Kato's Anti-Eastern Bias

[sirenwerks]

Why not? The name trains being released in N and HO are all niche. I would see more of a market for collecting name trains than MT fantasy cars, but that's just me.

[Robbman]

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%...

That model is eight shades of WTF for Kato... because of the single piece grills on it, it actually only matches the three FIRE cab demo/test units... 3971-3973.   Had Kato done the later two-piece grills... it'd actually be correct for the other 232 FIRE cab SD70Ms that UP has, and the 58 NS has.

[GaryHinshaw]

Hmm, I think I see what you mean about the grills on the NS units, e.g. in this shot:

http://www.locophotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=91270

but it looks like the UP units are ok, e.g. 4845:

http://www.locophotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=110206

What am I missing?  And is Is FIRE an acronym or a word, in this context?

-gfh

[GaryHinshaw]

So, unless I missed some, the answers to Doug's question is: NS Dash-9 and CR SD40-2.

That's all? or are y'all too angry to answer?   

[kalbert]

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

I've been trying to stay out of dangerous looking threads like this one, but this post struck me. I agree, and maybe it's my skewed view of N scale, but I kind of feel like there's a sizeable group of folks who chose or switched to N so they could model a long intermodal or something train moving across an open range. This is where the western/modern works for us because you can model an expansive western scene in a relatively small space. Perhaps this is why there is more western stuff available, because maybe there are more folks buying it, and since you need at least 2 locos for your long unit grain train I can only expect alot of western locos sell. I've also observed western modelers to be slightly less particular about road specific details and more willing to buy anyway, not sure if that has anything to do with anything or not. Maybe not.

None of what I said is really based on any quantifiable thing, just my admittedly clouded perspective.

[Robbman]

Hmm, I think I see what you mean about the grills on the NS units, e.g. in this shot:

http://www.locophotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=91270

but it looks like the UP units are ok, e.g. 4845:

http://www.locophotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=110206

What am I missing?  And is Is FIRE an acronym or a word, in this context?

-gfh

You are correct, I forgot the other part of the order... so 3971-3973, and 4837-4849 (all an add-on order).  Look at all the others, and you'll see they're two-piece.


FIRE is an acronym, (Functionally Integrated Railroad Electronics), and while it's technically not related to the cab change, since the system was first used in these new style cabs, they're referred to as FIRE cabs.

[Nato]

       What it boils down to is "Steak or Cake?" I know there are a few of you that want it all .the main course and the desert,but it really comes down to a choice. So what I would like to see is more Atlas -Like several phases of one locomotive with closer to road specific details,the different shells would fit the same mech for that loco,but side frames could be changed based on prototype modeled. This of course is coming from someone who owns way too much "Stuff" as George Carlin would have said"You can never have enough stuff". I'am just pulling three of my first run SD40's a UP Snoot,a regular nose UP and a Northwestern out of long term hardly run storage to take to a train show this weekend. What I have been mostly running at shows is older era ,steam, F Units, FA's or more reciently Atlas SD 24's or LL SD 9's so you can see reruns of later era locos is not high on my list. I do have lots of Conrail blue locos in my vast fleet because when I ordered locos I usually bought atleast one CR unit of that model to mix in with UP,SP, ATSF, losos as run through locos I was seeing alot of in my area. What locomotive would I like to see KATO do now? Probably none,instead they should litteraly rerun all the parts for their locos from day one so I can continue to run my oldies but goodies,GP 38 2 GP 50 BN Tiger Face Colored loco etc. I hate their limited edition mentality on parts, offer them when model is released, when stock is gone no more parts,so I have to order 200 of everything fast while available. Wish I had known that in the early days. Oh well like I said "Steak or Cake?" Nate Goodman (Nato). Closet Pennsey fan who does own a Broadway LTD Set and GG1 ,but has hardly run them.

[delamaize]

       What it boils down to is "Steak or Cake?"....

"Tea and cake or death!"

I am going to echo alot of what has been said already, the reason their seems to be a lot of west coast stuff is because it sells. If you want to break is down even more, it isn't even primarrly the west coast, it is the SOUTHwest. Being a Norther Pacific modeler, I noticed that a lot of things that would be really nice to have in NP, are not offered, why? because NP don't sell as much as AT&SF, the borg, or SF. Now this next statement, I am totally talking out my a$$ here, because I SUCK at scenery, but it seems to me that it would be easier to model the high desert than the cascades, hince is another reason I think so many people run the southwest railroads, Simplicity of scenery. Myself, I like to see long freight drags winding up though an evergreen covered moutian pass, the desert has no appeal to me, although I can appreciate a good desert scene on a layout.

[Ryan87]

We have to keep in mind that Kato sells in a world market. (Japan and Europe among others)

Knowing that, they are inclined to produce models and paint-schemes that are iconic from a
world perspective not just a North American one. And in most parts of the world when they think of North American railways they think of the big western trans-cons (mainly because they were successful railways with  large advertising budgets)

Also consider there's a large population of modellers in California, Illinois, Canada that further fuels the western sales.

Kato has no bias they simply like to make money* 

Also they're not ignoring half the country only one third  ;D


*purely opinion and TIC

[mcjaco]

I've also observed western modelers to be slightly less particular about road specific details and more willing to buy anyway, not sure if that has anything to do with anything or not. Maybe not.

You're hanging out with the wrong modelers.   

[Ed Kapuscinski]

We have to keep in mind that Kato sells in a world market. (Japan and Europe among others)

Knowing that, they are inclined to produce models and paint-schemes that are iconic from a
world perspective not just a North American one.

In case you never read it, I said the exact same things two years ago: http://ttamt.blogspot.com/2008/02/katos-iconic-models.html

The Broadway Limited, etc... only bear out my opinion even more.

But I still am surprised by some of the odd stuff that ends up showing up (Chessie NW2s?) and am still frustrated because, even though I understand it, it still sucks.

[inkaneer]

To me Kato is irrelevant and has been for some time.  Currently Atlas and Bachmann seem to be the players in N scale.  Again this is from my own perspective of a transitional era modeller.  Despite being a PRR fan I did not get any of the Broadway Limited cars.   I got a bunch of Concor cars which while they are not accurate, do fill the bill for me.  I am getting the MT heavyweights though as I just like the looks of them.   All that being said I'm finding that my interests are changing from being strictly a PRR guy to doing some shorter fallen flag lines that operated in my locale.  So Pittsburg & Shawmutt RR, Pittsburgh & West Virginia RR, Monongahela RR are seeing a rebirth if only in 1:160.

[CBQ Fan]

What bites me with Atlas is due to all their small road runs on engines I have to pay a higher price on my midwest to western engines to accomodate the small eastern roads.  Just a different perspective.  It seems that there is a heavy eastern interest with the make up of the guys here!  These small roads in small runs drive up the per unit cost.  You don't have to thank me all at once for helping to finance your eastern engines!   ;D

[Puddington]

What bites me with Atlas is due to all their small road runs on engines I have to pay a higher price on my midwest to western engines to accomodate the small eastern roads.  Just a different perspective.  It seems that there is a heavy eastern interest with the make up of the guys here!  These small roads in small runs drive up the per unit cost.  You don't have to thank me all at once for helping to finance your eastern engines!   ;D

Ya, what he said................ ;D ;D ;D

[bbussey]

What bites me with Atlas is due to all their small road runs on engines I have to pay a higher price on my midwest to western engines to accommodate the small eastern roads.  Just a different perspective.  It seems that there is a heavy eastern interest with the make up of the guys here!  These small roads in small runs drive up the per unit cost.  You don't have to thank me all at once for helping to finance your eastern engines!   ;D

That's a bummer ... not.

I'd rather see product decorated for small roads available and slightly subsidized by the paint schemes for the common roads, as opposed to everything at a lower price but decorated only for UP and BNSF.  New Haven used to be one of those "small obscure roads" prior to twenty years ago, so I can sympathize with those having to custom decorate everything for their rosters.  Thankfully Atlas fills much of that void.  Greater diversity attracts more clientele.

Also, smaller runs are the norm in today's market, so having those "smaller roads" insures that the production run is large enough to produce all those UP and BNSF and CB&Q units, as opposed to simply "driving the price up."  No manufacturer makes thousands of units in one production run anymore.

Why is offering "small obscure roads" motive power an issue, yet everyone applauds all of the "single road" esoteric models that have hit the market in the last decade?  NS Top Gon hopper, MILW ribbed boxcar, PRR G26 mill gon, SP bay window caboose (two!), BAR XIH boxcar, PRR GG1 electric, NYC 14-rib hopper, B&O wagontop boxcar, TTX Trinity hi-cube boxcar, CP Hawker-Siddley mil gon, Cal Zephyr, Super Chief, Broadway Limited, El Capitan, Hiawatha, City of L.A., and others.