American Flyer, a division of A.C. Gilbert Company, were most notably known for their 3/16″ ‘S’ scale trains.

American Flyer #336

American Flyer 336 Restoration: Introduction

During my first American Flyer train restoration of my childhood #302AC engine, I did a LOT of research in order to learn what made these relics chug. Through all my Googling, one model kept popping up that I knew I needed. The Northern, or as American Flyer refers to it, “The Challenger”, which is arguably the flagship of the Gilbert American Flyer roundhouse.

American Flyer 302AC Restoration: Introduction

The days of setting up my fathers trains in an upstairs bedroom had almost vanished from memory until those trains were transferred from my parents basement to my attic. My childhood memories of these American Flyer trains weren’t of them chugging around a Christmas tree or in a spare bedroom, but that of a screwdriver in my hand taking them apart in hopes of resurrecting them. During my first “restoration” of these trains…