K-Line #K-42313 Fire Fighters Figure Set

In 1954 Marx introduced the #3481 Fire House set as part of its Marxville line of plastic buildings marketed along with their O-gauge trains.

Included in that set were: three firemen; a little boy wearing a fireman's helmet (and trying to carry a heavy pair of boots); and a dog (presumably a Dalmatian)

By 1983 K-Line releases its #K-4091 Firehouse Set based on the old Marx tooling that Maury D. Klein had purchased.

The figures are the same but the colors have changed

In 2003 K-Line introduces a deluxe set of firemen which was a blend of the older Marx tooling and all new sculpts. It also included two extending ladders and a hose which, when laid out straight, was quite long. I found the best way to maintain its shape was to insert a length of wire in it.

The four figures to the far left are all holdovers from the old Marx sets. The remaining eight figures are all new sculpts.

Here we see some firefighters in action on my Milwaukee North Western train layout back in 2023. This scene has been moved to a different location on the layout.

Be Blessed and Relish Life! Ed

TRAIN TIME: K-Line #K-675203 Hershey's 1998 Holiday Vat Car

Here's one I didn't think would come my way any time soon, but it did and I'm grateful. It's a departure from all the other Hershey's cars offered by K-Line and came out the same year as the deluxe Hershey's Holiday Express Set in 1997. 

Hershey's labeled this a 'vat car', but in my mind, vat cars were more like this Miller Beer car offered by Lionel:

To me, this K-Line car is more like a covered high-side gondola than a vat car, but regardless of what name is tacked on to it, it's a nice car. K-Line's version has eight hatches, all of which open. On the spine of the cover is a metal wire sign on plastic base declaring: "HAPPY HOLIDAYS from THE GREAT AMERICAN CHOCOLATE COMPANY". Be Blessed and Relish Life! Ed

I didn't notice the wonky wheel on the left truck until after the photos were taken. I'll have to look into that.

All eight hatches open.

TRAIN TIME: K-Line #K-1112M The Hershey's O-27 Gauge Train Set (1992) - The Set I Don't Have

I was trolling through fleaBay the other day and came across this set and thought - "When the heck did that come out?" I had always thought there were only four sets - all of which I have and which have been posted here on the blog since January. Apparently, this was one of K-Line's earliest Hershey's sets coming out in 1992, yet it's not in any of my catalogs. It appears to have the same engine and cars as the #K-1112 set which has already been posted on the blog, however, the packaging for this is more colorful. Was this perhaps an exclusive available to certain companies or stores, or was it simply a re-working of the packaging??? The set now on fleaBay is NIB, but unfortunately it's simply out of my reach financially. One day perhaps. Be blessed and Relish Life! Ed 

#K-1112M - The set currently on fleaBay

#K-1112 - The set I have and which was posted in February.

TRAIN TIME: K-Line #K-1715B Hershey's Holiday Express Set (1997) - Pt 12 K-Line Heavy Hauler #K-860035 Cookies & Cream (1995)

Finally, we have an all new piece for Hershey's - this time a new Heavy Hauler. Unlike the other six Hershey's Heavy Hauler's, this one is a COE container truck. The box says 1995, however it's not in my 1995 catalog and no Hershey's products were listed in the 1996 catalogs. Then in 1997, this Holiday Express train set was released which included the truck. As far as I can tell, the truck wasn't listed as a separate sale item in the catalog's, but my best guess is that it was in fact available as a separate sale item. Be Blessed and Relish Life! Ed 

1998 catalog extract

Shown alongside an earlier Heavy Hauler for size comparison