New Kato Poll

[ljudice]

http://www.katousa.com/webpoll.html


Loram Rail Grinder!!!!

[Philip H]

The FEF is slightly ahead.  Which means we will probably not se the grinder.  But i voted for it anyway.

[sundowner]

I voted for DD40X, it been time for a proper model in N.

[C855B]

Interesting they're going after existing "franchises", the Big Boy and the Centennial. I'd like to see 'em do the Centennial. B'mann's is OK-ish and runs well, but I'm tired of what it takes to fix their mistakes/compromises.

The other choices are super-cool, too. Loram grinder train would give my wife the giggles and she absolutely would have to have one, but my fear is it would be too pricey.

[ljudice]

Kato goes with buzz, so I'd predict the  Big Boy.

I would not be surprise by the grinder, though - I imagine with some cool lighting effects.

[delamaize]

It's always going to be the UP stuff, if that's an option.

Personally, I voted for the Bi-polar. There is enough Big boys floating around out there, and the Centennials..... well the Bachman version leaves something to desire, but do we REALLY need another version?

[EspeeGoldenState]

Voted for the Centennial, but wouldn't mind the Big Boy either if its anything like the Northern with running qualities and speed.  If they did a Big Boy, I wonder if they would take a chance on a Challenger as well at a later date. Not exactly the same in a lot of ways, but still a lot of similarities.

The Rail Grinder would be cool, but it would be a siding queen, unless your layout is double track. Otherwise you wouldn't run it during an operating session, if you are into realistic operations. You also lose all the lights, sparks, machinery sounds, the spray hoses of water spraying the ROW of any fires.

The Little Joe and the Bi-Polar would be a great compliment to the Olympian Hiawatha.

Chris

[C855B]

Kato goes with buzz, so I'd predict the Big Boy. ...

It's always going to be the UP stuff, if that's an option. ...

Yeah, works that way, doesn't it? I predict both the Big Boy and the DDA40X. The diesel will be much easier to develop and tool, so they'll get something new and cool soon while they're treading water on the BB tooling.

[Cajonpassfan]

The FEF is slightly ahead.  Which means we will probably not se the grinder.  But i voted for it anyway.

What FEF? My poll doesn't list it. I do wish they'd release it in TTG...why hadn't they?
Another Big Boy... of all the things that haven't been done, let's do one that has.
Or the Centenial...
Nothing there for me, although the Milwaukee electrics are cool.
Otto K.

[peteski]

Yeah, works that way, doesn't it? I predict both the Big Boy and the DDA40X. The diesel will be much easier to develop and tool, so they'll get something new and cool soon while they're treading water on the BB tooling.

Havent' voted yet, but I again am disappointed abotu the duplication.  While I'm a (freely admitting) enormous fan-boy of Kato's designs and model quality, do we really need the duplication? Especially Big Boy?  The Between Rivarossi, several brass models and the latest, Athearn do we need one from Kato?  While Kato's clever (and probably wire-free) design, plastic molding, fit, and assembly quality will be miles ahead of Athearn, they will never match the level of add-on details on Athearn.
I own one, and I have to admit that Athearn model looks great (do I dare to say:  better than the brass models), and it is a very good runner.  The Tsunami sound decoder is not to shabby either.  Same goes for the Challenger. I seem to recall that Big Boy was also included in an earlier poll, and thankfully it was not the top vote getter (probably for the reasons I just mentioned).

I wouldn't  mind if a DD40 was produced by Kato (that way they don't have to match other similar models (to me Bachmann and brass Centennials are not real Kato competition).  That way I would not have to make replacement sideframes for those "flat-chested" Bachamn Spectrum ones.    Plus a Union Pacific prototype is a shoe-in for Kato.  The Milwaukee Bi-polar would be another shoe-in (with the already produced Hiawatha set), even thought I think it is ugly.

I hope the voting (and Kato) end up going for either of the Milwaukee electrics (Little Joe gets my vote), or the Loram grinder.   I think Kato is just teasing us, and the scope of selections seems quite odd: MOW, Electrics, Steam, Diesel, all crammed together.  Makes no sense to me.    At least the previous (H0) poll was for all diesel models.

Here is the other Kato poll from June 2107 where it was all steam locos (or H0 model  ).
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=41948.0

Big Boy didn't even place in in the top three.


And here is Kato Kelley's view about polls taken from another Kato Poll thread.
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=44562.msg574016#msg574016

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Oh man... Splitting the  MILW fans like that is just mean. I doubt they could best the Athearn 4-8-8-4. The rail grinder is interesting but really specialized. It would be nice to see a quality DD40AX.

[Mark5]

Hmm considering voting for the DD40 - not because I want one, but because the Bachmann versions are so bad ...

Mark

[GhengisKong]

I voted for the DD40ax because Bachmann's is rubbish, but I wouldn't mind the BigBoy from Kato.

[jdcolombo]

Well, none of these would interest me (hey, Kato - how about doing a BERKSHIRE??? or a C&O T-1 2-10-4 which then could be offered in Pennsy livery, since they were nearly identical and THEN could be slightly retooled for a standard Texas type????).

But I have to wonder what the market is for MILW electrics? 

The DD40 seems to be the most logical offering - an iconic loco that isn't really available anywhere else (refuse to acknowledge Bachmann's POS).  I'd really hate to see Kato waste its engineering/production on a Big Boy when Athearn has covered that one with an excellent effort.

John C.

[Point353]

Kato should take a page out of the Con-Cor playbook and make some of these models in non-prototypical roadnames.
Just imagine a Conrail DDA40X. Big Blue, indeed.