Next Kato name train passenger release?

NorsemanJack Jan 6, 2018

  1. Ghengis Kong

    Ghengis Kong TrainBoard Member

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    I'm building that right now! It will be my luck that is what they announce for their next train!
     
  2. NorsemanJack

    NorsemanJack TrainBoard Member

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    Not sure if the COLA announcement rules out a new name train for 2018. Last year, they released the new Hiawatha and also reissued the CZ. I think the calendar is a factor, as they like to have new product hitting the shelves later in the year when people are Christmas shopping. We may need to wait until 2019 (or later) for the next new release.
     
  3. Point353

    Point353 TrainBoard Member

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    Wonder if Kato has models of the Viewliner diner and baggage cars in the works, yet?
     
  4. Calzephyr

    Calzephyr TrainBoard Supporter

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    I could not understand how Kato would NOT have done the E6 and E7 units BEFORE doing the E5... but... the fact of the matter is that there are a couple of other manufacturers which beat Kato to the door with their own E6 and E7's (LifeLike and BLI). While I feel the LifeLike models were not originally very good models... they began to create better versions before they were purchased by Walthers. BLI (Broadway Limited Imports) has created some very nicely detailed versions (which I have several) and are DCC/Sound equipped. Kato could come in with a mid-priced version of these models (between Walthers/LifeLike and BLI) and create a much needed reliable yet affordable model of E6 and E7 A/B units. This would open up other possible named trains which operated with these EMD models.
     
  5. Calzephyr

    Calzephyr TrainBoard Supporter

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    I bought the Kato COLA set a few years ago... but... I did NOT buy the E8/E9 units. I have COLA E7's from BLI and COSF E6's from BLI.
    I probably will buy another COLA set from Kato... but... again will not get the E8/E9 locomotives.

    Kato needs to work on new passenger consists for us 'greying' folks who can still afford to buy complete sets.
    Going to get difficult once we are on fixed incomes later in our lives.
     
  6. Hoghead2

    Hoghead2 TrainBoard Member

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    You NP fans couldn't be blamed for trying. I don't know what you need to do to influence Kato- Jedi mind tricks? Voodoo?
    Invoke dark forces? Good luck! At least us New Haven fans have Rapido.
     
  7. NorsemanJack

    NorsemanJack TrainBoard Member

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    It's likely more than just NP fans who are asking for the NCL. There are many general passenger train fans who would welcome (and buy) an NCL release.
     
  8. W Neal

    W Neal TrainBoard Member

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    Patience gentlemen. There is some good stuff coming from Kato. There are plenty of trains that have been researched and await production. I am not at liberty to speak freely. However, rest assured that the fellows in Chicago are train fans and modelers and are very much on your side. Some trains will be rerun, as you are seeing, because it does not involve new tooling - (the expensive part). I'm fine with that as it often brings new car numbers, etc. I'd advise saving up your money for now. Expect new announcements in time.
     
    Pie39 likes this.
  9. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    I am one of those folks. except by a few wise choices I have several sources of income in my so called golden years. However years of trying to cobble together both an NCL and Empire Builder, and an SP&S train number 1 and 2 I chose a different path to model instead of waiting on the slow trickle. Now if I had chose to model UP I would be in hog heaven now. Still though if I had chose to model the early versions of those UP trains I still would be waiting.
     
  10. Ghengis Kong

    Ghengis Kong TrainBoard Member

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    Please at least hint to me that the Rock Island Rocket with EMC TA is even going to be one of the next three new products in the production queue?!?!?!?
     
  11. bfc1230

    bfc1230 TrainBoard Member

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    http://www.model160.com/workbench/n...-a-look-at-ups-city-of-los-angeles-1955-1971/

    http://utahrails.net/up/uprr-index.php

    Check out the links above. I've used these as I researched the CoLA. It seems that you could add a 6-6-4 as that went LA-Twin Cities via Omaha (CNW). Also Kato could use their PRR Rapid series 10-6 from the Broadway set and model one of the yellow PRR transcontinental sleepers. The train also needs a 4-4-2 and a 5-2-2 to be more correct for the 1956 era of this train. You can get the 4-4-2 from Centralia and the 5-2-2 from AMB or Skytop Models. It would be nice to see them release an addition sleeper set and include Pacific 10-6s. You could also just add extra coaches to the train, I have done that with mine.

    Another idea they could have went with is renaming the same consist City of Portland or City of Denver, both have very similar consists.

    I talked to the Kato rep in Edison NJ during the WGH show. He was well aware that everyone wants a NCL. It was mentioned that they are planning on rereleasing the Broadway Limited down the line. The only new thing he told me they were coming out with is Amtrak Superliner IIs in N-Scale and they are going to release the El-Capitan coaches in Amtrak Phase II. Everything else was just ideas.
     
  12. NorsemanJack

    NorsemanJack TrainBoard Member

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    Thanks for those links. I found the following page on the same website very informative:

    http://www.model160.com/n-scale-news-blog/kato-budd-passengers-cars-revisited/

    I knew most of the info already, but the photo of the early twin cities zephyr that matches exactly the old Kato corrugated cars was especially interesting. I guess I already have a correct twin cities zephyr and didn't even know it! I still want the full 1947 consist with an AB E5 consist. I believe the "prewar diner" in the photo matches the original corrugated car release. The 1947 consist replaced these with diners that were almost identical to those in the CZ consists.
     
  13. Calzephyr

    Calzephyr TrainBoard Supporter

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    Well... thanks for the 'sort of' heads up. I know it wasn't intended to be very specific... and no real questions about 'the next' train were answered... but it was like a pep talk.

    Most of us are a bit impatient after so many years in the hobby and been often disappointed. For years we have had to do with 'close enough' from all manufacturers... so when Kato created a truly realistic passenger consist with their first issue of the California Zephyr... there has been the 'Hope' for realistic passenger consists from all of the iconic railroads of past and present.

    Many of us are hoping our favorite named passenger consist is the 'next' offered by Kato... but the best we can look forward to is guessing.
    We would love to see a schedule of future production from Kato... just so we could save-up for those trains... specially when new expensive steam locomotives may be part of the equation.

    Expected Production Schedule:

    1) CoLA Passenger Consist__________E9 ABA units_________________August 2018

    2) ???__________________________ ???________________________???

    3) ???__________________________???_________________________???

    Anyone going to fill in the ??? for us?
     
  14. Traindork

    Traindork TrainBoard Member

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    I'll add the N700S Shinkansen as one of the next passanger trains Kato will make.
    I'd buy it!
     
  15. NorsemanJack

    NorsemanJack TrainBoard Member

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    Well, I don't no nothin', but this is the desired answer:

    1) CoLA Passenger Consist__________E9 ABA units_________________August 2018

    2) Twin Cities Zephyr Consist________E5 AB units__________________August 2019

    3) North Coast Limited Consist_______F7 ABA units_________________August 2020

    After that, they can spend a few years on that Dreyfus Hudson for the long awaited 20th Century Limited.
     
    Calzephyr likes this.
  16. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    Everybody seems to forget that Kato is producing for the Japanese market as well as the European market. Just the Japanese passenger fleet in itself is huge with a wide variety of equipment and color schemes, and this is not even taking into account the bullet trains. And the color and variety of freight in Japan is staggering both in motive power and cars. And in both freight and passenger there are new locomotives and color schemes coming out yearly from the 1 to 1 folks. I would venture to say that Kato has their plate full not even thinking about track and structures, plus other items model railroad related.

    My current passenger fleet is composed of Bandai cars and three of my small diesels are Bandai, but under them are all Kato mechanisms designed for those cars, which is yet another facet of their production. I was looking at US electric locomotive models the other day and discovered that the majority are either Kato or have Kato mechanisms. So if we take into account that our market only constitutes a fraction of their overall world market and domestic market we should be happy when they turn their attention this way. And when they do it is usually a home run, Kato has few flops.

    I frequently turn my computer to playing YouTube videos of Japanese freight and passenger operations while I am at my workbench and most of the equipment shown in those 1 to 1 videos Kato makes models of.
     
  17. Ike the BN Freak

    Ike the BN Freak TrainBoard Member

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    Yup, anyone who has gone to their stores in Japan can see that. I'd say the US market makes up less than 25% of their total market.
     
  18. NorsemanJack

    NorsemanJack TrainBoard Member

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    I don't believe that this is true. I'm pretty sure that most of the posters here understand that Kato makes models for many other markets besides the USA. That doesn't mean we can't discuss and dream about what the next US prototype may be.
     
  19. r_i_straw

    r_i_straw Mostly N Scale Staff Member

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    And also remember that the Japanese market likes North American prototypes too. They buy a lot of the trains that have already been released for us.
     
  20. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    Not saying that one can't discuss and dream but I do think that some folks forget all the facets they are involved with and manufacturing time has to be rationed out. The research and development time is considerable when one figures the amount of detail that goes into a model and most likely several years passes before something even goes to the mold makers, but it has to take it's place behind other projects ahead of it in in research and development, and eventually factory time. What you are seeing now is a logical extension of a previous project which has been planned out years ago and there are others on the drawing boards in their engineering section and probably sequels to those projects too. A prewar version of something, to be followed up with a post war version with early diesel, and later a more modern diesel version set in the late 50s or 60s.
     

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