MDK, founded in 1975 by Maury D. Klein, was a large Lionel dealer specialising in mail-order. The K-Line name was first used to retail a line of Lionel compatible tinplate track and Flyer compatible S gauge track in the late 1970s. Track was followed by plastic buildings and accessories using ex Marx tooling purchased by Klein in 1980, following the closure of Marx in 1978.
By 1986, K-Line was offering a range of 'low end' locomotives and rolling stock, produced using ex Marx and Kusan tooling, gradually moving up market as additional tooling was created and acquired. K-Line worked with Lionel, producing Lionel service manuals and licencing Lionel TMCC technology for use in K-Line locomotives. However, by 2005 a lawsuit settlement between K-Line and Lionel collapsed and MDK (parent of K-Line) was bankrupt. K-Line was purchased by Sanda Kan and licenced to Lionel (who were also bankrupt at that time) in 2006.
The Sanda Kan licence to Lionel duly expired, and the K-Line tooling, including earlier Marx and Kusan tooling, was sold to other manufacturers including Atlas, Bachmann and RMT, so ensuring continuation of tooling first created many years ago.
Further details of the MDK K-Line story are available via the TCA Western Division web site.
For additional details of K-Line products 1999-2005, see the K-Line Legacy web site.
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