what ever hapened to k-line

[oscaletrains]

well the other day i read an artical about how k-line is now going to be part of linoel but im conserned will i still be able to get parts for my k-line picific? the traction bands are getting really worn[?]

[trigtrax]

If the worst happens you can replace those traction tires with RTV.

What's going to happen to K-Line products? Spare Parts? Service? We can only wonder.

[Anonymous]

Lionel is starting to notify dealers of how hey will be handling the K-line stuff. There should be announcements soon.

[csxt30]

Only a possibility, but maybe some of the traction tires from the other Mfgs. may be the same size & would work.
Oh, also, that sure is a nice picture of that CN engine by the depot !!
Thanks,

[Buckeye Riveter]

QUOTE: Originally posted by csxt30

Only a possibility, but maybe some of the traction tires from the other Mfgs. may be the same size & would work.
Oh, also, that sure is a nice picture of that CN engine by the depot !!
Thanks,

In fact, a smaller traction tire that fits real tight is preferred.

[kolov]

I would not worry about the traction bands.
I put MTH ones on my K-4 and they worked fine.
I am concerned about the internal parts!

[lionel2986]

QUOTE: Originally posted by trigtrax

If the worst happens you can replace those traction tires with RTV.

Sorry, what does RTV stand for?

[FJ and G]

Room Temperature Vulcanizing.

Trouble is, there are a few types: http://www.siliconesolutions.com/prod/market.php

I believe that pliobond has also been used for this purpose; users say it beats traction tires for durability and is easy to apply

If you have further questions; suggest you post it out of this post where it will get hidden and unseen by the RTV experts.

[oscaletrains]

i dont have a really fancy picific its one i got when i was 9 and i got it for 100 $ and im really carfull with it. all it has is sound, no tmcc no nothing.

[brianel027]

I would say on this whole topic of future K-Line parts, that this will be an opportunity for us forum folks to share fixes and alternative makes of parts.

My guess is that when Lionel gets things organized as far as the K-Line end goes, that some parts will be available. BUT these will be mostly parts for older K-Line items as these were the parts that K-Line had in stock. Some of the newer released items where parts were not in stock because the items were so recent, will more than likely probably never have parts made, unless it is by an outside source.

And the thought to bear in mind, is that the older K-Line items are out there in greater quantities than some of the newer items. So there needs to be a demand for whatever parts and enough of a demand to make producing the parts profitable. This has worked well in the past for Lionel and MARX repro parts because those items sold in such large quantities that there was sufficient demand.

Now I'm not Jerry Calabrese, nor can I read into the minds at Lionel (if I could I think I'd be very popular... or unpopular as the case may be... on these train forums) but I would also imagine Lionel has no real interest in providing a wealth of future parts for K-Line items. I'm sure Lionel's interest is in selling Lionel products. And if that means parts are unavailable for a recently produced K-Line item, I'd bet they suggest the purchase of a new Lionel item instead.

Bear in mind too, that the Lionel parts department has been streamlined too and many parts are now gone. And many other parts for Lionel products are not available or available in limited quantities. So why would they do more for a former competitors line of products than they would their very own line?

Nor can I see Lionel doing anything more with the K-Line product line than they absolutely have to inorder to fulfill their contractural agreement with Sandra Kan. That's just a guess though, and I'd sure enjoy being wrong on this one.

From my experience with older K-Line items, I can tell you although many parts look similar with Lionel parts, there are subtle differences to prevent them from being easily substituted... I know because I have tried. The gears off the basic 027 types of diesel engines are a good example. The Mabuchi motor is the same. But the gear that engages with the motor is non-adaprtable between the K-Line and Lionel versions of the gear box housings (which also look nearly identical). I'm sure part of this comes from company protection: as companies cloned others' items, they changed just enough to keep from getting in legal trouble (hopefully). Compare all those classic Lionel accessories to the ones that MTH cloned, and you will also see they are not exactly the same... they look it, but there are differences you don't see until you really compare them.

I have replaced the knuckles on plastic K-Line trucks with Lionel knuckles and find they work much much better with the Lionel knuckles. The plastic "spring" on the K-Line knuckle is thicker and not as long as on the Lionel one. But in this case, the Lionel still works and works better. But be forwarned you will need the Lionel knuckle pin too as the K-Line one will not fit unless you feel like very carefully drilling the hole in the knuckle a little bit larger.

I'm sure in the future though, we will hear more about fixes and other parts that can be adapted. Might make a good article for a future issue of CTT depending on how Lionel approaches this topic of K-Line parts availabily to the general public.

[Jumijo]

The most disappointing thing to me regarding Lionel's production of K-Line products is that they are only interested in making/selling the mid range stuff. I was hoping that the lower end, starter set products would be continued. They made great O-27 rolling stock, and their Pacifics, based on old Marx tooling, have always intrigued me. So have a lot of their accessories. I think the hobby needs more entry level, affordable products for hobbyists to choose from.

Jim

[FJ and G]

Ditto Jim's comments. This does not bode well for the low end products. An expensive hobby just got pricier with the folding of K-Line.

[brianel027]

Well Jim and Dave, I agree that from the initial take on Lionel's official statements things might not look bright on the 027 side. But on the other hand, Mr. Calabrese made his point pretty clear in the interview in the recent OGR magazine, that much more needs to be done on the introductory product side. And though he didn't didn't say so in words, this does (in my view) seem to point to some of the more traditionally sized 027 types of products.

On the other hand, I'm sure the die-hard scale crowd is going to be disappointed too. I can't see Lionel immediately issuing a lot of scale K-Line products that weren't selling in sufficient quantities before, and needed to be blown out a drastic cuts to get them to move. No, Lionel will not make expensive scale trains to give away. The scale guys have gotten spoiled by getting brand new $800 train engines for less than $400. Pardon me, but I seldom see those kinds of deep reductions on smaller 027 products - because maybe they actually sell better than anyone wants to admit.

I'm sure Lionel must be noticing the surprise success of the RMT product line. From everything you read on the train forums and hear at YORK, who would have guessed that a company offering budget priced smaller 027 friendly trains could be a big hit? Yet RMT has!

And I'm sure Lionel and Calabrese will be watching what direction Atlas goes with the purchase of the previously successful Industrial Rail line of products.

As with the parts department, we'll just have to wait and see. The one thing I think we can be certain about, is that the prices of whatever K-Line orginated products Lionel produces will more than likely be higher than they were before. That's Lionel logic which even Mr. Calabrese has defended.

Which sorta of defeats the whole purpose and completely misses the point of what attracted so many to K-Line products. Hmmm, the blind leading the blind? Remember, what did K-Line in was not their 027 product line (which kept them going for more than a decade)... it was their scale line of trains - issuing far far too many from totally new tooling in too short a time... too much expensive scale tooling with not enough sales.

[Jumijo]

Atlas has just released the pricing on their IR line, and to me it's disappointing. High $20's, low $30's for rolling stock. That's the same prices as MTH Railkings.

I can see Lionel making more K-Line tank engines. Those seem to be hugely popular, and they don't compete directly with anything Lionel has in production. But I can't see Lionel producing K-Line starter sets or rolling stock that would compete directly with there own. All those Marx based locos and rolling stock are most likely a thing of the past, and that's a shame. I actually liked a lot of K-Line's passenger cars and rolling stock better than Lionel's. Time will tell.

Jim

[FJ and G]

Sure, but even if Lionel creates more starter sets, they won't be at K-Line prices. Lionel adds about 10% on everything it makes b/c of the Lionel branding.

[Bionel]

Let's also hope that Lionel supplements their line with the people figures that were listed in the latest release of K-Line's catalog. I was looking forward to purchasing several sets of street lamps, and packages of people. The pricing was terrific and the quantity/quality in my kinda price range.

Lionel may also hold onto some of the high end spare parts for the new scale stuff since they used Sandra Kan. Will they do anything different than what is already posted above? Probably not. We'll wait and see what Lionel wisdom falls on the K-Line product line Mr. Calabrese has said Lionel will support as a continuing line.

[:(]

[douellet]

I guess time will tell what Lionel will do with the K-Line tooling and product line. The idea of maintaining the K-Line brand wouldn't seem to make much sense. Pick the items they think the consumer wants and sell them as Lionel. Some K-Line products were better than those offered by Lionel, lets hope they make them. A few examples come to mind: 027 switches, small Alco FAs (better looking than the cheapie Lionels) and the old Marx based Pacifics.

Also I think there is little doubt that there is a market for less costly 027 style trains. I think the hobby needs to continue to offer good value starter trains. It looks like little RMT has carved out market for their line of low cost trains. I've picked up 5 Buddys and Beeps in the past few months. They are good values for the money. Are you paying attention Lionel?

[Anonymous]

If your looking for taction tires, check with Weaver. It's my understanding their pacific was made in conjuction with K-line's. Same Korean manufacture.