I heard a rumor that Lionel was going to release it’s K-line(formely Marx) tooled items under the Marx name. I could not find any information on this anywhere. I was wondering if anyone else heard this or if it is just a rumor.
That’s something I’ve never heard before. I haven’t really taken the time to look into it, but the current owners of the Marx trademark seem to have some legal problems. So it would be possible for Lionel to license the name but ultimately license from the wrong person. It would be hard to convince me it would be worth the risk.
As a Marx fan, I’d like to think the Marx brand still carries some weight, but realistically I don’t know how much weight it really carries. Marx die-hards will buy stuff made from the Marx molds regardless of whose name is on the box. The general public has forgotten the company, although they still remember a handful of the products they made. When the general public thinks of Marx, the first thought that comes to mind isn’t trains or even toys. And it’s probably not Groucho, Harpo, Chico, Zeppo and Gummo either.
I haven’t heard this one either. For one thing, Lionel does not own the prior K-Line dies, but has an agreement to have made and market the K-Line products. Sanda Kan, the Chinese production facility owns the dies and the home company of Bachmann owns the Sanda Kan facility.
The only rumor I have repeatedly heard is that when the agreement between Lionel and Sanda Kan expires, Bachmann will be resuming marketing of the former K-Line products. But again, this is only a rumor up to this point, although since Lionel did not produce a Volume 2 K-Line by Lionel catalog, and there were only a scant few K-Line by Lionel items in the nomral V2 Lionel catalog, this might add some weight to the rumor for those who wish to speculate. Time will tell.
It’d be nice to see some of those prior MARX plastic 027 cars (the former K-Line 5000-series) made again. K-Line did some nice paint schemes on these cars when they marketed them under their S-gauge line. I have a couple which I replaced the S-gauge trucks with normal Lionel type. The K-Line S-gauge New Haven and Pennsylvania box cars are particularily nicer than these kinds of earlier made cars by K-Line. So these cars can be nice ones. Also some of the K-Line Coca-Cola 027 MARX cars were very well done.
Until then, there are lots of these cars on the secondary market, and if you like to repaint as I do (making new color matched door guides, adding wood floors inside, underside detail and metail brakewheels over the molded one), even the earlier K-Line MARX cars can be made to look very nice.
Did’nt K-line (before the lionel take over) use Marx tooling on one of there engines. I have 2 K-line 4-6-2 that resemble old Marx engines on the outside but the working of course are modern.
At the end of the lease of K-line and at any point up till then Lionel has the option to buy K-line name and brand as part of the agreement it made. So bachmann taking it over is a doubt. but not an impossibility
PhilaKnight, I believe you are right about that K-Line 4-6-2 steamer coming from former Marx tooling.
I have been over to the Bachmann & Williams website and there was no mention of Bachmann doing anything with either K-Line or Marx trains. So I am guessing any talk of Bachmann doing anything with either K-Line or Marx right now is just a RUMOR!
Bachmann just purchased Williams and I don’t think that they would be into buying another O gauge train line at this time. Bachmann has expanded the Williams line just a little and they are offering more in their scenic scale line as well. The newest to the Williams line-up is the Peter Witt streetcar.
Lee F.
yes, the K Line 3001(?) is made from Marx 333 engine molds.
Were the engines being talked about that are made by K-Line, was it when Lionel owned K-Line or before K-Line was bought out by Lionel?
Main reason is that it is tuff to say who owns the patent or die for the moldings to be made. Marx went of business many years ago and I don’t know who bought any of their dies or molds.
I know that Lionel bought out Ives Trains many years ago, and then bought out American Flyer as they went bank-rupt(if I am correct) and then bought K-Line after suing them.
Again, still nothing about Bachmann doing anything with K-Line or Sanda Kan.
Lee F.
Maury Klein actually found some Marx tooling in a dilapidated leaky-roof otherwise abandoned warehouse in East Aurora, NY. It was on Fisher-Price property. He rescued all he could.
Rob
I asked about this on the Bachman message board. First the Bach Man said that Lionel owned K Line out right and this had no effect on Williams. The the whole thread disappeared.
I would love to see K Line By Williams By Bachman but nothing is official yet.
I would love to see K-Line by Bachmann, as I think this would help Bachmann win over some more sales, but only time will tell. I don’t think that if Bachmann takes over K-Line it will have the Williams name in there. Maybe Bachmann will pick-up the Marx brand as well, but there was somebody a few years ago that did something with Marx trains, there may be licenseing fees involved or something.
Hopefully the thread I started over there doesn’t get ditched!
Lee F.
Yes the hot rumor at the Noah Meet (York 10/09) was that “Kline by Bachmann” is coming and that it will become Kader’s Premium O line. As the story goes, the interesting point in negotiation is what will happened with Maury Kline’s Lionel licenses which Sanda Kan took control of when they seized the KLine assets. Stay tuned all this one might become interesting [dinner]
That is interesting, did a Bachmann person say for sure that they are taking over K-Line?
Was over at Bachmann’s ‘ask the Bach Mann’ and still no mention of anything going on with Bachmann doing anything, no reply to the posting I put over there. 12-07-09 10:30 am.
Lee F.