| Soon to follow with his superb model trains, Josh | | | | went with the O gauge, but soon went into the |
| came out with a new gauge, and this was a small | | | | standard gauge that Lionel had set. |
| three rail O gauge. He had quickly seen the need | | | | Just before the onset of the war, Hafner sold out |
| for a train that would be more adaptable to home | | | | the American flyer in 1938. This was to A C |
| sizes and could generate off the electricity. That's | | | | Gilbert. Once the war started, all model train |
| exactly what this gauge allowed and is still a very | | | | making had to stop. All the attention had to be |
| popular model today. | | | | put on the war. Prior to this though Gilbert had |
| Other train manufacturers were fast becoming | | | | switched the gauge from HO to O. Then in 1946, |
| known as well. For example the in 1907, the | | | | the S gauge was introduced. The Lionel Company |
| American Flyer joined the industry. Owned by | | | | had the leading edge in the industry and Gilbert |
| two friends, William Coleman and William Hafner. | | | | was unable to compete. He could not keep up |
| They had decided they wanted to experiment | | | | with the mass production and the price of Lionel's. |
| with keeping costs down in the lithography area. | | | | Gilbert stopped production in 1966 and just after |
| They tried some tin type materials but the quality | | | | this; Lionel took over the ownership of the |
| was inadequate, so they were not popular. | | | | American Flyer. |
| Actually, it was this company that first started | | | | The love for model trains lives on today and will |
| producing clockwork trains. | | | | no doubt continue to do so for many years to |
| Eventually the partnership came to an end and | | | | come. The new fads and toys that hit the |
| Hafner went on his own manufacturing the | | | | market every year will never replace the beloved |
| American flyer electric train set. Originally, he | | | | train sets. |