To me Kato makes the best loco, follow by FVM and then Atlas who make some of the best shells. But when it comes to moving trains on my layout the Kato's get the top assignment because they pull the most. Atlas look nice but I need more of them to get a train moving than I do with Kato's. I don't own any FVM but have test run them and they run great. Life Like was starting to make nice locos but then Walthers bought them and made the GP38 -whatever. Would love to have there GP60 dcc ready. IM makes some interesting locos but there QC is hit and mix. I do own two SD45-2 and they do run like Atlas units but the shell are off a bit. MT there FT are to old for me but I do own a Seaboard AB set that has the correct As deliver scheme which IM screw up on there’s. Athearns took three releases to get an N-scale loco right, but there SD70 is subpar compare to Kato's. It also looks out of scale compare to Kato's and Atlas EMD widecabs The Bachman are way overprices and there quality does not justified that prices.
I think the best locos are the ones that the manufacturers actually make for the roadname that you model. Atlas primarily does the 4 axle units and Kato the 6 axle units, so if like the less popular railroads, you buy from many manufacturers. I like the Alaska Railroad and there are very few locomotives made in N-scale. Atlas made the first locos for the Alaska RR with the GP40, then the GP38. Kato then jumped into the mix with the RDC and the SD70MAC. Since then, Atlas came back with more GP38s, GP40-2s and the MP15DCs. Then, Intermountain with the FP7A Bicentennial scheme and this August the F7A & F7B units. I think everyone manufacturer has units with problems (including Kato). As you can see from the opinions on this board, everyone has their favorite. I personally love the new Atlas scale speed motor units. Most Katos are also very smooth, but substantially faster, so it is hard to pair them up with the Atlas units unless you are running DCC, which I don't. I am very pleased with the Intermountain units; I think they are smooth as well. Just my opinion.
I agree. You will like what you like. I have a couple of Model Power F40-PHs. Not the best out of the box, but with some modification they keep up with the rest of the fleet. Whatever the manufacture of your favorite locomotive, you will probably find some reasoning to keep it on the roster. Either re-work it or just put up with it. Get what you want and if you tire of inconsistent operation, you will seek an answer to make it worth your while. I did lots of that in the early years of N scale as did many others......
Atlas hands down.. I fully believe these are the best made today and that's why all of my locomotives are Atlas.
Kato is the leader in N scale After many years of providing OEM to Atlas Con-Cor and others, Kato in the mid 1980's decided to take a leadership role in N scale. They developed an excellent mechanisim that set their offerings above the rest. Next they opened their own distribution agency in the US. Today most if not all of the other manufactures have benifited by taking design ques from Kato. Kato continues to lead with design inovations that are closely monitored by the rest of the manufacturers. I would go as far to say that Atlas is a close second only becasue they follow the leader closely (Kato)
I don't know which manufacturer is leading in its technology, but I know that Atlas offers DCC equiped locomotives and Kato is not. For me, as someone who really hates puting decoders in engines - even when it is not more work than changeing the printboards -, it is great that Atlas gives me the option for the most easy way. They also offer the largest assortment of engines. Kato is very limited: mainly big and modern engines from the large Class I's. I need smaller, 4 axle engines from the 50's/60's. No need for enormous pulling power, since 15 car trains are the longest trains running on my layout. Therefore, Atlas is the number 1 for me.
What has Kato done lately? They are a manufacture and should be leading. Atlas is not a manufacture they have companies make all there products. Kato manufactured all Atlas early split frame locos, Atlas stopped using Kato because they were to expensive. So talk about being a leader, Atlas is the one that came out with a scale speed motor. This motor is a great advancement in n-scale locos for people wanting to run scale speeds. Just look at the amount of people installing this motor in older locos. The thing I find funny is the Atlas motor will fit in a Kato loco, looks like they both share the same design.
I agree Atlas is great I never have to think twice when I purchase an Atlas I know I'm getting a great product. Sure they don't have all the latest locos like Kato but they have all the best two axel locos and some three axel locos. As for some of the guys here that say that Atlas locos make noise I guess they don't know how to take care of the noise none of my Atlas I repeat NONE of my Atlas locos make noise quiet as a church mouse. As for the mechanism and detail they are both great the new Kato frames are going to be harder to work on (they snap together as opposed to screws holding the frame together) they did this so you have to send in your locos for repair shame on U Kato also the shells are a lot thinner (70ACe). You have to take into consideration the fact that most of us work on our locos, we don't send them in for repairs. Although I never had issues with my Atlas locos except upgrading the older locos with scale speed motors. It shows why Atlas has been around for so long they adapt to the modelers needs.
The NW-2, the GG-1, GS-4, Budd RDC all come to mind as non-modern stuff. They had ditchlights 10 years before anyone else. Current versions of E units, F units and PA units have lighted numberboards, no one else does. They are about the only manufacturer that doesn't require taking the mechanism apart to install DCC in many of thier locomotives. They also had the first DCC ready locomotives in the marketplace, years before Atlas and anyone else did. 1992 E units were DCC ready from the start. What did anyone else have in 1992 that was DCC board replacement decoder ready? The scale speed motors are not that big of a deal for me because I run DCC and set all my locomotives to the proper speeds anyway. On the Kato/Atlas split, it was Kato who left to make thier own locomotives and other products not Atlas looking for a lower price. Kato wanted to build under thier name and did not have the factory space to handle thier anticpated production and the OEM needs of Atlas and ConCor. And if the scale speed motors fit in the Kato frames it is because Kato designed the tooling for Atlas in the first place. This gives me hope to replace the scale speed motors with Kato motors. I prefer to tone down the motors myself. In the end, Kato is releasing more Class 1 main line locomotives because that is the market segment with the most sales right now. They made RS units that didn't sell as well as they hoped and that is why they have not been re-released. They were selling the NW-2 like hotcakes until they hit the PRR and Milwuakee Road. Now it is a hit or miss if they will release the NW-2 again. They sell SD70's SD80's because they do sell, unlike the RS2's and the RDC's. All of the manufacturers have thier wins and losses. Atlas has good products, I have a lot of Atlas locomotives. Intermountain is getting better, but I do not know about Life Like, the only units I have of theirs are the Berkshire units. They are nice looking but could not pull their weight out of a wet paper bag.
ditto what David said.... Atlas 4 axle locos run good and look excellent; their 6 axle locos have always been dissapointing (for me) as their operating performance is less than I expect. The recent dash 8 with the ditchlights comes to mind. All 3 of mine have that vibrating shell noise coupled with the gear grinding noise and the much covered gap between fuel tank and frame issue (again, for me). But it is important to note that likes and dislikes are very subjective and what is important to one may not be important to others. The slow speed motors means nothing to me and others that are in the dcc camp because I speed match all of my MU possible locos BUT to the DC crowd; trying to run KATO and ATLAS locos together is somewhat of a challenge or close to impossible. We need both companies and the others as they all fill in and fulfill some of the demand for their individual offerings. Brian
Best statement I've read in this thread Atlas, Kato, and Life Like all run so well these days I don't really think it matters who makes it, it's WHAT they're making and if it's what YOU are looking for. For that reason; My most recent Life Like is their SW (2003). My most recent Kato is the F40PH (2005). My most recent Atlas is the GP15-1 (2008). Those are the only manufacturers I run, with the exception of a pair of Bachmann Spectrum GE 44-tonners. Never expected to say this about anything Bachmann, but man they run sweet! And the rest of 'em run like a dream too. I can't believe I'm lumping the name Life-Like in their either. Boy things have come a long way since I was last active 20 in the hobby years ago ...
I totally agree. Going back and fourth about who makes the better product is so trivial. I've been running my Kato, Atlas, Intermountain, and Athearn/MDC/Roundhouse trains this whole time while others have gone back and fourth here. I think I've had more fun!
I've read the comments about how various units pull and that has never been a variable for me. I don't have grades on my layout, and the curves all exceed 20" radius. Although I don't currently own any, at one time I had a pair of Atlas GP9's (NP) that I could pull a 70 car freight with. Those were all MT cars, so they rolled well but also had some weight to them. I keep my track very clean by wiping with IPO on occasion, and also use a combination of an Aztec track cleaning car with the abrasive roller as well as a periodic cleaning with a brite-boy. For whatever reason, this seems to maximize the pulling performance of all locos. I remember a dialogue once with a fellow list member around the Atlas SD24's when they first came out. He was concerned because his were slipping a lot with even a minor load, while mine didn't seem to have the same problem. I think we figured out that however Atlas blackened their wheels, they needed to run for a while before they would quit slipping. That may be something folks are still seeing to this day. I bought the traction tire driver for my Kato Mikado, but have never installed it. I can pull a 20 - 30 car train without it, so I just don't see the need. As always, YMMV.
May I throw this question in, how do the latest Model Power Steamers perform ? I have noticed they claim to have all metal Boiler Shells, and they are priced as low as $49.99 at some places fatalxsunrider43
If your finding a 4-4-0 for that price PM me the etailer. My MP Pacific and Mikado and 2-6-0 run well, but my understanding is that the pickups are prone to eventual nasty failure
I was talking about new technology that makes a n-scale locos preform like a real loco, (scale speed). New Altas locos do come with lighted numberboards, you should check some out. Kato E units were not manufactured as DCC ready, check out the box and information that came with the loco, no where does it say DCC ready. In fact the DCC board to replace the light board wasn't made until years later! You are completely wrong, Atlas was unhappy with the price Kato was charging and left. The reason Kato started releasing models under the Kato name was because companies they were making them for left and they had not choice. The original GP38s were originally for Walthers, I know because I had pre-orders for 2 of them. I believe I already stated they were the same design. The only main difference now, is Atlas uses a better motor.
IMHO I would say Kato and Atlas. I have heard some good things about Intermountain and Fox Valley. It really depends on what you are looking for in a loco. Athearn and Bachmann also fit into the mix. It is like buying a car you can always get a lemon and it doesn't matter what brand you get.
Does it really matter? Here is a photo of units built by Kato, Atlas, and LifeLike operating on the same train on my layout. If you didn't know who made them, would you be able to tell the difference?
I stick mostly with Atlas and Kato and have been very happy with either. I just got a GG1 and my jaw just dropped to the ground. I've heard it's a puller and will give it a test later on this week.
This won didnt tak hradley eny time at all; it usually taks thre or so ressponces befroe posts uv this nayture fall into an anti-Bachmann dyutryb.
