American Flyer Prewar Accessories Series – Article 6 Union Station

e*Train Issue: Dec 2012 | Posted in: 1900-1942 PreWar Era, Collecting

BY LEON SWEET

The American Flyer Union Station is the largest pre-war accessory cataloged by American Flyer. It appears only in the 1928 catalog.

The item appears in two places within the 1928 catalog, first in Billy’s Colonial City on page 14 and then again on page 32 with the other freight and passenger stations that were available in 1928.

I want to state that all photos contained in this article are of a reproduction station that was made in the early 1990s. It is reported to be an exact reproduction based on an original station that was owned by the maker of this item.

The station was described in the 1928 catalog as “This magnificent station is our largest model and is constructed throughout of durable material, base being of built up veneer wood. All landscaping details mounted on it are hand made. The building itself is a combination of clear white pine framework supporting heavy composition board walls which are painted in waterproof colors. All windows are transparent frosted glass with printed sash. Equipped with 4 interior lights and an additional one in the tower that illuminates the clock on all four sides. Two guilt eagles and 3 etched nameplates complete this magnificent station. The dimensions are: Base 18 x 30 inches. House 12 x 20 ¼ inches; Tower 17 ½ inches high.” The price was $15 and $16.50 on the west coast.

The station is truly a grand item and the only American Flyer piece that is close to it in scale is the Old Glory Flag Pole, which is actually taller than the tower of the Union Station.

As for why this item appears only in 1928, I cannot say for certain. I know that the person who reproduced this station indicates that it is a very time consuming item to put together, so maybe that is part of the reason.

Although I hesitate to state values of items because the values are subject to many factors, I have seen original 110 Union Stations sell for between approximately $2,000 and $10,000, with the higher priced ones being complete, in exceptional condition, all original, and selling several years ago when the market was stronger. The lower end of the price range was for stations in lesser condition that may have been missing pieces, had restoration parts added, or have had broken pieces.

Due to these stations being made of wood and having a large base with landscaping, typical condition problems include missing landscaping and broken and/or missing pieces to the building.

Shop Amazon and Help TCA

TCA members who shop at Amazon.com can have each of their normal purchases generate a modest payment to TCA! And it won’t cost you anything!

The Train Collectors Association is now a participant with AmazonSmile, which is a special website operated by Amazon that lets customers enjoy the same wide selection of products, low prices and convenient shopping features as on Amazon.com.

The difference is that when customers shop at AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), the AmazonSmile Foundation donates 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to the charitable organizations selected by customers.

The process is simple. Just search for and select Train Collectors Association when you sign up and shop at smile.amazon.com.

You use your regular Amazon.com username and password, but when you log in to smile.amazon.com, you’ll see that you are supporting TCA with your purchases:

Note that if you just log in to the regular amazon.com, this benefit does not operate.

There are no costs to either you or TCA, but TCA benefits!

This is a great way for TCA to earn extra cash to offset costs, so sign up today to help support TCA.

* Note: TCA is not a party to any of your Amazon transactions, and does not endorse any products or vendors.

Helping TCA with your ebay purchases when you use PayPal

If you’re an ebay user and have a PayPal account you use to make payments, you can designate a donation for TCA when you’re checking out — any amount, small or large.
If you’re a regular seller on ebay, you can pre-designate a percentage of your sales to be donated automatically in your name to TCA as long as the purchaser pays with their PayPal account.

In both cases, you will receive a donation receipt from the PayPal Giving Fund, and enjoy applicable tax advantages.

How to do it:

Click on the image above, or use this link. This will take you to ebay, where you will see the following page (log in to ebay if you are not already):

This offers TCA as an option. Click on the “Add to My Charities” button where indicated with the red arrow. Thereafter, when you make a purchase, at checkout you will be offered the option to make a donation to TCA in any amount of your choosing. Small amounts add up, larger ones are great! It’s always up to you!

The option will appear at the lower part of your checkout page, something like this:

If you’re a regular seller on ebay, you can allocate a portion of your sales proceeds to be donated to TCA. Look at the green arrow marked “Optional” above to see how to do it. Details on how ebay calculates the donation may be read here. This is a wonderful way to share the financial benefits of your hobby with the organization that promotes it!

An added benefit to TCA is that these donations are not subject to normal processing fees, so that makes your donation work harder!

* Note. TCA is not a party to any of your eBay transactions, and does not endorse any products or vendors. PayPal issues the receipts to you for your donation, not TCA.

American Flyer Prewar Accessories Series – Article 6 Union Station

BY LEON SWEET

Search By:

Sort By:

Have Train Stories to Share?