NSE 2018 Swaporama - manufacturer products announced

[Point353]

From the photos I've looked at, it looks like the NYC E7's also were equipped with both passenger and freight style pilots.  They do appear to be all non-dynamic brake and single headlight.  It's also not clear to me if they would run as an AA set, an ABA set or something else.  NYC had 36 A units and 14 B units, so it could have been a lot of combinations.

Could be A-B or A-A:

[NorsemanJack]

Thanks Point353.  I'm now guessing that they would just release A units and save some tooling money.

[Mark5]

Two different styles of number boards on those E7s in the pics above. 

[EspeeGoldenState]

KAT - NYC ‘50s 20CL w/E7s 19Q2.
ATL - BLMA detail parts Q3.
FVM - LokSound in diesels starting Q3
DTrax - smartphone throttle app.

Hopefully Kato offers the E7s in undecorated as I would much prefer them for a SP/RI Golden State Limited. It wouldn’t make sense to just A units, if you are going to go through that much tooling might as well do a B for later options.

Atlas, are they going to expand the line with signals? I believe Paul said at one time they might/would but wondering how far out they might be.

FVM, that’s a tough one to believe in Q3. Hopefully the ditch lights are better lit too?

Digitrax, surprised its taken this long for an in house app for their WiFi thing.

Looks like a decent year ahead though for a lot of N scalers.

Chris

[GhengisKong]

Breakfast quickie notes on projects in addition to Swaporama announcements. Not everything but some of the high notes:

KAT - COLA w/E9s 8/18; SC & ElCap 19Q2; New ATSF warbonnet F7s & PAs 19Q2; NYC ‘50s 20CL w/E7s 19Q2.

Did Kato have any flyers about the 20thCL?

[NorsemanJack]

Hopefully Kato offers the E7s in undecorated as I would much prefer them for a SP/RI Golden State Limited. It wouldn’t make sense to just A units, if you are going to go through that much tooling might as well do a B for later options.

Wouldn't it be (roughly) twice as much new tooling?  The current E unit mechanism will be correct, so it will just be either one or two new shells.

[nstars]

Did Kato have any flyers about the 20thCL?

No flyers of the 20CL and they are we’re still researching it. The timeframe I heard was the end of 2019 or early 2020.

Marc

[peteski]

Wow!  Kato will make the 20th Century Limited after all!  While I'm disappointed that it is not the '30s version, with the iconic Hudson pulling it (their online poll showed that as the preferred choice), it was probably too much for them to tool up another steam loco.  I'm still happy as even the '50s version is a very pretty and elegant looking train.  I hope that if it sells well, maybe they will also produce the '30s version later.

[EspeeGoldenState]

Sure it would be twice ( 1 and 2/3rd) the tooling, but a lot of the A unit is a B unit with a cab. Would you really limit your options on future releases by only doing one? It would be easier to do it now than later.

Chris

[Mike Madonna]

Breakfast quickie notes on projects in addition to Swaporama announcements. Not everything but some of the high notes:

BLI - PRR T1 7/18.
KAT - COLA w/E9s 8/18; SC & ElCap 19Q2; New ATSF warbonnet F7s & PAs 19Q2; NYC ‘50s 20CL w/E7s 19Q2.
ATL - 2 new fgt cars announced Q3; BLMA detail parts Q3.
FVM - LokSound in diesels starting Q3; ex-RC 40’flat, X29, centerbeam flats announced Q4.
CMR - Easy Street modular roads.
ESM - X72 in PC, WP Q4; X58 Q4; X65 19Q3.
DTrax - smartphone throttle app.
RailSmith - ex-Walthers passenger cars new releases; new NP diner, ‘19; direct sales only.

Bryan, again thanks for the update.
All I can say is.... SO glad I didn't part with all my WOT, Centralia and Kato SP "Lark" equipment!! 
Even IF it's pulled by one of those "ugly" Daylight painted GS-4s.... 

[NorsemanJack]

Sure it would be twice ( 1 and 2/3rd) the tooling, but a lot of the A unit is a B unit with a cab. Would you really limit your options on future releases by only doing one? It would be easier to do it now than later.

Chris

Don't get me wrong.  I want as many new Kato passenger locos as we can get.  That said, I think you may be confusing tooling design time with tooling construction costs.  There may be some economies of scale on the design side.  Heck, with the previous E and F units (Bulldog nose design) and E5 (side windows and grills), a lot of the basic design may already be available.  There's still a lot of design reuse effort plus whatever new design effort will be required to fill in the gaps.  I would expect the tooling fabrication to be the cost driver at this point, and I highly doubt that any physical tooling components would be shared between A unit and B unit molds.

I don't understand why you suggest that only tooling the A unit at this point in any way limits their future options or makes it easier to do now rather than later.  What did I miss?

[bbussey]

My guess is Kato will took whatever is needed to match their research. I was involved with the Broadway Limited research process and that is what they did then.

[NorsemanJack]

My guess is Kato will took whatever is needed to match their research. I was involved with the Broadway Limited research process and that is what they did then.

That's good to hear and hopefully their research will show that an AB is more correct!  Since this morning's announcement, I've been watching the Green Frog DVD NYC Odyssey Volume 1.  It starts in 1952.  Despite a lot of passenger action, unfortunately Emery Gulash lived in Michigan and most of the footage is along the Detroit/Chicago main, which I don't believe hosted the 20th Century.  That said, it appears that an AB combo of E7s was much more typical on the NYC than an AA, so maybe we'll see an AB from Kato for this release.

[CBQ Fan]

E7 B units will cross over to many popular roadnames. UP & SP plus Pennsylvania if they get really brave.

[CodyO]

Excited for those X29s, I was just wondering yesterday if they'll ever be ran again as I only need about 40 more of them

Was hoping BLI would have more news on what's after the T1, I was hoping they would make P70s and other passenger equipment.