As a long-time K-Line buyer, let's make a correction here. K-Line was not run out of business by Lionel. K-Line decided to play alongside the "big boys" making an announcement that they planned to be the number one train maker within 5 years. And thus began the production of many totally new scale high end pieces from completely new tooling. Some of these new locomotives were also foolishly premiered via the K-Line Collectors Club at rock bottom prices considering their cost of development.
While this was a good move no doubt to entice customers to try K-Line products, they also began building up a massive debt with their Chinese vendor. It got to the point where K-Line was no longer able to receive product without cash up front. K-Line had a multi-million dollar debt when the fiasco over the stolen Lionel technology happened. And even at that point there was an initial agreement with Lionel that would have allowed K-Line to remain in business.
K-Line made the huge mistake of ignoring their original customer base of tradtional 0/027 buyers in favor of newer scale buyers. To put it in comparision, when K-Line offered the KCC MP-15 diesel, I was told by K-Line direct that over 10,000 had been sold by late spring/early summer. Many more were obviously sold during the rest of the year. According to OGR magazine, only 3,000 were sold of the last KCC locomotive offering, the scale sized SD70MAC. K-Line had always been a niche player with annual sales of around $8-10M so I've been told.
It certainly was admirable of K-Line to want to expand their market share. They just did too much, too fast - with too much emphasis on the high end. Some of their neatest, best received innovations like the re-engineered 027 switch track and the "Super Streets" products should have been given priority and made much sooner. Same goes for the Porter steam switcher and the Plymouth diesel switcher.
Alright, now to give some pointers on compatibility. Size-wise all the non-scale traditionally sized K-Line carsare compatible with Lionel. Even some of the scale cars, like the 765-series modern welded steel scale box cars look good with traditionally sized Lionel. The K-Line 13-inch streamlined passenger cars look good too, but unfortunately can rub against the switch box housing of Lionel 027 switch tracks.
Most of the early K-Line cars were produced from tooling that had orgins with either AMT, Kusan and MARX. The only real trouble the K-Line cars can give you is with the couplers and the trucks. The early die-cast trucks had zinc in them and can fall apart on you, though I haven't had this happen to me. The plastic thumbtack coupling armature on the early K-Line cars is a little thicker than the Lionel ones. When using an uncoulpling track, the armature can actually be pulled down in entirety. The plastic needs to be bent some and worked in, and then they operate just fine.
I think it was 1995 when K-Line switched to an all metal die-cast sprung truck.... same year that K-Line put metal ladders on the Classic box cars. But on the first year of production, the pin on the metal armature is too thick causing difficult coupling. You literally have to slam the cars. This is easily fixed by filing down the thickness of this pin on the inside facing the car... then they operate much better.
The plastic trucks on K-Line cars are a mixed bag. Some work just fine, and some don't due to the shape and thickness of the knuckle. Years ago I purchased a large bulk bag of Lionel plastic coupler knuckles from Jeff Kane (The Train Tender) and replaced many of the K-Line knuckles and they worked much much better. But be forwarned you'll need the Lionel coupler rivet too, as the knuckle hole where the rivet inserts is differnt and the K-Line rivet won't work with the Lionel knuckle, unless you carefully drill the hole larger (not worth the effort).
The best trucks K-Line ever made were the ones used on the Train-19 cars. They work flawlessly with nearly everything I run made by anyone. Lionel should adopt that truck for all their rolling stock with die-cast trucks and put the Lionel AAR plastic truck on all the K-Line cars that include plastic trucks.
Some of the K-Line cars ride high on their trucks - particularily the 2-bay covered hopper, but this can be cured with a Dremel tool and a grinding bit. The same hopper under the Train-19 banner is much better. Lionel is currently reissuing many of the Train-19 cars under the K-Lionel banner. You can see the height difference by comparision between an early K-Line caboose with plastic trucks and a K-Line Train-19 caboose which rides lower. You can also NOT run K-Line cabooses in tandem on 027 track, as the end hand rails hit each other.
Also worth noting, on all the K-Line Classic Series box cars, they were all produced with uncolored white styrene, K-Line cheaped out by not painting the inside of the box cars, so with the doors open, they look a little cheap as compared to a Lionel box car. But the K-Line Classic box cars retained the side rivet detail, which many "budget priced" (if there is such a thing, ha ha) Lionel box cars (9200, 9400, 9700 series, plus many made during the Kughn, LTI eras) do not have.
Later run 6000 series K-Line tank cars came with an all metal dome platform and ladders verus the previous plastic/metal ones. Also some of the same later run tankers came with a die-cast metal chassis.
The K-Line MP-15, the Alco S-2 and the Alco FA are all superb low budget traditionally sized locos and run just great. I personally think the K-Line Alco S-2 is the best small train diesel ever made and have lots and lots of them. They look and run great on a smaller layout. The same is true for the basic K-Line steamer, originally from MARX tooling (that K-Line greatly improved). It is a very smooth running steamer with its worm gear drive, though it might not smoke quite as well as a starter Lionel steamer. The K-Line Alco FA is a long shot better looking than the comparable Lionel Alco FA. Not only did the K-Line one retain its metal frame (whereas Lionel switched to a chinsy cheap plastic frame), but the K-Line Alco FA also has the nose intact. Some of these Alco FA's came with die-cast couplers as did some of the MP-15's. Some of the K-Line Alco FA's also came with motorized "dummy" units, giving you superb pulling power with 4 motors on a double A-A. Lionel never did that in the same price range.
Some of the early operating accessories are a tad on the cheap side, being unpainted plastic and not being made too well. But most can be improved to work and look better. The operating Barrel Loader is a good example. I revamped the operating mechanism, reversed the direction of the building (so the window faced forward), repainted the whole thing and added a Lionel double spot light to the platform. The K-Line Bubbling Water Tower is pretty popular. The later issued Rotating Beacon Tower with the vibrator motor is also nice. The early K-Lineville buildings were all unpainted plastic. Later on, K-Line started painting these buildings and these came in the later black and gold colored boxes, not the blue and yellow. The "scale" of these building is all over the place. The Police Station for example, is a bit small, but works well toward the back of a layout. I turned mine into a small factory by adding a built up basement foundation, a HO scale Model Power water tower and also adding a loading dock on to the back of the building. I also added a smoke stack to the side of the building, and added a Bachmann Smoke Unit - which is one of best ever smoke units for the price!! High recommended! I've had them for years, while the Seuthe ones burn out fairly quickly.
There's little difference between regular Lionel and K-Line 027 track. Though towards the end of their orginal run, K-Line retooled and greatly improved the 027 switch track... too bad they waited so long to do that. Those later K-Line switch tracks are the ones to get if you can find them (Lionel has of yet announced no plans to make them again).
A lot of info I know, but hope it helps out even more.
brianel, Agent 027
"Praise the Lord. I may not have everything I desire, but the Lord has come through for what I need."
All the manufactures make big and small cars in O gauge. A scale box car will look funny next to a "tradtional" box car which might look funny next to an "027" box car. Still, they will all mate and work together. The size difference will become less apparent if you run different car types (flat, tank, gondolla) between differntly sized box cars.
Unfortunately, other than "scale" in the advertisement...there is no good way to say how big a car is without seeing it.
Jim H
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