New K-Line Catalog from Lionel

[brianel027]

I doubt don't there's some logic to your thinking nblum. But I laugh when I consider two of the most produced roads are Pennsy and NYC. Norfolk Southern is easily as colorful as those two, plus NS has the neat horse logo which kids really take notice of. Conrail is more attractive in my eyes than any PRR loco. And BNSF has had a number of schemes, many based on schemes of the past.

And I would completely buy into your thinking nblum, except that modern roadnames ARE available and plentiful on more higher end scale kinds of trains. Given that many of the fans of those higher end products are from the postwar generation, you'd think the train companies would be having a field day issuing SD90MAC's in Nickle Plate Road, Wabash, PRR, NYC, C&O, B&O and many of the other roads so common place on lower end products.

I think the real reason is that many starter train sets are purchased by grandfathers for their grandsons. So the trains are in road names that appeal to grandpa and get him to buy the set. Too bad they're not in road names that might help spark the interest of the grandson instead.

[dougdagrump]

Dr John, If memory serves me correctly the Plymouth and the Porter are in the Lionel 2007 Vol 1 catalog.  

[spankybird]

It would also be nice if they continued with K-Line's O-27 switches.

Chris

 

Without a dought, this was one of the best things for 027 track

[nblum]

" I too am puzzled why more modern roadnews are not used more frequently."

 I'm guessing it's because they don't sell as well to many of the hobbiests who grew up during the era when the fallen flags weren't fallen yet.  Some of us consider the BNSF paint jobs pretty ghastly for another thing.  Conrail, NS, etc. are significantly less colorful than ATSF, SP, New Haven, Southern, etc.  People like colorful trains and buy them at a higher rate.

[Bob Keller]

We reviewed Super Streets in the december 05 issue.

[Birds]

It would also be nice if they continued with K-Line's O-27 switches.

Chris

[chuck]

• Super streets was a sort of slot car system for O Gauge to allow for animated streets.
  

[Anonymous]

Pardon my ignorance, but what is (was) "Super Streets"?

[Dr. John]

Brainel,

 

I'm only cautiously optimistic. I too am puzzled why more modern roadnews are not used more frequently. After all, kids today see CSX, NS, BNSF rather than NYC, PRR or ATSF. I like the old road names but I grew up with them.

 

My hope is that K-Line becomes Lionel's "budget line" with such offerings as the Alco A-A units, the MP-15, the 4-6-2 from Marx tooling and maybe even the old S-2 switcher. Certainly, they should offer the Plymouth and the Porter. The K-Line Train 19 line would be a good counter to the Atlas Industrial Rails line.

[brianel027]

Well Dr. John, we shall see.

I personally was a little let down to see the Alco FA's in Santa Fe yet once again, though they appear to be black so maybe they are doing an "027" version of the previusly released K-Line ones. The K-Line Alco FA is a far better looking diesel than the Lionel equal version.

Having seen a number of Santa Fe war bonnet schemed locos with large red letters BNSF on them, beats me why someone can't jump on that one. I tried to do one of my own, but the silver paint is a tough one to match and have it blend in nicely. Otherwise you end up redoing the whole loco, which I had to do, so it became an orange MOW scheme CSX. That curve on the war bonnet scheme is a tough one to do on your own.

SuperStreets was one of K-Line's most innovative ideas that shuld have been issued long before their other "forward advances." Given Lionel's poor track record with current modern roads on starter budget stuff, I hope little hope here either. But maybe they'll at least bring some of those K-Line smaller items out again.

[phillyreading]

I second Dr. John about the Super Streets by K-Line, a big step forward in my opion for O gauge track systems. However I am stuck with 4 pieces of Super Streets(5" straights) that K-Line was going to produce but went into bankruptcy, had ordered others (even a set)but this was all that was in stock for imediate delivery.

Will be interesting to see what Lionel does with K-Line stuff.

Lee F.

[Dr. John]

I noticed on the Lionel website that they are producing a K-Line catalog, coming out in a couple of weeks. The "teaser" cover shows their street system and a set of Alco A-A diesels. Time for speculation to run rampant!

Seriously, I am glad to see this. I think the K-Line super street system was a great idea and I hope they do go ahead with production. Likewise the alco diesels. I have two sets and like them a lot. Of course, a catalog does not guarantee actual production, but it is encouraging.