KATO and the EAST

[bbussey]

From my vantage point - you can't fairly criticize Kato for not producing eastern-based equipment when they've repeatedly done so over the past few years.  Fact is, anything PRR is not a sure thing, not anymore.  the Broadway Limited did not sell nearly as well as the Zephyr or the ATSF consists.  So you can't fault them for not wanting to immediately double down on another eastern consist when the flagship varnish of the #1 east road didn't sell.  And all things being equal - I don't think the COLA did as well as they anticipated either, and that also was a big expense.

Second, there have been more releases on the GG1 in rapid fashion than any other passenger unit they've done in recent times.  Four PRR schemes to date with multiple engine numbers (along with the PC and Amtrak releases and more to follow) hardly suggests that Kato is abandoning or neglecting the east.  Most of their Amtrak offerings have an east-lean.  They had the stones to produce a PENN CENTRAL consist, along with a pair of E8s and a pair of Gs.  Yes, it was to help amortize the Broadway tooling, but it was something no one else has done ever.

We'll see additional eastern consists from Kato in the future.  But tooling a new engine and 10+ passenger cars isn't cheap, and it's not as if they can re-purpose the models for something else other than Amtrak.  It makes perfect sense to push out a few more sure-things - or what should be sure-things - before taking a chance on tooling another eastern consist.

[Chris333]

One time this came up I posted some rail maps of the US. No matter what era you pick you find about 3/4 of all track on the 1/3 of the US to the right (East). West looks like a ghost town.

[victor miranda]

hi Bryan Busséy,
good post.
I happen to think Kato is doing ok with the items they chose.
it has a bias but so do I...

I went back and re-read my first post on the atlas forum and
I can see that half of what I wanted to say is not there.
symptoms of a rant...

the post came out of a short talk
where I was told the Kato bias was because.... ect

personally I would never have expected the Broadway to outsell the Daylight.
for many reasons.

good post.

victor

[gelboy45]

How about 'The Train of Tomorrow'? 

Might sooth both coasts and the 'flyovers' too. And me over in the UK!

Gerry ;0)))

[Puddington]

Kato diss's the eastern US and Canada because it keeps guys like you talking about Kato and their dissing the east and Canada.....and that's free PR.........and that's as logical as most other explainations...the truth is simpler; they, like most other companies base their production decisions on maximizing sales receipts in the shortest possible time; recovering tooling and R&D costs. Their domestic market is their first priority; their external markets secondary. They have their market research and, obviously, it has lead them to make the decisions they have made.....I really think it's that simple.... or, my first premise is true, you decide............

[sundowner]

Why worry about what Kato won't make? Someone else will do it just a well (or close enough) eventually.

Athearn, Rapido and FVM are case in point.

But I'll pine for a B&O or a NYC premiere train though....


The S.

What eastern model has Athearn and FVM made. Both have a bigger western byas than Kato.

[wazzou]

One time this came up I posted some rail maps of the US. No matter what era you pick you find about 3/4 of all track on the 1/3 of the US to the right (East). West looks like a ghost town.

I imagine it would have been different had the Pilgrims landed in San Francisco or Seattle..... 

[jnevis]

Most of their Amtrak offerings have an east-lean.  They had the stones to produce a PENN CENTRAL consist, along with a pair of E8s and a pair of Gs.  Yes, it was to help amortize the Broadway tooling, but it was something no one else has done ever.

The latest intercity release for example.  I have no need for Viewliners, never see them where I model.  The diner and coaches are only used on the Surfliner.  GG1's? nope.  Conrail anything? not likely, maybe a leaser repaint.  Chessie for the youngest but small doses.  I do have a couple CSX and NS engines since they do occasionally show up, and I am out here, for now, after all.
I'm about to be shunned but what the hey:

[Scottl]

It's evident that no matter what Kato makes of the diverse eastern roads, it won't be what someone wants.  Just read the wish list this thread brought to the surface.  The range of road names is staggering compared to the western lines.

Strange, I've always wondered why Atlas makes all those old diesel models with obscure eastern roadnames.  Must be an eastern bias by a New Jersey company 

[CBQ Fan]

I still think the big thing that hurt the BL was two parts of bad timing.  I know I ordered it expecting it around Christmas.  It didn't arrive until the following Christmas.  Two years basically, I almost lost interest.  The other was the crash of the economy.  I know that was when I was busy picking up steals on EBay.  Drawn out interest waining combined with oh crap am I going to lose my job tomorrow was not good for BL sales.  By the time it came around they had a new release advertised and there were plenty of BL sets to be had from your LHS.

[Bob Bufkin]

Not goona bitch about Kato.  Might as well go bark up a tree.  Yes, I do wish they would do more Eastern but I'm used to them ignoring us.  Every now and then they throw us a bone and I'll grab it up.  Always did think they had the best running locos out there with Atlas a close second. 

I did buy 2 of the BL sets for 2 reasons - one, I wanted to redecal the cars so I could run different PRR trains and two, to up the sales a little.  Also got 2 of the add on sets for the same reason.

As for a K4 - yes please redo this, it will be a winner but for the BL set Kato did it's not the right loco.  Not saying the K4 didn't run but by the time this set came on the scene the PRR was using E7's (later E8s) or T1s.

Glade Kato got smark about redoing these cars in PC and Amtrak. 

As for the DGLE E8s, our experts in vaporware but them out and at least mine run decent, so why would Kato want to do another one?

Now I'm just hoping that Kato finally decides to redo the SD-40 and SD-45 in PRR and PC, Conrail, etc.  Been wanting some for quite a long time

[packers#1]

To me it's a similar argument that we've heard alleged by Walthers...

We don't make X in N scale because no one buys it.

The corollary being:  No one buys X because we don't offer it.

Tis a riddle.

Lee

actually sounds like a catch 22 
Seriously though, look at atlas's success in offering a ton of shortline road names, let alone eastern road names...you'd think Kato would figure it out at some point

[Bremner]

it's nothing new, how many Lionel Santa Fe F3'swere made compaired to the NYC F3?both were released in 1948...the Santa Fe was made for 22 years straight

[jnevis]

actually sounds like a catch 22 
Seriously though, look at atlas's success in offering a ton of shortline road names, let alone eastern road names...you'd think Kato would figure it out at some point

There in lies the rub.  Look at Atlas' product line, other than a few notable exceptions, there is a lot of four axle stuff you would typically find on a shortline.  They are also focused on older units before most six axle units were on the market therefore used in greater numbers by more roads.  Kato is almost all six axle units that the major roads have started relying on more and more but true shortlines can't afford to use.  So now your limited to Class 1 roads primarily past the 70's when the multitude of Eastern roads started merging. 

Just my look at it.

[sirenwerks]

I personally think David Leonard's post on the other thread is pretty close, plus the Japanese tend to want to model open expanses not available to them over there.  Eastern roads are effectively the same as the local ones there, heavily urban with some open scenery.  Hard to beat AZ, NV, or NM for open land.

I have to agree with this statement. Like the Germans, the Japanese have a crush on the wide-open spaces of the American West and cowboy culture; not too mention that it (the western US) is what they know better when it comes to our continent, considering it is closest to Japan (being on the Pacific and all). Sure, the anti-Asian tide which appeared just after the joining of the transcontinental lines, where Asians were taxed harshly for simply being in the US and many extradited by "charity" groups, created some ill-feelings but familiar ties between the West Coast and Japan are still strong, where there were communities that were practically all Japanese prior to WWII. Let's not forget Cowboy Be-Bop too.