Why K-Line NAILS it! Where’d they go? Scale and Semi Scale O-Gauge
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- Опубліковано 8 лют 2025
- K-Line Trains and Rolling stock are some of my favorite to collect! With details for Scale and Semi Scale through the roof, they really look fantastic behind any train. So if they were so awesome, where'd they go? What happened to those striking yellow boxes?
K-Line 3688-4449 GS-4 Daylight #4449
#klinetrains #oscale #modeltrain #lioneltrains #ogauge #modeltrains #train #toytrain #trains #modelrailroad #kline #modelrailroading #daylight #4449 #southernpacific #3railtrains #westernpacific
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I own a hobby shop and the quality of K line was fantastic
Always felt K-Line was majorly underrated!
their passenger cars sure aren't.
Great video! I love my K-Line Chicago and North Western aluminum bi level passenger cars and the matching E8 AA set. " I was very fortunate to find them. Big ups 👍 from Chicago !"
Neat video, Mike. I do not have many of K-Line's products, but I do really like the ones I have. I am glad you did a video about their products! Great job! Bill B.
I have a K-Line Pennsylvania GG-1 and a Virginian Trainmaster, love them both. I picked up a K-Line boxcar, some coal hoppers and a caboose to go with it and they're great too. Excellent video!
I worked at The Great Train Store outside Atlanta and sold a K-Line caboose at Christmas. The person who received it as a present returned it the next Christmas, unopened. Ten minutes later I sold it again.
Very good video. They started making track at various radii back in the seventies. They made 0 and 027 track in wide radius. This opened up a whole new world of possibilities for O gauge. I wish we still had them. Thanks for sharing.
Yeah, they really did a lot for O-Gauge, that's for sure! Wish that track was still in production or at least easier to find!
K-Line also made American Flyer track in wide gages wish I had bought some for “just in case”. Stuff is EXPENSIVE now.
Love K-Line. While I only ended up with a few examples of their rolling stock as a kid, I got all of their catalogs from my local hobby shop. From those and what I saw on the shelves, they made some great stuff at reasonable prices. K-Line made the kind of trains I wish I could buy new today.
Great vidio, like the K line too.Thanks for the morning coffee...
K-Line is still my favorite. In my opinion, they raised the bar as far as the level of quality in model trains. Really wish they were still around. - Ryan
K-Line products are a bit thin on the ground at this point but they do show up at train shows fairly often. Best to hit the shows when you can and keep your eyes open.
0:36 I heard (in another video) that a memo from K-line accidentally got leaked, and that allowed Lionel to sue them into their control. And that Lionel kept the K-line brand going for a little while, before ceasing the line entirely.
My dad has the complete K-line Procter and Gamble set including the letter and convenience store(these were included as an apology for the sets being late) which was only given to employees.
Terrific video. I have always enjoyed my K line equipment.
Hey Mike love the K line brand agree that the detail is there very interesting what happened to them didn't know always great to learn something new on your channel talk to ya soon and as always great video
I definitely need to get some Kline into my roster. I’ve been looking! 👍
I have at least 1 K-Line engine in my collection: A BN MP15 switcher. It doesn't have sound or a horn, but it's detailed and pulls like a champ. That's all I really need
they have great TMCC sounds and it looked like the smoke units were independent of the remote so smoke did not suffer for not having the remote some of their best were the B6 or A5
K-Line almost got into doing subway trains ahead of MTH. Maury Klein was interested in exploring the idea (conversation I had with him at their Toy Fair open house for KCC members in NYC), and I found some carbody diagrams for them to look over. With regard to NYC Transit trademarks on the outward appearance of their subway cars, he was of the opinion that it's easier to "jump the fence" and ask for forgiveness later.
Cool details! Love hearing stories like this
Not often I see anyone talking about k-line. They do have good detailed trains. They always catch my eye at train shows. It took me a while to aquire the entire 50 state quarters collection but it was worth it.
Yeah I thought it would be good to touch on this often overlooked brand. Hard to believe it’s nearly been 20 years since that logo showed up in a catalog of sorts!
@@Dadified86 yes I agree, and Weaver would be another company that I think is overlooked. People I think gravitate too much to the companies that are still in operation and fail to realize that there are other companies that have gone out of business but made great products with great detail.
Great video, I agree! Just bought a kline gg1.
Right on! 🙌
Nice! K-Line was a fine company. Most of my modern cars are K-Line and Williams and they are quite nice. They are smooth rolling and the detail is very good. Too bad that Lionel basically put the kibosh on K-Line and Bachmann did the same to Williams. I always try to buy them at shows, as they are less expensive than Lionel or MTH and just as nice, probably nicer, really. I was looking for some K-Line O27 covered hoppers at the last York show, for my grain elevator scene. Ray sent me over to Grzyboski's and, fortunately, they had a number of them. An excellent video, as always.
I've got the K Line NYFD set from a ways back, plus several other K Line cars. Always looking for deals on K Line.
Great video and topic👍👍
I have a sizable collection of K-line engines. Their 1/64 th scale big boy is an excellent running engine and strong puller. I recently acquired their Southern Pacific, Pacific steam engine with Vanderbilt tender.
Video was great
K-line was a great product.
They were the first to put out scale engines.
The biggest down fall with K-line was the prices. They were new at the time and put their stuff out very cheap not making a profit just to obtain sales from the big 5 at the time. Lionel, MTH ,Atlas ,Weaver and Williams.
Yes they had some law suites but
Merry Kline didn't just prices higher to make it through the storm.
It was ashame that he had to go into bankruptcy and then receiver ship with Lionel having to sell them off.
You're 100% right Harry! It's too bad Lionel didn't keep the K-Line products as a "mid-range" line, say "K-Lionel," but they didn't ask me and I'm sure they didn't ask you!
I like all your union pacific rolling stock
I also discovered K Line and purchased a number items from their line,via E bay and Trainz.
I purchase an E 8 AA diesel locomotive set in New York Central ,with Lionel Rail Rounds along with 21inch and 18 inch aluminum passenger cars.
Lionel took the K Line E 8 diesel molds/ tooling and another company took some of the 21 inch aluminum passenger car tooling .if I am not mistaken .
I was viewing a UA-cam video about the dispute between K Line and Lionel and if it weren't for one unfortunate press release by K line during that dispute ,Lionel would have not been able to take them to court and force them out of business .
Because of that press release ,K Line lost everything !!!
I have the LC2 big boy the 4014 and I added that like a couple months ago in my wish list and it’s been a while five months there’s at least one out there that’s for sale and of course I’ve been looking on other websites. They are either out of stock or they don’t even have the offering. I mean I’m just saying thanks for posting almost every day.
Took me almost a year to find 4014. If you’re not picky about the number, the other ones do show up from time to time. 4017, 4012, 4024 were all LC2 releases if you’re looking for Big Boys with LionChief control.
@@Dadified86 ok thanks and I also think they made 4011
And for the Sherman Hill set, they made 4004 and then they made 4000
K Like also made some of the best tinplate track, including wide radius curves like 096 and 120.
I did not know they also made track! Cool!!
Lionel compatible tubular track.
@Dadified86 Yes indeed...the 'test track' layout that comprises most of my channel's videos uses K-Line 027-height 072 curves (only ever made by K-Line).
For O-27 size, the K line cars are way more detailed than those from Lionel. And they created full O scale cars that are an easy fit with both MTH Railking Imperial and Premier Locomotives! If you're patient and you look hard enough you can find some practically new K Line rolling stock that is really, really nice to add to your layout!
I’ve got a set of them for my GS-4 and they’re incredible. Detailed interiors, lots of rivets and separately applied handles and such outside!
The real gems that K Line made were their Aluminum passenger cars! Check out the Golden State, California Zephyr, Super Chief, Hi Level El Capitan, 20th Century and City of Los Angeles sets they made. Most were offered in 15”, 18” and some in 21” length cars, but all the great detail, sprung doors, detailed trucks, lit interiors and passengers inside. These details were not offered by either Lionel or MTH at the time. These cars are my preferred choice when running passenger sets.
I’d believe it if these Madison cars are anything to go off. The streamliner cars must be epic!! I’d love to find a set some time
One more point is that the early Aluminum cars were not in the Yellow and Black box, but in a Black box with pinstripes.
@@bobr511 Some came both ways...in the sense that I have a scale Golden State set (only missing the second dome car) with coaches packaged in both pinstriped and black/yellow boxes (although that may be due to the incremental release of the set cars to the KCC).
Yes, you are correct. The early aluminum car boxes including the Golden State cars were first black with pinstripes, then yellow and black and finally when Lionel took over, the addition of their logo to the yellow and black boxes.
One final comment, it would be great for whoever has the tooling for these cars to reissue them. But we the consumers usually don’t have much say in what the companies that make. I mean how many reissues of Hudson’s, GG1s and now Big Boy’s can there be?
My K-line boxcars (the 3 silver), I got at a Train Show for $15 each.
A steal for sure! They’re fantastic aren’t they?
@@Dadified86 Yes they are! The only downside is that the doors don’t like to stay shut, but the same happens to my Lionel boxcars.
New subscriber!!! What a fantastic sight! K-Line was my favourite O gauge modeller for some years until their collapse. I think they were blindsided by a fake O gauge news reporter acting for Lionel to trap them into breaking a Michigan judge's NDA, by getting them to talk 'him' about judgment in the lawsuit 'off the record', so-to-speak. Since this unknown person was actually a Lionel 'plant', they replayed a cellphone recording of the exchange, and that was that! Still angry to this day. Never liked Lionel, anyway. I have a lot K-Line models but no layout. Let me know what semi-scale models you're looking for. All my collection is semi-scale and never run. Majority of the loco collection are steamies, except for the Pennsy GG1. All are fallen flags of the north eastern corridor in U.S.. So keep in touch, if interested. Appreciate your site.
Wow that’s quite the story! I’ve heard crazier theories so this might actually be true 😅
Thanks for joining us! I’ve reviewed the Daylight before and I’m working on the Freight Set for WP that I recently picked up so I hope there’s more for you to enjoy!
I have their cam bells soup train
Their passenger cars are still second to none.
Miss this brand. Should have stayed. One of the few companies to make ready-to-run interurbans in O gauge, let alone interurban related items.
Long commuter cars, pretty similar to the Lionel MP54. Go 2 rail for traction!
Is it true that Kline engines have bad wiring? I’ve been looking into getting into o gauge more seriously for a bit and I have a few Kline engines in mind I’d like to buy.
I thought it was rotten luck at first, but now that you mention it… 3 of my 4 K-Line remotely controlled operating cars don’t work either. My Daylight had problems but I thought it was because of poor shipping… maybe the rumor is true?
bro if lionel has the GS4 tooling they should release it as a new lionchief 2.0 lionmaster engine - a lionmaster GS4 sign me up
That’s what I’m talking about!
K line was during a time where two proprietary operating systems were controlling the 3 rail world. K line couldn't survive. It's too bad because their SD70M/SD75M models were the most accurate to date, what a waste of tooling! They didn't do very good of a job marketing their stuff in regards to what was Scale vs 027.
The proprietary sht is waaaay overpriced garbage. I abandoned proprietary electronics after one MTH set that fried. Go 2 rail if you want DCC. I do prototypical HO scale and conventional/traditional analog 3 rail O.
@@MilwaukeeF40C I totally agree. I've been thinning my collection and acquiring HO Scale. O gauge is dominated by people who only want Daylight cab forwards, fantasy schemes and RS3 & F3 re-runs. SD40-2 locomotives are considered too modern for them.
I don't have any K-Line engines but I do have some of their rolling stock and I concur, the quality's excellent!
While I understand the idea of "It makes no sense to compete with yourself!" I believe it was a major mistake on Lionel's part to drop "K-Line by Lionel" as a mid-range product line. Sure, change the name of the line if needed ( K-Lionel Lines for example?) but keep it for those who want higher quality than the low-end offerings but can't afford the high-end ones.
Right now Lionel's making them too cheap (I've no use for their starter sets) or too expensive (The 2024 catalog's only good for heart attacks!) and nothing in between. Foolish in my opinion, but then they're not asking me.
Yeah I’d agree. The middleground has been more fun to explore. I did a whole video on this missing segment in their catalog.
Sadly my Kline coka cola set only runs reverse and idle😢
Sounds like a failed reverse unit. These can be replaced with Lionel (check their parts department site) or Dallee Electronics reverse units, and you'll be back in business.
@@RailRide Don't be surprised if Lionel doesn't stock them anymore but Dallee definately has the drop-in reverse units. I've used them myself, easy installs and they work very well.
@@wayneantoniazzi2706 I wouldn't be surprised either...just included them for completeness..
Speaking of completeness, I just peeked at the Trainz website (they acquired Brasseur's stock of K-Line parts), and they do have a K-Line reverse unit in-stock, number K2200-E001, Trainz number P11675585. So there's one more possibility.
@@wayneantoniazzi2706 I wouldn't be surprised either about Lionel :D Coincidentally not long after I got the notification of your reply, I took a look at Trainz' site (since they bought out Brasseur's stock of K-Line parts) and found they have original K-Line reverse units in-stock.