January Kato Announcemts..Easterners, don't bother looking : )

[Ryan87]

I gotta say Kato (though they can do no wrong) keep missing a really obvious scheme for the mid-pro SD40-2. Ever heard of Illinois Central? If they keep beating that dead horse BNSF, they're gonna get pulp...
Do a freakin' IC mid-pro SD40-2... and an SD75I already!

That's one I don't understand They did the BN units that were sold to IC (exact numbers) and the did the ex. IC CN Units!!

[nscalesteve]

I gotta say Kato (though they can do no wrong) keep missing a really obvious scheme for the mid-pro SD40-2. Ever heard of Illinois Central? If they keep beating that dead horse BNSF, they're gonna get pulp...

...they are probably making the molds first for the non DB shell as well as the mold for the sill with pilot mounted ditch lights ! (one can only hope...) 

[Ryan87]

...they are probably making the molds first for the non DB shell as well as the mold for the sill with pilot mounted ditch lights ! (one can only hope...) 

With Q fans and exhaust silencer! ;D
Some Soo 6600s would be sweet.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Still hoping for CR SD40-2s (preferably in the Quality scheme)

[Ed Kapuscinski]

DL, I think we'll NEVER see those, thanks to the Flexicoil trucks. That is, of course, if Kato cared about two things:
1. Accuracy
2. Railroads that aren't either BNSF or UP or one of their ancestors.

[Puddington]

Bored.... that is my only response to Kato.... ok; we can all get excited (if you so choose) about their passenger sets, and the "same old" F units; in the same old roads..... but let's face it - they are recycling their stuff... holding pattern marketing...... Kato is just plain boring to this modeler....

[Mark5]

DL, I think we'll NEVER see those, thanks to the Flexicoil trucks. That is, of course, if Kato cared about two things:
1. Accuracy
2. Railroads that aren't either BNSF or UP or one of their ancestors.

Trucks didn't keep Kato from releasing ages ago NS SD40-2s with the wrong trucks.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Are you sure Mark? Were those SD40-2s ex-Con numbers?

It's still a little more believable though, since NS has some non-con 40-2s. ALL of CR's had the flexicoils.

[Mark5]

Are you sure Mark? Were those SD40-2s ex-Con numbers?

It's still a little more believable though, since NS has some non-con 40-2s. ALL of CR's had the flexicoils.

100% positive. How dare you doubt me? No coffee for you.

this was in the 90s Ed. The numbers are ex N&W. 1642 for one.

Kato offers the correct truck ... in HO scale:

[Ryan87]

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/ns/ns1642k.jpg

They have the right trucks just missing a brake cylinder...

[Mark5]

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/ns/ns1642k.jpg

They have the right trucks just missing a brake cylinder...

That makes them wrong. Sorta like saying Blomberg Ms are correct for a GP9.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Ahh, we're talking brake cylinders here, not truck styles. The CR issue is Flexicoil vs. HTC.

The brake cylinder is probably easier to fix, you can just add one. Or, if they wanted to do it right, could just mold new sideframes. They'd have to tool up entirely new truck fixtures to mount Flexicoils on their SD40-2 mechs.

[Mark5]

Ahh, we're talking brake cylinders here, not truck styles. The CR issue is Flexicoil vs. HTC.

The brake cylinder is probably easier to fix, you can just add one. Or, if they wanted to do it right, could just mold new sideframes. They'd have to tool up entirely new truck fixtures to mount Flexicoils on their SD40-2 mechs.

So all Blomberg B's are alike eh?

Couldn't Kato (or someone) cheat and tool up a Flexicoil sideframe to match the Kato HTC truck?

Back in the primitive days of N scale Precision tooled up some Flexicoil C Truck Sideframes in N - I think I still have some. Ed, do ya want me to see how well they match up to Kato's HTC?

Atlas sorta compromised this way on their Blomberg Bs (en masse) and the AAR Type B trucks, allowing the sideframes to be interchangeable.

[amato1969]

Guys, you gotta remember that we're a backwater market for Kato.  AFAIK, Japan is their bread-and-butter.  Does that make them the "Atlas of Japan"?

Gotta apply some of those modeling skills to get exactly what ya want  

[Mark5]

Guys, you gotta remember that we're a backwater market for Kato.  AFAIK, Japan is their bread-and-butter.  Does that make them the "Atlas of Japan"?

Gotta apply some of those modeling skills to get exactly what ya want   

True, I'm midway in the process of narrowing my Kato chassis to accept the narrowed Kato SD40-2 shell I'm working on. I havent figured out where to remove the material from the motor yet though.