K-Line's little Porter 0-4-0

[Anonymous]

I received my first K-line Porter locomotive yesterday, and after running it a bit, thought I would offer some comments here for those who may be considering the purchase of this model.

This is one neat, little locomotive (well, not really so little)! I bought mine from JusTrains for less than $80, and at that price it's right up there with the best of the small locomotives, such as K-Line's great Plymouths, Lionel's Dockside, the MTH Dockside, and a few other diminutive but affordable models. I don't want to repeat much of what has been stated in CTT's own review of the Porter, so will just add my observations.

The Porter is a hefty bugger. It is quite large for a locomotive of this type--taller, for example than Lionel's Dockside. As CTT noted in its review, typical prototype porters were tiny licomotives, and most were designed for narrow gauge roads (like the Bachmann On30 Porter). Because it is so large, I would guess that it's O scale size, or darn close, and designed as a standard gauge locomotive in O scale. Frankly, it looks best operating without any other O27-size locomotives in the vicinity, and most of what I'm operating on my holiday layout is O27 size.

Finish and graphics are excellent, and I found no flaws after giving the locomotive a careful going-over. The model I bought is the "U.S. War Dept." version, but I assume all other roads are equally well done in this respect. At some point, K-Line really needs to consider doing this locomotive in Christmas livery because I can easily see this cute-and-ugly locomotive pulling trains beneath a good many Christmas trees. Small layout or large, this engine will be right at home on any of them.

The locomotive does look best, in my opinion, with rolling stock that is somewhat larger than the traditional O27 size. For example, I ran it with some traditional-size Lionel rolling stock for a while, and then went into my train storage room and dug out some MTH RailKing rolling stock, which usually is larger than Lionel versions of the same or similar cars. I must say this locomotive looks much better, to my eyes, hauling the RailKing-size cars.

The Porter is a very smooth and quiet operator. Its headlight is bright even at low voltages. Smoke output is entirely adequate by my standards. It doesn't exactly crawl at low voltages, but it's also no speed demon and I'm perfectly satisfied with the range of speeds it demonstrates.

I'm running my Porter on Lionel FasTrack. There is no hesitation going through the curves or switches, and only the very slightest bit of slow-down, barely evident, as it goes through the FasTrack operating crossing signal track section. I'm pretty darn picky about trains maintaining a constant speed on curves and such, so if I say it operates smoothly on FasTrack, you can be pretty sure that it is a smooth and consistent operator.

The Porter comes fitted with O scale couplers, with a set of traditional O gauge couplers included in the box. I switched the rear coupler only to the O gauge type, since most of the cars this locomotive will be pulling are so-equipped, and left the scale coupler on the front for appearance sake. Switching couplers is very easily accomplished with a small Phillips-type screwdriver (hopefully one that is magnetized because the screws are quite small).

I know this can be an expensive hobby, but the K-Line Porter, the K-Line Plymouth, the Lionel Dockside, and the RMT BEEP, in particular, sure amply demonstrate that it doesn't have to be. None of those models cost over $100, and most of them can be had for a lot less than $100 if you shop around a bit. All are, in my opinion, excellent values for the money, even if you bought them at MSRP.

This is my first K-Line Porter, but I have a hunch that it won't be my last because I can easily picture this model hauling that string of Industrial Rail log cars that are currently sitting boxed-up in my train storage room. That would be an entirely fitting consist for a locomotive of this type and period.

[choochin3]

My wife bought me the UP Porter for our anniversary last week,
and I have been running it everyday so far.
I can't say enough good things about it.
Great job K Line!!!!

Carl T.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the review Allan. The Porter wasn't on my list of loco's to consider, but it sounds as if it has a lot of possiblies! I like your suggestion about the Christmas loco. Hadn't thought of that. I think it would do just fine running under someone's Xmas tree just as it is. Maybe with a string of flat cars haul in the Xmas trees from the north woods.

[Anonymous]

Definitely would look good in that configuration, DT.! I have mine hauling an MTH RailKing Pennsy N5c caboose (orange) at the present time, and may even give youre suggestion a try for my Christmas layout. In the meantime, I think I'll break out those IR log cars and see how they look with this locomotive.

[hugoroundhouse]

Anyone out there bought the S Gauge version of this?

Jim E.

[cnw1995]

Allan, what does the headlight look like when lit?

[laz 57]

ALLEN,
I too have purchased a PORTER 0-4-0 in LACKAWANNA Livery and it runs GREAT.
Smokes up a storm!
I have it pulling the Reading Coal Cars with Scale couplers.
One of the best little engines I ever purchased.
laz57

[tmcc man]

I think i am gonna buy the porter with the extra Chrismas money this year.

[Anonymous]

Did they put out a Dukes of Hazzard trains yet?

[Anonymous]

Doug:

The headlight is one of those bright blueish-white types (bright even at low voltage). I don't recall what that type of bulb is called, but I do know that some folks like 'em, and others don't. I like it.

[Anonymous]

I added several IR log cars to my Porter last night, and they look great with this locomotive. I kept the train length to three log cars and a caboose because (1) I have it operating on a small layout, and (2) I don't want to overload the capacity of this little engine. About all I need now is a Bobber-type caboose to replace the N5c I'm currently using.

[tmcc man]

Allan, the bulb is an LED short for Light Emitting Diode.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the fine review. Loco appeared to be a mini in the web catalogs and ads.
My first post on this site, sort of wierd having posted on the other O site for some time, two chat sites..... Like having to decide on which of two nearby dealers to select to have your car serviced!!!!

[crip]

Inexpensive,runs wells That's what fun is all about!

Dear Santa

[Dr. John]

Allan, thanks for the review!

I am a little put off by its large dimensions. It seems like a great value, but kind of large, especially when put next to the Bachman On30 porter. Still, K-Line is to be commended for providing another affordable, good looking and good running locomotive.

[Anonymous]

It is, indeed, pretty large. No question about that. The size factor was even noted prominantly in the CTT review.

However, it's still a neat and funky locomotive, and it looks great--especially if you operate it alone, without any Hudsons, Challengers, and such in the vicinity, since those tend to emphasize the size differences.

I had kind of expected that since K-Line made that tiny Plymouth pretty much to scale proportions, the Porter would be similarly small (although I never expected it to be near as small as Bachmann's On30 Porter, which I also have). That's not the case, but I'm not terribly disappointed since I still think it is a darn fine locomotive at a very affordable price. I'll likely buy another one soon in another roadname.

[Anonymous]

K-line has come out with a nice set of four old time Lackawanna milk cars that probably would look great behind the Porter Lackawanna. They have scale couplers too! I have the milk cars and after reading these posts about the Porter, I'm on my wat to Trainland to buy one today!

Wayne R.

[Anonymous]

Giving it a bit more thought, here's how I see the size issue with this particular locomotive:

It's as if K-Line engineers decided that three-rail O gauge track would, in this instance only, represent three-foot narrow gauge (kind of like HO track is used to represent 2'-6" gauge for On30). With that basic measure in mind, they designed a Porter to the correct size, or very nearly so, for a locomotive model that would be operating on O gauge track wherin the 1-1/4" track gauge represents 36" (as used on the prototype) instead of having that same O gauge track represent a prototype standard gauge measure of 4' 8-1/2", as it normally does.

If that was the case, this Porter would probably scale to the correct size, or darn close to it. It's similar to the confusing situation we have in Large Scale, where 1:20.3 narrow gauge models are physically larger than 1:32 standard gauge models that operate on the same 45mm track gauge, whereas in "real life" just the opposite would be true, and the standard gauge locomotives would, of course, dwarf the narrow gauge locomotives.

I guess that's why I feel that these Porters would look best operating with other Porters, and with semi-scale or scale-size rolling stock, and not mixed in with various "standard gauge" models.

I'm not terribly finnicky about such things myself, and still think the Porter is a great locomotive. It'll look like a giant if I have it operating along with one of the Plymouths, so perhaps I'll just opt for another Porter for this layout, or maybe use an RMT "BEEP" as the second locomotive on this two-locomotive Christmas pike. The BEEP/PORTER combo would make a funky and attention-getting operating team.

[Anonymous]

Porter did make a standard guage version of this engine. Here is a link to a well preserved one at the Adirondak Museum with a pic about halfway down the page.

http://home.att.net/~Berliner-Ultrasonics/marionrv.html

Thier display preserves fully half of this tiny RR's roster. They only had the three ex BRT horse pulled cars and the Porter.

The K-line Porter is oversized and closer to a narrow gauge engine in 1/32 scale but the coal car Jimmies K-line have been selling with the Reading Plymouth and the Gang/pump cars in the last few years are at least "era" correct for this little engine. These cars were mostly ran as unit trains in antricite coal regions and were mostly retired at the turn of the 20th century long before the Plymouth came along.

Also anyone who is looking to model logging RR's in Pennslyvania there was a RR called the Lackawanna Lumber Co. that painted it's engines as "Lackawanna". It does seem a bit more appropriate as an engine for this line than an engine for the much bigger and much better funded Lackawanna RR.

[JamesPH1966]

Finally got to run my PRR "April York Special" Porter the other day and I can't say enough good things about it - heavy, smooth running (very little "break-in" needed), good speed range, excellent detail. Sure it's way too "overscale" but it's still a very neat engine for the price. From my calculations, it scales out to more of a 3/8" scale (#1 scale, 1/32) narrow gauge loco designed to run on O track - if I were K-Line I would have omitted the engineer figure (and his high-chair) and nobody would pay any attention to the scale issue/non-issue.

I did send an e-mail to K-Line suggesting an "after-market" larger scale engineer figure and/or some over-scale industrial cars to match as they may have found an untapped market. As much as O scalers will use Bachmann On30" as a narrow guage interchange, Large scale operators (especially those modeling standard gauge prototypes - Aristo-Craft, USA Trains, MTH users) could use equipment in this scale for their narrow gauge "fix". Its just a thought, but who would have known Bachmann's On30" would have done so well (it started out as an adjunct to "Christmas Village" ceramic houses and now they have Shays and Climaxes)? Nothing like ready-to-run narrow gauge for us lazy types...

[Greywoulf]

laz 57

ALLEN,
I too have purchased a PORTER 0-4-0 in LACKAWANNA Livery and it runs GREAT.
Smokes up a storm!
I have it pulling the Reading Coal Cars with Scale couplers.
One of the best little engines I ever purchased.
laz57

 

 

I think the 'lil Porter is great too! As I'm more interested in playing with toy trains I really don't give a hoot about it's dimensions. I took it to a local American Legion sponsored train show today and ran it with a string of Marx side dumper ore cars on tracks next to some of my MRR club's Big Boys and Pennsy giants, and it was the 'lil Porter that kids (and adults also) kept pointing too and smiling at. And smoke?? -You would not believe the amount of smoke this 'lil slugger puts out!! We were afraid the volume might set off the Legion's smoke alarms!