# 302 4 piece boiler with slotted brushes



## BrokeCurmudgeon (Feb 8, 2016)

This must be a FrancanFlyer. It is a lovely 4 piece boiler diecast with wire hand rails. The brushes are slotted and the springs are single wire. The tender is a sheet metal American Flyer Reading Lines. Were there 302's built like that early on?:dunno:


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

BrokeCurmudgeon said:


> This must be a FrancanFlyer. It is a lovely 4 piece boiler diecast with wire hand rails. The brushes are slotted and the springs are single wire. The tender is a sheet metal American Flyer Reading Lines. Were there 302's built like that early on?:dunno:


To answer your question, yep!!.. The 4-piece boiler 302, and the 302AC will have a sheet metal tender, where as the plastic,(bake-lite), 302 will have a plastic,(bake-lite), tender.All will have smoke, choo choo, and head-light.You can always tell a early version of ANY engine when it has those single springs with the slotted brushes..I'm no way an expert on these things, but in my experience, that's what I've found.. There are several other members here who are way more knowledgeable than I, hopefully they'll chime in.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Broke, I have what I think is a 1946 K5 312. It has slotted brushes. From what I have read locos made in '46 and '47 have slotted brushes. Your 4 piece 302 was probably a very early 1948 and AF was notorious for using up old parts before using new parts for production. Lots of variations of AF locos.


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## cramden (Oct 13, 2015)

mopac said:


> Broke, I have what I think is a 1946 K5 312. It has slotted brushes. From what I have read locos made in '46 and '47 have slotted brushes. Your 4 piece 302 was probably a very early 1948 and AF was notorious for using up old parts before using new parts for production. Lots of variations of AF locos.


Mopac, I think you pretty well covered it. If you look at the parts diagrams with their parts lists on My Flyer Trains. org by Oct. of 1949 the part #s are all changed to revised brush holders and brushes. That would lead me to believe your timeline is probably close and yes they would exhaust current parts on hand before using new stock. The date stamp inside the boiler could also narrow the time frame as well as the link coupler, if still on. Thick shank with no weight is 47, brass weight is 48, and black weight is 49 and newer. These are also approx. dates.


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

Such great people here with a wealth of knowledge!!!:smilie_daumenpos:


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## BrokeCurmudgeon (Feb 8, 2016)

flyernut said:


> Such great people here with a wealth of knowledge!!!:smilie_daumenpos:


:appl::appl::appl:


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## BrokeCurmudgeon (Feb 8, 2016)

cramden said:


> Mopac, I think you pretty well covered it. If you look at the parts diagrams with their parts lists on My Flyer Trains. org by Oct. of 1949 the part #s are all changed to revised brush holders and brushes. That would lead me to believe your timeline is probably close and yes they would exhaust current parts on hand before using new stock. The date stamp inside the boiler could also narrow the time frame as well as the link coupler, if still on. Thick shank with no weight is 47, brass weight is 48, and black weight is 49 and newer. These are also approx. dates.


Mine is link coupler black. I have yet to take the boiler off to see a date stamp.


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

BrokeCurmudgeon said:


> Mine is link coupler black. I have yet to take the boiler off to see a date stamp.


Remember, the VERY first thing you remove during dis-assembly is to remove the brass smoke stack. Other-wise, it will be a real bear getting the chassis out of the shell...


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## cramden (Oct 13, 2015)

flyernut said:


> Such great people here with a wealth of knowledge!!!:smilie_daumenpos:


And sometimes I just guess based on available information that I've read!


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## AmFlyer (Mar 16, 2012)

I have a couple of SIB engines, 1948 or 1949 that have slotted brushes so it is apparently not rare. One is a 312. I am not aware of any research done on when the last slotted brush engines were released. My 4 piece with wire handrails is a 1948 302AC. I never looked to see what kind of brushes it has.


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## cramden (Oct 13, 2015)

AmFlyer said:


> I have a couple of SIB engines, 1948 or 1949 that have slotted brushes so it is apparently not rare. One is a 312. I am not aware of any research done on when the last slotted brush engines were released. My 4 piece with wire handrails is a 1948 302AC. I never looked to see what kind of brushes it has.


Out of curiousity I just went and looked at my 4 piece 302 from 1948 and it has slotted brushes. Never bothered to check since I've had it, so maybe 1949 could be when the change started.


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