Anybody have this accessory? How well does it work?
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Charles, I noticed your posts on the troubles with the Lionel Oil Drum Loader.
The K-Line barrel loader is not nearly as nice looking an accessory (as is), nor is the operation as "realistic" but here's the info you want. It is from the original MARX tooling from the same accessory made by MARX, so by origin it is a budget accessory that is not it the same league as the Lionel one.
I have a couple that I got for good deals. K-Line made quite a few variations of this accessory, but the ones I have were unpainted, molded color plastic. No problem for me, as I took them apart and custom painted them.
The action is solenoid based, so it is a rapid snap action. You press the button and the loading vehicle snaps forward, shooting a barrel into the waiting gondola. Then as it moves back, it triggers a lever on the ramp, and another barrel drops into the front platform of the waiting loading truck.
Using a variable voltage source, instead of a set voltage post, will make the operation more enjoyable. Too much voltage will give too much "snap" to the fork truck movement, causing the barrel to overshoot the waiting gondola.
On the visual side again, the accessory is non-illuminated. No big deal if you are the creative sort... you can easily add illumination be it the building shed or adding a spotlight. The way it comes, the windows of the building face towards the sloped barrel ramp - I wanted one with the windows facing the opposite direction.
On one of mine, I also cut off some of the deck overhang of the main platform to allow the accessory to fit in a tighter space I had available.
I also had one where the solenoid had burned out, so I easily adapted the action to work with a rubber band, and fish line as the "controller button."
In other words, this accessory is easily customized to fit ones needs. I don't know what the pricing of them is these days, but back when K-Line was still around, they could be found on sale for under $20.00
Brian,
Thank you for your reply. Yeah, I've been having problems with the Lionel Oil Drum Loader. I'm considering purchasing a new one I saw on EBay. Although, I'm still considering the K-Line version and following your suggestions on improving the accessory. Once again, thank you for taking the time to reply.
Regards,
Charles
