K-line versus MTH

You need to identify each item, year made, etc. so someone can give you a reasonable opinion.

These are all 60 - 70 era Passenger cars. They appear to be fairly recent, as the boxes look crisp and bright. ther MTH are Sante Fe, while the K-Line are various lines. I don't knmow enouigh about these is why I am asking. Thanks for the quick response. Chuck

If you are new at this, don't buy a whole bunch of anything.  Look around a bit- once you decide what you like, there will still be good deals.  Opinion.

Thanks for the good advice. I may not purchase either, but am curious what the group thinks based upon their overall experience. Example: Am I buying a restored Studebaker versus a restored 57 Chevy or ?? Just curious as to the value and desireablility of one brand versus the other.

A better analogy would be '57 General Motors vs '57 MoPar. Each company made a full range of models from undersize toys with minimal detail to scale or near scale size rolling stock with full detail. You really need to show model numbers.

Pete

Charles,

What we are saying is that both MTH and K-line produced many different types of passenger cars over the years. Besides road names, they vary in length and materials. We would have to know which specific K-line and MTH cars you are comparing.

You might want to take a look at various cars from these manufacturers on the auction sites and MTH website to get an idea of just how many different K-line and MTH cars are out there.

Bob had the best advice. Unless you know exactly what you are looking at, don't buy. Good deals will always be available once you do some research and decide what you like best and which cars would be best for your particular layout. 

Jim

Yes, I agree. Unfortunately, they are not in front of me and I did not think to write down the numbers. Lesson learned. Guess I will stick to 57 Chevies. Thanks

Thanks to all for the comments. Chuck

As a baseline, given the scanty details you've provided, and knowing the lesions of both brands' passenger cars, I'd go with MTH; they're more reliable as far as the conduction system goes.  K-Line has a long history of passenger car and caboose roller pick-up failure due to metal fatigue.  A design flaw routed track power through the spring(s) that kept the roller pick-up in contact w/ the center rail, eventually leading to metal fatigue of the spring(s), and, as a result, floppy roller pick-ups and poor lighting.

Personally, the relatively recent K-line cars with interiors have just been excellent. The 21" then 18" cars have been in high demand. I understand some of the 15" recent sets were also well built. I have way too many of the MTH Premier cars and they are consistently good. I have never bought any of the Railking passenger cars. 

Also be careful of the liveries and car types.  For example, there are dome cars painted in the PRR Fleet of Modernism.  Or ATSF cars with red and yellow stripes on the sided.

The K-Line Empire Express 21" cars were great. Converted the wheel sets to 2 rail and ran them behind the scale 2 rail Empire Hudon from MTH. That was truly a vision. I don't think people dis not think much of K-Line products and I felt they wee wrong. Got the New Haven EP5 for a pittance on the initial offering. A friend converted to 2 rail.Took it to a train show to run. There were experienced O scale modelers who thought it was a brass imported model.

  KLine was one of the first to bring in 21" ready to run passenger cars as well as the bi levels.

  I was also into beer cars back then and their refrigerator cars were as good as Atlas.

  The also had the Boson and Albany 4-6-4 tank locomotive

I stand by my initial advice, but agree 100% with Bill above.  I bet I have twenty K- Line 21" cars converted to 2-rail around here.  They were so good and so cheap that I stockpiled them for repainting.  And that EP-5 at a hundred bucks? Steal of the century.

I missed that one, but got three Train Masters, and two-railed five of them.  Bargains, and quite accurate.

But now we have 3rd Rail cars that are even better, and as near as I can figure, the MTH Train Master is close to perfect for O Scale.

But it isn't what we like, it is what you find appealing that is important.

The K-Line heavyweight passenger cars, from about 12 years ago, have a habit of the truck assemblies falling apart, the side assemblies fall apart because the metal that was used is defective.

Some of the K-Line passenger cars from the Golden States set, these are red and silver, the center rail roller spring fails to hold the roller to the track and causes extreme light flickering or failure of lights inside the passenger car. Turn the passenger car over, roof side down, and see if the center rail roller stays up in the air or does it fall down below the axle level for the outside wheels.

From experiance I would buy either; MTH, Atlas or Williams passenger cars.

Lee F.

I also have experience with this issue as i have the Coca Cola passenger Cars that were offered. My issue is now i have to find Passenger trucks with the proper length couplers to repair the cars.  It is a hard find

both are good. Make sure you get detailed interiors and die cast trucks /couplers and you can go wrong.

Can't go wrong with '57 Chevies!         

          Paul m.

I assume you are referring to the Black Box cars with silhouettes not the newer cars in the black and yellow boxes with figures and interiors??

I have not has any problems with any of my newer K-Lines.

Pete