The Comet

One more example of the sheet metal streamliners made by American Flyer.  This is one called The Comet. It was produced in 1936 only, and never appeared in the Flyer consumer catalog; however, Northwoods has seen reports that it did appear in a seperate train brochure that featured low-end trains.  It is a another delicate train that could have been easily damaged.

Edit:

The Comet has a strong resemblance to the lithographed Burlington Zephyr, and both trains are sheet metal throughout.  However, most but not all Burlington coaches have six windows while Comet coaches always have four.  The set was brightly lithographed in blue and silver, with gray and black details.

Unlike most but not all Burlington power cars, the Comet power car rests on two trucks and can run by itself.  The cars...have only one truck; the front ends of these cars rest on the preceding car.  The train units are linked by a pin on the trailing car that fits into a hole on the preceding roof and by a drawbar on the car in front that engages a pin at floor level on the following car. The trailing car is a curiosity.  It is not an observation car but rather an unpowered version of the power car with only one...truck supporting it.  This simulates the prototype train, which had a power unit and control cab on each end.

The set was brightly lithographed in blue and silver, with grey and black details. "THE COMET" appears on both sides of the power car and the trailing car, while "AMERICAN FLYER LINES" appears in a stripe above the windows on the coaches"