I received my 50 TH Anniversary Edition locomotive from KATO U.S.A. They were in very short supply and I was not sure I would be able to order one. 1965 to 2015 is the date on the slip cover of the nicely done presentation box. The C 50 2-6-0 steam locomotive and the brown OH 31 passenger car were KATO's first models. The first N Gauge (now Scale) MR project layout a cover story featured this locomotive which looked American except for the tender having a three axel truck, the motor was in the tender. I never purchased one of these locomotives, but did buy the OH 31 passenger car which has couplers that are compatible with Rapido ones, but are shaped a bit more like the HO XF2 or made to look a bit more like a real coupler. Now for the Special Edition. The C 50 locomotive here is the third generation of this model, elaborately detailed, no plain front pilot and foot boards here, hand rails, front lights. The cover of the slip case box is elaborately decorated , some gold colored raised design work, parts of diagrams of the model black on the darker almost DLG cover are hard to make out. Nested inside besides the locomotive is a nice hard cover book (all printed in Japanese) showing 13 or 14 (if you count bullet train variations) models from the companies history up to the present, color photos including locomotives with their shells removed so you can see the evolution of the drive trains, both steam, electric locomotives and DMU /subway cars are there. The model of the current "Emperor's Train" used to transport Japan's Emperor looks like something Pennsylvania would have operated had they survived, it is hard to tell if the color is dark brown or a Tuscan-like color, but the gold pin striping on the cars which come to cats whiskers on the nose of the turret cab electric power car are PRR to me. Then there is the added bonus, contained in a hollowed out area in the back of the book a DVD. While again in Japanese (no anime subtitling) KATO constructed a beautiful highly detailed layout to run all these trains on to showcase their history. When the early C 50 is shown running the herky jerkiness of even early KATO is apparent, and when stopping you cannot come to a slow smooth stop. One of KATO's latest models the E 351 limited express "Tilting Train" going through super elevated curves is amazing to watch, the UNITRACK on this layout has been disguised you can hardly notice it. It looks like a separate smaller layout may have been constructed to operate their Swiss Glacier Express and MU trains on, it s more toy looking or maybe cutsey European. The KATO Portram tram system is shown in a nice urban setting. The end of the DVD features a demo of their Sound Box Sound System. When the cast and credits are rolling at the end shots , both still and moving of the filming process and layout building are used. I would say this Special Edition was worth the $250.00 cost. Nate Goodman (Nato). Salt Lake, Utah.
