Lionel seems to be steering the K-Line product line in a specific direction – and that direction appears to be smart, economical trains, rather than the high-dollar super-spectacular locomotives we came to know in the final years of the old K-Line. That change works for me just fine.
The same creative thinking that gave us the strange-looking, yet still cute Porter 0-4-0T and the diminutive, but pretty realistic Plymouth diesel is now offering a re-packaged Lionel postwar no. 520 boxcab electric locomotive at a bargain price – under the K-Line flag.
As the story goes, the original Lionel model locomotive was a miniaturization of a real electric locomotive built by General Electric and exported to a South American copper-mining operation. Though a pretty good copy of the real thing, it appeared toy-like, and like many later Lionel products, it suffers from the Rodney Dangerfield-syndrome where it “Don’t get no respect.”
Examined in the context of what it was (a smaller industrial-type switcher) and its place in the overall product line, a kid could have done worse than to receive a no. 520 for a birthday or Christmas present.
Opening the box
I bought this model with my own cash money, and I had pretty low expectations for it. I was very pleasantly surprised by what I found inside the yellow-and-black K-Line box.
Sure, this is a bottom-of-the-line locomotive, but I thought it was pretty well crafted that way – rather than stripped down to meet a lower price point.
The tooling of the plastic shell is clean and crisp. There is a minimum of cast-in details to spot, like on the prototype. I did like the lips on the portholes and the sunshades over the windows.
Topside, there are what I guess are bands arcing up and over the air reservoir tanks. The fore and aft doors are just suggestions of doorways.
Near the bottom of the shell, there appears to be a suspension system cast into the sides of the shell.
Two of the gold stripes you can see along the side of the model are raised texture points that you can feel.
Add-on details are all right in my book. Metal ladders are applied to both sides, and each corner has add-on grab irons. Topside, you’ll find a horn (on the front end) and two pantographs that can be raised or lowered manually.
The cab has two crew figures that seem to be wearing Chairman Mao jackets – one has both hands at rest, and the other is lifting his left arm, presumably to pull a horn tether. A shield behind the crewmen blocks the view of the motor area. Another nice feature is that while the front and side cab windows are clear, the portholes and the rear cab windows are frosted plastic. Like the shield in the cab, this helps hide the motor and circuit boards.
The cab has a bright light, but the light on my copy just dangles in the doorway. There appears to be rubber cement or some adhesive on it, suggesting that it may have been glued to the roof and then became separated.
The lower part of the model has stamped steel sides (with minimal cast-in detail that suggests brake components and journal boxes).
Both pilots are stamped steel and have handrails, side steps, and steps for brakemen.
Flip the model over and you’ll see that the front coupler is a dummy, mounted on a single-axle pilot truck. The rear coupler is an operating thumbtack-style coupler. The model has two power pickup rollers that are about 2½ inches apart. Expect this model to do some stopping in dead spots.
There is a single (come on, guys, would a second have broken the bank?) traction tire.
There is a reverse unit lockout switch on the bottom of the locomotive. My model was a bit quirky. It worked fine on the test track. However, when it was in the photo studio, I was trying to have it shot in neutral with the lights on, but it wouldn’t stand still. Go figure.
Must have been that wacky postwar Lionel LW transformer!
I bought the New Haven road name, planning on re-painting it into a trolley company road name. The boxcab was also available in Pennsylvania RR colors, but I decided that if I never get around to repainting, it would fit right in with the New Haven diesels and electrics I already have at home. The dark green body paint was smoothly applied. The gold New Haven accent stripes, road name, and script on the doors were expertly applied.
On the test track
Our low-speed average was 6.7 scale miles per hour, and the high-speed average was 82.9 scale miles per hour.
Drawbar pull was 5 ounces. What does that mean in practical terms? Well, I had the Weaver aluminum five-car passenger set available for testing, so I coupled them up.
The boxcab could pull one of the cars with relative ease. When I added a second car to the mix, it just sorta sat there and vibrated.
The lesson learned?
Keep your trains short and light and you’ll be happy.
Cab lighting was great, and the twin headlights (the headlights are directional, by the way) cast decent illumination down the rails.
There were no operational bugs we encountered, save for those quirks in the photo studio. Using this K-Line by Lionel boxcab to putter around with a few traditional-sized freight cars demonstrated that this was the right engine for that job.
Price: $89.99 (no. 21268)
Features: O-27 operation, single can-style motor, interior illumination, one operating coupler, single traction tire
Staff comments: Cute, functional, and inexpensive. – Bob; Sorry, but I’ll stick with my postwar 520. – Roger
I dom't pwn one yet but like the looks and will check with my dealer about one
Nice piece. I have one and I am satisfied with it. It is small but puts on a good show on my layout. Good job K-Line.
Nicely detailed little engine for the price (I own the PRR) version, but it struggles to pull just two MTH Railking lighted Madison passenger cars (with six-wheel trucks) on my small oval of track. I'm also not crazy about the too-abrupt stops and starts. If you want small and cute, go for a Lionel Docksider instead.
Another excellent review giving all the points to make the buying decision. I was a K-Line KCC member and enjoyed their products and used them on my office layout at the Chillicothe VA Medical Center where I work.
The boxcab may soon become found in use, on one of my two layouts. Thanks Bob.
this is one of the nicest engines that k-line by lionel has made. i have the pennsy version and the paint scheme is gorgeous. i also like the dual pantographs. this shows what can bw delivered in a low priced engine. thanks lionel
I have the K-Line by Lionel CNJ 1000 Boxcab. And for under $90, it is a bargain! It pulls 5-6 of my Post War Sunoco Tank Cars well and that funky horn is cool. For what I paid and what I use it for, it is a real bang for the buck item. The Boxcab has no pantographs, as it is a CNJ, and I really don't miss them. The lights and interior detail are really nice and the paint is flawless. Again, I was not expecting to use the Boxcab as a prime mover, but a switcher and local passenger (3 cars max) engine. This is a great little engine!
Bought the PRR version. Waited a long time for it, but it was worth the wait. Nice little engine at a nice price!
I found the video to be a selling point for me. I really like the price of this piece but seeing it in action sold me on it. It looks great for the money, and I think I'll grab one right away and re-paint it, as Bob suggested. Thanks
I like it! I wonder if I could one repainted and decalled for the Milwaukee Road. BTW, Bob I love the train box video segments. As a ham radio operator (AA9ZY) I recognize the microphone behind you.
A few years back I picked up a Lionel 520 at an antique show in Portland. As I recall that was the low-end set in the 1956 Lionel catalog. I walked away, but nostalgia for the little engine (motor) brought me back. It's a great runner, but I agree it appears toylike. The K-Line model looks to be much more detailed, and thus, realistic. Might have to add one to my roster. Good review, Bob.
It looks nice,but I would try it and see how compares to my AEC Security car 3535 post war it has lt's limitations.