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Post by madockawando on Jul 22, 2024 12:41:45 GMT
Kline wasn't that cheap. My Kline Berks were just over 600 bucks without cruise and a fan driven smoke unit in the early 2000's. I would say inline with what you would get from Weaver at the time. It was the stealing of patents from Lionel that did K-Line in. Weaver gone because the owner wanted to retire and didn't get any buyers. WOW! I paid 359.00 for my Berkshire and 389.00 for my Hudson. New! I just sold my Bershire last week and now thinking of selling my Hudson. Thinking going Diesel with just a switcher and 2-8-0 as my only steamers I'm keeping. Have a guy picking up my 4-6-0 tomorrow. Do you think that K-Line made money on your $359 Berkshire and $389 Hudson? |
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Post by madockawando on Jul 22, 2024 12:42:19 GMT
Do you think that K-Line made money on your $359 Berkshire and $389 Hudson? LOL. Sit back and enjoy a cup of Java and don't worry about it. Yeah… that’s what I thought😉 |
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Post by Adam on Jul 22, 2024 12:56:16 GMT
Excellent history lessons.
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Post by superwarp1 on Jul 22, 2024 13:54:05 GMT
Kline wasn't that cheap. My Kline Berks were just over 600 bucks without cruise and a fan driven smoke unit in the early 2000's. I would say inline with what you would get from Weaver at the time. It was the stealing of patents from Lionel that did K-Line in. Weaver gone because the owner wanted to retire and didn't get any buyers. WOW! I paid 359.00 for my Berkshire and 389.00 for my Hudson. New! I just sold my Bershire last week and now thinking of selling my Hudson. Thinking going Diesel with just a switcher and 2-8-0 as my only steamers I'm keeping. Have a guy picking up my 4-6-0 tomorrow. blow out sale somewhere? I can't remember where I got mine. I remember the Hudson going for over 500 at the time.
If you go to this website you can see the catalogs from way back when and the retail price of the engines.
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Post by rtraincollector on Jul 22, 2024 14:46:02 GMT
I don't have any K-line or Weaver but did at some point. I still have Williams by Williams and early by Bachmann. I installed TMCC in one of my scale GG1's and my FM Trainmaster. That said I'm just as happy using my ZW to control my engines as I am using my Legacy L controller for my Legacy & TMCC. Legacy = 1 NYC Diesel
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Post by dennym57 on Jul 22, 2024 15:03:44 GMT
Interesting story, I have quite a bit of K-Line rolling stock including a complete Golden State passenger set with ABA engines.
I don't run it on my layout because the lead truck on the engine keeps derailing on the curves. It didn't do that when I first got so I don't know what's going on.
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Post by Joe Saggese on Jul 22, 2024 15:35:28 GMT
I buy plenty of K Line on the secondary market. I’m happy with what I’ve been getting.
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Post by david1 on Jul 22, 2024 15:39:13 GMT
You know K-line and Williams were not the only ones having blow outs on their products.
Lionel had tons of blowouts because of over production of products. It seemed every year buyers would wait for the blow outs, I know I did and picked up alot of engines and cars fairly cheap.
Then BTO came along and that ended that practice!! The blow out years was when York was fun, every dealer trying to out do each other!! I and many others really enjoyed those years.
Now Lionel seems to build for the well off with deep pockets. The trains are amazing but the fun of building a collection is just not there anymore. My days of buying these types of trains are over, just too expensive for me!
I still buy something every now and then but only on the secondary market!!
Enjoy what your doing now it most likely will not be getting any better.
Dave
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Post by josef on Jul 22, 2024 16:22:50 GMT
WOW! I paid 359.00 for my Berkshire and 389.00 for my Hudson. New! I just sold my Bershire last week and now thinking of selling my Hudson. Thinking going Diesel with just a switcher and 2-8-0 as my only steamers I'm keeping. Have a guy picking up my 4-6-0 tomorrow. blow out sale somewhere? I can't remember where I got mine. I remember the Hudson going for over 500 at the time.
If you go to this website you can see the catalogs from way back when and the retail price of the engines.
They were "Blowout sales". I remember that much. In fact I got the last Hudson they had. Was surprise the sale lasted as well as the price as long as it did with modelers buying them.
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Post by madockawando on Jul 23, 2024 1:35:53 GMT
You know K-line and Williams were not the only ones having blow outs on their products. Lionel had tons of blowouts because of over production of products. It seemed every year buyers would wait for the blow outs, I know I did and picked up alot of engines and cars fairly cheap. Then BTO came along and that ended that practice!! The blow out years was when York was fun, every dealer trying to out do each other!! I and many others really enjoyed those years. Now Lionel seems to build for the well off with deep pockets. The trains are amazing but the fun of building a collection is just not there anymore. My days of buying these types of trains are over, just too expensive for me! I still buy something every now and then but only on the secondary market!! Enjoy what your doing now it most likely will not be getting any better. Dave Blow outs? That’s so 1990s. I think that Lionel was already using BTO by the time K-Line died. |
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Post by david1 on Jul 23, 2024 4:34:04 GMT
You know K-line and Williams were not the only ones having blow outs on their products. Lionel had tons of blowouts because of over production of products. It seemed every year buyers would wait for the blow outs, I know I did and picked up alot of engines and cars fairly cheap. Then BTO came along and that ended that practice!! The blow out years was when York was fun, every dealer trying to out do each other!! I and many others really enjoyed those years. Now Lionel seems to build for the well off with deep pockets. The trains are amazing but the fun of building a collection is just not there anymore. My days of buying these types of trains are over, just too expensive for me! I still buy something every now and then but only on the secondary market!! Enjoy what your doing now it most likely will not be getting any better. Dave Blow outs? That’s so 1990s. I think that Lionel was already using BTO by the time K-Line died. K-line was out of business in 2005, well before the BTO disaster that it has become for the consumer. Dave
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Post by madockawando on Jul 23, 2024 8:38:33 GMT
Blow outs? That’s so 1990s. I think that Lionel was already using BTO by the time K-Line died. K-line was out of business in 2005, well before the BTO disaster that it has become for the consumer. Dave How has BTO been a disaster for consumers? |
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Post by superwarp1 on Jul 23, 2024 12:17:25 GMT
K-line was out of business in 2005, well before the BTO disaster that it has become for the consumer. Dave How has BTO been a disaster for consumers? No extra stock, no blowout/sales. Prices through the roof due to limited inventory. No spare parts. The list goes on.
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Post by madockawando on Jul 23, 2024 14:44:40 GMT
How has BTO been a disaster for consumers? No extra stock, no blowout/sales. Prices through the roof due to limited inventory. No spare parts. The list goes on. We all love cheap trains. But what happens to dealers who have to blow out a glut of product out the door at below their cost? How do train manufacturers survive trying to sell new product when their biggest competitor is their own glut of products on the dealer shelves? The train market is too small to survive and be stable with a glut of product getting blown out the door. |
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Post by Country Joe on Jul 23, 2024 15:08:58 GMT
No extra stock, no blowout/sales. Prices through the roof due to limited inventory. No spare parts. The list goes on. We all love cheap trains. But what happens to dealers who have to blow out a glut of product out the door at below their cost? How do train manufacturers survive trying to sell new product when their biggest competitor is their own glut of products on the dealer shelves? The train market is too small to survive and be stable with a glut of product getting blown out the door.
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