K-Line
K-Line Electric Trains is a brand name of O gauge and S gauge model railway locomotives, rolling stock, and buildings.Its parent company, MDK Inc., based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was founded in the late 1970s by Maury D. Klein. K-Line's first products were re-issues of products originally introduced by Louis Marx and Company, produced with former Marx tooling purchased after the Marx brand folded in 1978. The dies mostly remained unchanged, with only the branding changing--for example, "Marxville" plastic buildings became "K-Lineville". The Marx designs on train cars were also retained, with K-Line changing the couplers to make the cars compatible with Lionel, and, eventually, improving the graphics.
During the 1980s, K-Line filled much the same role that Marx had in the model railroading arena, supplying similar trains at a lower price than Lionel, but with less prestige. In the 1990s, K-Line started introducing pricier O gauge locomotives and rolling stock of its own design, shifting its emphasis away from its budget offerings.
K-Line's S gauge offerings are a recent entry, providing budget-priced cars and track compatible with American Flyer-brand trains. Unlike its current O gauge products, K-Line's marketing on its S gauge cars centers its price advantage over the competition.