MTH ELECTRIC TRAINS

With not a touch of modesty, the 1931 American Flyer catalog introduced the firm's new standard gauge steamer: "The magnificent realistic wide gauge Steam type locomotive Model 4696 is a faithful reproduction of the crack B. & O. locomotive President Washington. The faithful design is a striking example of scale reproduction. It is conceded by the most critical to be the finest miniature model ever made." In fact this description had a lot of truth to it. Of course Flyer, like Lionel with its 400E, ignored the fact that the prototype locomotive had one more set of drivers than the model. But Flyer's fully die-cast steamer with added-on brass parts was arguably better proportioned and more accurately detailed than competitive sheet-metal models from Lionel and Ives. Cataloged from 1931 to 1935, the top-of-the-line 4696 was introduced at a price of $43.50, the equivalent of several weeks pay for an average worker.

New for 2007, M.T.H. introduces this replica of perhaps the best-proportioned standard gauge steamer ever made. Like the original, our model features a die-cast engine and tender, but without the metallic impurities that caused many of the original castings to deteriorate drastically with age. Enjoy the 4696 in the original black or in several attractive new paint schemes - with your choice of a 1930s-style open frame motor or modern Proto-Sound 2.0 electronics with sound and puffing smoke.