The American Flyer Locomotive 282 lettered for the Chicago North Western made its debut in 1952 with a sheet metal tender and link coupler with black weight. This was Gilbert’s first steam locomotive with a plastic boiler.
The Gilbert Engine 405 was originally planned to be made in an A and B pair. Gilbert never made a Silver Streak “B” Unit.
The American Flyer Northern Locomotives had a 4-8-4 wheel arrangement would have had 4 leading, 8 driving, and 4 trailing wheels. There were 8 models of the Northern 4-8-4 produced by Gilbert.
The American Flyer Locomotive 324AC was produced in 1950 and modeled after the New York Central Railroad line. American Flyer Hudson Locomotives had a 4-6-4 wheel arrangement would have had 4 leading, 6 driving, and 4 trailing wheels.
The American Flyer Locomotive 336 Union Pacific was made from 1953 through 1957. The American Flyer Northern Locomotives had a 4-8-4 wheel arrangement would have had 4 leading, 8 driving, and 4 trailing wheels.
Conflicting directions were at work in the Gilbert American Flyer engineering department in the late 1950’s. The traditional selling points for American Flyer trains were two rail track and scale realism.