Whatever Happened to the Old Marx Train Dies?

[tinplatacis]

Bob Keller

Oh, the new tinplate line. The Flynn's sold everything to a company called AmeriTrains. They produced a few freight cars but the economy prevented them from expanding the line (if I recall correctly, the new owner owned a metal fabricating company) and it quietly went away.

 

Alright.  Does anyone know their wherabouts now?  Did they have any locomotive and motor dies?  Would it be possible to aquire them?  Who owns the dies currently?

 

So many Questions,

     Tinplaticus

[jwse30]

A few years ago (two or three), there was a guy at the Marx Show and Tell in York that had bought quite a few of the stamped steel dies and was trying to make new cars with them. He also had a bunch of Ameritrains old stock, and it sounded like more old stock that needed to be assembled.

 

He also used to sell at the Dupage County fairgrounds train show; I don't know if he still does though. I wish I could remember his name...

 

J White

 

[Bob Keller]

Oh, the new tinplate line. The Flynn's sold everything to a company called AmeriTrains. They produced a few freight cars but the economy prevented them from expanding the line (if I recall correctly, the new owner owned a metal fabricating company) and it quietly went away.

Checking my spreadsheet, I ran a total of nine AmeriTrains boxcars and one oil tank in the magazine from July 2005 to July 2007.

[tinplatacis]

even the stampted steel ones?  i've seen newer ones, so i was curious since they stopped about 10 yrs ago.

[stebbycentral]

Bob Keller

I believe K-Line had most of them, then they became part of the K-Line estate which, after the litigation, I believe went to Sanda Kan for money owed, and I believe that Kader (owner of Bachmann and Williams) now controls it.

 

Bob's reply concurres with what I have also read.   The K-Line S-Guage rolling stock is said to have actually been made from Marx O-27 dies that were modified to add S-Scale trucks.  If you have any of the K-Line stock look at the undercarriage and you wll see that there are two different mounting holes on each end.  One for the S-Scale trucks, and a somewhat larger hole inboard for O-scale trucks.

[Bob Keller]

I believe K-Line had most of them, then they became part of the K-Line estate which, after the litigation, I believe went to Sanda Kan for money owed, and I believe that Kader (owner of Bachmann and Williams) now controls it.

[tinplatacis]

Whatever Happened to the Old Marx Train Dies?

I have an interest in aquiring them, perhaps beginning a new era in the company's history and the use of the disappearing label "Made in the USA".  But i have no clue as to the fate of the dies, or if they are availible.  Any help would be appreciated.