My experience is that most K-line rolling stock is semi-scale or smaller. For instance 8" for 40' boxcar. Some of their cars are nearer to the 10" standard length for a 40' boxcar. I like the pre-Lionel K-line stuff, but a lot of their rolling stock is just out of place with even semi-scale cars. Is there any way to tell by their numbering system which cars are larger?
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the only way I know is if the box says "o scale classics" then it is scale or pretty darn close to scale size
The K5000 series is O-27, The K6000 series is O gauge, The K7000 series is scale. Though there may be some exceptions to these rules.
"The K5000 series is O-27, The K6000 series is O gauge, The K7000 series is scale. Though there may be some exceptions to these rules.
Yeah, I don't have any problem with K-Line. Those rules pretty much cover it. Good stuff they made.
What is the difference between O gauge and scale? I've never been sure in the distinction,
Jan
0 scale is 1/48, or one inch equals four feet. Traditional 0 gauge trains such as postwar Lionel are mostly smaller than scale, although some postwar items, especially diesel engines, are quite close to scale size. A few postwar engines are larger than scale, notably the General and the 44-ton diesel switchers.
0 gauge refers to the spacing of the running rails, which is the same (1-1/4 inches) regardless of who makes the track or whether it is tubular or realistic-looking. There is also 0-27 track, which is the same gauge as regular 0 gauge but the curves are tighter, making a 27" diameter circle rather than the 31" used on postwar Lionel 0 gauge track. 0-27 track also has lower rails and is more lightly constructed than tubular 0 gauge.
Bob
The K-Line two and four bay diecast hoppers are good scale models. So are the diecast gondolas.
The aluminum covered hoppers are pretty good models of ACF centerflow hoppers although I'm a little skeptical about the 3 bay cars. The ACF 4650 cubic foot 3 bay hoppers are shorter than the 5250 cubic foot 4 bays but the K-Line 3 bays are as long as the 4s.
The aluminum tank cars are not bad models although, like many other tank cars, they tend to be a generic modern car rather than a model of a specific car for a specific commodity.
The K-Line box cars are not scale models despite the way they were advertised. If you are interested in O scale box cars look to Atlas, Lionel, MTH or the more recent Weaver box cars.
The K-Line stock car is not bad. The Lionel stock car is a better model but the K-Line stock car is a reasonably priced alternative to the much larger post WW II sized cars from Atlas Trainman, MTH or Weaver.
And what about the Depressed Centered Flat cars? [Both the 8 wheeled and 16 wheeled versions]
For the doublestack cars, the Guderson smooth sides are scale to 40' Length but are not prototypical because they have an incorrect 5th wheel hitch[ for a 40' car]. Gunderson Smooth sides didin't come from the Mfg in 40' length but in 48' and now 53' length. Only recently did TTX corp "cut down" outdated 48' length cars to 40' The Thrall ribbed cars are scale length for 40' NSC car.
The K-Line box cars are not scale models despite the way they were advertised. If you are interested in O scale box cars look to Atlas, Lionel, MTH or the more recent Weaver box cars.
What's not scale about them?
Vulcan
The K-Line box cars seem to be an impressionistic rendering of a box car, much like a Lionel 6464. They are fine for what they are. But if they are a 1/48 scale model of anything that really existed I have yet to find evidence of it.
The K-Line "scale" box cars are about 40 scale feet in length. Their height and width are typical of 40 foot box cars built in the 1920s or early 30s. Their ends and roof are typical of cars built in the late 1930s through the mid 1940s that had greater width and height. The sliding doors seem to be a compressed rendering of a Youngstown door for a larger more modern car. The plug doors are simply out of place on a box car of K-line dimensions.
If you compare a K-Line box car to an Atlas or MTH USRA box car you will find that the overall dimensions are similar but the level of detail is lower on the K-Line cars and the details themselves (roofs, ends, doors and running boards) are very different.
If you compare a K-line box car to an Atlas or MTH 1937 AAR box car, the Atlas Trainman box car or a Lionel MTH or Weaver PS-1 you will see that the K-line box car dimensions are much too small in height and width for these late 1930s through 1950s prototypes. The style of the roof, ends and the metal running boards fit in with this era but the dimensions are wrong.
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