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NEWS Page
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K-LINE Continues Limited Operations
12/23/05 Chapel Hill, NC - K-LINE is currently operating with a reduced staff over the next few weeks in anticipation of a sale of the assets of the company. A sale of assets to Sanda Kan, K-LINE’s primary manufacturing vendor and largest secured creditor, had been imminent throughout the fall, however, it has not happened. Another party is also interested in purchasing the company, however, it may be the end of January before anything is finalized.
Current operations include processing and shipping all orders of in stock items. Shipments continue to go out daily. All repair work has been suspended until mid-January. At that time, repairs will either be resumed or items will be returned to customers. For answers to technical questions, please email info@k-linetrains.com or use our toll-free fax: 877-269-4113. Please refrain from asking questions regarding product delivery, as too many things are uncertain at this time.
The final shipment of Operating Sawmills for Collector’s Club Members are on the way from China and should arrive at MDK by January 15. We expect to ship them out by the end of January.
Our hope is that the new owner of K-LINE will keep most of the employees and will continue to make trains. Both potential purchase plans agree to assume and honor the obligations of the K-LINE Collector’s Club deposits and other customer deposits made to K-LINE.
As this has been a most difficult time for K-LINE management, customers and employees, we appreciate all the support during this period and throughout our long history.
Break-In at the Märklin Museum Solved.
Two months after the spectacular break-in at the Märklin Museum, police have solved the case and recovered the stolen items.
After unknown individuals forced their way into the Märklin Museum in Göppingen on the night of January 18 and stole historic display pieces valued at more than one million Euros, every effort was made to recover these unique models. Among them are models of prewar 1 Gauge as well as 0 Gauge models, ships from the period before 1910, stationary steam engines, and irreplaceable 00 Gauge (H0) prototypes.
The quick success in recovering these items is due to the smooth cooperation between the Göppingen Police Department and BKA/Interpol in Vienna. A critical clue from Göppingen, after a vehicle with Viennese identification was noticed there on the evening before the break-in, led to the arrest on Monday afternoon in Vienna of a central figure in the theft. He immediately implicated two other principals in the case, who were arrested on the same day in Treviso in northern Italy. According to the police, all of the stolen items were recovered. Part of the items were in Austria; the rest were in Italy. The alleged thieves were all from former Yugoslavia. According to the police, three of individuals arrested are considered the principals in the theft; three more were supposed to act as fences for the stolen items. Up to 100 policemen and investigative agents in Vienna alone were involved in the case. The thieves were taken completely by surprise and gave no resistance.
"We have recovered our history thanks to the exemplary cooperation between the Austrian and German police. The first locomotive in model railroad history, the "Stork's Leg" from 1891, the prototypes of the "Crocodiles" and the large 3 Gauge "ECE" locomotive are important milestones in Märklin's history, which we want to make accessible to our visitors in the future," said Paul Adams, CEO for Märklin.
Stop Press
Possibly the largest heist in the history of toy trains was carried out at the Märklin Museum in Göppingen, Germany! On the evening of January 18, 2005, thieves disabled the alarm and stole historical exhibits worth more than a million euro
More than 100 trains and other models were taken from the museums collection including all issued items of gauge 0 and the ships of pre-1910, steam engines and irreplaceable prototypes of the gauge 00 (H0). The oldest vehicle of the museum, the first locomotive of 1891, was stolen likewise.
"A part of our history was stolen. That is for a tradition-conscious house such as Maerklin an extremely painful loss "said Paul Adams, chairman of the Maerklin management.
If anyone has information on this burglary, please contact Fred Gates at Märklin USA via e-mail at fredgates@marklin.com or by telephone at 262-784-8854. A large reward is being offered for information leading to the recovery of these items.
A list of the items stolen is avalible here
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