Lionel's New Berks

They sure look like K-Line tooling to me.  I think there will be interest.  Legacy engines run better than the older TMCC stuff.  Great detailing and precision control, whats not to like besides the price.

That may all be true about the performance of Legacy, but remember that K-Line used pretty small motors, mounted backwards. Thus the K-Line steam locomotive models generally will NOT pull very big trains without burning up the small motor. Wonder how Lionel is getting around THAT issue!

I'll second the k line tooling,if you look close you can see a tether coiled behind the cab(s) in the catalog picture. I believe all of the roadnames and feedwater heater styles are identical to those offered in the original k line run. The latest legacy k4,mikado,and shay are k line tooling so it stands to reason.Hopefully the price will be down closer to $1000, FWIW MSRP on these is $150 less than Lionels legacy berks from a few years ago and the k line tooling is far more detailed.I'm interested, these will have signifigantly better sound, and smoke (obviously) and the correct 4 chuffs per revolution. In addition hopfully the smaller diameter drive wheels and open pilot wheels will allow for operating on a tighter turning radius. I know the k line version is rated o-31, thats extreme, but having said that hopefully they will negotiate tighter than the o-54 in the catalog as I believe these specs were pasted from the lionel tooled berk. The k-4s were labeled o-54 at first then lionel corrected this to 0-36 online after the catalogs were delivered.

I was recently considering a k line berk when one came up on ebay, but the old fashioned puffing smoke and 2 chuff sound made me hold back. Not to mention the huge problem of no parts support, lionel might not have every single part in stock at all times but at least you have a fighting chance.

Not likely as these engines are not very heavy and would slip before burning out the motors.  I need two berk just to pull a twenty car train.

My K-line Lima #1 Demo sits just fine in my display cabinet. NOt looking to replace her at all!

Me too.  Mine is converted to motor in firebox with a boiler belly, but it always seemed a bit small to me.

The K-Line was a great bang for the buck if you could live with the coal load, wrong chuffing,  bad smoke and small motor.  They ran great and looked good.  I like Legacy and will take a shot at the new Boston and Albany Berk.

I have one on order - don't have a scale Berkshire now.  I am very pleased with all the recent legacy locos so i am looking forward to enjoying this one. 

My K-line Berk blows nice smoke rings!

Scott

My Kline berks are heavily modified with EOB with selectable chuff and a turbo smoke unit Check my Youtube page for videos

IMO,  Street price between the the UP 9000 & the Kline Legacy Berk is nearly the same. The UP 9000 is the  far better deal.

Joe

The bummer is when you bought a K-line engine say a Pacific, then if you purchased a scale Hudson, they had the same sounds in them....

How different is this loco from the scale Pere Marquette Berkshire that Lionel offered some time back?  The one in the 2008 catalog among others. 

The pcitures, 2012 vs 2008 catalog, don't look like they are of the same loco -- have different sanddomes and such, trucks looks slightly different, tender, too.,  But the specifications sure do: 26 1/2 inches long, 0-54, Legacy, etc.   Staring at the drivers, etc., they look to be about the same, too.

Could this be the K-line castings atop the Lionel chassis and such used in the Pere Marquette?  It's surely what I would do if I already had a scale Legacy Berk in production.

These Lima berks were the first superpower design, only slightly larger than a Mikado of the same time period.  Late 20's.  These are not of the same size like Rich's 765 or a Pere Marquette berk. 63 inch drivers the same as a mike, larger firebox with a four well trailing truck is the big difference over a Mike size wise

  I suspect this will have k-lines chassis as well just as the new k line tooled Mikes,K4s, and shays do. As I mentioned above I feel Lionel simply pasted the minimum radius and dimensions from the lionel berk, while k lines o-31 is a bit extreme I suspect this berk with " mikado-sized" drivers  may negotiate a tighter radius than o-54.

Heres some video I found of a k line berk and a lionel berk running together, not the best but it appears the lionel berk has a fatter boiler and may be a touch longer. The tenders are noticablty different too.

You guys are comparing apples to oranges here.  Totally different animals size wise both in regards to the real thing and the 1'-1/4"

The Kline berks are to scale to the real model they represent.

With that said and taking a look at the Lionel catalog pics 26 1/2" long and as mentioned above with the tether they are pics of the Kline berks. I'd bet right out of the Kline catalog.  Funny they only list it at only doing 0-54 curves.  Of course what's pictured and what's produced can be two different things

Exactly Gary, Lee was curious what the differences are, I was just trying to point them out. 

Ok cool. Anyway if they are as detailed as the Kline berks are Lionel will have a real winner.

http://www.steamlocomotive.com/berkshire/?page=nyc