REALLY????? REALLY????? Another Zephyr? Dont we have enough of these? When is Kato going to a NCL??????? We have been screaming to them for years about it.
The answer is yes. I don't believe the cars will be new (although probably new car names). This train could be gathered together from their first release of Budd cars many years ago. See the Model160 web site under passenger modeling for more info!
w/o knowing any real info on this release, other than what Bill had posted in the above mentioned site, I had 'assumed' that we were going to see the appropriate power for this set... I'm excited at the thought of Kato producing the E5 for train (the cars already exisiting)...if for no other reason than to get GREAT mechanisms and trucks for my LL E6 bodies decorated for ATSF...which, naturally begs another question from my perspective... Does Kato have the intention of releasing this loco in it's 'E6' guise in other roadnames?...and, if so, spotting differences between the the E5 and E6? I believe the only real differences are the stainless steel corrugations and the truck skirts...other than that, and someone please correct me if I'm wrong, they're standard E6 configuration... Respectfully, Bruce
Wow, this is a cool announcement. You can't really model the Fort Worth & Denver between the 40's and the 70's without the E5A. (well, an E5B would help too) While I model a much more modern era, I might buy one of these sets just because of the iconic E5A.
They have the cars to do all kinds of different Zephyrs if they come out with the E5s. I would probably replace the E5 I cobbled together from a Life Like E6 with a Kato unit for my Sam Houston Zephyr.
I agree... it's going to be VERY difficult to keep this set out of my hands...in fact, impossible... my rationalization?...especially considering that I model the ATSF in 1957? I 'see' a 'module' of a big city terminal station...such as Chicago or Kansas City...with some of the famous 'name train' power and consists posed... Now...can someone here tell me if CB&Q E5's and their consists ever grace the same terminals as the ATSF and UP in 1957?...and what other railroads would have been represented in that time frame? Respectfully, Bruce
To the best of my knowledge, the E5 and the E6 are mechanically identical or so close that it doesn't matter. The Silver Streak was only 5 cars long (SILVER LIGHT, SILVER SHEEN, SILVER GLEAM, SILVER GLOW, and SILVER SPIRIT) and Kato already has already done the Silver Light and the Silver Sheen (and maybe the others, too, as I didn't check those) so I personally don't expect tooling to be a problem. As an aside, a brass E5A, E5B combo just sold for over $500 on E-Bay (I gave up way before that) so a Kato E5 is excellent news (for me) indeed. Andy Tetsu Uma
What happened to the rumor of Kato making the modern UP excursion train with the 844 to celebrate the UP 150th anniversary ?
Yeah but at least you have FVM if you want a Hiawatha. Although it might be the right era for some modelers at least the option is there.
I think it would logically make sense for Kato to produce a Heritage set based on their previous smoothside UP passenger releases and the most recent City of Los Angeles. However tooling up for the UP 4-8-4 would take some time as it is different than the GS-4 mechanism. Honestly I don't know where the rumor got started, but Kato has hinted strongly at the Olympian Hiawatha and CB&Q E5 Silver Streak set previously. Haven't heard Kato directly talk about the possibility of the UP Heritage though. Logically it makes sense based on the passenger cars they already have tooled. We'll see...
The E5 windows were smaller to accomodate the fluted sides as compared to the E6. Otherwise it was the same engine. If the shell is modular and Kato can swap out E6 sides for the E5 than an E6 would be very possible. I am not an expert on the modular set up for shells so take my thought for the value you place on it.
The E5 was a custom all stainless steel body. There were two Phases.....the first was essentially an E3 and the second was an E6. The spotting differences were mainly as on the E3 to E6 the roof radiators The units were originally to have had shovel nose cabs identical to the General Pershing Zephyr Silver Charger 9908 but the unions nixed any more of the dangerous exposed crew location units (ending any chance of RDCs on the Q who could have used them in Chicago and other places) The mech would probably do for repowering LL E6s but for the price I would consider the BLI E6s which have a more accurate body shell. Of course if you have custom paint on the LL shell you can overlook the slightly off cab contour The Silver Bullet will come with truck skirts. The E5s did find use on the NCL and EB trains. Hopefully the sales of the Silver Streak will be good enough to encourage Kato to tool the E5B and cars for the Twin Cities Zephyr. I also need an accurate NCL and EB as I model the line those trains ran on. Charlie Vlk
I guess that settles it. E5 and all, should look fantastic in Kato's rendition of stainless steel. Wonder if the UP 4-8-4 and excursion train is still coming, or was that a red herring?
