I'm only recently becoming a KATO fan. This on the heels of getting a set of silver-truck GN Empire Builder F7's for $65, and a six-car Empire Builder (or whatever their local was!) for $100. Total investment? Less than a days' work after installing DCC, and damn if it isn't one of the prettiest, sharpest trains I have. Only the Centralia NCL I'm assembling does it better I'm selling some locos this week to buy this new Kato set, skirted trucks and all! WOOHOO!
I was able to walk around last night at the 2012 Milwaukee Trainfest and was able to get a picture of the E5. It looks good to me, and I have seen and fanned the IRM Silver Pilot. Mine should be here by the time I get home on Monday and pick it up by the weekend. I can't wait.
Thanks for the photo from TrainFest... I'm sad because my model train pusher hasn't sent mine yet. :=( It looks great though... and it will be one of my favorite model railroad locomotives. Gotta admit though... it's got a chin only Jay Leno' mom could love... ;=)
I went to the web site and got the video of the Zephyer ...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Eie2GcH4_o
Well my E-5 arrived today and to say the least I am very pleased with the appearance and workmanship. Like the window glass fit and the option to run with or without front coupler doors. Installing the front coupler does not appear to require much effort and at first look probably without removing the shell at all. As far as the mold line on the nose at 1 foot away it is not visable so not an issue to me. So this lady joins my CB&Q E-7 and E-8 and two sets of Greybacks. I'll probably pick up one more in case somebody comes up with a good B unit shell I'll have the mechanism. And if Kato does decide to do the B unit then I'll have an A-B-A set.
A couple vendors at the Denver GTE had the sets and locomotives. The E5 does look good under normal viewing, but still wasn't meant to be. Jason
Thanks. I love it. There are a few things I did to improve it like the white LED and blacking out the chassis behind the windows with a marker. The smoked glass window inserts do a good job but I just went one better. Runs like a Kato, no complaints there. On the cars, I changed out one of the RPO mail hooks. I don't know if it was just my car or they all come this way but one hook was facing forward and one backwards. No matter which way the car was oriented, they were correctly facing forward on the right side and facing backwards on the left side of the car. All the details are assembled unlike the first release of the Budd cars.
I was looking in Burlington Route Passenger Trains, Vol. 2: Vista Domes and Slumbercoaches and found a 1946 photo of an E5 with the front part of the skirt removed and the back part in place on the front truck. Very interesting. Andy Tetsu Uma
I just picked up my set yesterday and I am impressed. It is acctually the first train piece I bought in over a year as I have not had a lot of motivation to play trains lately and have sold off about half of my stuff. I could not resist this set though and am happy I got it. I had a bunch of stuff that was not selling that I took to my local shop and traded (very much in his favor but oh well) for this set. I really like the smaller passenger trains like the Silver Streak and Fox Valley Hiawatha and hope more of the smaller sets come on the market. The big trains are fun and nice looking but just to big for me. If I can get rid of my Daylight set I might get one of the Kato Amtrak sets too. Kevin
