These IVES transition passenger cars used American Flyer Bodies on IVES trucks and snake pull couplers.
Circa 1928-1929 - The car above is actually from 1928 as it has the 'flat' black paint, the car below is from 1929 have a more glossy paint. These cars were cataloged both years with an 1134 steam engine and may have been sold with black 3245 short-cabs or black 3243s in 1928 only.
Circa 1928 - Light green cars were cataloged with a matching 3245 short cab as the Interstate Limited, also sold with black 1134 steam locomotives and late 3243 electrics. The example below has blank plates, but 4 wheel trucks.
Circa 1929 - Prosperity Special - copper plated body with nickel plated roof and nickel trim.
Circa 1929 - American Flyer bodied cars that came with the Nickel trim 3245 long cab in 1929 as part of the Olympian Set.
Chrome plated 241 from a 1930 set, we're it wasn't IVES that chrome-plated these.
Circa 1928-1929 - No. 242 Parlor car in Black Diamond colors. IVES actually used the AF Dining Car body for this car and in 1928 sets you would find two of these when sold in 4-car sets. The car above is from 1928 with it's flat black paint, the car below is from 1929 with it's semi-gloss black paint. The 1929 car is also sitting on it's original box with the original cardboard insert.
This light green car has blank plates which would probably make it early 1928, but only has four wheels on each truck, which we normally associate with a No. 245 car?
Circa 1929 - Prosperity Special car - see 241 for details.
Circa 1929 - Olympian car - see 241 for details.
Chrome plated 242 from a 1930 set, we're not sure if IVES chrome-plated these or a latter owner.
Above is a 1928 version of the Black Diamond Observation - you can tell by the flat black paint, below is the 1929 version with it's semi-gloss paint.
Snake pull and truck from 1928
Original 1928 cars always have this creamy white primer color, also note that the roof spreaders are on the same side, reproductions have roof spreaders on opposite sides.
The 243 above has has a standard IVES brass plate attached to the observation railing. All Flyer bodied cars have this plate EXCEPT for the Prosperity Limited observation which has the translucent oval in the back like the President Special cars. Even though it has the translucent oval there is not drumhead light, like that found in the actual Flyer Cars. If the floor has been punched for this light then it's not original.
Varney - Sirus Prosperity car. A quick and easy way to spot these is that the brass plates don't fit correctly.
Platform from a Richart or Varney Sirus - originals have the brass plate, the cars never had any reference to Black Diamond on them - that was the catalog name. Below are two more Richart cars - besides the difference in the plates another obvious mental note to me is that the windows always look crooked or not lined up correctly on the reproductions. Another difference are the roof spreaders which hold the roof on. They're both on the same side with the originals, different sides on the reproductions (same die).
Boxes for Copper cars from Prosperity Special.
Chrome plated 243 from a 1930 set, we're not sure if IVES chrome-plated these or a latter owner.