Pre-emptive Rant...

[ljudice]

With the economy not doing so well, I'm not surprised to see that the major manufacturers seem to be holding off on projects. One may have expected to hear about a new Kato diesel and perhaps the wide cab C40-8's by now. Perhaps at the NTS?

On the other hand, perhaps it's the shortage of projects that has enabled some of the new guys to get tooling done (FVM, Bluford, Trainworx, PWRS, etc...)  - maybe this is a golden time to get into the injection molded model business.

I'm still surprised that Kato continues to not address two of the most commonly seen locomotives nationwide - the NS C40-9W and the BNSF C44-9W. Both of them could easily be done accurately and both would surely be great sellers...

Lou

[Mark5]

I'm still surprised that Kato continues to not address two of the most commonly seen locomotives nationwide - the NS C40-9W and the BNSF C44-9W. Both of them could easily be done accurately and both would surely be great sellers...

Kato has top men working on this problem.

[ljudice]

Kato's Dash 9-44CW Development Team

[TiVoPrince]

Why
do those when eveyone is waiting for the next PA?  The market is always ripe for another PA, isn't it...

[wcfn100]

Why
do those when eveyone is waiting for the next PA?  The market is always ripe for another PA, isn't it...

Ironically ( or sadly) I bet someone could make another PA and be successful as long as it was at least the quality of newer LL engines.  There are road names and paint schemes that haven't been covered or at least not well enough like New Haven for one.

Jason

[Walkercolt]

I know all the gripes about Kato, and I probably agree with them, but Kato builds for the Japanese market, and if happens to be a US prototype, then we're lucky. I fully agree than Kato is leaving $100 bills in people's pockets instead of buying Kato engines, and the list gets longer everyday. Just be happy when they release another "name train"...maybe it'll have a steam engine to pull it. :

[GaryHinshaw]

I'm still surprised that Kato continues to not address two of the most commonly seen locomotives nationwide - the NS C40-9W and the BNSF C44-9W. Both of them could easily be done accurately and both would surely be great sellers...

This one does boggle the mind about as much as the MTL 89' flats in TT/TTX variants.  Just throwin' money out the window... 

-gfh

P.S. Those chimps are so "darn" cute!

[Dave V]

This one does boggle the mind about as much as the MTL 89' flats in TT/TTX variants.  Just throwin' money out the window... 

-gfh

WORD!

[wm3798]

Kato's Dash 9-44CW Development Team

I believe those are the same GE engineers who developed the Dash 9 in the first place!  America's first disposable locomotive!

Lee

[Walkercolt]

I hear you guys 100%, but Kato has their marketing system, and they don't respond to us. Just take a Valium and a Prilosec , and you won't fret or get an ulcer from "Kato's" way. I'd place a person-to-person call daily to Hoshi Kato if I thought it would help, and I'm not kidding. :

[NSES40DC]

I think kato can do this with ease so why not make that money if it means a couple sleepless nights to make the tooling to create a accurate NS/BNSF nscale models. I also feel it'll be easlier to create the GEVO series instead of the sd70ace sreies.

[slickwillie]

I, for one, am ecstatic they chose the SD70ACe! The GEVO's would be nice, don't get me wrong, I just thinK the ACes are nicer.

Just goes to show: Kato can please some of the people some of the time, but not all the people all the time...

[NSES40DC]

I love the sd70ace's also but didn't feel that kato was going to start on the AC4400cw/ GEVO series instead. I can't wait until they hit the streets.

[Mark5]