I have two Kato ES44ACs and an Fox Valley ES44AC and I noticed that the FV one takes more of the throttle to make it move the the KATO locos, Is this normal? I am running them on DC and I am trying to run two locos together but even the katos are not running at the same speed. I was thinking of getting another FV loco to see it running two of them will work.
FVM Gevo's defiantly run slower than the Kato model. Running DC, it is really hit or miss to match loco's to run together. The same brand are usually close but not always. Sometimes you can tweak the mech and they will run closer. The number one thing to do is to break the loco's in on DC by themselves - run forward, backward, different speeds. I usually run them for about an hour forward at different speeds, them backwards for an hour at different speeds. Usually they get closer to the same speed. Then I put a decoder in my case and then it really easy to speed match them. Hope this rambling response is of some help.
I too noticed the same situation as I just purchased my first FVM Gevo a few wks. ago. I tried to match it up with a Kato unit as a second unit & the Kato seemed to push on the FVM unit, This is in DC operation. Don't get me wrong I am impressed with my FVM Loco but to solve my problem I just went ahead & purchased a second FVM unit to run as a 2 unit consist. I assume that the FVM locos are geared for a lower speed operation which is not all bad as I sometimes think a Kato unit has to much high speed which isn't always necessary I mean I don't run my freight train at break neck speeds But I'm not here to bash anyone I love them both
I have the same issue with some of my Atlas engines. I need to be at half-throttle before my GP35 will get moving, and my MP15 isn't much better on that front. That's why I only lash up Katos with Katos.
All the FVM locos run slower than Katos. The FVM is much closer to Atlas' scale speed motor than to Kato's rocketships...DCC fixes it all. Or you could use Jim Hines' (Richmond Controls) diode solution to slow the Katos down to run on DC.
A Kato is pretty much faster than any other brand loco. They still think they are making bullet trains and haven't figured out the scale speed thing yet. Atlas, IM, Walthers, and FVM are fairly close in speed, Kato is in a world all their own.
Kato just uses more efficient and stronger motors that the other mfg. motors. While Atlas Scale speed is nice, when it comes to grades, the extra torque in Kato motors comes nicely into play.3 Kato SD80's pulled 140 cars up a 25 foot 2% grade without braking a sweat. Same train using Atlas SD60's, it took 7 to do the pull the same train up the grade. It is easy to slow down a Kato locomotive using DCC, or by lowering the power with circuitry. Even though they are now moving slower, they still have the torque reserve to climb the grades.
That is no proof of the power of the motor, only the tractive effort of the loco. Unless the Atlas locos stalled on the grade, and couldn't turn a wheel, it was not motor power that kept them from making the grade, it was traction. I have yet to see an N scale diesel loco that will stall the motor under load. The motors we use, no matter what the brand have more than enough power to break traction and spin the wheels. The last I checked, a Kato SD80 weighs at least 1.5 times what an Atlas SD60 does and are spectacular pullers. I bet you stick Atlas motors in those SD80's and they will pull the same amount.
I own a Kato GEVO and am planning to get a FVM GEVO. If you run both via DCC, just want to know how low you set your CV5 on the Kato.
well i did put a kato motor in my sd60 and i can run it with my sd70m,sd70mac and dash 9's and the 60 has more pulling power. i also changed the wheels to kato.
This is where your pulling power came from. Kato wheels are made of magic metal. Something about them works better. As long as you have enough motor to slip the wheels, changing motors will not allow a loco to pull more.
Why any person would want to speed there locos up is beyond me. I make my Kato locos run more to scale by swaping the Kato rocket motor with the new modern scale speed Atlas motor and they don't pull any better, but they sure do run better at scale speeds!!!!!!!!!!!
"The power F from the magnetisized pole working on the rotating magnet is proportional to the magnetic flux B in the air gap and the area of iron A and equals: F = A x 4 B ^ 2." Empirical proof: I was using under the track reed switches( 5 to be exact) to detect a train with a magnet inside a passenger car to do this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QvaIum2ru0 and wrote this: "The reed switches will have to be placed about 0.2 inches (5mm) or more under the rails, the ideal distance is just enough so that unequipped engines don't activate the reed switches. I had two(a ConCor PA1 and a Kato F3) that had very powerful motor magnets and required a greater spacing and the use of two magnets in the passenger car shown...." All my Atlas, Roco, IM and other diesels had less powerful motor magnets. Al
The ConCor PA1 has both motor magnets parallel to the rails, the Atlas only has one magnet. I raced HO slot cars for years and have run a lot of tests on the Atlas and Kato motors. The gauss meter shows the magnets are very close in strength. Several years ago I was looking for a better motor for my ConCor/Kato PA1s, I found out the armature from the Life Like plastic frame locos would fit in the ConCor/Kato motor. That turned my PA1s into some real nice scale speed runners, until I retired them!
You are missing the whole point. It could be a 5 hp motor or a 500 hp motor. As long as the 5 HP motor is enough power to slip the wheels on the rails, the 500 hp motor is not going to pull any more. Tractive effort is the limiting factor, not the power of the motor. Both Kato and Atlas motors have enough power to produce wheel slip so motor power does not enter into the equation.
