American Flyer Displays & History

American Flyer Complete Railroad System

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Catalog illustration courtesy of myflyertrains.net
This illustration is from the 1946 American Flyer Consumer Catalog.
Click on the illustration to examine it in greater detail.

A Big 2 Train Layout

The "Complete Railroad System" was a set containing two complete trains headed by new "Electronic Propulsion" DC powered locomotives, a 4-8-4 Northern and an 0-8-0 Switcher. In addition, several accessories, including action accessories, were provided.  Elsewhere on this website I have discussed its use as a dealer display.   While Gilbert intended to include the set in its 1946 line, production difficulties delayed its introduction until November 1947. This delay came about because of labor problems, material shortages, the diversion of resources to the development of the smoke in boiler units, and production problems related to the number 14 Rectiformer, which was essential to the operation of the DC Northerns and 0-8-0's. In fact even AC Northerns and 0-8-0's were rare in 1946 with the only supply being the models that were made for the 1946 New York Toy Fair and the Gilbert Hall of Science. In order to produce a two train set, the factory did release an uncataloged 4624 set in 1946, substituting a Hudson and a Pennsy K5 as motive power with a few car and accessory substitutions.1 In addition, the remote control switches shown in the illustration above were not included with the substitute set. The originally planned set was promoted in the consumer catalog and also in the dealer advance catalogs of 1946 and 1947, where its virtues as a store display were were presented.  Click here for more about that.  Today very few of these sets have been found which is not surprising considering that the cost of this set was beyond the means of most consumers.   It is quite likely that the existing sets were  purchased for use as store displays. 

Early sets came with a 100 watt version of the new "Rectiformer" power supply and the wiring diagram for that set is shown below at the left.  It is quite likely that the large number of accessories, including operating cars were more than total power output of the Rectiformer could handle.   Later versions of the set came with the Rectiformer and an additional 2B 75 watt transformer to provide power for the accessories.  Only the special track sections for the operating cars were left on the AC side of the Rectiformer.  A 150 version of the rectiformer would later be produced, but too late for this set.  The wiring Diagram for that set is shown below at the  right.  Below the wiring diagrams, you will find the sales mats for these sets.  Click on the images for an enlarged view.

In 2024, an early 4622 set sold at auction and photos of that set are shown in the slide show link below.   That set does not have a 2B transformer and came with a different wiring diagram which is shown below.  That diagram has an earlier "M" number (2571 as opposed to 2573 for the set that includes the transformer), which indicates an earlier set.  It is believed that the "T" suffix was added to the later sets containing the transformer. 

Early 4622 Complete R.R. System

Wiring Diagram for Rectiformer Only - M2571
Wiring Diagram for Early Version of Set
Image Courtesy of Gary Baloun		 4622t-800.jpg (449977 bytes)
Wiring diagram for Later Version of Set
Click here for larger black on white version
Image Courtesy of Lonny Beno


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4622 Ad Mat
Illustration Courtesy of Lonny Beno

 

  

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4624 Ad Mat
Illustration Courtesy of Lonny Beno

  
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4624 Illustration
Illustration Courtesy of Lonny Beno

Notes

1 In The Almost Complete Guide to American Flyer S Gauge Sets, by Robert J. Tufts, Flyernut Publishing, Chantilly, VA, 1999, Mr. Tufts has noted that the 4624 was also referred to as the 4622A (Page 8), but does not list that nomenclature in his full listing of sets. (Page 48) After considering other information provided by collector Lonny Beno, it appears unlikely that the 4622A nomenclature is a reference to the 4624 substitute set. While an A suffix was normally used to indicate an AC powered set, as the 4624 certainly was, that set contained totally different locomotives and also some different rolling stock and accessories. The nomenclature of 4622A can be found on a late 1946 version of the Eastern zone price list but it is unlikely that the set referred to on that price list was the substitute 4624 set, as the price shown was much higher than that charged for the substitute set. In that price list, the 4622A had a price of $187.50. An advertising mat for what is obviously the 4624 set shows a price of $139.50. Since an "A" suffix was generally used to indicate an AC set, it is possible that Gilbert had planned an AC version of the 4622 set, but never produced it, settling instead on the 4624 substitute set for the rest of 1946, with the DC 4622 set released in 1947.

I am grateful to Lonny Beno for his assistance in developing this page.