Kato's iconic models

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Ok, the discussion in the GS4 thread finally got me fired up enough to finish this:
http://ttamt.blogspot.com/2008/02/katos-iconic-models.html

[wm3798]

As always, very thought provoking.  So what you're saying is if we want to see a model of, say, a Western Maryland Potomac, we should write a powerful paragraph or two that reinforces (or inflates) the story behind them, and forward it to the marketing department.  This as opposed to sending an e-mail to product development with a bunch of reference photos...  Hmmm.
Lee

[justTRAINcRaZy]

That was from an angle I had never considered. Interesting last paragraph that I have wondered about. Is their success with certain models is a self-fulfilling prophesy...... The western roadnames are a success because everyone WANTS western roadnames or because that's all they offer so it's either that or nothing. Wish they would do a survey to see how many of the western roadnames wind up in different paint. Then again, sales are sales.

KB

[Dave V]

Hmm...  Interesting.  I guess I hadn't really given it much thought.

Thank God (or your diety/non-diety of choice) for Atlas...  They at least seem interested in providing quality models of work-a-day American railroad equipment.

His Excellency The Great Tony Koester once said (words to the effect that) "The key to plausibility lies in modeling the mundane, not the unusual."  I'm paraphrasing, of course.

Still...  I'm still tingling with excitement that Kato chose the Pennsy for its next model.  If after that Kato goes the MicroTrains route and does just iconic stuff, that would be a shame indeed.

For the most part, though, I'm getting to the point where I view new products not just as whole models, but as parts for kitbashes.  If Kato produces a western road product that can be modified to look Pennsy, I don't mind taking it on.

I'm tending to agree its their Japanese market that drives the perceived Western bias.  The western US has a greater population of Japanese-Americans with families that might visit from Japan.  I lived in Korea for two years and I can say that the Asian idea of America is not the crowded industrial Northeast nor the swamps of the deep South.  When Asians think of America, it is usually of the vast expanses of the West which has been brought to them by Hollywood.

That's my story, anyway...! ;D

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I'm glad you all like it so far.

I think it's important also to keep in mind that by iconic I don't mean only singularly iconic like the Broadway. I also mean more iconic in notion, the "SD70macs hauling long trains of coalporters across wide open prairies" kinda thing.

[wm3798]

So then how do we beef up the drama of a 44 tonner?
And how do you explain the NW-2?

Lee

[Ed Kapuscinski]

How do I explain the NW2. That's a very good question...

Originally I had written this before they were even announced, so I never really accounted for them. I'm gonna have to give it some thought. But I'm sure it lies in their mid-century nature. That said, the Chessie one was a real fluke, but I'm guessing it's because it's "cute" and might do well in the home market.

[Chulvis]

I'm glad you all like it so far.

I think it's important also to keep in mind that by iconic I don't mean only singularly iconic like the Broadway. I also mean more iconic in notion, the "SD70macs hauling long trains of coalporters across wide open prairies" kinda thing.

I don't know about that Ed. To me, that is marketing. Perhaps a tad romantic sounding, but every company does it their own way.
Atlas gives a general overview of the locos they produce and sometimes toss in their own bit of marketing.


"Well over 1,300 RS-3 road-switcher locomotives were built by ALCO between 1950 and 1956. It can be considered one of the most successful four-axle diesel road-switchers ever produced by the builder. These 1,600hp locomotives were powered by an ALCO 244 V-12 engine which was complimented by rugged GE electrical components. The RS-3 was truly a versatile locomotive. It could be found in virtually every type of service from passenger and commuter runs to heavy-haul and local freight assignments. Original owners of the RS-3 tended to be in the eastern and central regions of the US (with heavier concentrations in the northeast and southeast)."

[Denver Road Doug]

Interesting commentary....and well done.

I kinda lump "these oughts" Con-Cor into this same iconic model marketing strategy.  Fortunately it seems that Con-Cor has upped the ante quality-wise for their "icons"...albeit with a corresponding price tag.  Of all the (what I would consider) truly iconic trains, the Pioneer Zephyr was the one that got my attention and it is a truly magnificent model.

I do think it's probably not a bad plan, although, as you surmised, I wonder where the line is drawn between iconic and esoteric.  So, at what point does the popular romantic notion fail to deliver?

[TiVoPrince]

Did you
really mean iconic, I always considered Kato choices to be more slanted towards the ironic...

[Dave V]

Another thought...

In this forum many of us tend to focus on modeling one or two roads in a very specific era and location.  We're modelers; it's how we define model railroading.

But there's a whole segment of the hobby out there that are neither that sort of modeler nor quite true collectors.

There's a whole bunch of folks who have very generic layouts who will buy whatever looks good to them regardless of era, road, etc.  Instead of displaying these trains in glass cases, these guys run them in a sort of "rolling collection."

I think Kato and the other companies are also trying to tap that market as well.  In fact, I'd bet if you went over to Trainboard, A-Board, or MR Forums, you'll probably find the semi-generic model railroader approaches majority.  These are folks who may have specific tastes (Santa Fe, UP, etc.), but who won't flinch to run a GG1 or a GS4 alongside their CSX SD70s.

I'm not making a judgement here; it's a big, big hobby.  I'm just saying while many of us might pass on an "icon" because it's not road/era compatible with what we do, there are plenty of other non-collectors who would jump on it.

[wcfn100]

I'm not making a judgement here; it's a big, big hobby.  I'm just saying while many of us might pass on an "icon" because it's not road/era compatible with what we do, there are plenty of other non-collectors who would jump on it.

I agree 100%.  I think of it as Kato bringing back the pure fun of what model railroading was when I was first getting involved.

Just run what you like without restrictions.  Maybe we'll have to start giving birthday and state cars a break, they're just as much fantasy as SP Daylight or Pennsy electric running through the mid-west.

I am suprised that you won't be getting a BL though.  That's some dedication.


Jason

[wm3798]

I don't think of what I do as being "restricted," but rather "Focused".  I'm not happy just running any old thing.  For me what completes the picture is, well, the picture!  A PRR GG-1 not only would look nice under a model cat system, It DEMANDS it, otherwise, it wouldn't look right to me.  I'm not planning to build any catenary any time soon, so I likewise have no plans for the GG-1.

Dave doesn't have room for four tracks on his layout, but he incorporates enough PRR flavor that he gets away with calling it the Middle Division.  He'd get away with a lot more if he called it the Northern Central, or any of a gazillion other PRR double track mains.  Either way, it isn't the mere presence of the M1a that makes his railroad the PRR.

Collectors are fine, they contribute to the market place and support the manufacturers.  I personally don't have a problem with the collectible passenger sets.  By all accounts, they are extremely well done, there are plenty of realistic layouts out there for them to stretch their legs out, and plenty, if not more, collector shelves where they'll look good, too.

As for Happy Birthday cars and Days of the Week, etc., I think we all have blenders...  I draw the line there...

Lee

[Dave V]

No, I want the Broadway Limited in the worst way!  I'm just going to have to negotiate with the Commander of Domestic Operations to allocate sufficient funding...!

As for road/era specific...  I'm leaning a bit toward relaxing my rigid July 1956 timeframe.  I'm considering expanding it from 1956 all the way to the end of the Penny in 1967 (technically 31 Jan 1968).

No matter what era I model on the Pennsy, if it's after 1948 I'll need that BL from Kato.

Need.  Not want.  NEED!!!

[DKS]

How do I explain the NW2. That's a very good question...

Originally I had written this before they were even announced, so I never really accounted for them. I'm gonna have to give it some thought. But I'm sure it lies in their mid-century nature. That said, the Chessie one was a real fluke, but I'm guessing it's because it's "cute" and might do well in the home market.

My theory, FWIW, on the NW2 is that they really have tried, on occasion, to approach the work-a-day American market, but aren't equipped with the same know-how to go about it like Atlas does, so their shots have been hit-and-miss. I think you're probably 98% right about them being a Japanese company marketing to the Japanese; I think maybe 2% of Kato has an eye on America.