The Grocery Train

When you stop by Killy’s Smokehouse this week you might notice the toy train on a table right outside of the Irish Pub. This unique collector’s edition K-Line train was commissioned in 1989 by Proctor & Gamble (P&G), one of the most successful consumer goods companies in the world. P&G commissioned K-Line to produce a train set decorated with the names and logos of certain P&G products to reward grocery store owners and employees. The unanticipated request opened up a whole new era of business for K-Line, a competitor to Lionel Trains. 

In order to produce all of the sets, the K-Line facility at Chapel Hill, North-Carolina operated three shifts a day, six days a week and rented even more production space in nearby warehouses.  When the enormous project was finished, K-Line had produced a collectible train set that demonstrated the company’s ability to combine the shapes of O-gauge model train cars with the designs, colors and logos of a another company’s products.

Killy’s got this train because they operated Sheridan’s Warehouse Market.  It features a Proctor and Gamble diesel locomotive, a Folgers Coffee hopper, a Jiff Peanut Butter hopper, A Duncan Hines Cake Mix boxcar, Sunny Delight tank car and a Crisco Shortening caboose. It’s a fully functional, ready-to-run O-Gauge train complete with track and transformer and it’s on display right now to celebrate Killy’s heritage as a grocery store and Smokehouse Deli and then Irish Pub and Liquor Store. And Saint Patrick’s Day is a perfect day to celebrate. So take a short ride to Killy’s and see the P&G grocery train before it leaves the station.