About Kato. They just released a N scale NW-2 switcher and I bought one (sorry Z scalers) The locomotive has a smaller motor than previous Kato motors. It's 7.5mm wide (yes narrower than a MT or AZL motor) 11.5mm high and 21.5mm long (23.5mm over the bearings) It's 3 poles, but has a pretty extreme skew to it, another Kato 5 pole I have has straight poles. I have no ideas what Kato is doing, but thought I would share this motor info. Hey and check out their new chassis design: Usually the motor is in the middle with a worm at each end. Disclaimer: I have no plans to quit Z scale, but I don't have plans to quit N either.
I have no idea where a decoder would fit in the Kato NW-2. The cab is open with a bit of an interior: The tall post at the rear is for the light.
that universal lends itself to all kinds of kitbashing. i'm thinking a working climax. but you knew that already, didn't you? he he he dave f.
I better get one of those. Wow, it never ceases to amaze me how Kato engineers such compact locomotives, and utilizes every square milimeter of space for chassis weight.
The AKIA ZJ trains have a similar double U joint mech but not quite as high quality as KAtos's (but for $45 you get the powered unit and 10 cars wtth metal wheelsets). Randy
Huh? Further detail please... just what is the AKIA ZJ? Anything that's only $5.00 sounds like a 'toy', but, if it has a system similar to the new Kato NW2... thats news. UPDATE: found this website for Nn3 which has info on Akia Zj... very interesting. http://www.nn3.ca/main/main-japanese-zj-gauge-p1.htm
I think that was a typo. I think Randy meant $50. But, for a loc and 10 cars, even if it is just for kitbashing fodder ain't half bad. Dan S.
i've been reading about his, but how the heck does one order the beast? if i had a link (not in japanese) i'd try it out. can someone help? dave f.
Dave, I'm in the same boat that you are, by the time I found out about an English website in Japan, they were sold out. http://hobbyworld.aoshima-bk.co.jp/eindex.asp Dan S.
Akia ZJ mechanism Good catch guys. Yes, that was a typo. They sell for 5000 yen or around $45. Plus $30 for shiping (but I got two sets for the same shipping total, and received from Japan in 3 days). Sorry guys, i got the last two sets from HobbyWorld. They will restock sometime and are getting ready for a new B-B-B electric locomotive as well. I think Garth said March release. Watch Garth Hamilton's Japanese Z page on his www.Nn3.ca website. These model trains are actually sold on the toy market, but are somewhere between toys and quality models in quality. How well they run out of the box is hit or miss, but follow Garth's directions for tweaking them and you will be good. Randy
How many metal wheels total are you getting for the total money you spend including shipping? If I have to spend $1 a wheel and $65 dollars an hour for the casting guy to cast me wheels, I might be better off buying those sets to disassemble and get the wheels out of them for the loco project?
Robert, for the $45 set you get: 10 cars with all eight wheels metal. (Plastic axles with meatl bearings) 1 power car, i believe with power pick up on all eight wheels and Tomix/Kato-like mechanism (low slung with two U joint drive axles to trucks under the chassis. Shipping was $30. Not sure how many sets you can get for that shipping price, but I got two sets. They might have fit one more set into the box. Not sure if it is size dependant or something else. Also, i got mine in three days so it may have been some kind of express, but it was the method they offered I believe. So you get 40 axles plus the power chassis for $75 or 80 axles and 2 power chassis for $125 (depending on exchange rate). That comes out to about .50 per axle (.25 per wheel) if you count the power chassis at about $40 each. I'll try to take photos this weekend. I cna't remember if Garth has close-ups on his site or not. randy
The results seem to be very decisive in that a powered chassis for a B unit is a good idea. What I also noticed is that only 40 members voted... and I'm sure that some of them are multi-scale model railroaders... such as I am. If there are only 40 members in Z scale on Trainboard... that seems very small compare to what I figured as a worldwide total of Z scale model railroaders. I was hoping to see closer to 100 votes... which is typical of the N Scale forum. Perhaps there are others out there lurking but not voting? If so... please let us know... It would be good to know that there are more than just 40 Z scalers around.
At the top, it says "This Poll Is Closed", so nobody else can vote. The results of only 40 votes is typical. There are 1800 members listed on the yahoo Z list, and their polls only get 30-40 votes too.
Statistically IF the 40 votes were random, the results would be very close to being the same as if everyone voted. Problem is that people here vote ONLY if they want and that skews the values. ...don
My choice wasn't up there. I want a new unpowered B unit (chassis and trucks designed to be unpowered), and a new F7 power unit that will fit it. Actually, the 10 minutes it takes to modify the shell to take the existing A unit chassis doesn't bother me. And, you can get some of the earlier F7 roadnames for under $80, which I doubt is much more than just the power unit would be. But, in a dream world, I would like to be able to use the unpowered B and still pull 50 cars, AND, I would like a new F7 mechanism that could fit either shell without mods. Dan S.
I didn't vote either. I'd vote for an all new A shell and a dummy B with better trucks. I have a ABA set now though so don't need to re-buy them. I do want better A shells for them though. I would buy a ABBA set of F3's though...
