Question and/or comment about KATO

[Ngineer]

So we have a little OT diversion. 

There should be a spring at the pivot point which exerts downward pressure on the front truck (keeping it on the rails).  It should also swivel easily slide to side.  But these locos have narrow tread and small flanges, so if your trackwork is not very good, they will have problems staying on track.  These locos (for the same reason) also do not like Peco switches: the drivers drop down into the frog's flangeways.

Thank you. I will check that.

The main point is: the spring seems to be quit weak, it doesn't have a lot of tension. Perhaps I should get another one from Kato.

And the truck swivels A LOT from side to side. IMHO too much. Could someting be broken?

Oh, there is another strange effect: The cab goes up and down like a ship in heavy sea when the loco is running. I've never seen a steam loco do that as much as this Kato loco.

   Javier

[Mark5]

It can't just be 'we should make podunk and southern railroad SD40's because it would be neat'...

Are you sure about that? 


Mark (grateful when we do get good stuff from Kato)

[peteski]

Thank you. I will check that.

The main point is: the spring seems to be quit weak, it doesn't have a lot of tension. Perhaps I should get another one from Kato.

And the truck swivels A LOT from side to side. IMHO too much. Could someting be broken?

Oh, there is another strange effect: The cab goes up and down like a ship in heavy sea when the loco is running. I've never seen a steam loco do that as much as this Kato loco.

   Javier

Javier, I felt that this would be better addressed in a separate thread.  I created one: https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=49448

[nightmare0331]

Are you sure about that? 


Mark (grateful when we do get good stuff from Kato)

That's actually a prime example as to why not to do Podunk and Southern.

Those came out in 2003 (ish?...I might be off by a year or two).  Kato still had lots of those and oddly enough Conrail SD40's sitting in the warehouse when I started in mid 2007.  I eventually ended up parting out the last 50 or so in the repair area several years later after the majority had been dumped to distributors after repeated sales.

Off of the top of my head, I can't remember how many were made but I remember looking that data up going 'damn...that's...alot'  Keep in mind with Kato, you have a weird situation that in order to make a project profitable, you have to make a ton of one type of widget in order to appease the planners at the factory and actually get it produced.  While it is always true you can sell a few of anything, we are not talking 200 piece production runs of a sku.  It is much much much much higher.  Even for reruns of existing tooling with no new paint masks.  Want the same model, but with different paint?  Well...they need to cut all new molds for masks.  That takes time and increases the costs.  Want a new cab variant?  new handrails?  etc.  same story.  So in order to the offset that increased cost, the amount of x widget that need to be manufactured increases drastically.  All new tooling for a name train set such as the Hiawatha?  Those sold pretty darn well yet there are still lots in the warehouse.

Going back to championing projects, the person who got those pushed through was a pretty large WC fan so got the Algoma Central units done.  Oddly, the Algoma Central units were done in N scale and HO but the Wisconsin Central SD40 never got released in N (nor the GM&O SD40's).  I'm guessing because the person championing that project moved on around that time, so the WC units never followed through.  I'm sure there was some thought that WC modelers would snatch up the Algoma Central units but honestly, it never worked out that way.  I would wager lots of Algoma Central units got stripped and repainted.

Anywhoo...just some ramblings of someone tearing apart a couple hundred ES44AC's currently. 

Stay Safe and Enjoy!

Kelley.
www.dufordmodelworks.com

[peteski]

That's actually a prime example as to why not to do Podunk and Southern.

Those came out in 2003 (ish?...I might be off by a year or two).  Kato still had lots of those and oddly enough Conrail SD40's sitting in the warehouse when I started in mid 2007.  I eventually ended up parting out the last 50 or so in the repair area several years later after the majority had been dumped to distributors after repeated sales.

So I guess there is no chance the N scale RDCs will ever be re-run (and in B&M livery)?   
Just giving you hard time - no need to respond. I know the answer already. 

[Point353]

So I guess there is no chance the N scale RDCs will ever be re-run (and in B&M livery)?   
Just giving you hard time - no need to respond. I now the answer already. 

The second run of the RDCs is rumored to be on the production schedule following the NP North Coast Ltd.
So, expect to see them around 2050, or so. Place your pre-order here: https://www.hogtrainz.com/ORDERANYTHINGPAGE.htm

[Ike the BN Freak]

I would wager lots of Algoma Central units got stripped and repainted.

I know the one I had/have got stripped, eventually I'll paint it

[mike_lawyer]

I really wish that Kato would do another USRA steam locomotive.  They did 3 runs of the Mikado.  What is really needed is a USRA heavy 2-10-2 that could be modified by people to be road specific.  I realize Con-Cor did their 2-10-2 years ago, but the proportions were all off.

[keeper]

Speaking of steam locomotives, isn't the NP A5 class quite similar to the FEF3? Please educate me....
With some modifications that would be another good looking steamer.

Thomas

[keeper]

I would wager lots of Algoma Central units got stripped and repainted.

Not mine! 

Thomas

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Not mine! 

Thomas

Is that why your username is "keeper" instead of "stripper"?

[keeper]

Is that why your username is "keeper" instead of "stripper"?

  you might say so.

[Ngineer]

Are you sure about that? 


Mark (grateful when we do get good stuff from Kato)

I never understood why they made the Algoma Central model.

They could have done PRR, Penn Central, C&S, SOO, GM&O, but they chose Algoma Central. Weird.

   Javier

[sd45elect2000]

cause they watched it go by their office in Des Plaines.

[Doug W]

Keep in mind with Kato, you have a weird situation that in order to make a project profitable, you have to make a ton of one type of widget in order to appease the planners at the factory and actually get it produced.  While it is always true you can sell a few of anything, we are not talking 200 piece production runs of a sku.  It is much much much much higher.  Even for reruns of existing tooling with no new paint masks.

Going back to championing projects, the person who got those pushed through was a pretty large WC fan so got the Algoma Central units done.

Thanks Kelley.

Your comments explain a lot. Particularly the second one above. It implies that the choice of models comes down to the availability of individual champions at Schaumburg rather than a good business case. It explains why we continue to see odd choices by Kato, like the Hiawatha and its FP7 with winterization hatch, the GG1, E5A and SDP40F, and paint schemes like the AC SD40, the NS Mearsk and Wisconsin & Southern SD40-2s, the Department of Transportation U30C, and the ATSF yellow and blue bonnet F7s and goldbonnet PA1 (to name a few examples).

Doesn't this approach conflict with your first comment above about about production run size? If I were a manufacturer, I'd start by looking at the number of prototypes by paint scheme and prioritise widely used locomotives, in their most common phase, in their most common paint schemes, then work my way down the list to the less common prototypes. The above would be some of the last that I would do.....after a long list of others that have a much larger potential market.

I'm trying not to pan Kato, but I just don't get it.

Cheers
Doug