pd posted:Greg and Jim -
Was the 1690-series only manufactured during the transition period, or did they pre-date Lionel's and Flyer's acquisition of the Ives line?
I have a couple of operator-grade sets of these. They are nice with the low-end O-27 Lionel sets.
PD
Dark red Lionel coaches were made between 1933-'40. The blue coaches were 1939 only. Ives 1690 series were 1931-'32 only, at least as far as the red coaches.