Emzly Strahan | The News
In a time when most hobbies are digital, John Mangus is keeping a tradition alive with his impressive collection of American Flyer model trains. His trains and accessories are carefully restored, hand-painted, and arranged into a miniature town complete with fire stations, hospitals, and airports.
The American Flyer brand, which Mangus prefers, is known for its realistic S scale and its roots in American history. Its founder, A.C. Gilbert, famously refused to make weapons during World War I and was known as “the man who saved Christmas,” After convincing the government that educational toys were vital after a wartime toy manufacturing ban was considered. The trains themselves are equally fascinating. Mangus demonstrated a 1948 oil drum loader—an accessory that picks up and loads barrels onto waiting cars, with a humorous unpredictability. “Sometimes he’ll just throw them in there if he gets upset with his job,” Mangus joked, adding, “It’s really neat, that’s an oil drum loader from 1948.”
Beyond nostalgia, Mangus’s trains are marvels of engineering. Some locomotives date back to the early 1950s, their weight and construction testaments to an era when toys were built to last. “If you want to hold it, you have to use both hands,” he said, referencing a particularly heavy engine originally purchased by his father in 1953. “It’s very heavy, but you can see how a toy will last for so long.”
Part of the appeal for Mangus is the blend of history and engineering. He delights in explaining the technical aspects: the difference between steam and diesel locomotives, the physics of derailments, and the evolution of train technology. He even described how modern model trains can feature computer chips with real train sounds, thanks in part to musician Neil Young's involvement with the Lionel company in the 1990s.
Despite the hobby’s dwindling popularity-“people don’t have the patience for it”-Mangus remains committed. He sees a new generation of hobbyists emerging, often engineers or those in technical fields, who are eager to blend old-school mechanics with new technology. Still, he treasures the originals, preferring to restore and preserve them rather than replace them.
In the age of instant gratification and digital distractions, John Mangus’s world of model trains moves at a different pace, reminding us that patience, craftsmanship, and a love of history never go out of style.
“It's interesting, because it's scale modeling; you learn history, and it's art.”
