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I wrote it while going down the chimney! Ho, Ho, Ho!

Thank you

That would be awesome! Thanks for your comment!

Thanks for your comment!

Thank you for watching and commenting.

Yes, is the short answer. The main issue with the curved panels is that on the inside of the curve there is a hill. Longer coaches or engines will hit that hill, which derails them. I have no problem running the older AF coaches on this system; however, coaches with the newer Blue Comet set of American Model sets won’t make it. Now, you could cut off that hill and cover it up with flatter scenery. Or, you could use the straight, turnout, and crossing panels and connect them to regular Pikemaster curves, and cover the Pikemaster curves with tunnels or obscure them with mountains. All Aboard has its limitations, but a little inventiveness can go a long way toward adding operating interest. Thanks for watching and I apologize for the delay in getting back to you.

Some I might take up your idea! Thanks for watching!

I got into the prefab layouts after my first attempt at a N-scale layout was a disaster! They give a guy like me, who is not great artistically, a fighting chance to make a decent layout. I guess prefab layouts are akin to paint-by-the-number books! :) Thanks for the comment!!!

@@StatusFaction Yes, quite true. I always thought they looked great, and the expansion possibilities were good with them. Cheers.

Even in the 1990s, I dreamed about getting the Ortenstein, but never was able to find one. Thanks for the comment!!!

Thank you for your comment! I was going to say something about my pronunciation in German. I had great grandparents on both sides who were Berliners, one a judge who Bismark had removed, the other a professor. Sadly, I was never exposed to German. If you think my German pronunciation is bad, you ought to hear my Portuguese! My wife is Brazilian and though I have a good reading vocabulary of Portuguese, my pronunciation brings either laughs or quizzical looks! Danke! (Did I say that correctly?) :)

See my video on the Kibri N-scale layouts. Every once in a while, a long while, one comes up on eBay. Noch has the market pretty much to itself today, though I sure wish Kibri would get back to making layouts again. Thanks for your comment!!!

Yes, I did not service the engine and it probably never has been. I will do so soon. My train layouts are in my office, which is also my library. I have some some rare books and my dad’s log from his service on the USS Emmons during WWII. So, I not want to risk any pollutants in the office. The cannon, unfortunately is not the original. Thanks for the comment!

On eBay, there are usually many listings of the passenger set; yet, few, if any listings for the civil war set. All my steam engines in every scale I have are blue; so you can see why I went for the Washington set! I knew that the box lid can fold up for a display; however, given the age of the box I don’t want to take a chance on compromising the integrity of it. I’m glad you got the engine running again. It sure feels great when an old loco given up for dead by someone is restored to life! THANKS FOR THE COMMENT!

Lol​@@StatusFaction

The condition was quite unexpected! Thanks for your comment!

If I just ran diesels, I'd agree with you; however, I just run steam and a turntable seems essential to me, especially in adding operational interest. Thanks again for the comment!

Thanks for the comment! I'm glad I didn't because I would not be able to send it back. Moreover, if I decided to keep it, I'd want a secure box to store it in since I do not have a TT layout yet.

I did ROCO and Fleischmann merged! I was absolutely shocked and very disappointed when I saw the condition of the turntable. In a follow-up video I'll describe how I found out what the source of all the flaws was and it had to do with a manufacturing error/neglect. Thanks for the comment!

@@StatusGlobalAutodidact The design looks like it's based on the Fleischmann H0 and N turntable drawings - it's an old (40+ years), but nice design.

I read that that Fleischmann made a TT turntable but I never found one. So, I wonder if the ROCO is a Fleischmann model or based on it. Thanks for your reply!

Thanks for the comment! Hmm, how do I model the the bunker ...

Don't sell the set! Thanks for the comment

@@StatusGlobalAutodidact Those sets, especially the 21165 Casey Jones loco that came with it, are a dime a dozen. That said, my 21165 is an early production loco; it's stamped March 1961 and its tender has a knuckle coupler.

It's great to have parents and grandparents who teach us to treat what we have with care! I think that taking care of what we have carries over to how we treat people too.

Thank you for your comment! A.C. Gilbert was a remarkable man. I learned that he won a gold medal in the Olympics. He combined high quality with innovation in American Flyer trains, though after his death I think there was a decline in quality with the introduction of the Pikemaster line. Your brother was one lucky guy!

@@StatusFaction as was I, I can’t even tell you how much fun it was to have a microscope,erector set,chemistry set to experiment with!

I agree! I had all three, though may favorite was the erector set. I loved making all sorts of things with it, including a monorail system that was part of what I called "The City of the Future," that I made for the NY Science fair in the 6th grade. Alas, on the way to the fair the person driving us went over a railroad crossing too fast and the whole layout went up in the air, hit the roof of the station wagon and then crashed down. I was unable to get it to work in time for the fair. My city of the future became a disaster of the past!@@karlreinke9653

I totally forgot about the monorail . My set wasn’t big enough to b7ild one however.

I Like That Adapter On The Locomotive, You Can Use The Knuckle Couplers And The Hooks. Cool.

Thank you very much for subscribing! It means a lot to us! American Flyer made three All Aboard layouts, which I described and showed pictures of in another video, and the Westerner was the biggest and included at least one of each type of panel. They also produced the smallest one in a winter scene. The sets are a nice way to get an S gauge layout in a relatively small space.

I found the All Aboard set on eBay. It's the biggest of the three Gilbert made, the "Westerner." There usually are some of the smallest sets (Pioneer 600) listed on eBay and, at times, the specialized panels, such as turnouts and, much rarer, the crossing panel and the whistle panel. I have a couple of other videos on this site that show the pros and cons of the All Aboard system and what to look for if purchasing. Thanks for your comment!

Thank you for your comment!

The All Aboard panels are 17 inch squares and the curve radius is a little tighter than the standard American Flyer track. I can run Pacific class steam engines on it but not the passenger cars that come with the newer Lionel American Flyer sets, such as the Blue Comet, or the American Models passenger sets. The coaches are too long to negotiate the curves. The civil was set runs well on the AA panels! Thanks for the comment!!!

Northerns cannot navigate Pike Master track, either.

Anything bigger than a Pacific class loco will probably not negotiate the curves. At least the Civil War set does!!!! Thanks for the reply!!

If I really want something, I check eBay daily. I've seen All Aboard sets on eBay since the 90s but the one you set in video is the first time I saw a complete Westerner set. And, the Civil War set was the first time I saw one in that condition at an incredible price - I got it for a tad over $200! Thanks for your comment!!!

Just keep checking eBay daily, especially on weekends. I found this one for a tad over $200 and could not believe my eyes! Thanks for your comment!

I too was a child and had a Lionel set and met someone with an American Flyer layout and sure wished I could have one. However, my family was not well off at the time - my Dad was a WWII vet and had difficulty getting a career after the war - so, it was not an option. It was not until my 40s when I purchase my first S scale trains. BTW, there are usually All Aboard sets for sale on eBay. I did a video on what to look for and what to avoid with these sets, as the quality varies greatly. Thanks for your comment!!!

@@StatusFaction Same here, my Dad retired from the Navy in 1957 and the Navy pension wasn't that great. There must be thousands of us Boomers with the same American Flyer dreams. LOL Cheers, Bob

The original Royal Blue train set was a freight set, not a passenger set. I purchased the coaches separately, though they are not a perfect match. Nevertheless, I'm not a perfectionist and it works out fine for me. The All Aboard panels were a great idea by American Flyer; however, the company folded within a couple of years after introducing them. The panels themselves are nice, the Pikemaster track is not well made. I think after A.C. Gilbert passed away, the quality of American Flyer items significantly decreased. Thanks for the comment!!!

Yah! Mini trains: mini respect! :) Thanks for the comment!!!

Thank you for the comment! I too love AF!

Have a great new year! I don't have a whole lot but I really value what I have!

Keep checking on eBay, I’ve seen these sets popping up occasionally!

Yea, the set is a keeper! Thanks for the comment!

All I had was a black Lionel diesel and a year later a black 2-4-0 steam engine! I had no idea when young that locos came in anything but black! It wasn’t until late childhood when I got an HO diesel in blue that I realized engines could come in different colors! Thank you for watching the video and your comment!

Yes, I did not know how good it was until I opened the box and checked it out. Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment. American Flyer is a lot of fun!

The set exceeded my expectations! I’ve had the converse experience, such as an American Models loco with no drive bar from the motor to the drivers; so, this was quite a blessing. Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Glad you enjoyed it.

Sometimes one lucks out and finds a treasure when least expected. Thanks for the comment!

Thank you very much! Faint impressions on the box indicate the set belonged to a soldier or marines. It must have been stored during a move or deployment and then left in storage. Many blessings to you and yours this Christmas and New Year!

No kid played with that set. I hope Lionel will produce that set just like Gilbert did in 1960. Lionel can add a headlight and a better motor nowadays. That Washington Engine was so beautiful! Hope to see a reproduction next year if Lionel gets enough orders!

@@michaelgmoore5708 Lionel has a nice pair of O scale Civil War sets and I saw an old time steam set on eBay recently; however, it would be something if Lionel redid the American Flyer set I showed! Imagine this set in a digital format with sound!