The brass-trimmed 4637 electric engine, the first American Flyer St. Paul-Style Cab Electric, first appeared in the Flyer lineup in 1928 and came outfitted with remote control reverse and a new ringing bell. The catalog copy said it all, “a striking example of that consummate mastery of little things by which scaled reproduction and brilliance is attained”.

Sporting a green body and a tan chassis, the “Shasta” headed up the Pocahontas passenger cars or the Mountaineer freight set that first year. In subsequent years, less trimmed and slightly shorter versions of the St. Paul type locomotive appeared in Flyer catalogs. These so-named 4635 and 4685 locomotives headed up The Pathfinder and Lone Scout freight and passenger sets. But it wasn’t until 1932, when a sharp reduction in the number of variations was offered that the 4637 was truly highlighted in the Flyer lineup. Heading up the 1468 Legionaire set, the green and tan 4637 pulled three 19-inch President’s Special passenger cars sporting the same livery found on the Pocahontas passenger cars of 1928. This spectacular set has proven itself to be one of the hardest American Flyer sets to find today.

While the 15” long Wide-Gauge engine was high-tech for its time, with a “patented ringing bell and patented light in the fire box”, today’s Lionel Corporation’s beautiful reproduction justly captures the handsome brass piping and other details of this classic 0-4-0 electric locomotive. Available with both traditional features or state-of-the-art contemporary sound equipped functions, the 4637 and matching Legionaire passenger cars are sure to make a stunning addition to any standard gauge fan’s collection.

At the apex of the tinplate era, American Flyer’s top-of-the-line set was the President’s Special. Introduced in 1926 with lithographed passenger cars and a painted engine, by 1928 the Special had evolved into a totally embossed, painted set with brass window inserts and details. While it lacked the interior furnishings of Lionel’s best passenger cars, the Flyer set was nonetheless a magnificent train and, at $75.00, noticeably less expensive than comparable Lionel offerings. American Flyer’s advertising department spared no hyperbole in its 1930 catalog description of the train:

“America’s finest miniature railroad train and the “crack” train of the American Flyer lines, modeled after the 20th Century - America’s Finest! Rich and beyond mere words to express its fascinating beauty, the “President’s Special,” a four-car train, stands out in bold relief, distinctive and individual against all other miniature trains. It is 100” long. Fashioned carefully and skillfully by master craftsmen. It is illuminated with 15 Mazda lamps. In this masterpiece are included all the leading features demanded by young Americans in a De Luxe train, plus the most exclusive and unique fun-making American Flyer features.

“Everything you see in this marvelous train is there - it has speed - it has stamina - it has matchless beauty and smartness of lines - it radiates richness in color scheme and boasts an array of solid brass and polished nickel trim found in no other train - Gross weight 40 lbs.”

The Lionel Corporation version brings back the glory and the military-themed consist of the President’s Special in two-tone red as it was depicted, but never produced on the cover of the 1928 catalog, complete with the “Commander” locomotive (“modeled after the latest New York Central 12-wheeler”), club car “West Point,” Pullman “Academy,” diner “Annapolis,” and observation car “Army-Navy.” Add this set to your layout and you’ll know what it felt like to be the luckiest kid on the block nearly eight decades ago.

ORDER BEFORE JUNE 29 — DELIVERY TO BE ANNOUNCED 2013

jkb