I purchased the K-line by Lionel log car set #22461. I did have 4 of the early cars by K-line. The new set came with very glossy logs and the old ones have a much more realistic look as the are dull. Did anyone else purchase these cars? I want to make them match my early set does anyone have a suggestion as to what I could use to make them more realistic?
Location: Cedarburg, Wisconsin | Registered:: February 06, 2006
I have replaced all the logs on my K-Line log cars with wood pruned from the trees in my yard. The only trouble was finding pieces of wood 9 inches long that were straight - mesquite wood tends to be very twisty. I finally gave up on the mesquite and used orange bell stems - orange bell is a woody shrub with stems about half an inch in diameter and six or eight feet long. Looks a lot better than the K-Line plastic logs, even the dull ones. You also might be able to find some old Lionel logs in somebody's closeout bin. Lionel used to sell three real wood logs in a package, and I picked up a bunch of them years ago on a closeout.
Location: Tucson, Arizona | Registered:: April 15, 2007
The most recent set of Lionel Cass skeleton log cars came with really ugly plastic logs. I guess that shipping wood from China is a no-no these days. I too would recommend using sticks. Real wood looks best.
Andy
This message has been edited. Last edited by: Andy Hummell,
TCA, LRRC, LCCA, Atlas Golden Spike, MTHRRC - "Diesels represent the job, steam represents the adventure!"
Location: Western Pennsylvania | Registered:: August 21, 2005
Originally posted by Andy Hummell: The most recent set of Lionel Cass skeleton log cars came with really ugly plastic logs. I guess that shipping wood from China is a no-no these days. I too would recommend using sticks. Real wood looks best.
Andy
Thanks for the heads up on that.
I have a bunch of the skeleton cars, some even for which I do not have the matching logging engine. I would have been seriously disappointed if I had bought a set of these and found plastic logs. (I would assume the Birch Valley Lumber is probably the same? Anyone know? I think it was the same catalog/timeframe as the Cass)
-Dave
Location: Bensalem, PA, USA | Registered:: May 24, 2002
The first two Lionel Cass sets came with wood logs. It was the third set (cataloged with the recent Shay) that came with the plastic logs. I would imagine that any other log cars in the same catalog would have also come with plastic logs. I wouldn't let the presence of plastic logs deter you from these cars - the Lionel skeleton log cars are absolutely gorgeous, and plastic logs can easily be replaced with wood. Frankly, I wasn't thrilled with the wood that came with the first two sets and will eventually replace them with wood from my yard debris. I would have happily bought these cars without the plastic logs (or wooden ones for that matter).
Andy
TCA, LRRC, LCCA, Atlas Golden Spike, MTHRRC - "Diesels represent the job, steam represents the adventure!"
Location: Western Pennsylvania | Registered:: August 21, 2005
Originally posted by Andy Hummell: The first two Lionel Cass sets came with wood logs. It was the third set (cataloged with the recent Shay) that came with the plastic logs. I would imagine that any other log cars in the same catalog would have also come with plastic logs. I wouldn't let the presence of plastic logs deter you from these cars - the Lionel skeleton log cars are absolutely gorgeous, and plastic logs can easily be replaced with wood. Frankly, I wasn't thrilled with the wood that came with the first two sets and will eventually replace them with wood from my yard debris. I would have happily bought these cars without the plastic logs (or wooden ones for that matter).
Andy
I know this is ancient history, but after actually seeing the plastic logs, I didn't think they were as bad as I had feared. I probably wouldn't put them right next to an identical car with the wood logs, but they were pretty nice.
-Dave
Location: Bensalem, PA, USA | Registered:: May 24, 2002
Go find yourself a pine,fir or cedar tree and prune off some small branches. They look great and smell good in the bargain.
Shouldn't be hard to find in Cedarburg!
Now, the guy in Tucson may have trouble!
That's if the cars are loaded just for looks though. The OP doesn't mention if he uses a log loader, sawmill or dump that would work better with original sized logs sized for those purposes.
Location: Rolla, MO. | Registered:: February 18, 2006
Many of you have suggested using real wood from your yard. That is what I did to my Atlas O log car. This is how the car looked out of the box. Notice the unrealistic plastic logs. The car has such great detail except for the load.
This is how it looks after I picked up pine branches, clipped them to fit and used hot glue to hold them together.
I hope the pictures come out.
Location: Georgia | Registered:: February 26, 2007
I agree with you beertrain if these were destined for telephone poles, but this is a load of pulpwood and are heading for a paper mill where they will be debarked and then chipped.
Location: Georgia | Registered:: February 26, 2007
