Will anyone get the "True Story?" with K-Line

[MartyE]

Well the forums are lit up with rumors, guesses, make-believe, and stories. So who will give us the real story? Hmmm? Seems like one of these two magazines would be trying to get a scoop on this. I guess my questions is "Does either one of the major mags investigate any of this or do they just wait for the manufacturers to spoon feed? This is not any kind of attack but gee with all the inuendo and such you would think somone would look into some of this.

This happens all the time. The rumors fly and the magazines lock up tighter than a drum. Then we have to get the "real story" from the internet whanna be insiders. The guys who know a friend of the cousin of the pool boy of so and so. But hey its better than the deafening silence from the information hounds of the magazines. Are you guys, and thats a general term for the magazine folks, gun shy of being wrong, afraid of ruffling feathers, or just not capable of investigating the happenings in the industry? Or is this just worth the time or resources to look into this?

K Line is only the latest. But it seems the forums and magazines delete the threads and that is that. Can you guys do any better? I guess is another question I'm asking. I gotta admit some of the stories that get posted are entertaining but I would like to know what's really going on. If Murry Klien says "No Comment" then so be it. If Mike Wolf or Jerry C spew the company lines maybe a little digging could be in order.

Or is there a fear of what might really be found?
Obligatory Conspiracy Insert

I just like to hear news and not from the manufacturer or the internet rumor mill.

[Bob Keller]

You made my day Marty.

We often joke about the contents of "the last issue of CTT" and the whole toy train Babylon story would be pretty high on the contents page.

Frankly, I don't think a majority of our readers (which is not the same as forum folks) care about the inside baseball stuff - they want coverage about trains, not toy train politics. That having been noted, while there are a ton of sources about everything, very few would go "on the record." Ergo, if you can't prove it ...

[MartyE]

I would just like to clarify that I'm not expecting monthly expose's into the finacial, political and what have you dealing with any of these manufacturers. And I think you are correct when you say most folks do want a magazine to focus on toy trains and not the BS we live with on the forums This website does have a news section and if K Line is getting out of the business or *** Maddox is taking command then this to me seems like it should be fairly easy for a journalistic publication to find out. Like I stated in may not be worth the resources but the whole I heard, she said crap gets old but as of now unless the magazines have better or more informative info then what is there?

[marxalot]

My son writes for a local newspaper. Local population = 60,000; circulation= a lot less! Investigative reporting is a whole different ballgame than producing articles about a hobby where just about all interviewed want to be interviewed, if not quoted. The mags are about trains, not insider trading. Unless CTT wants to staff up for the once or twice a year event (maybe) that might benefit from such skills it is no wonder the internet and rumor mills have the latest, greatest scoop. In the end, like Bob mentioned, most readers won't care that much and would prefer more coverage on the fun aspects of the hobby. I doubt if the truth were being shared that it would be stiffled on forums, but things often deteriorate into rudeness....

$.02 from Jim

[Big_Boy_4005]

I hate to say it, but the entire manufacturer "soap opera" has gotten to the point where my mind is no longer "enquiring".[swg]

[MartyE]

It is certainly not a life or death situation for me. Besides some on these forums I don't know other than retailer who really gives a rats butt. I just wondered whether it was worth the effort by CTT or OGR to actually "investigate" this or like Bob pointed out that the interest beyond the forum is pretty much null. Personally just being tired of the so called "insiders" I thought maybe some real info would be a breath of fresh air.

So I pose this question point blank...

Would advertising dollars influence an article that might point to some information that would be "Breaking" and informative, if it not so flattering to one of the manufacturers? Have I crossed the line? I would like to say I'm not trying to open a can of worms or anything but... Phhhhhfssst! The can just got opened.

[winrose46]

I think they could do an article on whether if a customer sends a repair into Kline what is the likelihood of their being able to repair it or will it be caught in their bankruptcy. I was faced with this issue on my Lt. Pacific that was still under warrentee. Instead of sending it back to Kline, I felt safer changing it to Proto 2.

[Jumijo]

I'll second Elliot's opinion and add, I don't want to see that type of thing in the magazine. I buy it to read about the layouts, learn about how to advance my skills, etc. I don't read it to see who's zooming who (or is that whom?).

I think the folks on this forum take all those "lawsuit" stories with a much bigger grain of salt than those on other forums. Here, we are a laid back, friendly bunch, mainly concerned with endlessly taunting each other with the whole North vs South thing, and clearly, that is of much greater importance. Lionel vs Brand X isn't nearly as intriguing as sweet tea and grits vs whatever. [:D]

Jim

[FJ and G]

I'm not that interested about K-Line's affairs. However, I'd have to disagree with Bob K., in that CTT has covered the history of toy trains in its pages and a good segment of the toy train hobby values the history, good or bad. This is not true in the other scales with the possibly exception of Marklin.

That said. I'm satisfied w/CTT coverage of news events such as bankruptcies, lawsuits, etc, keeping them in the News section. I think the only investigative journalism needed would be to get the public records, court records and whatever news releases the companies provide. I wouldn't go for anonymous insider information. You might get burned.

[MartyE]

Winrose bring up a point that I guess this is aimed at. If you were buying K Line or whoevers product wouldn't you like to know if there will be a service department in 6mos? Don't you want to know if your club engine that you were charged for will actually arrive? This si all part of the inquiry.

The Brand X vs Y point just does not apply to these questions. The consumer needing to be informed does.

I would never suggest annonymous info. Thats what we have now. But facts are out there. We just need somone to present them without bias. I'm afraid in this day and age that maybe impossible.

[Bob Keller]

I had been on the CTT staff (circa 1996) a pretty short time when we got a call from a former high-ranking Lionel employee who told us that Lionel had been sold. This was a fellow who should have had the inside skinny. No ifs, ands, buts.

We started working up a story, and but we couldn't confirm it because it didn't happen.

I never trusted anything this guy had to say, ever again.

All we know is a rumor attributed to an East Coast train retailer. When/if we can confirm something that is news, we'll post it or get it in the magazine.

Note to David: Its not quite history yet, it is still a dynamic situation.

[Anonymous]

Let's drop the lawsuit issues for a sec and just deal with the delays in getting information out about what happens at a major meet like York or Cal Stewart. With Digital photography, laptop computers and most hotels offering free or nearly free internet access, why does it take 3-4 months for reports on York to appear in "print". I'm not advocating giving away the store, but even a few cumbs about what did or did not happen would be nice. If you want to stuff this into a "for fee" area on the web site, fine, something like the download section of old articles. To be completely honest, I'd be willing to pay a monthly/yearly fee for timely information. The additional "in depth" material on some of the articals in CTT are a good first step, not everything written or photographed can make it into print. The download area is another good idea. How about a real "news" area.

[Richard A]

Marty, you pose some good questions. In spite of myself (I hate this "soap opera" stuff!), I find that I now have a vested interest in what may or may not happen to/with K-Line. I have a couple of the soon to be infamous SD70's on order and would like to know the prospects of my investment. In a way, I feel like a shareholder of K-Line and am worrying about the next shareholders meeting.

But just as I have done for many years, as a shareholder in a few large companies that experienced financial turmoil, I find myself really on the outside looking in. It would be nice to hear more information that I could trust. But how?

BTW, based on instinct and "vibrations" alone, I do not expect to see my K-Line SD70s in June or any other time. And the money.......?

[Kelly Shaw]

When we have some information to report, we will do so here.

Thanks.