Photos of this very
interesting late Gilbert display were provided by Robert Beers.
According to Robert, this unique American Flyer Display Layout was made in
1963 for the National Premium Buyers Show in McCormack Place in Chicago. The
show is still held today for the hobby trade and usually runs just before
the big International Toy Fair in NY. In the heyday of model trains,
all the manufacturers were represented at these shows. The
layout features Gilbert's Auto-Rama Miniature Racing in addition to the
PikeMaster trains. The display is still in its shipping box, made for
it in Connecticut at the Consolidated Can Company. The box has shipping
labels on it with the Chicago address and also a part number (28046) for the
display.
The Gilbert Auto-Rama portion of the layout
features the new black track with 3 rail operation which enabled the drivers
to go in reverse or switch lanes. The train set came with the display as did
all the accessories shown. The original gold skirting was also intact
although it shows it's age of 51 years. Robert plans on preserving the
original condition of this display. The 4 x 8 foot box it was transported in
is in surprisingly good shape and provided most of the clues as to the
display's origin. |