[Ben I]

i have some old train engines and cars but i dont know what they are (i know they are "American Flyer" but i dont know the size or what they are worth. im looking to sell them to someone that will enjoy them. is there any old American Flyer experts on this forum that could tell me something about these?


thank you.

 

[Ben I]

photos

 

[Boston&Maine]

They look like they are S scale... Is the track that goes with them two rails or three?

 

[Ben I]

two rails.
and there is a pile of track too.

 

[Boston&Maine]

Yep, that would mean S scale... This is one of the more uncommon scales as it never really caught on... We have one member here, Reckers, who runs S scale, so maybe he would be interested in them

 

[Ben I]

how would i get in contact with Reckers? he may have a better idea of what it is worth.

 

[Boston&Maine]

He usually visits here daily, so I am sure he will chime in soon... Or you could PM him...

 

[Ben I]

ok thanks.

 

[T-Man]

He is in the process of moving. He mentioned a two week time frame. Once he sees this, you won't get rid of him.

 

[Big Ed]

He is in the process of moving. He mentioned a two week time frame. Once he sees this, you won't get rid of him.

S....S....someone say S:laugh:

I know hes going to like that crane.

How much you looking for them?

 

[Reckers]

*LOL* Good morning, everyone! I'm about to take my beloved out of town to shop for shoes----apparently, the ones in Louisville don't fit right. Anyway, I'll be slow in responding for that reason.

Ben I, first of all, welcome to the forum. Let's separate your question into 2: what do I have, and what are they worth?

The best answer to the first question can be found here:

http://www.americanflyerexpress.com...ucts-directory-rolling-stock-flat-cars-02.htm

Use the bar at the top to shift from steam locomotives to diesel to cars, and so on. There is a number on each of your cars that identifies it----look up that number and you'll see a date and description for each car. That flat gray one with no number is probably a 600-series work caboose that goes with the crane. The crane is too long to travel by itself: the boom rests on the deck of that flat gray car.
Second---prices. There's no way to tell you what they will sell for. Right now, it's a buyer's market because of the economy, so selling prices are lower. The best indication is to find a similar car (again, by number) on ebay and follow it to see how it sells. A suggestion would be to do two things: first, make sure they work. Second, decide if you want to sell for a lower price package-deal to get rid of it all, or piece them out for months on ebay to try for more money.
It's possible I'd be interested, though much of my spending money is tied up in the whole moving thing, right now. What I'd like to do is talk to you further about it, but my day's gonna be tied up away from the pc. Just so you don't feel I'm taking advantage of you, let's continue the discussion here in the open, and I'd encourage anyone to disagree with anything I say. If we get to talking about me buying stuff from you, we'll take it to pm; no one besides us wants to wade through posts about how to ship and so on.

Best of luck with it,

 

[Reckers]

Okay....a little delay by the little lady. *L* That gray, flat car is probably the chassis of a #607 Tool Car to go with the crane. Steam locomotive is a 283 Pacific made in 1957. Check to see if it runs, check to see if it's a smoker or chuffer---I'll get back with you about that. Crane appears to be a 1960's vintage, but I can't read the number. See if it works, if cord is good, and so on. Might have some missing parts on the boom. Diesel is a 470 Hiawatha...see if it works. I'll get back to you later---time to go!

 

[Big Ed]

Okay....a little delay by the little lady. *L* That gray, flat car is probably the chassis of a #607 Tool Car to go with the crane. Steam locomotive is a 283 Pacific made in 1957. Check to see if it runs, check to see if it's a smoker or chuffer---I'll get back with you about that. Crane appears to be a 1960's vintage, but I can't read the number. See if it works, if cord is good, and so on. Might have some missing parts on the boom. Diesel is a 470 Hiawatha...see if it works. I'll get back to you later---time to go!

Hey King Of S?

Do I smell deal?

Drop what ever your doing and make a deal.

Maybe old Ed will snatch them up and hold them for ransom.

Get them before I do!:laugh:

You know the old saying,

Get them while their hot?

Or don't snooze you lose?

Count your chickens before they hatch?:laugh::thumbsup:

I all ways got time for a deal.

No matter what I am doing.:laugh:


Edit............................,


Someone please fix the "a" in Am"a"rican , in the title.

It's like looking at a upside down, backwards American flag.

 

[Reckers]

*L* Ed, I'll try to answer his questions first, and see what condition they are in. I might be tempted to make an offer for them.

Ben I, do you know if any of the stuff works? Also, how much track are you talking about? Transformer? Any accessories? Enquiring minds want to know!

 

[Reckers]

Well, he's not answering. I guess he was more interested in being handed a price list to ebay the stuff. Vaya con Dios!

 

[Southern]

it was a good read anyway

 

[Reckers]

It was a good read---very entertaining for a day, anyway. It does raise an interesting point, though, so I'd like to throw a question out to the group. Let's take this thread as an example to work with.

Ben I, this is not about you, but about an interesting predicament. Let's suppose Tom shows up one day on the site---his first post is "I've inherited some train stuff I'd like to sell." He posts a group of pics. No one has ever heard of him---he may be legit or he may be posting pics he cut and pasted from old Ebay offers. How does one go about negotiating with him? As a seller, he doesn't want to send part or all of a collection to a stranger on a promise to pay; as a potential buyer, I don't want to send a check to a guy on a stranger's assurance it's in good working order or that he promises to ship it. Stopping payment on a check that's already cashed is a poor strategy. Anyone have thoughts to offer?

 

[Big Ed]

It was a good read---very entertaining for a day, anyway. It does raise an interesting point, though, so I'd like to throw a question out to the group. Let's take this thread as an example to work with.

Ben I, this is not about you, but about an interesting predicament. Let's suppose Tom shows up one day on the site---his first post is "I've inherited some train stuff I'd like to sell." He posts a group of pics. No one has ever heard of him---he may be legit or he may be posting pics he cut and pasted from old Ebay offers. How does one go about negotiating with him? As a seller, he doesn't want to send part or all of a collection to a stranger on a promise to pay; as a potential buyer, I don't want to send a check to a guy on a stranger's assurance it's in good working order or that he promises to ship it. Stopping payment on a check that's already cashed is a poor strategy. Anyone have thoughts to offer?

"Amarican flyer!!!!:thumbsdown:

I guess no one will fix the lettering either!:thumbsdown:

I all ways thought the same thought.
A lot join up to sell their wares and stuff they inherited,or found in the trash pile somewhere and how are you supposed to know if they are legit?
Or they just want a estimate on how much they are worth, then you never hear from them again not even a thank you.:thumbsdown:

Unless they are also listing on e bay then you are somewhat reassured to receiving the items for sale.
But then they are just using the site for free advertisement.

Your welcome BEN I

 

[tjcruiser]

Good points there, guys.

I'm usually a pretty trusting sort, but I would NOT attempt to do business with a first-time poster on this forum, or any other, for that matter. No "sense" of the person's character. That's true to some extent on eBay, but there eBay goes out of it's way to protect the buyer.

I recently bid and won something on eBay, and promptly paid via PayPal. A day later, I saw that the seller was banned from the site, with no sign of him shipping my item. I filed a formal dispute with eBay/PayPal (against the guy), and my full purchase price was promptly (2 or 3 days) refunded. A bit of a nuisance to go through all that, but no real harm (to me) done in the end.

On a forum, there's no such layer of protection (understandably). And, as such, I'd shy away from transactions with new-to-the-site members.

That doesn't offer much in terms of suggestions/ideas for our forum here, other than to stress the importance of getting to "know someone" a bit before going down that road.

TJ

 

[Reckers]

I agree with both of you. I guess for new posters, there's only two ways to establish bona fides. One is for an established member who's not involved to act as third-party umpire and hold the money until the transaction is satisfactorily concluded, then forward it to the seller. The other would be to have the seller ship and then receive payment if what arrives is as described. The latter is unattractive to a seller, but they are the ones with no established reputation. I can't see a third way of doing it.

If no one objects or has a better idea, I'll post a new thread next week----something on the order of "Information for New Sellers". It would be applicable to anyone newly registering at the site and wanting to sell----maybe someone with less than 25 posts? I'm not suggesting a rule, here---just a guideline for folks who just come and want to sell stuff. That way, there's already a discussion of problems and expectations. If any member wants to disregard the guidelines, they're fully entitled to. What do you guys think?