By Randy Berger and Dave McEntarfer
The first loco was a No. 40 4-4-0 with matching eight-wheel No. 40 tender. It had nickel trim in the way of domes, bell, handrails and headlight. In addition it had four nickel boiler bands The pilot truck was held in place by a long screw running up into the cast-iron boiler.
The loco’s number plate was held on by two pins just below the cab windows and lettered “No. 40” in gold and it was outlined in a red and gold cartouche. The loco was japanned in black as was common then with cast-iron toys and trimmed in red and gold stripes on the steam chest, cab roof and pilot truck with a gold highlight on the boiler front. The drive wheels were painted a dark green and trimmed in gold. The pony wheels were also painted a dark green to match the drivers.
The tender was lithographed sheet metal with the lettering “TCLE No. 40” in gold. TCLE means Twentieth Century Limited Express. The gold lettering was outlined in a red and gold cartouche. The trucks were trimmed in red and the wheels were painted a dark green to match the loco.
The second No. 40 (above right) is much the same as the first except that the steam chest area of the casting has been altered to extend from one side to the other. This allows a shorter screw to hold the pilot truck in place and was probably done to allow easier assembly.
The second-series #40 loco has cast-on domes, headlight and smokestack. It has three nickel boiler bands, nickel handrails and a nickel bell. Added detail includes cast-on boiler rivets. It was manufactured from 1909 through 1911.
The No.40 tender of the second series looks identical to the No. 40 tender of the first series, but the gold and red colors are reversed. “TCLE” is now in red. We are not sure if they were reversed for a particular reason or just an error in inking the lithograph stones.
The third series #40 loco and tender are quite different from the first two. It is catalogued from 1912 through 1916. The pilot is now fixed to the boiler and the pilot truck pivots on its own. It has new 14-spoke cast-iron drivers painted red and uses O-gauge cast pony wheels also painted red. The nickel boiler bands have been replaced by red painted bands. The boiler casting is all new and the number is rubber-stamped below the cab window rather than being on a lithoed plate. The engine sits higher but is close in length to the previous #40s. This particular loco has no indication of any striping on the roof although other engines have this feature. It features the fancier Walschaerts valve gear which is carried on through 1928 and the first die-cast 1134.
The tender is no longer lithographed, but painted black with
silver rubber-stamp lettering “No. 40” inside a rubber-stamped border.
It now has the new “automatic” coupler, but a slot is still punched
in the coupler to accomodate the earlier hook coupler cars. It uses the same
trucks as the earlier #40 tenders and although it is pictured in the catalogue
with the newer journal box trucks We have never seen an example of this.
This is the last clockwork loco/tender catalogued for #1-gauge. There are third series locos with the earlier lithoed tenders. Whether the factory was just using up inventory or this was put together by some collector is difficult to say. We will say “Leave it alone”. If that is the way you got it, then leave it just that way. Don’t try to correct what you perceive as a mistake. Besides it will be a conversation piece!
Loco #41 was catalogued from 1908 through 1911. It was a cast-iron 0-4-0 loco and had a fixed pilot. It was trimmed with three nickel boiler bands and a nickel bell. First advertised as having no reverse, We have never seen an example without it. Let us add that we have only seen about three or four examples. It came with a lithoed plate under the cab window lettered “No. 40”. The plate was either black with white letters or red with white letters the same as the second-series #40.
Earliest 70 Series Passenger cars came in straw yellow and maroon. The maroon cars are extremely scarce, and can be found with silver or gold contrast.
Car number 71 was a combine without sliding doors.
Car number 72 was a coach. Early roofs are gloss black with hand-painted details on the clerestory. These cars also come in maroon with gold or silver lithoed lettering and details.
The maroon cars are uncatalogued and extremely scarce.
As can be seen in this comparison, the earlier 72 coach on the right has smaller windows. No facts discovered as to why IVES changed this lithography, and it remains a mystery. This is often referred to as the four boards or two boards between windows. The change to wider windows in the 72 coach is probably 1907 or 08 till 1909. The 70 and 71 cars remain the same. The change to green roofs is probably 1908 and 1909.
The late green roof variation is not often seen - as with the black roof cars this these have hand painted clerestories.
The new versions of the 70 series passenger cars were introduced in 1910. They have two-piece roofs and double kingpost truss rods. The simulated wood lithography is all new, and these cars are generally referred to as high-letterboard cars. They can be found lithographed either white or brown. They generally have hook couplers, but can be found with automatic couplers. The trucks are now riveted on. The #70 baggage is lettered “NEW YORK CENTRAL LINES”. The clerestory is painted a different color than the roof. The orange/cream roof is but one of several different color combinations.
The No. 71 Buffet car shown here is lettered “TWENTIETH CENTURY LIMITED” on the letterboard and “BUFFET CAR" below the windows.
The No. 72 Buffet coach is also lettered “TWENTIETH CENTURY LIMITED” on the letterboard and “CHICAGO” below the windows.
The 70-series passenger cars are dropped from 1-gauge in 1912 to be used in O-gauge sets and had the letterboards cut down to more closely match the height of O-gauge locos. You can see the result of cutting down the letterboard.
70 series cars were restored to 1-gauge in 1913, but retain the low-letterboard style. The low-letterboard series come in either white or brown wood-grain lithography, The white cars are very scarce. The #70 baggage shown here illustrates the low-letterboard look. The roofs on the brown wood-litho are usually two-tone grey, but may have various color combinations. The low-letterboard cars also introduced colored celluloid as well as clear in the windows. We have seen green or red celluloid used.
Circa 1913-15 white No. 71 Buffet Car.
Circa 1913-15 white No. 72 Chicago Car. These high and low letterboard cars have been found on the earlier single-post frames, but usually have the double post truss rods as above.
The 180-series of cars were introduced in the 1912 catalogue and although they seem very large for the clockwork #40, they are catalogued with it. These were large painted cars with new journal-box trucks. They are lettered “NEW YORK CENTRAL LINES” and/or “THE IVES RAILWAY LINES." They are painted dark green with orange windows and multi-colored transom windows. The roofs are a lighter shade of green with brown shading along the edges. There is striping on the roofs and bodies in contrasting colors.
The 70-series freight cars are first catalogued in 1906 and are numbered 73 through 76. The #77 lumber car is not listed until the 1910 catalogue. The first freight cars have their trucks fastened to the frame with small screws and brass nuts in the same manner as the passenger cars. Later series cars have the trucks riveted on. They are lithographed a dark green with either painted or lithographed roofs on the cattle, box, and caboose. The early cattle, box and gondola all have brake wheels and black gold-striped frames. The later freight cars have gray frames with gold stripes. All the cars have black trucks with red stripes. These cars wind up as pull-toys with only one coupler and a slot punched into the opposite end.
The early #73 box car comes in dark green litho and roof. It is lettered “FAST FREIGHT LINE” to the left of the center door and “GENERAL MERCHANDISE CAR” to the right of the door.
The late (Later than the green) gondola came
in white with red and gold contrast, the frame on this one and most are gray
- the frame is the post 1910 frame with coupler slot
punched on one side.
The #74 cattle is lithoed in dark green with black stripes and lettered “LIVE STOCK TRANSPORTATION."
It also comes in white litho with red lettering and highlights. This one has a green roof.
Unusual late variation of stock car with floor train base, no truss rods and stripped roof.
Very unusual variation in pale green color. Late car with no truss rods, but has cherry stripped roof.
Early green caboose - note number lithographed on cupola. Lettered “FAST FREIGHT LINE CABOOSE” The main roof is cherry stripped litho and the cupola roof is simulated brown wood litho.
White - later variation of the 1 gauge caboose - these have a plain cupola.
Somewhat different variation of the white caboose this one has a white/green cupola with orange roof and wood grained doors.
Rare caboose variation - they ran out of bodies and used the body for a box car as a caboose.
The #77 lumber car first appears in 1910 and should have a lumber load and chains connecting the stakes to hold the load in.
Last but not least - when talking about clockwork sets you need
a key. This unique looking key is what came with the IVES 1 gauge windups.
© 2006 Randy Berger and Dave McEntarfer - All rights reserved.
Reproduced by permission.