Kato East vs. West?

[DKS]

But can we still bitch and moan about Kato not doing enough Eastern roads...?

I'd love for someone to come up with some hard statistics on Kato's production with respect to eastern versus western roads. I've got well over a hundred Kato locos in PRR, NYC, DL&W, B&O, C&O, D&H, EL, RDG and others. What's the origin of this "bias" that so many people claim?

[peteski]

I'd love for someone to come up with some hard statistics on Kato's production with respect to eastern versus western roads. I've got well over a hundred Kato locos in PRR, NYC, DL&W, B&O, C&O, D&H, EL, RDG and others. What's the origin of this "bias" that so many people claim?

Since we are now totally OT, IMO the "bias" must be based on Kato's affinity to produce passenger train sets based on Western prototypes. What do we have for eastern roads? Broadway Ltd? Anything else you can think of?  If you say Amtrak, I wouldn't agree. That is a generic, nationwide railroad service.  I would love to see Kato produce late 30s NYC 20th Century Limited. With the Dreyfuss Hudson of course.

[Dave V]

I'd love for someone to come up with some hard statistics on Kato's production with respect to eastern versus western roads. I've got well over a hundred Kato locos in PRR, NYC, DL&W, B&O, C&O, D&H, EL, RDG and others. What's the origin of this "bias" that so many people claim?

Hard facts are troublesome and should be avoided as they occasionally require people to reexamine long-held opinions.

[Kisatchie]

...IMO the "bias" must be based on Kato's affinity to produce passenger train sets based on Western prototypes. What do we have for eastern roads? Broadway Ltd? Anything else you can think of?

Southern's Crescent Limited. It'll be a cold day if we ever see an accurate model of the Crescent.


Hmm... I made Kiz edit
his post...

[DKS]

Since we are now totally OT...

Nothing new around here...

IMO the "bias" must be based on Kato's affinity to produce passenger train sets based on Western prototypes. What do we have for eastern roads? Broadway Ltd? Anything else you can think of?  If you say Amtrak, I wouldn't agree. That is a generic, nationwide railroad service.  I would love to see Kato produce late 30s NYC 20th Century Limited. With the Dreyfuss Hudson of course.

So, the bias is based solely on their passenger sets? Hmmm... a bias on the bias...

[up1950s]

Why Kato E vs W poluting this thread , and to boot even by a mod ? Is this a ploy to move it to the Crew Lounge to hide the thing from MTL tomorrow ? Whoever started this Kato crap please repost it to a Kato thread of your own . Mods please , you're sending us mixed signals .

[DKS]

Why Kato E vs W poluting this thread , and to boot even by a mod ? Is this a ploy to move it to the Crew Lounge to hide the thing from MTL tomorrow ? Whoever started this Kato crap please repost it to a Kato thread of your own . Mods please , you're sending us mixed signals .

And you've been on the Wire how long? And haven't seen thread drift before? This is by no means a ploy to get this into the Crew Lounge, as if I'd have any motive to "hide" this thread from anyone. That's just plain silly.

But, in order to avoid any possible butthurt, I have duly split the thread.

[up1950s]

Thank you .

[peteski]

Wow!  I had a feeling I'm in a thread warp here!  Wasn't this stuff posted in my thread with a microscopic evaluation of MT's new decorating technique?  Now I see what happened.  DKS: thanks for splitting this away from the other thread.

Kiz, the Broadway Ltd. set was already produced by Kato (not one I would like to see in the future). AFAIK, that is the only Eastern road passenger train set produced by Kato so far.

[lock4244]

Hard facts are troublesome and should be avoided as they occasionally require people to reexamine long-held opinions.

What he said. Facts always cloud the issue and are irksome things that expose truths where they are not welcome.

The Kato western bias was around long before they got hot and heavy into the named passenger trains. I think it (around here) was likely spawned by the lack of a CR SD40-2 release. Also, all roads west of the Hudson are Western Roads 

[Alaska Railroader]

Please enlighten me on this issue; why isn't it OK for a manufacturer to specialize in western roads over eastern (or the other way around), steam over diesel, region or country without being "unfair"? If one company specializes in one then isn't there another company to offset the discrepancy? I realize we are talking major manufacturers here but as a small time manufacturer I want to please my customer base but could never in their lifetime, or mine, please everyone. So I manufacture what pleases either myself or the majority of my customer base. And even then its always up to the CEO what goes out their door. They know half will be disappointed. Maybe the CEO likes western better and wants to see more of it in their lifetime. That is their right. Wish I had Kiz's monkey scatching his head here.

[Kisatchie]

...Wish I had Kiz's monkey scatching his head here.

Horrors! I am a female
Great Ape, not some lowly
monkey...

[wcfn100]

I'd love for someone to come up with some hard statistics on Kato's production with respect to eastern versus western roads. I've got well over a hundred Kato locos in PRR, NYC, DL&W, B&O, C&O, D&H, EL, RDG and others. What's the origin of this "bias" that so many people claim?

For the sake of discussion, how many of those were released in the last ten years?

Jason

[peteski]

What he said. Facts always cloud the issue and are irksome things that expose truths where they are not welcome.

The Kato western bias was around long before they got hot and heavy into the named passenger trains. I think it (around here) was likely spawned by the lack of a CR SD40-2 release. Also, all roads west of the Hudson are Western Roads 

Hmm... if that is the case then how do you explain why Kato's very first diesel (GP38-2) was sold decorated for Conrail?  Can you get any more Eastern than that? 

Karin,
You could borrow me
if you want an ape scratching
its head in your post.
I don't think Kiz would mind
and I would rather
enjoy your company.

[Hornwrecker]

I did a little checking on the recent prior releases of some models that fit my era:

PA1s - ATSF, DRGW, SP, and D&H
F3s - ATSF, CB&Q, CN, DRGW, SP, WP, UP
F7s - ATSF, DRGW, and GN
NW2s - ATSF, BN,CB&Q, CS/B&O, MILW, NP, PRR, and UP

Sure would be nice to get an F unit that was DCC ready, got about a dozen of the old ones that I could convert once I learn how, and get a milling machine.