Hobbies And Interests
Name Change/ Spilt
In 1908, the company changed its name to American Flyer Manufacturing Company. William Hafner left the company in 1914 to form his own company, called the Hafner Manufacturing Company.
Electric Motors
The American Flyer Manufacturing Company introduced its first electric train in 1918. William O. Coleman died in that same year and his son, William O. Coleman, Jr., took over the company.
Wide Gauge Trains
The company began production of "wide gauge" electric trains in 1925. This put American Flyer in competition with Lionel and Ives train manufacturers. Lionel and Ives dubbed American Flyer as the "Economy Line" train. Ives went bankrupt in 1925 and Lionel and American Flyer joined forces and bought out the company. In 1930, American Flyer sold its share of the Ives Company to Lionel.
The Great Depression
American Flyer struggled during the Depression and in 1938, Coleman sold the company to A. C. Gilbert. The Gilbert company was well known for Erector, Mysto-Magic and home appliances.
Connecticut
Gilbert moved the company to New Haven, Connecticut. They manufactured both "O" and "HO" gauge trains until World War II forced them to halt production.
Out of Business
American Flyer introduced the "S" gauge line in 1946, however, they could not compete with Lionel Trains so American Flyer went bankrupt in 1967. Lionel Trains acquired the rights to the American Flyer name in 1967. In 1979, Lionel produced the "American Flyer S" gauge line as a supplement to their regular "O" gauge lines.