Burlington Zephyr

One of the things that Northwoods enjoys about collecting toy trains is learning the history of the company, the history of the individual piece, and the historical era that the items were produced in.  Flyer, Marx, and Lionel all responded to the factors present in the culture at the time. As a case in point, the first item brought forth from the Pre War era is the Burlington Zephyr produced by American Flyer.  It appeared in the catalogs from 1934 to 1938, in several configurations. 

The first version was cast aluminum, and appeared in the catalogues from 1934-1938. American Flyer also made a lithographed, sheet steel Zephyr that came in either 3 or 5 car versions, but was catalogued only in 1935. The sheet metal version, like all American Flyer stamped steel streamliners, is prone to having been crushed, usually by an errant foot.