Kato announces CB&Q Pioneer Zephyr in N scale

[cgw277]

Just found this video on YouTube. The announcement of the Zephyr is at the 5:14 mark.
Scot

[robertjohndavis]

Sweet! Sign me up! Make a Flying Yankee and sign me up twice!

[Dreyfusshudson]

Is it different fron Con Cor's?
I heard Con Cor will make Zephyr and M-10000 again.

[learmoia]

Is it different fron Con Cor's?
I heard Con Cor will make Zephyr and M-10000 again.

Even if it's the same model, I'd suspect Kato's will look and run better and cost half the price... If Con-Cor ever gets theirs announced - produced - and across the border..

[BobRunty]

Never picked up the ConCor but the Kato will be a must have.
On another note, my 98 year old MIL who grew up in Lyons IL always talked about the time “Daddy took us down to the Burlington tracks to see the train”, when it made its famous run from Denver to Chicago.

[peteski]

Wow!  I have the Con-Cor version but Kato is a no-brainer.

I would love to get my hands on a true B&M Flying Yankee model I doubt they will make it because it has a different windows configuration (which means  separate set of tooling) and B&M was nowhere as large of a railroad as CB&Q.  They also missed making RDCs in B&M livery, so I really have no hope.

[spookshow]

Is it different fron Con Cor's?
I heard Con Cor will make Zephyr and M-10000 again.

Does Con-Cor even make anything anymore? I thought all they were doing these days was unloading all of their NOS.

-Mark

[garethashenden]

Wow!  I have the Con-Cor version but Kato is a no-brainer.

I would love to get my hands on a true B&M Flying Yankee model I doubt they will make it because it has a different windows configuration (which means  separate set of tooling) and B&M was nowhere as large of a railroad as CB&Q.  They also missed making RDCs in B&M livery, so I really have no hope.

Maybe the availability of Kato parts will prompt me to finally cut up the Fine N Scale kit I have and turn it into a Flying Yankee. Or cut up the Kato model.
At one point I figured out that the four car Pioneer Zephyr provided enough windows to do the three car Yankee. The main difference is that the Zephyr has a baggage/RPO section whereas the Yankee is all coach.

[thomasjmdavis]

So much for my "only buy what I need"... "only buy it if it ran from Dearborn station" self discipline.  I would have bought the ConCor back in the day, if they hadn't had it priced at what a Kato Super Chief cost including 3 locomotives.  But if a Kato Zephyr shows up in my lifetime, I'm in.  But I am too old to pre-order anything. 

I'm surprised we have had to wait this long- it seems like it is right in Kato's wheelhouse. And who knows... maybe drawings for a 1937 Budd SuperChief are hiding in the vault somewhere.

[nkalanaga]

-Mark:  I was wondering the same thing the other day.  Even Con-Cor's website doesn't seem to have any news newer than the announcement that they were restarting production.

[Sokramiketes]

I'm starting to feel like I've been in the hobby too long, now that we're getting a third N scale Pioneer Zephyr.  That's a weird feeling, but probably hit prior generations on FA's and PA's!

That Fine N Scale Pioneer Zephyr was a work of art and an passion project.  Randy? also had started on some other early CB&Q gems including streamlined Aeolus steam engine shells.  But the Zephyr was so involved I think it ended future projects. 

The ConCor one is also nice, and could run over anything since it picked up from so many wheels spread out so far.  Well lit, well articulated.  I had a bit of fun with it, but it's so far out of era that it ended up sitting in the display shelf from about year 2 on.  That was 1934!  Who models 1934??

ConCor eventually released a slightly modernized version with the cool/tacky big headlights.  So it could stretch to the 1950's big streamliner modeling era... but who models Galesburg to St Joseph? 

So, it's extremely cool like a GG1 or Big Boy or other outsized models of cool trains that arn't that useful to everyday modelers.  And the real one is dressed up nice at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. 

[Ed Kapuscinski]

So, it's extremely cool like a GG1 or Big Boy or other outsized models of cool trains that arn't that useful to everyday modelers.  And the real one is dressed up nice at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. 

And I think you just hit on why there are three models of it. Model train runner-collectors love ***** like this. Those folks fit Kato's ICP, so that's what they make.

It's kinda annoying for us folks who are trying to do something more accurate, but they're the bulk of the market and I'm glad they keep the industry afloat.

[wcfn100]

Was this one of the options in the polls they did a few years ago?


Jason

[thomasjmdavis]

And the real one is dressed up nice at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

And the museum gift shop will sell as many as the guys in Schaumburg can deliver to them, if Kato packages the train with a loop of unitrack and a basic power pack.

[CBQ Fan]

I have the Con-Cor one and it is really nice. That being said as soon as I can place a preorder I will clicking submit on the order!