K-Line catalog a hit

[danrunner]

If k-line sticks to O-27 /traditional sized products--they've got a hit.  No ridiculously expensive locos in small runs, etc.  I'm liking what I see.  Could lionel be pulling an Atlas by beginning to separate produts by size into two different brands?  If so, sign me up for K-line.  Box cars under thirty dollars.  Hooray.

 

Dan 

[Anonymous]

Well I just went through my K-Line Volume 2. I’m not going to say it is a hit however I did find something of interest. That PRR A5 Switcher with TMCC is one hot looking locomotive.

[Roger Bielen]

If you order the four car sets with scale couplers and plan on changing them to O type there are only two replacements with the set.  Lionel is aware of the need for change over parts, have a part number BUT they don't have the parts and don't know when they will be available.

[Jumijo]

I think there are a lot of great items offered in the latest K-Line catalog. Same goes for Lionel's.

Jim

[Odd-d]

Has anyone else noticed the one major change Lionel made to the KLine A5 0-4-0?  Yes they changed the oil headlight mounted on top of the smokebox to an electric headlight and moved it to the front of the smokebox like the prototype had it.  I wonder what other changes they made.  I have a KLine TMCC version that I acquired.  It is a great little engine as it was.  I hope it is even better now.  I also noticed the USRA Mikados offered in the Lionel catalogue.  Hooray!  I also have a KLine version with TMCC and it is one of my favorites.  Now I hope they will come out with a B&O version of the USRA light Pacific.   Odd-d

[Roger Bielen]

Odd-d, glad your still enjoying the A-5.

[Odd-d]

Roger----It is among my favorites.  I hope you still like your CB&Q GP-9.  I  still remember with great pleasure visiting your beautiful pike.  Bob Ottosen   (Odd-d)

[RR Redneck]

Personally I love that Lionel is "pulling an Atlas". Means I can finally buy cheap Lionels.

[brianel027]

Dan, I have to say I agree with you. And though I wish Lionel would put a little more money into the K-Lionel products via some new roadnames, I think back to just over a year ago. There were threads here, where many of us wondered what Lionel would do with the K-Line product line? Would they bury it? Would it be high end? Jerry Calabrese said it would be mid-range, but at the time we had little to go on with his word. And after the very first few K-Line introductory products showed up in the Lionel catalog, there was quite a backlash over the increased prices and the dumb paint schemes.

And now we can see that Lionel has done far more with the K-Lionel line up than I think many of us thought they would. What a change over those first few products in the Lionel catalog.

From what I have read, Lionel has a two-year agreement with SK to market and distribute the K-Line products under the Lionel umbrella. So who knows what the future will hold. But to me, these last two K-Lionel catalogs look better than the previous past few years of original K-Line catalogs did. As a long time K-Line supporter and buyer, Lionel can take that as a big compliment.

Not only are the catalogs visually attractive, but I like the overall balance of product selection: there's a few high end items, but not at the sake of having hardly any starter end products. Truth is, K-Line forgot about the orignal customers that got them started and supported them until it was too late.

[thor]

My reaction too, now that's more like it! Rome wasn't built in a day but it seems to me that Jerry Calabrese is doing his best to fulfil my expectations. He said 'wait till you see what's coming' and 'you'll be pleasantly surprised' and I have and I am. I'm at the top of 'the funnel' so what's cataloged is all new to me - well sort of - I still have a lot of Lionel to buy.

[danrunner]

Thor, Brianel,

 

You guys are right on.  Rome wasn't built in a day, and smaller pieces in a nice catalog can make a person's day.   Now if Lionel can keep traditional-sized things in mind for a respectable segment of the hobby--I think they'll like the results(financially).  K-line, Industrial Rail, RMT--there's a market here.

 

They need to remember that not many kids (including big ones) have room for much more than a 4x8 ply layout...  AND that trains look really great under a Christmas tree, but space is an issue there, too.