaned these all up good too). For the life of me, I just don't know what the issue is. Granted, its been 23 years since I ran it, but it was working very nicely when it was packed away. I'm seriously wondering if it is something "binding", but I don't see any problems with the worm gears. The thing is, with the brush bracket assembly off...I can physically turn the armature and watch the wheels turn accordingly. When everything is assembled though, I can't turn the wheels of the locomotive. I'm thinking this is "normal", but I just don't remember or know if the wheels were always free to move when I was just holding the locomotive in my hand. Anyway, any help you could offer would be greatly appreciated! I have no problem taking the unit to a repair shop, but I can't help but think that whatever is causing the problem is something very obvious and simple to fix. Thanks guys!

[@kevin2472]

spudman1125R does the motor hum or is it just completely silent? If it is silent it’s likely that the problem is still with the reverse unit. With power applied run the reverse unit through its cycle, as you do this use a toothpick to press down on each finger, if pressing on the fingers causes the motor to start running, remove the fingers and bend them down slightly and re install them. If this does not solve the issue it’s likely a short or bad armature. Check the condition of the drive wheels, if the metal “tire” is loose and can be moved independently from the wheel it will need to be glued back to the plastic whitewall material. Apply super glue to the plastic whitewall and use two or three flathead screwdrivers to evenly press the tire up onto the whitewall and wedge it there until the glue has dried. The plastic whitewall is an integral part of all American Flyer steam engines as it serves as an insulator between the metal tire and metal hub of the wheel and thus preventing current from passing between the two rails through the metal axle.

[@tsgmultimedia]

Superstars of AF!

[@spudman1125R]

@@kevin2472 Thank you VERY much for the "toothpick on the fingers" tip Kevin! I got movement immediately! To be honest, I wanted to take those little boards with the fingers off (because I didn't think just spraying the contact cleaner in there would do the quality job of cleaning them that I was looking for), but I was paranoid that I'd break off those little tabs that you rotate with the needle nose to remove the board. I've looked as closely as I can at that setup and just cannot seem to figure out exactly what is happening when you turn those little tabs! But it appears that the fingers not making enough contact with the drum is indeed the problem. Hopefully I'll have some time on New Year's Day to look at this further and get those fingers cleaned up and re-bent. Thanks again for the quick response and help!

[@spudman1125R]

Just a quick update....it was the drum and fingers! As much as I had sprayed contact cleaner into the reverse unit to try to clean it, it was simply no match for removing the boards/fingers and drum and then polishing the drum and hitting the tips of the brushes with an ultra-fine emery cloth. After bending them to make better contact and soldering in my rebuilt smoke box, everything runs as good as new! Here's a video of my results: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZ25YoiEjKqpZtk Thanks again Kevin for all your help!

[@tsgmultimedia]

I loved reading this exchange. Thanks, Kevin, for helping! You're a solid foamer!

[@rennethjarrett4580]

Thanks for all of the tips. The different cleaners I did not think about some of them.... I have a few more to add and some info that will be helpful. The reverse unit in the tender and on the engine have a unique difference as comparative the Lionel ones of this era. On ones in the tender they are sideways but the shut off is only mechanical on both types shown here, leaving that coil powered all the time. The two position reverse unit often have a double winding on the outer field coil of the motor, and the reverse picks one coil or the other with the other ends wired to a permanent place. Why this information matters; is because your parts are not all electrically interchangeable if one used a 2 position and the other used a 3 position unit. However if one of the field winding of the motor burned out on the 2 position motor, the train could be wired for forward only or a 3 position unit could be used instead. But using a 2 position unit on a former 3 position motor will not work. The reversing is done by switching the ends of the coils usually the outer field coil. I think many operators don't oil their trains till there is trouble, especially the rolling stock because it will get oil on the track. Sorry that can't be helped. Grease will be to thick in most cases or get hard and become useless or a gear jam, or will never get to the spot needing it. So to me it is best to oil it all on a run track and run it there for a while then wipe off what you can off the wheels and also wipe down that track after oiling it all. Recently I've been using the Zoom Spout sewing machine oil and then got a little thin metal tube oilier and put that oil in there so it is less coming out and I can get oil to narrow spots now. Oh I would be very careful of cleaner sprays around your good trains, no telling what that over-spray will do to those finishes.

[@richardtoth461]

nice video. Had some things in never knew how the engines actually worked.

[@MrCarsdude]

Wow, amazing, i collect postwar Lionel, but now I'm getting some postwar American Flyer trains too, thanks.

[@elieselane2433]

........thank you for some attention to AF ----- i have been fussing around with N scale since 1968, but i still have and use the AF i began receiving in 1951 (plus "just a bit more") ........btw: some "higher end" AF steam locomotives did feature whistles, some diesels had horns (admittedly kind of lame), & an effect termed "diesel roar" : ) ..... altogether pretty good for "toys meant to be played with on the floor"; the "smoke & choo-choo" was available starting in 1946 !

[@kevin2472]

eliese lane yes! Admittedly the “steam whistle” and “diesel horn” are virtually indistinguishable from each other and sound more like a buzzing amplifier than a whistle or horn. The 314AW had the best whistle but it only lasted a short time before Lionel calmed Flyer was infringing on their patented whistle technology

[@1610nsb]

Thanks very helpful

[@robertwilcken8431]

what book are you talking about when referring to changing the wick, thanks

[@jce13jce]

HEY GUYS Awesome video.... It teaches you quite a bit. Anyhow as a thought i'd like to take on servicing my Franklin 4-4-0. it would be awesome if you guys could do a maintenance video on it just as a guide. its a small loco so it wouldnt take a long video...

[@rjstandland4459]

Oh, I didn't know that. Just got one of them running and never do that, but only running for 15 minutes.

[@kyleburkholder6003]

Good information. A suggestion I have model rr 101 is a similar program as this focused on model trains. What to do with the engines and rolling stock we have had stored for years.

[@beachtrooper5752]

Does it have the 1666

[@markgruber2257]

Do you have a schematic for the American flyer 9b 150 watt transformer?

[@alanlevine3984]

Can you use radio shack electronics cleaner on the American flyer e unit and motor?

[@anjinsanx44]

retired moved to very humid phillipines my trains r oxidizing/ n white spots, scared any advise? cleaning axil with sand paper remove rust any sugestions on white spots?

[@karlgriffith8558]

What chemical do you recommend for cleaning carbon off postwar AF Locomotive wheels. The train wheels spark as they go around the track. I have already cleaned the track with IPA and CRC and alot of elbow grease.

[@nynscaler2482]

Despite my user name, I do love S scale and have a great respect for it. I’m hoping it takes off again. Most major manufactures offer limited product lines, if at all.

[@shoreguyeast]

Hi I have a question about a 360 Diesel I have. The reverse unit is not the typical finger type. This one looks like a round solenoid coil. It has 5 connections. How does this work and is it serviceable? Thanks.

[@rayutrup9076]

I have one them American Flyer and track and cross but one layout in the book do have cross that I try to do but the track and cross do not go in place right with out make the track smaller that layout in the book as 70" by 70" and any help to do that layout whit out change the track?

[@briangrant774]

would it be at all possible to show how to make a cradle in order to service your steam and diesel AF engine without damaging the equipment. in advance thank you. respectfully, Brian grant

[@Trotters79]

Having all the copper wheels on the same side of the tender or a lighted car would not short the track, but would basically "short" the engine (meaning both sides of the anchor in the motor would have the same voltage potential) or light bulb. However, if the two axels on the bogie are turned opposite of each other, that bogie will cause a short, as both axels are electrically connected within the boggy. Also, I'm a bit sceptical about using a wire brush to clean the wheels (or tracks). Such tools may cause tiny grooves and scratches, which can result in poor electric conduct / pick up, plus the wheels will pick up dirt quicker as it sticks in the tiny grooves you create in your wheels. Same goes for your tracks. It's better to use chemicals, and if mechanical cleaning is needed, use some soft material like wood or plastic.

[@streetshots1274]

American flyers are definitely more difficult than Lionel but still built well. Like comparing a red apple to a green apple

[@tdbeltz2]

I have a 5 digit American Flyer and it has a choo-choo and smoke apparatus. I am the original owner. My dad got it when I was just a couple of years old around 1957-1958. I don't know how it has a smoker and choo-choo if, as you said, they did not put them in the 5 digit from the manufacturer. Did they have kits to add them after purchase?

[@turdferguson4124]

@@tdbeltz2 The majority of 5-digit AF steam locomotives had smoke and choo choo units. Only the very low end starter set locomotives (usually powered by a 4-4-2 Atlantic or 4-4-0 Casey Jones engines) would not have had smoke and choo choo.

[@joejuliano3677]

used this to repair my grandpa's train.

[@muxxor9492]

What is the proper direction for the brushes? Shouldn’t the large end make contact with their armature and the smaller end accepts the spring. In the parts diagrams it seem the brushes are facing with the larger end to the armature.

[@spudman1125R]

Thanks so much guys for making such a thorough and informative video. I actually have the very same 283 locomotive and 4B transformer, so I was very happy when I stumbled across your page. I wanted to share just a few things with you with the hope that you might give me a few tips. First, I have the same white residue on some of the wheels of my rolling stock, but when trying the hair dryer method (using two different hair dryers) I was unable to get it to "melt away" like it does in the video. I'm hesitant to turn to a heat gun, as I fear I might end up holding a bunch of melted plastic in my hand where there was once a box car! Anything else that I might use to remove that release agent? Second, I noticed that my locomotive was missing the small felt oil wick in the brush bracket assembly. There was only a hole there, so I was wondering if I could just order part # PA9522 (the felt wick) and put it in there. The original parts schematic that I'm looking at doesn't show it for the 283, and I was kind of wondering why. Lastly, I have to comment about the "Krud Kutter". I was at the Ace Hardware store here in town yesterday and saw the a bottle that looked exactly like yours (32 oz.) and they wanted $9.98 for it. I thought that was a bit high, so when I went to Menard's a bit later I looked and they had the same thing for only $3.98! The stuff worked like a charm with some sponge/Scotch Brite scrubbers...but the first thing I noticed was that it had no smell whatsoever! The bottle even says "Fragrance and Bleach Free" and also indicates that it's safe to use on food prep surfaces! I had to laugh, as you had described it as some pretty nasty stuff. It still says to keep it off your skin, but I'm wondering if perhaps they changed the formula recently? In any case...it worked great! So that's about it...I've ordered all the parts I need to give my 283 a good tune-up and wanted to thank you both for a very useful and entertaining video! Consider me a new subscriber!

[@kevin2472]

spudman1125R glad you enjoyed it, I’d give the heat gun a shot, just be very cautious, I’ve never encountered any film that wasn’t removed with a hairdryer on high but heard it exists, the extra heat from the heat gun might do the trick but as I said use caution. As for the krud cutter maybe they did change the formula because the bottle I have has been around for about a year , can’t speak to the price difference as we don’t have menard’s in California, wish we did as I’ve seen their line of train buildings!

[@thomasnichols1788]

Hi guys I like the videos the books don’t cover everything I just wanted to know the red plastic chimney that you pulled out of the smoke unit I see on line that you can purchase a brass version would that be ok and not melt the plastic boiler does it get hot?

[@chadakaira]

I have been sick for a bit, so I have lost contact with a supplier, I have been restoring the Rocket, and I'm missing one part, who would you suggest to contact?

[@chadakaira]

Also Yes I have all the books and parts #'s.

[@tsgmultimedia]

Your best bet is to conduct a search in an internet search engine.

[@benjamintherrien8622]

Gentleman, Appreciate the video just starting going through my fathers collection and was able to get steam engine 293 running smoothly. Started breaking down AF Diesel 375 and running into issues. Any chance you guys would like to post a video regarding the diesel's? Thanks again.

[@kevin2472]

Benjamin Therrien looks like I’ll have to buy a diesel so we can make the video ;) the only diesel currently in my fleet is quite rare so I try not to tear it down if I don’t have to. Out of curiosity what issues are you having with it?

[@robrobb1638]

My wheels will not move at all on my 21166.anh ideas?

[@Iamphuster]

These are great for Flyer before Lionel, but I fear I'll never catch up with the Lionel takeover, and Bachmann. Any recommendations for a Lionel "basic", and or a Lionel/Bachmann book? A better look and breakdown or repair/service on those "maintenance free" engines? Sorry, by Lionel Basic, I'm not talking about 3 rail operations or even O scale, I'm only after the S scale stuff. And Lionel/Bachmann, I'm basically looking for troubleshooting. I thank you very much for the lubrication points, I listen to this while I'm working, just as a backup to my memory. For the Bachmann end of this, I think I'm after troubleshooting, which circuit boards do what. I'm trying to plan ahead for DCC or ACC with wiring and whatnot on my layout. I've tried to correctly space for DC, using a "simple" color coding system underneath, with insulators up top. When they introduced Bachmann, it's like a whole new motor. Being able to troubleshoot them would be huge... Email might be better for this, shoot me a short reply with when and how to reach you. Be easier than typing.

[@tsgmultimedia]

My sense is that when you take these things apart, they're very similar; even if their internal components are situated differently. Cleaning and lubricating carefully will help any model from any manufacturer as long as you take your time so you don't break anything and always use the right kind of lubrication.

[@rjstandland4459]

One thing you have and locomotive that has a separate contact for power

[@odalesaylor]

Do you have anything similar for someone finding/getting an HO set that's been in storage for a good while? That happened to me last Saturday. Someone heard I liked trains and sent a box of three trains, some having issues. Wheels off or missing. Broken couplers or odd couplers or couplers that were different. The worst was that two of the three locomotives had back couplers missing. Oddly and gratefully the locomotives ran after some coaxing. I wonder what I should do to keep these "oldsters" running or get them to run better. They seem to have potential. If I had a friend nearby, I would love to be able to convert these DC models to DCC. But that's not the case. Thanks for the episode!

[@tsgmultimedia]

Hi Dale, I haven't done a "rehabbing old HO stuff" video at this point. My guess though, would be to take the loco apart and clean it up then oil it very lightly. If I ever get something like that I'll be sure to make a video about it.

[@TracksideManiac]

I’d like to buy all that track please!

[@kevinkilleen6375]

4 years old and still relevant.

[@garyruark9506]

My advice on Flyer is use modern S gauge nickel silver track. Too much maintenance on old Flyer track.

[@nickkunich3912]

I always thought it was mill dew

[@bradhamrick1267]

Amc Flyer

[@leekumiega6576]

I just want to mention that I found that an ink eraser cleans the tracks without nasty chemicals.

[@marblox9300]

I could never enjoy running these with that loud transformer humm.

[@mikeV2848]

your logo is in the way

[@tsgmultimedia]

Sorry about that - you can thank content thieves for the watermark.

[@christophervisser5810]

i enjoyed your video - informative. however the interviewer cannot keep his mouth shut for 1 second. the continual interruption with the most base cretinous questions is unbelievable

[@tsgmultimedia]

What interviewer? This is a video about something specific and the questions that come from off camera are intended to answer questions that a viewer might have. You're welcome!

[@christophervisser5810]

If somebody "off camera" asking questions is not an interviewer then I give up - stop being pedantic and putting spin on my comment. The "interviewer" continually interrupts and turns the perfectly competent commentary into a show of somebody who just likes the sound of his own voice. You're welcome. @@tsgmultimedia

[@jlwingert]

Thanks!

[@tsgmultimedia]

Thank you!