Circa 1921-1923 - Above and below are the several variations of the 184 Buffet car with the earliest features. Note the round top - multi-colored transoms and plain black trucks. Roof and passenger doors are soldered. The maroon one above is probably the first 184 car made, the No. 186 observation was not made until 1922 and correct maroon sets from 1921 should have the 184 baggage and two No. 185 parlor cars. Note that the maroon car above has one gauge trucks - these may have been made for One gauge track, for customers who owned One gauge sets and wanted to add on.

Circa 1922-1923 - this one is from a 1922 set with the door soldered shut and even though this one is missing it - it should have a door handle.

Circa 1921-1923 - Note that the car above and below are the same color, the obvious  difference is the square top transoms on the red Buffet below, but the later car also has a hinged roof and embossed passenger door. 

Circa 1923-1924 - Square-top multi-colored transoms with rubber stamped lettering and no journals. 

1924 unusual color for non lighted car, red with green window trim.

Circa 1925 - Rubber stamped lettering with brass journal trucks. Note that this car is lighted thus the lettering "-3". The example below is also lighted but doesn't have the "-3"

Circa 1926-1927 - Gray above and Buff below. Flat top , single colored transoms. Brass plates and journals.

Circa 1926-1927 - The color of this car has been called buff or tan or light brown. We call it IVES.

Unusual car, gray, rubber stamped. Stamped like a car with plates, we think it's old stock painted in the colors of the day - 1926?

Light Green No. 184

Circa 1927 - This all red car is actually quite scarce, these are the cars that came with the 1927 green 1134 President Washington. The larger 187 cars that came with the Capital City Special were Olive Green like the engine, but the smaller cars were red - Except in the 2 or 3 examples we've seen like below - which is a 184 in Capital City Green

Circa 1928 - Orange body and roof, snake pull couplers and brass steps.

Circa 1928-1929 - Note the vestibules and the snake-pull couplers.

Circa 1929-30 - 184 Club car in Cadet Blue

Circa 1929-1930 - Orange / black (above) and red / black (below) have brass plates and journals, separate black diaphragms and snake pull couplers.

Circa 1930 - May be one of a kind but here's a 184 body that has been decaled like a Olympian Car and actually has the number 247 on it.

185 Parlor Car

Circa 1921-1923 - Red (above) and maroon (below) see 184 for description

This example has One Gauge trucks that have been 'widened' to wide gauge. For several years after One gauge was eliminated from the catalog, Ives made up cars with One gauge trucks to sell to kids still using the old gauge. Based on the wheels and couplers we'd put this around 1922.

Circa 1925 - Red 185 with brass journals and rubber stamped lettering.

Circa -1926 - Unusual variation with colored transomes, journal trucks and rubber stamped lettering inside stamping for brass plates. This is reported to be a 1926 set sold by Montgomery Wards

Unusual car, gray, rubber stamped. Stamped like a car with plates, we think it's old stock painted in the colors of the day - 1926?

Circa 1926-1927 - Buff (above) and gray (below) - See 184 for details

Light green No. 185 

This all red car is actually quite scarce, these are the cars that came with the 1927 green 1134 President Washington. The larger 187 cars that came with the Capital City Special were Olive Green like the engine, but the smaller cars were red. - Except for the 2 or 3 examples we've seen like below where the small cars also come in the Capital City green.

Circa 1928 - Orange - see 184 for details

Circa 1928-1929 - Note that this car has snake pull couplers but no vestibules.

Circa 1929-30 - No. 185 Tiger colors

Circa 1929-1930 - Red / black (above), cadet blue (below), see 184 for details.

We can't tell you much about this car. It's a Pullman with a 186 number in a color we can't describe, but based on construction appears to be from 1930 period.

No 186 Observation

Circa 1922-1923 - Round top multi-colored transoms, rubber stamped lettering, plain black trucks. Note the brake wheel on the observation deck. The observation car was not included in sets until 1922/

Circa 1922-1923 - Red above and maroon below. The car below has One gauge trucks.

Circa 1922 - Observations weren't cataloged until 1922, but this one has one gauge trucks. The example below is a darker maroon and has wide gauge trucks.

Circa 1922 - Close up of early observation with brake wheel. Look closely and you'll see the two deck chairs, also in green. This combination was found in 1922 only.

Circa 1923-1924 - Square-top multi-colored transoms with rubber stamped lettering and no journals. 

Circa 1925 - Red 186 with brass journals and rubber stamped lettering.

Circa 1926 - Unusual variation with journal trucks, rubber stamped lettering inside brass plate indentations. This is supposedly from a 1926 Montgomery Wards Set 

Closeup of plate indentation and platform on the car above. The car below is similar but brown.

Circa 1926-1927 - Red with brass journal trucks and brass plates.

Circa 1926-1927 - Buff (above) and gray (below) - See 184 for details. The example below is a darker brown.

Light green No. 186 with cream transoms and gold observation platform.

This all red car is actually quite scarce, these are the cars that came with the 1927 green 1134 President Washington. The larger 187 cars that came with the Capital City Special were Olive Green like the engine, but the smaller cars were red.

Circa 1927 - All we have is this old picture of the observation, but this appears to be a short car version of the 1927 Capital City Special. The color also appears to be a much darker green than the large car version

Circa 1928 - The example above is late 1928 with the Lionel observation platform and Lionel steps, below is 'early' 1928 with the IVES observation deck and IVES steps.

Close up of early 1928 deck, very unusual! Below is the same car looking at the bottom, note the snake pull coupler with the unusual coupler support and pure IVES steps.

Another rare early 1928 passenger car this one is from the Capital Limited set. Note the pure Ives steps and observation platform. Below is the bottom of the car where you can see the early snake pull coupler and makeshift coupler hanger soldered to the steps.

186 observation from 1928 in red.

Circa 1929-1930 - Red / black (above), cadet blue (below), see 184 for details. Also see details below showing bottom and platform.

Circa 1928-1930 - Underside of transition passenger cars show snake pull coupler assembly with steps. Below is the Lionel observation platform used on these cars.

Note on the cars above the vestibules are painted the same color as the body - we've only seen this in some of the 1929-30 red/black cars.

Circa 1929-30 - No 186 Tiger colors.

Circa 1928 - Here's an all red version of the transition cars with the Lionel observation deck.

Circa 1930 - May be one of a kind but here's a 186 body that has been decaled like a Olympian Car and actually has the number 249 on it.