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Discussion Boards => Collector Corner => Topic started by: Terry on June 08, 2021, 02:21:39 AM

Title: 1927 American Flyer President's Special Set Blue Litho
Post by: Terry on June 08, 2021, 02:21:39 AM

Here's an interesting boxed set.  American Flyer's top of the line passenger set from 1927: Set 1466 - The President's Special.

 

 

 

The set is a 4687 12-wheeled Loco and three cars. I have all the boxes and set components except the loco box. The loco was in a Lionel 402 or 408E box.

Some interesting peripherals that are rarely seen are the red shelf card - this is two pieces of cardboard so you can stick it on the track or stand it on a shelf by the set when it's for sale in a store.

And more commonly seen but still neat are the reverse unit instructions on the yellow card, and the motor oiling instructions on the red card.

 

 

 

These two cards were tied to the locomotive when it was shipped from the factory.

The cars came wrapped in waxed paper in flimsy cardboard boxes with the number and description stamped on the end. The blue cars have six-wheel flex trucks. The earlier buff or tan cars had four-wheel flex trucks.

The three cars are 4090 Baggage, 4091 West Point Passenger and 4092 Annapolis observation.

 

 

 

The whole group came in a large carton with some track:

 

Here's a few more photos:

 

 

We collectors tend to compare this set with Lionel's blue comet, but the blue comet was 3 years in the future. The top of the line Lionel set in 1927 was the 408E with four 418 series passenger cars.

Title: Re: 1927 American Flyer President's Special Set Blue Litho
Post by: pjdog350 on June 08, 2021, 05:16:15 AM

Real nice Terry. Did you just get this or have you had it?

Title: Re: 1927 American Flyer President's Special Set Blue Litho
Post by: Terry on June 08, 2021, 02:26:51 PM

It came from a collector about 25 years ago. Nick Grippe. Nick joined the TCA in 1964. He had only really clean trains. He didn't have a collection with variations, more of an accumulation of neat trains that caught his eye when he had money in his pocket. He did sales for the Union Pacific. All the AZ train meets in the 1970s had door prizes and give-a-ways from the UP courtesy of Nick.

Title: Re: 1927 American Flyer President's Special Set Blue Litho
Post by: starfire700 on June 09, 2021, 05:03:01 AM

I had a very similar set, also boxed, that I sold to the late Bill Tardy in the parking lot at the 2001 or 2002 TCA convention. That set went to auction when Bill died a few years later.
It sure is a pretty set. I got it by trading an Ives double station with glass dome for it.

Title: Re: 1927 American Flyer President's Special Set Blue Litho
Post by: Terry on June 09, 2021, 10:18:39 AM

These cars won't go through the MTH switches on the layout. The flex trucks hang up.  On the shelf with the brown set it looked neat. On the layout by the Lionel Blue Comet, not so much. It is now in the meet pile.

I put the red Hamiltonian cars on with a red bipolar, but the cars derail on the curves. A four car Pocohantas is running on that loop now. It has the mechanical bell like the steamer. The dog and I both like the bell.

Title: Re: 1927 American Flyer President's Special Set Blue Litho
Post by: starfire700 on June 11, 2021, 02:10:08 PM

On my previous layout, the "Hole in the Wall Ry" I ran a Blue President set with litho 19" cars. I had both Lionel and MTH wide radius switches (probably the same), and had no problem.
My first video shows this set running on that layout.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0-xzHebA8k&t=367s

Title: Re: 1927 American Flyer President's Special Set Blue Litho
Post by: starfire700 on June 11, 2021, 02:14:59 PM

This video also shows the AF President on that layout. I wish I still had the set, sold it to a guy in Gt Britain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHYojuQQquo&t=40s