Kris Model Trains

@Andy Zalewski posted:

My K-line boxcars from 1980’s look a lot like the mold for the Kusan “one door open” style cars was somehow modified to have 2 operating doors.  Any information on how K-Line did those?

Andy Z, Boston Metro Hi-Railers

Cut a new tool for the sides.

Rusty

Wow...never seen, or maybe, noticed,   any of those Kris gondolas....  This posting is a good history l'd like in print...guess there isn't a "Greenberg"  book listing and picturing "350" Kris cars?

Does RMT Trains have anything to do with any of the molds discussed? Mark

Kris Model Trains made convention cars for TTOS for several years. My favorite is this cattle car made for the convention in 1972. The cost to attend the convention was $12.00 which included this car.

Kris made this EJ&E car for a 1977 TTOS meet in Chicago.

@Andy Zalewski posted:

My K-line boxcars from 1980’s look a lot like the mold for the Kusan “one door open” style cars was somehow modified to have 2 operating doors.  Any information on how K-Line did those?

Andy Z, Boston Metro Hi-Railers

According to the K-Line book put out in 1999 they modified the existing mold to remove the details did needed to be removed and added the the new ones that needed to be added.   Actually that may be in reverse since if you want a rivet showing you have to put a divet in the mold.

When this mold finally wore out the new 640 mold (tooling) they developed had removable sides so that they could produce different cars, box, reefer etc using the same basic tooling.

Does anybody own the old Kris Model Trains Molds?

@jim sutter posted:

Does anybody own the old Kris Model Trains Molds?

Bachmann? Pretty sure their Williams boxcars at least are KMT cars.

Pete

Norton, Thank you.

A bit more about the Marine Midland box car.  Prior to statewide branching being permitted in NY,  MMBI, Marine Midlnd Banks, Inc., was a bank holding company for regional "Marine Midland" banks.  The MMB cars produced by KMT were for Marine Midland Bank Southern which was the Binghamton NY,  MMB bank. The regional banks were merged into a single Marine Midland Bank, in 1975/76 prior to being purchased by HSBC in the early 1980's. I was ultimately an attorney/VP with MMB.  Aat a train show I acquired a metal trucked MMB box car, which was promptly displayed in my Buffalo office.  I subsequently contacted Mr. Kriswallace (sp!), was told the history of this car, and purchased the final "MMB Southern" car which he had. It had/still has plastic trucks rather than the earlier metal trucks. HSBC ultimately withdrew from the Upstate NY retail market. Many branches now belong to the then competitor, M&T Bank, the only remaining Buffalo based. bank.