MTH American Flyer no. 785 operating coal loader

COMPETITION HAS always brought out the best in toy train manufacturers. Just consider the fantastic accessories that Lionel and A.C. Gilbert brought out during the postwar era that represented similar but not identical answers to what the market wanted. Kids loved pretending that their trains hauled logs and coal, so each company created operating loaders. Lionel cataloged its nos. 97 coal elevator and 164 log loader before World War II, so Gilbert had to devise products for its postwar S gauge American Flyer brand that looked and performed differently.

Take the no. 752 Seaboard coaler, which Gilbert cataloged between 1946 and 1950. A motorized bucket carried miniature coal from a dump car to the hopper inside its sleek tower, where the coal was stored until ready for unloading into an empty car.

Gilbert kept the mechanical principles behind this coal loader but modified its appearance for a new accessory, cataloged as no. 785 in 1955-56 and 23785 in 1957-60. This updated version of the Seaboard coaler sold well and has remained a favorite of both S and O gauge operators. You’ll find hundreds of these loaders on layouts today.

Those of you who haven’t picked up one of these postwar coal loaders can now add an outstanding reissue to your home empire. MTH Electric Trains has brought out its own version of this classic that captures the look of the original and runs like a charm.

Like its Gilbert ancestor, the no. 30-9043 RailKing Operating Coaling Tower has a gray-painted base, six simulated wood piers, a beige-painted sheet-metal superstructure with windows on two sides, and an unpainted red plastic roof. There are a black sheet-metal tray for the coal (which is not included) and a plastic controller with three buttons.

The accessory needs a hint of assembly before you can get down and dirty. Simply insert each end of the track brace into the slots found on either side of the opening in the superstructure and then place the narrow portion of the brace into the end of the track. Next, check that the truck rests in its place atop the track and the string is properly threaded around the pulleys installed in the truck, inside the tower, and on the bucket.

The last steps are no more demanding on the old noodle. First, make sure to center the O or S gauge straight track under the hopper and place the tray under the brace with a neat pile of coal in the middle. Now comes the electronics – simple as pie!

The controller has two wires coming out from it. One goes to the transformer and the other is connected to the accessory. For the first, I split its ends and attached one wire to the “U” terminal on our postwar Lionel transformer and the other to the adjacent “A” terminal for 14 volts.

The second wire is black and red, and it has a special plug at its end. I mated this plug with the one affixed to the wires coming out of the superstructure. There was nothing to it – just slide one into the other and everything is ready to boogie.

Pressing the green button on the controller causes the bucket to descend into the pile of coal. Once the clamshell sinks its teeth into the black stuff, press the red button. The jaws close tight over a good amount of coal, and the pulley lifts up the bucket.

Once the bucket reaches the track, the pulley yanks it inside the tower. A final push of the red button dumps the coal into the hopper. Use the green button to send the bucket on a return trip for more dinner.

Repeating this sequence a few more times fills up the hopper and you can fill the hopper car resting on the track beneath the accessory.

Just push the small copper button on the controller, and it causes the doors in the tower to open and the coal to tumble down. This is truly easy to operate.

After spending several hours playing with this cool (or should I say “coal?”) accessory, some staff members found me and insisted I get back to my desk and the “real” work.

Rest assured that you’ll have a ball with the MTH RailKing Operating Coaling Tower. Just be sure no one knows where you’re hiding when you start running it!