Kato's Anti-Eastern Bias

[Denver Road Doug]

OK, disclaimer: I am a BNSF modeler.  But I'm not trying to rub it in, and there are many aggrevating things that Kato does with their BNSF stuff too.   So to say that ATSF/BN/BNSF stuff is 100% golden is inaccuarate, but I do recognize we have it very good with respect to at least getting the paint on the plastic.   I could make a pretty good argument for eastern stuff from Atlas, too, but that's not my point here, nor do I really want to bash Kato or otherwise make this a negative thread.  Just curious what you guys are after.  I see the Kato reps on occasion and they're tired of hearing me complain about the BNSF orange-yellow letters on their H2 scheme so I figure I'll throw 'em an eastern curve ball next time I have their attention!   ;D

In the C30-7 thread there was talk of Conrail and then "heck no...not accurate...wouldn't buy it."   So two questions:
(1) For EXISTING KATO TOOLING, (say, 1996 or later...anything in the "decoder-lightboard-swap" era; no changes whatsoever other than things like using other EXISTING Kato parts...like different trucks for example) what Eastern road names would you want THAT YOU WOULD BUY?
(2) What ALTERED TOOLING would you like to see Kato do for an eastern specific loco and in what road(s)?  This would have to use an existing mech/wheelbase combo and an existing "model", but can have any number of phase specific changes, cab change, light configuration, new truck tooling, etc.  Again, that you would buy....I know a lot of you can regurgitate entire rosters but try to keep it to something near and dear.

[Mark5]

Personally, Kato has passed into irrelevance for me.

The tooling that is desirable to me I already have samples of (SD40, SD40-2, and SD45, along with a U30C and C30-7). The EMD SD series in particular features dated tooling and there's the fact that Kato "parks" tooling for a decade at a time or more. Plus Kato has quit making undecorated locos.

When I get more SD40-2s, they won't be Kato.

[Puddington]

Kato does little that interests me; the GN SD 45 I bought last month was my first Kato purchase in years. They used to be the cats a@@ - now they are but one of many and are seemingly content to rest on their reputation from the 90's....

[inkaneer]

Kato does little that interests me; the GN SD 45 I bought last month was my first Kato purchase in years. They used to be the cats a@@ - now they are but one of many and are seemingly content to rest on their reputation from the 90's....

That pretty well tells the tale.  Except for the GG1 I have not been even mildly interested in any Kato offerings.  For me they are too modern and too western. 

[Denver Road Doug]

That pretty well tells the tale.  Except for the GG1 I have not been even mildly interested in any Kato offerings.  For me they are too modern and too western. 

You know, I was thinking about the GG1.   Seems like at cannot possibly be more "eastern" than that, yet it doesn't seem to have even registered with most of the folks with respect to the bias argument.  Same with some pretty darn "eastern" Amtrak stuff and other passenger items. (although admittedly I was thinking locos when I started the thread, but I think Kato should get credit for their "themed" passenger sets which are pretty phenomonenal...)  Now, I understand the GG1 doesn't really help the Conrail guys out so I get that....overall it's an odd-era, odd-duck kinda deal outside of the early years on the Pennsy I guess.

[topic creep alert] I still think Kato has a pretty significant edge in performance over anyone else.   I know that's argued frequently and I won't dispute that some of the Atlas locos are pretty good, too.   I just think that the SD50/60 platform that also forms the basis for the IM stuff is just flawed somehow.   I don't claim to be an expert in the mechanical workings of n-scale locomotives, but that's been my experience. [/tca]

I just wonder if Kato parks the tooling due to it being specific combined with lackluster sales in the past for the "incorrrect CR C30-7A" or "NS Dash 9" or whatnot.  Maybe we/the market have conditioned Kato's behavoir?

[sundowner]

 Most manufacturers except for Atlas have a western bias because that what sells.

[sundowner]

When I get more SD40-2s, they won't be Kato.

Have fun with those future IM SD40-2, i am sure they are going to be stellar like the SD45-2. ;D ;D

[ai5629]

I model Conrail in the Summer of 1984.  My father likes Pennsy and modern Conrail.  Between the two of us, we have supported Kato's eastern releases.  We have many Kato locomotives: four Conrail decorated C30-7's (correct for Conrail 6600-6609), three Conrail decorated SD45's, one undecorated SD45, five custom painted Conrail SD40's and five Conrail decorated SD40's.  We also have five Pennsylvania SD40's, five Pennsylvania U30C's (not correct for PRR), one custom painted Penn Central SD40 and one custom painted Penn Central U30C (again,not correct for the PRR).  Finally, we have three Conrail SD80's and two Conrail SD70's.  At this point, I would welcome new Conrail locomotives with the hope that they would stock the blue molded handrails as an available part (other than SD40's, they already stock those).  I really don't need any more engines, but I would buy the parts.  This post will only further their resolve to ignore lines east of the Mississippi.  Thanks.

Jeff

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I think the issue, at least my issue, is that when a manufacturer announces a run of locomotives that can fit different geographic areas, we expect to see the different areas represented.

Just as I don't think the GS4 is any slight against NYC folks, and the GG1 isn't meant to piss off Mopac modelers, I do think that releasing something that was pretty widely used, geographically, but ignoring half the damn continent, does seem dumb, ESPECIALLY when they do two schemes for one road.

I'm not saying I want to see them do the C30-7s in CR. It really wouldn't make sense (given the very small part of the CR roster they make up, and I don't expect them to tool a C30-7A just for a handful of roads: CR, CSX & NS). I am saying it wouldn't have killed them to do CSX, or SCL, or something like that.

Their recent SD40-2 is a real sore spot with me though. They did all sorts of different shell variations to accomodate a bunch of different versions, but completely ignored the legions of them that NS, CSX, Conrail, Chessie, and a number of widely seen leasing companies have. I don't demand railroad specific tooling (although it is nice), but doing BNSF, BN, ATSF, IC (still has me scratching my head) and CN on a unit used nation wide seems really, really dumb.

But, I'll just wait for someone else who wants to exercise their license to print money and get some. I just hope it's not IM.

[justTRAINcRaZy]

Their recent SD40-2 is a real sore spot with me though. They did all sorts of different shell variations to accomodate a bunch of different versions, but completely ignored the legions of them that NS, CSX, Conrail, Chessie, and a number of widely seen leasing companies have. I don't demand railroad specific tooling (although it is nice), but doing BNSF, BN, ATSF, IC (still has me scratching my head) and CN on a unit used nation wide seems really, really dumb.

x2.

I've managed to get a couple of the 40-2s from the first run. I'd love to have 1/2 dozen more. After the problems I had with the Atlas Crap8-40C, I'll never buy another Atlas. Period. So I guess I'll be waiting patiently until Kato tosses some scraps out the back door. (NS, modern)

KB

[Denver Road Doug]

Most manufacturers except for Atlas have a western bias because that what sells.

Sorry, meant to say "Anti-Eastern Bias".    Fixed it.

[Denver Road Doug]

OK, sorry I kinda derailed  my own topic, but....back to the two questions?   Anyone?

It's ok if the answer is 1. None 2. None.

[Mark5]

Have fun with those future IM SD40-2, i am sure they are going to be stellar like the SD45-2. ;D ;D

They won't be IM either.

[James Costello]

Have fun with those future IM SD40-2, i am sure they are going to be stellar like the SD45-2. ;D ;D

[yoda] no, another there is [/yoda]

[GaryHinshaw]

1. I would buy an NS Dash-9.  It would be nice if it had wide end handrails (easy), high headlight (less easy), and rear ditch lights (hard).

2. I might buy a CR SD40-2  , but I'm sympathetic in any case. (Until last month, the lack of an H-II BNSF Dash-9 was in the same screwball category.  They still muffed the GPS dome on that one though.)

-Gary

3. Meanwhile, back out west, how about a UP SD70M/flared with the standard cab instead of the funky ACe-style cab?  The former make up 90% or more of their flared '70M fleet, the latter only ~10%...