Skipgear found an EASY and beneficial solution to this whole GS-4 rattling/shorting problem. I'll let him explain it if he feels so inclined. When he told me about it, the source of the engineering mistake was instantly recognizable. It's a quick fix for Kato. Well see if they take him up on his solution.
It depends a lot on the era. They were delivered with red. In the photo below taken in Glendale, California in 1954, the "collision avoidance oscillating warning light" is red. It is also surrounded by red and green auxilliary marker lights as was SP practice later on. I know that on the KCS observation car Good Cheer, while sitting in the back, you could hear the red oscillating light turn on when the car slowed down below a certain speed.
You had to say that, didn't you? After reading that, I had to go dig my Con-Cor KCS Southern Belle set out of its hiding place and look at the Good Cheer next to the Morning Daylight observation car; vintage ConCor vs. 2008 Kato <LOL>. Now you have me sitting here thinking about lighting the Southern Belle cars and putting a decoder in the loco.
Nothfing like stirring the pot...eh? Honest some of those observation cars, on the Daylight, SP trains did have a white light. I don't know if they were delivered that way or eventually changed out. Santa Fe's observation cars had the white light or no light at all on their observation cars. I do like the picture R.I. Straw submitted. Great shot! I wonder where he got it? I also noted the skirt in the picture...very nice. In Straw's picture did you notice the lens is clear. Also note, the green and red marker lights to the immediate left and right of the oscillating light. Now I'm wondering if the oscillating red light or white light was inter changeable Wondering what purpose the marker lights on either side of the big light served. Here again SP was known to light up their train equipment like Christmas trees. Further aware that some railroads had inter changeable lenses on their observation cars...as well. Sorry, I didn't mean to rattle anyone's cage...honest! Have fun! LOL
You didn't rattle my cage... I just take it all in. One think I keep learning over and over, every train and every loco took on a personality of its own. I don't think Kato did anything as blatently wrong with the GS-4 and Morning Daylight set as my Con-Cor Southern Belle with its E3 that has six windows on each side. And don't get me started about all of the F7 Texas Specials that abound on eBay.
And according to their website, Kato also has a solution for the shorting problem. Hope it doesn't require major surgery. Here is the announcement dated yesterday http://www.katousa.com/PDF/GS-4dcc.pdf Ben
I think I see why mine acts this way. The loco tracks toward the right like an auto with a bent frame. Take a look at yours traveling on straight track and see if yours tracks this way. Mine is very obvious, the left side of the pilot almost in line with the rail, the right side of the pilot overhanging the rail more than one scale foot. Not knowing how to fix this the only recourse is to return it. Or as you say, "Where is the trash can?" Ben
HP R&R Takes Delivery of SP Daylighter GS4 Finally a chance to get off the hill, deposit made to the bank and it's off to the LHS. Jim, our local LHS train department manager makes good on his promise. I picked up my Kato, SP, GS4, Daylighter (as we western types like to call it) and it has officially arrived on the HP R&R Property. Excited? Yeah....kinda. A whole lot...what do you think! And, I can't figure out how these train cars, passenger cars, managed to follow me home. I will be eating Alfalfa sprouts the rest of the month. Jim said he took the "Daylighter" out of the box and test drove it. He claimed, it ran like a Swiss Watch. He hasn't been reading the reports here...has he? I took my new arrival and eased it gingerly out of the box (especially after all the negative press) and placed it lightly on the track. Carefully putting the front lead truck, drivers, trailing truck and tender trucks on the tracks. Keeping in mind I don't want to drag the drivers in fear I will pop off a traction tire. That done I'm ready to run. And, it nose dives... (are you holding your breath yet?) ...right down the track without any problem or problems. Running true to Jim's word. I think it is still toooo early to tell and I will be running it more tomorrow. Just for fun I went looking for the parts list. Nothing. Got to wonder what's up with that? Minutes ago before this writing. I let her stretch her legs a little, pulling it's train cars over my mainline, three times up to the summit and back down the hill... without a mishap. I have one Kato #6 Unitrack switch that has given me problems in the past and the train breezed through it. No AC chatter, no derailments, no flat traction tires, no shorts (not even hot pants) and I do like the light on the front end. The observation car with it's center light is realistic enough for this modeler. The detail on the engine is exquisite. I give it an A+. Besides, If it gives me trouble... I already know I can fix it! Or if I can't, I know someone who can...grin! Nothing like GOOD NEWS!!!!!!!! May I add? I want to thank all who have participated here, the phone calls and private messages. Your honest reports with regard to the problems and how you fixed them. I believe it is safe to say...we are a Railroad Brotherhood, all of our own. So where do I put the smoke pellets? Have fun!
To Late, Now you know how those passenger cars followed me home...grin! You gotta be real fast and quick as the wind if you want to get in on the really good finds. Darn and I thought I was discreet and I still got caught. I'm in need of improving my dumpster diving skills. LOL Still wondering where to put the smoke pellets? I don't think they were meant to be...naw...that can't be. I blow enough smoke from there as it is. Having loads of fun!
You could just install an MRC sound decoder like the ones in the Athearn Challenger and then wait for it to freeze up and release its "magic smoke."
A Real Smoker And you thought you really had a smoke unit in there somewhere...right? Perhaps, Not So funny... No me thinks I will pass on that one. Reminds me of the times I've set around the campfire and the jokes were the only thing keeping us awake. Some of those weren't so funny now that I look back. Take care!
Good announcement from Kato regarding the electircal short "fix." However, I didn't see the part about the derailments and the traction tires falling off having a "fix." So there is still 2-3 major deficiencies that needs a correcting fix (spelled "re-call").
DocGeoff, I thought you returned your GS-4. If you still have it, try removing the spring from the pilot truck assembly. Doing that and some minor tune-up work on turnouts did it for me. I never had derailments on Unitrack turnouts with any other steam loco but the GS-4 will find the slightest imperfection. Ben
It was actually quite instructive running this one over the NTRAK red line. I found all sorts of minor little problems and I was able to fix all but one of them quite easily. In most cases, the work involved some minor track adjustment or some cleaning with a Bright Boy. I don't think of this as a bad thing.
Critic's Corner: My Kato, GS4 SP Daylighter and her string of cars now have about an hour of runtime in. She did walk right out of one of her shoes. A real prince put her shoe back on and she was sure footed once again. I brought out my Con Cor Daylighter for a face off with Kato's Daylight and noted some interesting comparisons. The ConCor, contrary to something I said earlier, has three drivers geared up and pulling, with traction tires on the back driver. The locomotive appears to take corners better with some articulation laterally in the drivers. The traction tires on the CC appear to be more durable. I prefer the CC's paint job and colors. The only negative is the CC 's body shell appears to be just a hair over sized. The Kato Daylighter, appears to have just one driver geared up...much to my dismay. The traction tires are thin and it would be easy to spin free. And, the locomotive literally walked out of it's traction tires. It doesn't appear to have much articulation or movement laterally in the drivers making it difficult to negotiate tighter radius curves. Overall I like the appearance of the Kato but the paint colors, seem to be a little off. The tender colors and SP lettering appear to be slightly oversized. I will organize a pull off later and let you know how that turns out. Two things I abhor and detest are traction tires and the Kato knuckle coupler. The Kato GS4 and accompanying train cars...has both. The string of cars won't stay together on the downhill trip frustrating the...%$@&..out of me. I'm thinking of gluing the movable parts of the knuckle coupler together and trim off the notch on the outside of the coupler so it will interact with my non-Kato passenger equipment. I'm considering replacing most of the couplers with MT's and on the locomotive MT's Z scale knuckle couplers...as described earlier. As for the traction tires...well... I may try ordering out ConCor's TT's and see if that works any better. No AC chatter, shorts, or derailments over Kato or anyother switches. I had to tweak and file down most of the Kato switch points... earlier... so as to allow non-Kato equipment to pass through. The smoke fluid goes in the stack without much difficulty and smokes up the room just enough to set off the smoke alarm. And I had to turn the sound down twice when the police showed up due to complaints.... well, maybe not. Wishful thinking, perhaps! Grin I had the opportunity to show it off to a fellow model rail who said if they had one in HO he would be out of here... to pick his up. Overall evaluation: I'd still give the Kato engine and train car set an A but on the - minus side. Down from an A+. About now I can hear someone say..."You bought it didn't you?" My answer, lock stock and barrel. More later. Having loads of fun and wishing you the same.
