Kato September Announcements

[James Costello]

A Maxi-I, holy crap!

Maxi-I, is that correct???     
Man, I'm going to run out of things to wish for.    
Really going to have to work on some etched platforms for these and the Maxi-IVs now (assuming they're still plastic).

Gary, as Traincat has the design work done for a Maxi-I, Bob may also be able to design up a detailing set for these too....

[Bob Bufkin]

Dave.

Just run a C&O E on am Amtrak.

[Philip H]

Bob BUfkin, ladies and gentlemen - Slayer of the "It Ain't Prototype" cliche' at every turn!

[choochin3]

Oh crap, PC E units,AND passenger cars? I really picked a bad time to have another kid. :'(
Looks like I'm gonna hafta break into the GG1 piggy bank.Cause I gotta get them.

[Bob Bufkin]

Philip.

You should have seen the kind of units Amtrak ran in the beginning.  Anything goes in those days.  One photo I wish I had taken was a Southbound Florida trainh with a Burlington silver early E unit on the headend at Alexandria, VA.  Believe it was an E5 or 6.  Amtrak trains in those days looked like a model railroader couldn't make up his mind what to model, so said the hell with it an ran anything he liked. 

[sizemore]

For an idea of the "Rainbow Era" I love Hebners, it's what I am using to make a small Amtrak fleet:

http://www.hebners.net/amtrak/amtErain.html

The S.

[davefoxx]

Dave.

Just run a C&O E on am Amtrak.

I sure can, and I have an awesome custom-painted B&O (merger scheme) Kato E8 shell that sizemore gave me to serve that purpose as well.  This weekend, I won a Life Like E8 on eBay cheap that I plan to try to put under that Kato shell.  I know, I know, Katos run a lot smoother, but this frame was a heck of a lot cheaper, will mate with my existing LL C&O E8 better, and will give Lee additional income when he decoderizes it.   ;D  But, you have to admit, that Kato Amtrak E9 would be really nice, too.

Dave

[davefoxx]

For an idea of the "Rainbow Era" I love Hebners, it's what I am using to make a small Amtrak fleet:

http://www.hebners.net/amtrak/amtErain.html

The S.

Ha!  The second and third pictures on the site provided by The S. are of a B&O E-unit on an Amtrak train at Williamsburg, Virginia.  Perfect!

[Puddington]

I didn't mean my previous post to be a complaint against Kato.  I was just trying to point out the prototype's pedigree for those who were interested.  The differences between an E8 and an E9 are minor; in fact, Life Like has marketed theirs as an E8/9.

I might be in the market for an Amtrak E unit in Phase 1, because it would mesh perfectly with my early 1970s C&O (pre-Chessie System) rolling stock.  I love looking back at the rainbow of passenger cars on those early Amtrak trains.  That allows modelers of that era to run a random selection of cars in various roadnames.  To anyone who does that, though, be mindful that there were a few roads (e.g., Southern Ry.) that opted out of Amtrak in the beginning.

Dave

My response wasn't so much a complaint against Kato (I couldn't tell an E8 from an E9 on my best day) as much as a thinly veiled "snark" at the seemingly "teflon" skin of Kato; if Bachmann had been the mfg instead of Kato there'd have been 5 comments about Bachmann screwing up again; but nary a comment "beacuse" it's Kato...they get a heck of a lot more rope than others.

Sour grapes on my part; maybe; I'm not a Kato Kool aid drinker.... but I do appreciate the fine products they bring our; regardless of my need for them. it's just a "cheap" shot on my part I guess....I also don't want to hijack the thread so I'll just shut up now....

[davefoxx]

My response wasn't so much a complaint against Kato (I couldn't tell an E8 from an E9 on my best day) as much as a thinly veiled "snark" at the seemingly "teflon" skin of Kato; if Bachmann had been the mfg instead of Kato there'd have been 5 comments about Bachmann screwing up again; but nary a comment "beacuse" it's Kato...they get a heck of a lot more rope than others.

Sour grapes on my part; maybe; I'm not a Kato Kool aid drinker.... but I do appreciate the fine products they bring our; regardless of my need for them. it's just a "cheap" shot on my part I guess....I also don't want to hijack the thread so I'll just shut up now....

Ooh, sorry, Puddy.  I thought I was being accused of an unnecessary attack on Kato in my first post, which is why I responded to your post.  I certainly didn't mean for you to feel the same way or slighted in any manner.

[wm3798]

Don't worry Dave.  When I finally get Pud's papers in order so he can cross the damn border, you can just slap him around in person.  You ARE coming down for the Hershey show next summer, aren't you, big fella?  I will personally provide a fifth of Jack to you upon your arrival...  Well, maybe half of a fifth if you're running late.  Either way, we won't be welcome on the N track set up committee ;D

Jim Beam

[up1950s]

I am glad for you Eastern Modelers . Maybe Kato will do a Reading / American Freedom Train T1 4-8-4 , that would open my wallet .

[Denver Road Doug]

Maxi-I, is that correct???     

Man, I'm going to run out of things to wish for.    

Really going to have to work on some etched platforms for these and the Maxi-IVs now (assuming they're still plastic).

Wow, I read right past that...assumed they were talking about Maxi-IV's.   Maxi-I's would be great...I'd be in for the TTX and also Maersk/BN(SF) patch.

[ljudice]

If you check that car # out on railcarphotos, it is not a Maxi-IV, but a car with a 40' well...

[Denver Road Doug]

If you check that car # out on railcarphotos, it is not a Maxi-IV, but a car with a 40' well...

Because model railroad manufacturers always have appropriate car numbers....   

Seriously I didn't doubt that at all....I just didn't read the post in the first place...honestly thought it said Maxi-IV as I was skimming and certainly wouldn't have seen the car number and said "hey wait that's a Maxi-I" anyway. 

Regardless, it's an exciting announcement!