New Illinois Central and VIA Rail smoothside passenger sets from Kato.

[wcfn100]

http://www.katousa.com/N/Smoothside/index.html

http://www.katousa.com/cgi-bin/dl/dl.pl?dl.mif,Smoothside-Announce2.pdf

Jason

[Philip H]

If they offer these separately I might be in for a couple.  But the full set .  . . Nah . . .

[bbussey]

The auto rack pics are up as well.

http://www.katousa.com/N/Autorack/index.html
http://www.katousa.com/N/Autorack/106-5501.jpg
http://www.katousa.com/N/Autorack/106-5503.jpg
http://www.katousa.com/N/Autorack/106-5504.jpg

[Puddington]

I have to admit to being surprised by this. Kato had, for the last few years done a wonderful job of making prototypically correct cars for their various new consists. They have tooled some very good cars. Now they are reaching back over ten years to produce suitcase sets of total foobie VIA cars... (I don't know how accurate the IC set is)

I guess that's a change in their business model... or rather, a "throw back" to an earlier one.

[wmcbride]

Which leaves the way open for that Rapido Canadian in all its various liveries - just like you all did in HO!

[wcfn100]

There goes the "Land of Corn" I guess.

Empire Builder (dome era)
NCL (lost interest)
Any Rocket
Any 400
Land of Corn
Olympian (dome era) or Twin Cities Hiawatha

Jason

[trainforfun]

I have to admit to being surprised by this. Kato had, for the last few years done a wonderful job of making prototypically correct cars for their various new consists. They have tooled some very good cars. Now they are reaching back over ten years to produce suitcase sets of total foobie VIA cars... (I don't know how accurate the IC set is)

I guess that's a change in their business model... or rather, a "throw back" to an earlier one.

I am with you there . Hope you guys ( Rapido ) will do the Canadian in all the version it have existed during CP period and still exist today behind F40PH in VIA colors .

[BCR751]

So, knowing that the VIA train is totally incorrect, why would anyone pre-order it    And why would Kato put it out there knowing it is incorrect?  I guess they are targeting the "I really don't give a s$$t what it looks like as long as it's a VIA train" crowd.  I don't get it.

Doug

[craigolio1]

I wonder if they figure Canadians , or those interested in Canadian prototypes, are used to settling for close enough?  Forget that. I'm a VIA fan in a big way but I've never bought the Concor or Kato offerings. I'm willing to wait for Rapido. I'm confident we'll have our Canadian and I WILL preorder.

[lock4244]

The E8's are of interest, but not the cars for reasons already stated.

[w neal]

Based on the information I have been told, it is a matter of getting the factory to produce new tooling. Throw backs like this are therefore understandable to me.

However foobie it will be, I might find myself wanting an entire IC set - depending on the shades of brown & orange that are used. We'll see...

I sure hope some red-whiskered CB&Q E-8s are on the horizon. Its encouraging to note the IC artwork depicts dual headlights with no dynamics .

[Roger Holmes]

Not an IC expert but I did ride the City of New Orleans and other ICG trains between Champaign, IL and Chicago for the first two years of college before Amtrak took over.  I didn't recall any dome cars then but a quick Google search showed that IC did, indeed, have dome cars. I've always liked the Chocolate Brown and Panama Orange so may have to have a set to recollect the guitar playing hippies on the train of my youth.

[Nato]

           The Via Rail set is the same that was offered many moons ago when the smooth side cars were first offered. Canada had only was it two or three E-8 diesels , originally CP maroon & gray painted. One was wrecked, units did receive CP Action Red before becoming Via.                        The Illinois Central bought second hand dome cars from the MP. The two 1948 built Budd dome coaches MP called them Planetarium Domes ordered for the Colorado Eagle. They also purchased I believe two of the smooth sided Pullman Standard domes built for the Texas Eagle, TP owned one car, domes had flat glass. Rail fans hated the IC as they plated over the center windows on the dome windshields, and the top windows providing a very restrictive view. This was to prevent vandalism from rock throwers in some of the Chicago Urban area the line went through. IC was no strangers to domes as NP dome sleepers were painted in IC colors and used on seasonal Florida trains in winter.                                       The KATO observation car is similar to the two 1941 Panama Limited cars, although the Centralia model is a bit more accurate, these cars had a lighted Panama Limited sign on either side near the rounded end. The 6-4-4 sleeper matches some cars with that interior configuration that the railroad used. The baggage car, and RPO baggage could be good foob stand ins for IC cars. The coach however has a distinctive Union Pacific look as does the diner, then there is the dome coach obviously a UP dome coach. This train is probably close enough for me that I will get one + locomotives. This will go along with my LL, IC locos and Con Cor cars, also my Centralia IC cars. The Walthers smooth side coach looks more like IC cars. Like the previous run smooth side cars, there will be an A set and a B set to make the ten car trains. Nate Goodman (Nato).

[wes_sutton]

So, knowing that the VIA train is totally incorrect, why would anyone pre-order it    And why would Kato put it out there knowing it is incorrect?  I guess they are targeting the "I really don't give a s$$t what it looks like as long as it's a VIA train" crowd.  I don't get it.

Doug

It's very simple equation. There are more like me out there who really don't give a s$$t than those like you who do

[Teditor]

I really wonder in this day and age if 'any' manufacturer can produce a perfect (which seems to be the requirement of many) model.

No two people have the same expectations/requirements, being a manufacturer must in some ways be a nightmare, though the successful appearing companies seem to keep bringing out so-called foobies (maybe there is a market outside the forum people that buys the product) and they cater mostly to them, not the "I want's", who will generally find "something" as an excuse not to buy.

Ted (Teditor) Freeman.