Kato announcement, question/speculation

[Leggy]

 

[Scottl]

That is totally crazy looking, perfect for a model!

[CBQ Fan]

Kato could do one better, a powered cabbage!!!

[peteski]

That's what I replying to, he could use the undec F40PH to bash into a cabbage.

I don't see Kato doing the Cabbage units either, wayyyyy too niche.

Ah, I get it now! Duh! 

Cabbage means a cab-unit/baggage-car.  It is a "dummy" F40PH unit which serves as a cab in a push-pull train while the engine compartment serves as a baggage car.  Clever but ugly.  I think the only place this is used is on the Boston MA to Portland ME route.

[screeh]

I would like to see Kato release the F40PH in Metra to go with the coaches and cab cars.

+1 (and I remember asking them to do that when they first announced the bilevel cars)

[ljudice]

peteski,  cabbages were used also in the midwest and later (around 2006) on the Surfliners on the west coast (UP Coast Line,  sorry, SP Coast Line)

[sundowner]

peteski,  cabbages were used also in the midwest and later (around 2006) on the Surfliners on the west coast (UP Coast Line,  sorry, SP Coast Line)

They are still in used in the Cascade Talgo trainset

[C855B]

And there are at least two out of Chicago recently running on the state-sponsored trains. Saw one about three months ago right outside Chicago Union Station, and this (lousy iPhone 3G) picture from downstate Illinois, last September:



They do not use the baggage compartment here; the state trains do not check baggage as they serve mostly unstaffed station stops. Haven't seen them this summer, tho', so I guess it was an experiment in trying a cab car versus wasting a whole P42 running 6- and 7-car trains double-ended. This was done to avoid turning the power in Carbondale, but I think they finally figured out how wasteful it was because we haven't seen a double-ended train or a cabbage in about two months.

[TiVoPrince]

Suppose
I could 'cabbage' it although I don't think I would.  Probably will go ' Trading Post ' or Ebay to allow someone else to create thier dream...

[TiVoPrince]

Doesn't
even make it to the trading post.  One email later the F40PH goes off to a happy new home (without a layout) on Monday...

[screeh]

I would like to see Kato release the F40PH in Metra to go with the coaches and cab cars.

I asked Kato (via their website feedback form) if they are planning to release Metra F40PHs in the foreseeable future, and received the following response:

"The currently announced new F40's are all modifications of our previously existing Amtrak F40 - the Metra units have additional unique details that mean production of this locomotive would understandably take longer."

... not exactly a straight yes or no, but I won't be shelving plans to kitbash one of my own just yet (given the way these things work, I should probably nudge it up the workbench queue so we get a production run sooner than later)

[CoalPorter]

CalTrain cars ? Doesn't Wheels of Time      make a good model of these?

[eja]

San Diego... last summer

 

Cell phone photo

[Ian MacMillan]

FVM doing an SD70ACE??  Would rather see them do an SD40-2!

I hear Exactrail is doing an SD40-2 though - could this be the "SD40-2 project" or whatever???

Its not Exactrail doing the -2 project...    notsoExactRail might be doing their own, but I hope not!


I'd like to see some MBTA's from Kato...and then some K cars and single level commuters.

[Nato]

                 Wheels-O- Time does not make models of CAL Trans Cars. Their Bi-Level cars are exact models of original early 1950's era Southern Pacific cars built by Pullman Standard. First painted in two tone gray scheme a few were even pulled by steam locomotives.Later they were painted solid gray scheme(think incorrect Arnold Rapido car),and did become Cal Train cars when the agency took over the SP service,but were fairly quickly retired and replaced by the Japanese (Nipon) fluted side cars. I don't think wheels ever offered the SP cars in any CAL Train (Trans) paint scheme. Nate Goodman (Nato). Salt Lake, Utah.