I have an AB set. Just installed and programmed decoders this week. Run very well and have good pulling power. Ben
I have a Southern Kato E-8 AA unit and a ATSF E-8 AB unit. They're both fine running loco's with plenty of power. Stay cool and run steam....
I have a dozen of them and they are great runners. They are just a tad louder (a slight whine) than some of my other Katos but it is still reasonably quiet and very smooth runner. They are pretty strong pullers. Being about an 1 1/4 ounces lighter than the Life-Like "lead sled" E8's they won't pull as much as them, but there are few N scale locos that can.
I have an A-B-A set of B&Os. I had an A-A set of NYCs. They are very nice locomotives: good paint jobs, run smoothly through the speed ranges and pull well. The only complaint is the cast-on railings, but that is minor. I would recommend them to anyone. --PL
I have a bunch of them. My only complaint--and it applies to the Kato PAs--is that they eventually develop what I call the Kato screech. I think this is due to dry motor bearings. Everything evaporates pretty fast here in New Mexico.
Hey, I have about 12 of them.They are great.The newer ones have the bright white headlights.Great lookers & great pullers.I custom painted 8 into Erie Lackawanna.
I have only one and it's an Amtrak bloody nose. It runs quite fine on my layout. I'm still hunting another A unit and 2 B units. BTW. I would love to convert it to MT couplers but I don't know the replacement couplers that would fit on both the front and back. Can anyone shed some light on this. verse
I have ten E8/9s and four PA/B-1s. They all use the same drive system and use the same light board or decoder. There isn't a lot of difference between the early releases (like BN) and later releases (like ATSF) except for the light boards and the wheels on the newest releases. Newer releases tend to go dry sooner than the older releases. They all run fine. I use the new style Kato magnetic couplers on all these, both front and rear, but I have used MT 2004 on the front, same as on all the other newer Kato units. In my opinion, for whatever its worth, the MT coupler conversion for the back of the units isn't worth the effort. Mark
Roads that owned B units are represented. Some roads only owned A units. A complete (looks like) listing of E8's by Kato can be found on Amherst Depot's website: http://www.amherst-depot.com/e89katonscale.htm Ben
I used to really hate hearing about people who praise Kato up and down. I was into my life likes because they were cheaper. My kato E8 is awesome. It runs like a charm. The LL's cannot compare in smooth quiet operation. They do make a drop in decoder for it too. The thing about the Kato E8 is that it is not forgiving on shoddy trackwork. I had a small 4x8 layout with sharp curves and one one of the curves my Kato would always derail. I hear the same is true for the Pa's perhaps its the 6 wheel trucks that make them so picky. Regardless, I think they are a worthy investment.
Can't have enough EL E8s:shade: I have several and as stated, they are great runners and strong pullers. On the question about certain AB sets, The Southern may not have had B units. Pete, I am familiar with the E8 screech. In a few cases I have found that the universal joint is actually spinning on the shaft, which causes the noise. A drop of ACC on the shaft cured the problem in my oldest E.
The smallest on my layout is a 9 and I have no problems. I do not use short curved tracks instead I use Flex tracks so there are no joints and solders. verse
