Yes, I was referring to the E8 nose. I have an E6 and had E8's briefly but the nose was so bad I sold them all off. I assumed the E7 had the same awfull nose and have never considered buying them. Am I to understand the nose on the E7 is more accurate than the E8??
I believe the LL E7 is better but still not perfect. I don't have any either. I have at least corrected the headlight on some E8s. This photo shows a Kato nose on top and two LL below, one with a new headlight housing and one original. Here is an E8 with the headlight painted up to blend in.
I think the E-7s look ok , one is a Precision craft , the other is a life like E-7. I don't own any of the E-8s because of the unusual nose... Randy
Jason - I hope you find what you're looking for. I realize that for reasons unknown to me, you have absolutely no appreciation for Kato's efforts to bring the E5 to market. That said, I hope you'll be able to appreciate that us Burlington fans are absolutely thrilled with Kato's release, and despite the many claims that Kato has "blown it," we will happily send our hard earned money to Kato for these and hope for many more releases. Best regards, Jack
I still find it mind numbing how so many people are trying to compare photos of the prototype to photos of the model. I have found the glare and quality of Kato's photos to be less than perfect. There are so many factors that go into the quality of a photo it is laughable. Until you can get one at home on your layout and sit it next to the other models and compare them at scale side by side it is like chasing a fart in a skillet. I am not saying it is perfect and I am not saying it is flawed. When mine arrive I will judge it then. I am comfortable enough with Kato's track record that I ordered all three engines and the cars sight unseen. What does the E5 release mean.........It means that Kato is open to one off models of iconic engines. How many prototype engines are there out there that meet that criteria. Western bias, well if it sells than I am fine with that. Other companies make a lot of road namesI have no interest in modeling but I don't trash them for it.
With KATO's record for quality I do not think that ordering the engines and cars sight unseen is a huge leap of faith. I'm certain that nearly everyone will be pleased. Randy
Hello all... I do my best to not get caught 'up' in these type of discussions....I enjoy model railroad forums in order to glean information on modelling techniques for layouts, locos, and rolling stock...I do read discussions on accuracy of manufacturers' products as well as performance, and if I have anything to add to the discussion (considering my meager knowledge, so far, in this realm), I try to add in a constructive way... I've been modelling since I was 7-8 years old (that's a long time!-46 years!)...model aircraft, armor, even 1/6th scale WWII figures...and only recently, N scale... What we have, in N scale today, is an amazing choice of QUALITY products...both in terms of accuracy and performance! (My first N scale experience was with an Atlas train set-apparently manufactured by Rivorossi I later discovered, that consisted of a Santa Fe Warbonnet E8 unit and three(?) Pullman green heavyweight coaches....purchased at a Woolco in New Orleans in the very late 60's -perhaps early 70's...) Apart from some atypical major, glaring errors (i'll agree with the consensus LifeLike E8 nose shape....and with the much better, corrected, nose shape on the E7's which followed it)...generally, Kato and Atlas (apart from brass manufacturers) have set the standards for RTR locos, both in appearance and performance OOB...and even these manufacturers have improved their offerings over the years in terms of both areas...detail addition and paint, better motors, 'rictionless'trucks, DCC compatibility, etc. I'm one of those that enjoys the modelling and the detailing aspect of the hobby; i'd much rather start with a product that is close to being accurate as opposed to re-contouring and correcting major faults in shape (the LL E-8)... I can say with complete confidence and authority that NO model is 100% accurate...unless it can be built in 1:1 scale, it's going to have to compromise something in accuracy, whether in material, appearance, etc... all of that %$$%^ to get to this.... This new E5 from Kato, in the pics and the little video...Looks like a CB&Q E5...it does...others, here, and on another forum, have expended a lot of negative energy arguing the positives and negatives of this new release in terms of accuracy...some, apparently,have an agenda that dismisses this, or other products produced by this particular manufacturer, and those that would applaud this release...I just don't understand this...I can, also, spot areas in this release that I believe would look 'better'...but, goodness, not by much...just as I can spot areas in every loco and piece of rolling stock I own...when I feel that I can improve the appearance and performance of anything I purchase, in terms of accuracy, I do it...it's part of my 'OCD' accuracy issue...if I find, at a later time, that i've modelled something incorrectly, whether it's a shape, detail, and paint issue...even if it's 'correct' but not for my modelled area...I have to fix it!...i just can not 'let it go'...lol...it glares at me once I discover that it's not correct... This release does not have that effect on me...it looks like the prototype in the pics...and...I'm betting that it looks even better 'in person' on the track...the newest pics from Kato...showing shots of it from track level show that to be true... i'm thrilled, not only by this particular release, but by this particular manufacturer's decision to produce a model of a unit that is definitely 'one off'... we can speculate, for quite some time, whether this or any other manufacturer will produce 'follow up' boosters or later models (I'd personally love it)...but we just won't know until it's officially announced, whether anything like that will come to fruition. Until then, I'll enjoy my purchase of this train...and add whatever I can to detail it even more for my modelled era. Respectfully, Bruce
I'm the one that started this tangent. I'm not at all a CBQ fan or modeler but have always liked the E5 so when Kato announced it, I knew I would be getting one. It is not an important enough loco for me to go to the trouble of buying and painting the resin shell that is out there, which I feel is still the best rendition of an E5. I noticed the odd high cheek bones on the Kato E5 with the first pictures and subsequent pictures made it even more obvious. That said, I am still buying the model because it is not a big enough deal to me for a loco that is not part of my main modeling interest and will generally see Ntrak service for me. If I modeled CBQ, then it would be a big deal and I wouldn't be buying, rather I would go for the resin version. I'm giving up on a bit of fidelity to take the easy way out. I find it odd that the die hard CBQ guys are the one giving Kato a pass on this one when there is a better option out there if you want to do a little work, or are willing to pay Bill Denton to do the work for you.
Kato's E5 page has a link to TCS' website page with the description showing it as a Kato E5/E6 circuit board. It's like Kato is having TCS hint for them.
I am not giving them a pass. I am waiting until I have engine in hand before making a final judgement. I also do not want to discourage people from buying the product before it even hits the shelf. Kato has made errors before and corrected them on future releases. That is better than having no new product at all. I also think you have to keep the engine itself in context. No one saw this coming and I think we as consumers should support this move in the hopes of other future releases of similiar engines. Randy, you are making my point exactly!!
I am a CBQ fan, but model railroading is just a hobby for me. I derive my enjoyment from running trains, not inspecting them under a microscope, sweating about the inevitable minor deviations from prototype or going through the hassles and costs of trying to add details or have something custom built. If I did, I wouldn't be in N scale. I have spent hours hanging around Silver Pilot, sitting in her cab and even walking through her carbody. I've seen nothing in any of the Kato photos that bothers me in the least bit. I pre-ordered them all as soon as they were listed at BLW, and even bought a second Silver Pilot just to keep in mint condition for whenever. I have great respect for the enthusiasts who demand perfection, as they have helped to raise the quality and accuracy of rtr models, but for me life is too short to focus on the minutia.
Very well said. It is funny, those of us who spend time at IRM on and around a real E5 on a regular basis seem the most comfortable with Kato's rendition of the loco.
I agree and based on the pictures, I can suspend any necessary disbelief. One of the highlights of my railfanning career was a cab ride in Silver Pilot on my 30th birthday. 2000hp and cornered like it was on rails . . . . Andy Tetsu Uma
Agreed! Why, oh why, no NYC 20th Century Limited? Sure, they put out a generic NYC lightning strip passenger set in the `90s. But it was no 20th Century Limited. It seems odd that of all of the big name trains, this would be the one they ignored.
Which one should they make? The 1938/40 version with the Dreyfuss Hudson or the 1948 version with E7's and the Creek-series observation car?
Obviously, the Hudson is more iconic. But I believe the 1948 train is more well know having been featured in such films as North By Northwest. Besides, you could still lash a Hudson to the later train and still have it look good.
I would vote for the Hudson only because once the chassis is manufactured it can form the basis for a lot more Hudson powered trains with new shells.
I'd be happy with either version of the 20th Century Limited; I'd like to see more east coast railroads in general. I do have the Broadway Limited, but what I'd really like to see is a DL&W Phoebe Snow. I don't think that's too likely.
The whole E unit debate is frustrating since we now have so much great passenger equipment to run on our layouts. We need more varied E units. I realize KATO avoids smaller roads and isn't particularly interested in increasing its US market share. I want LL-Walthers to produce the E7's that they did some years ago in HO. Since they did a Maine Central E7 (green/gold) in HO I'm hoping to see one done in "Proto N" by them. I don't need DCC or sound. Just want a smooth running MEC E7 to pull my Wheels of Time baggage cars and Lima/MTL heavyweights around my basement!! I talk to the Walthers rep about this at the Amherst Society Show in West Springfield each January. So far, no E7's. Has anyone experienced Walther's Proto N E8/9's that they offered in the past (not the old LL version but the more recent offering with powered A & B units)? Was the machanism decent? Does anyone have any insights into Walthers plans for their Proto N locomotive offerings?
