Yeah, I a bit disapointed by this release. I'm trying to put together a 1990's San Diegan. I'll have to buy two train sets and sell the viewliners and P42's individually. Anyone else planning on kitbashing an Amfleet cab car?
I've got a few of the Metroliner cabs here lined up for the bash. Just need to get off my duff and do them. Maybe we can work out a trade for cabcar = Viewliner.. I'm going to put a TF4 or something from Richmond Controls in them so the lights will blink. I planned to do two cars and sell the extras.
Art, I am in a similar situation. Some day... What are you using for the chassis? I've looked at Jim Hebner's pictures and see some seem to have an underframe area that looks like Bachmann's Metroliner chassis and some look much more like an Amfleet car. IHP has a nice looking 3D Metroliner chassis if you want something better looking than the "2D" Bachmann part from the 70s. Thoughts? Ideas? I wish I hadn't gotten rid of my first generation Bachmann Amfleet cars. Now I need a couple sacrificial chassis. Terry PS In keeping with the thread: I'm excited about the Amfleet II and Viewliners, but another baggage car? Gimme a break! Singles coming? Or two-packs? Please.
Terry, I talked to a guy at Kato about single and double releases and he said the currently announced package is how they are going to be released for the foreseeable future )-: He said those were the orders from Japan and the American employees were a little shocked (maybe disappointed). Hopefully one day we’ll get a more reasonable combo! In the meantime, it’s great that we are getting these! Chris
That's pretty much the reply I got when I emailed them my disappointment at the El Capitan add-on set changing from two baggage cars to a baggage and a coach and my reducing of my order from three add-on sets to one. Tokyo still pulls the strings despite the 'USA' at the end of Kato USA, that's just there to make American consumers feel more comfortable. The set being released will probably have more appeal in Japan than individual cars. Still as you say it is good to get what we do and no one else beats Kato, just don't expect it to be exactly what you want.
Well, if it makes you feel any better, 130 more Viewliners are now on order from Amtrak to finish off the Heritage fleet (July 23,2010). Viewliner - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia So maybe that car profile won't become quite so unique in the future, or identifiable strictly as a sleeper and the one wierd diner. But if "I were in charge" the two-car add-on sets would be: A: Two Amfleet coaches, different numbers That would sell out in 10 minutes! and if you really had to add one more thing... B: Heritage Budd diner in Phase IV and a second baggage car. I know it would never happen, but the other item of 'great play value' on Amtrak is the Cabbage cars. How well does the Kato P42 and F40PH mech MU under plain ol DC? If they were on opposite ends it wouldn't even need to be a 'dummy'. But the change in the carbody for that version would certainly not be the kind of 'adaptation' that Kato would do, I suspect. Still can't believe they went for one coach and two viewliners instead of the other way around.
In looking at one my favorite hobby shops, they describe the Kato release as follows..."An all-new collector’s set concept: KATO announces a complete Amtrak intercity express train set". I guess that they REALLY don't give a damned about the US market. Just what we need, another collector series.
Well, they do have a 'contact' feedback on the website. I'm not sure if it's any more meaningful to post there than post here, but why not? Having met some kato USA folks myself, well, yeah, that ocean is pretty darn wide some days. I guess I'm glad that the Japanese market for US trains seems to like to collect Kato passenger train sets. Remember that even in Kato's eyes, the primary market for US equipment still seems to be Japan. If you find something that appeals to both markets, it has a chance. I don't care if they call them collectors or not, as long as it runs well, and maybe other than Rapido, the Kato cars are the best passenger cars ever made in N. Those El Cap cars were just stunning, and I didn't think they could beat the California Zephyr sets.
That's where I sent my feedback about my disappointment over the El Cap add-on set and the guy who replied (quickly, I'll give them that) agreed with me and said he was disappointed too, so they do read what you send them and hopefully pass some feedback on to their bosses. The primary market being Japan, or at least the decisions being made there, could be the reason for leaning towards bright, shiny trains like the CZ, Super Chief, El Cap and Daylight rather than the likes of the NCL which could look a bit drab to Japanese tastes (note to NP fans, I think it looks good myself). The Broadway Ltd would probably also look good to the Japanese because of the electric locomotive, something more familiar to them.
Nah, ex-CBQ 8400 series diner and another coach. Then you would be almost smack on for the Silver Star / Silver Meteor with the basic set and two add-ons. Or a dorm/lounge.. That would be great!
Lots of thoughts and ideas.. Just lack of time. On the three I have, the plan is to add stryene shapes for the underbody parts. Maybe use the American Limited details.. It doesn't need to be pretty, just look good. I may figure out a way to add track wipers in there somehow so I can *not* rely on the wheels for electrical pickup, or figure out a way to retro fit the car to ride on Kato trucks. Then adding lights will be easier. Some new paint and decals will take care of most of the ugly part.
"IHP has a nice looking 3D Metroliner chassis if you want something better looking than the "2D" Bachmann part from the 70s." Only in HO my friend... only in HO.
I ate dinner between Albany and Utica a week ago in the 8412 on the Lake Shore, and plastic plates and paper tablecloths aside, it was actually quite nice. I think it was ex-PC/NYC, but at that level I won't belabor the point! You can have your set! Probably the Lake Shore is the only train (due to the splitup at Albany into Boston/New York sections) with a baggage at either end, but at that point you're taking two full basic sets anyway because you need a pair of P42's and at least four viewliners. It's the coaches, Kato! Somewhat OT, but my family has been on the 'Shore' now for ten trips this summer and one theme has been constant, the train has been either near sold-out or actually sold-out nearly every trip. With 2 P42's and 13-15 cars, I'm pretty sure its the biggest train in the east other than the Auto Train. There's a whole new generation that will regard THIS a the 'big passenger train' they remember, and it's nice to watch from on-board. Hey, I rode on the "Grand Canyon" as a kid, and it was great, but it was also near-empty. It's good to see long-distance trains running full again. Ten years ago there were a lot of long trains, too, but they were probably half-full and the material handling cars typically dominated that length, particularly trains like the "Three Rivers" that made you feel like you were riding caboose. It's just good to see Kato producing stuff that parents and beginning modelers can relate to as just what they just rode on. The rest is details.
Well the P42 is going to ne a new number too. I got that confirmed by Kato this morning. That is great because, while I have P42's already, they are one of my favorite locomotives and I match them to thier own sets of cars. One day for fun, I will run nothing but Amtrak, it will be different seeing 15 Amtrak trains all running at the same time! As for the folks with the desire for the cars and not the locomotive, it should do fine to sell off if needed.
"...plastic plates and paper tablecloths aside,..." Shades of Southern Railway!!! On some runs where the SR sought to cut costs they went to using the same, to the chagrin of Pullman passengers. The cost cutting helped to keep coach - buffet lounges, diners and diner - coaches on the runs but as the management became uninchanted with the idea of passenger service many of these runs were cut... three diner - coaches becoming business cars and the fourth going to an owner near Augusta, Ga. to haul his prize bull. Never bothered me to eat off of such things... riding the rails was far more important than what I ate off of and still is. (Amtrak's Canadian Bacon sandwiches use to be great... I hope that they still are.)
In fairness, you have to look twice to realize the plates are actually plastic, and the tablecloths are some kind of hybrid paper that isn't the same kind of thin white paper you'd have at a picnic. I don't think we'd have noticed it until a passing customer accidentally tore it. And the food, while a limited menu, was actually very good. The last dinner was a baked trout that was very tasty, properly deboned and presented, and the cheesecake desert had a carmel topping on it, very nice. It's still one of the best travel experiences out there, and my young adult sons have grown to appreciate it all the more since they have now started to fly. I'm still grateful the experience can be done at all. Back to my Grand Canyon days, the diner on that first trip (the empty one) had paper placemats instead of a tablecloth. My Dad was disgusted, I saved a placemat and I still have it. Then we rode the Super Chief back and I understood why he was disgusted... So to keep this even moderately on topic, I've got my Super Chief set, but this new Kato set certainly has me weakening to commemerate all the Amtrak travel we've done on the Lake Shore this summer. It's taken them 20 years to fill the trains and Amtrak quit being a national embarassment, but that appears to happening.
