# Possible Likeness?



## Old smokey 47 (Apr 10, 2020)

So here I am taking a break from building a wall display for the American Flyer Steam Locomotive set I have acquired. This was the same set I was given as a kid but was long ago lost. Researching the history of American Flyer I find a photo of William Ogden Coleman Jr, an interesting guy responsible for moving the AF model railroad forward during the prewar period. What immediately jumps out at me is the similarity of Colemans photo the Hero Boy in the Polar Express animated movie we all know so well. 
Check out the photos and give me your thoughts. Either you will agree or you will respond like the Liberty Mutual commercial of the caricature artist of the guy with the long visor cap and standing sub sandwich "I don't see it".

Now b





















ack to my wall display cabinet.
Steve


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

Wellllll, I guess I'm the sandwich guy.. Maybe a small resemblance, but it's a push,lol....


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## Old smokey 47 (Apr 10, 2020)

Come on both part their hair on the same side. I'll bet if we took a vote we'd lean toward seeing it.

Steve


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## AmFlyer (Mar 16, 2012)

Sorry, I do not see it either. I part my hair on the left, could it be me!? I see the nose and mouth as different.


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## Old smokey 47 (Apr 10, 2020)

Ok..... maybe these two shots of Hero Boy are not the best to draw a comparison, we'll have to wait till next Christmas.


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## The USRA Guy (Apr 26, 2020)

Yeah....I don't see it😐


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## Old smokey 47 (Apr 10, 2020)

Ok then, so what AF Steam engine does the Polar Express most closely resemble?


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## The USRA Guy (Apr 26, 2020)

The Polar Express engine is based on Pere Marquette 1225.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Polar Express loco is a Berkshire. AF never made one.
A Berkshire is a 2-8-4. An AF Northern is a 4-8-4 but it does not look like
Polar Express. Other brands made a Berkshire. Tom can tell you about them.
Seems somebody makes a S scale Polar Express engine and the cars. Probably
Lionel.


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## AmFlyer (Mar 16, 2012)

Lionel has made a very nice Polar Express set In S gauge. 
Gilbert never made a Berkshire, But Lionel recently made a FlyerChief version and has taken orders for a detailed S gauge Legacy version.
Here is a picture of a FlyerChief Berkshire.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Here is a S scale Polar Express Set on ebay. Looks like steam engine and 3 passenger cars.
Diecast engine. Smoke and chugs with railsounds. This can be run from transformer or included
powerpack and remote control. Bluetooth also. Looks like a nice set. Smoke is fan driven. Brand new.










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## AFGP9 (Apr 8, 2015)

Old smokey 47 said:


> So here I am taking a break from building a wall display for the American Flyer Steam Locomotive set I have acquired. This was the same set I was given as a kid but was long ago lost. Researching the history of American Flyer I find a photo of William Ogden Coleman Jr, an interesting guy responsible for moving the AF model railroad forward during the prewar period. What immediately jumps out at me is the similarity of Colemans photo the Hero Boy in the Polar Express animated movie we all know so well.
> Check out the photos and give me your thoughts. Either you will agree or you will respond like the Liberty Mutual commercial of the caricature artist of the guy with the long visor cap and standing sub sandwich "I don't see it".
> 
> Now b
> ...


Nope, don't see it. A long shot at best. 

Kenny


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

mopac said:


> Here is a S scale Polar Express Set on ebay. Looks like steam engine and 3 passenger cars.
> Diecast engine. Smoke and chugs with railsounds. This can be run from transformer or included
> powerpack and remote control. Bluetooth also. Looks like a nice set. Smoke is fan driven. Brand new.
> 
> ...


I've heard too many bad things about these engines/sets. That's why I don't have one, my wife was going to buy one for me but I told her no.


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## Old smokey 47 (Apr 10, 2020)

Beautiful in appearance, but kind of pricey for a static display


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## AmFlyer (Mar 16, 2012)

Static display??? It is a great running and good looking FlyerChief set complete with power supply. 
There is an issue in that the power supply provided is not adequate if the separately sold add on cars are used. If so just use any AF transformer. Some have noted there was an assembly problem with the lighting power pickup in some passenger cars, that is an easy fix.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

I think flyernut heard about an earlier locomotive Lionel did. I do not remember what type of loco.
Seems 800 was the road number. Gears meshed too tight. Shimming the motor solved the problem.
Should not have to do that on a new locomotive. It was most of them. I would love to have a nice
Berkshire. A little leery of a Lionel unit because of my experience with earlier Lionel Alco diesel units.
They are pretty much junk. So Lionel is not above putting out junk. I have some Lionel O scale that
run great. I have not had good experience with their S scale. I have about 2000.00 in those junk Alco
units. My bad. I bought 4 sets plus add ons before I ran one. If I had run one, I would not have bought the other 3. They make great shelf queens. Nice looking trains.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

I just posted pics of 3 of my Lionel sets in "Photo of the Day" thread.


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