How A Press Release Destroyed K-Line Trains

How did K-Line rise from obscurity to a major power in the world of toy trains, and how did K-Line fall so quickly and so dramatically into oblivion? Here’s the story: By the dawn of 2005, K-Line’s future looked bright indeed. Their product line spanned the gamut from scale models of classic steam and contemporary SD70 diesels, to innovative accessories like the Super Streets line, to budget products like the under $50 Husky line of Geeps and the well-built but budget-priced Train 19 line of rolling stock aimed at the starter market. But it would soon come crashing down. “Under the terms of the settlement, K-Line and the other defendants, Maury Klein and Robert Grubba, admitted that they paid Lionel’s chief engineer to develop advanced versions of Lionel’s operating systems and features that were used in a number of K-Line’s engines and electrical transformers. They further admitted that these products actually contain Lionel’s technology and are currently for sale in the marketplace. “In late July, Lionel filed a complaint…against K-Line, its owner Maury Klein and Robert Grubba, a former Lionel employee now working for K-Line. The…train maker claimed that the defendants had enlisted Marty Pierson, then Lionel’s employee and chief engineer, to work surreptitiously with K-Line, and incorporate Lionel’s current sound, speed control and electrical transformers into some of the K-Line products.” The statement pulled no punches in assigning blame squarely on the shoulders of K-Line and its owner. They had cheated and had been caught. K-Line’s public statement announcing the settlement told a different story altogether. They wrote in part, “While K-LINE hired as an outside consultant a Lionel engineer…he was not hired to develop advances on Lionel technology, but to create superior alternatives. For example, K-LINE's Cruise Control is not related in any way to Lionel's Odyssey System. The sound and speed control products were developed by Marty Pierson in collaboration with K-LINE engineers. However, certain agreements he signed as a Lionel employee gave Lionel a claim of ownership of this work.” K-Line flatly denied all guilt in the matter and argued that Lionel was winning the case by a technicality only. This was a monumental mistake. **As an Amazon Associate and a member of the eBay Partner Network, I may receive commissions on qualifying sales generated from the links on this channel Handy Links: Complete Service Manual for Lionel Trains: https://amzn.to/3Lfd0zn Williams by Bachmann E-Z Street System: https://amzn.to/3r65f84 O'Brien's Collecting Toy Trains: Identification And Value Guide: https://amzn.to/489N5mj Toy Train Tips And Tricks is a channel devoted to the operation, repair, history, and collecting of classic 3-rail O and O27 gauge trains made by Lionel, Marx, K-Line, Menards, and other manufacturers. Keep the trains running! Music and Visual Effects Courtesy of Pixabay.com Facebook: Facebook: TTTTLocomaniac Twitter: Twitter: TTTTMike Instagram: Instagram: mrmoore2001 #Promotion #Lioneltrains #Trainset #Trainrepair #Traincollecting #Ogauge #Oscale