Is this original roof?

Judging by the patina, the roof is original. 

I agree. And unless you purchased this with the hope of someday selling it for a gazillion dollars, have at it with a nice new paint job.

Gilly@N&W posted:

I agree. And unless you purchased this with the hope of someday selling it for a gazillion dollars, have at it with a nice new paint job.

With most items in poor condition, I have no problem with it. However, given that the roof is in much better shape than the 70 baggage I have, and is in the best shape that I have seen an original roof, I am reluctant. Does anyone have a junker 60/70 series roof they could trade me?

looks original to me.

That seems like pretty sloppy manufacturing to have such heavy wrinkles in the corners. Is that very common for back then?

If it was mine I might do some body work on it to improve the appearance, even if it is "original".

looking at some other Ives cars on the bay, some have some small wrinkles, some have none...so it may not be an original roof.

El Classico posted:

So I bought some Ives passenger cars, and the first one arrived today. It looked worse in the buyers photos, and as I was going to repaint it black originally, I want to ascertain that it is not original before I proceed. Help?

 

Completely original.

Tin

That seems like pretty sloppy manufacturing to have such heavy wrinkles in the corners. Is that very common for back then?

Yes, one of the ways to easily identify a refinished item is for the paint to be too neat.

If it was mine I might do some body work on it to improve the appearance, even if it is "original".


Some folks want their trains in original condition, no matter what the condition of the finish.
Some folks want their old trains to refinished, sometimes in better than original factory finish
Some folks like to modify their trains.
And some folks like reproductions.
To each their own.

I've made a few minor modifications to trains here and there.

Looks 100 percent orig to me. FYI... most of that darker dirt will come out with patience. Warning, once that outside red shines like the inside it will show the scratches with greater detail.

Dreyfuss Hudson posted:

Looks 100 percent orig to me. FYI... most of that darker dirt will come out with patience. Warning, once that outside red shines like the inside it will show the scratches with greater detail.

The outside and inside shine do match, it's just the angle. That was only only reason I suspected it might possibly be an older repaint.

El Classico,

  Looks 100% original to these old eyes, I would refurbish and not worry about the originality.  

PCRR/Dave

Ace posted:

That seems like pretty sloppy manufacturing to have such heavy wrinkles in the corners. Is that very common for back then?

If it was mine I might do some body work on it to improve the appearance, even if it is "original".

Actually yes.  I have AF, Ives and Lionel cars with heavy "wrinkles" and some not very straight cut lines... They were toys after all.

Leave 'em be.  they are part of the charm IMHO!

I have these late 1920's Lionel 607-608 cars with neatly formed roof shapes - but they lost their paint !

Ace those cars fare from the time period of 1926 until 1932 (cataloged sets) or 1936 (in uncatalogued sets) The peacock and orange  original color combo was made in LARGE numbers.  They were used in sets pulled by 252,253,258 and 262  Lionel locos. The same body stamping tools were used until the end of the prewar era.

I believe that someone tried to strip the cars long ago and left vestigial coloring.  The cars look interesting...somehow, ummm comfortable to the eye... like old slippers on the feet.  The added couplers , doors etc are interesting considerations.

In 1925 or there about, Lionel must have undergone a tooling technology change.  All of a sudden their stampings for Standard gauge and O gauge were as you show them.... neatly formed and cut with no wrinkles, or wavy edges. Also the radii of the stampings  at the roof edge became MUCH more precise and fit on a beaded edge very cleanly. The stamping for the observation railings were vastly improved at about the same time.