I'd say there's zero chance of an FEF-1 because it flies in the face of Kato's marketing strategy, which is to offer a steam engine (the 844, an FEF-3) that can be used on both modern, present day scenarios as well as UP layouts which include passenger service from the 40's through the late 50's. The plan is to introduce it with a train, with some new cars, which will be what the modern day 844 pulls on its' excursion trips. I hope they make the smoke deflectors removable for future releases of different FEF-3's which did not have the "ears" and also, I hope they make a retrofit kit of a coal load to plug into what will be a modernized oil bunker. A 40's/50's style oil bunker would also be convenient. Add-on ash pans would be considerate (and not difficult to do) but I doubt they will be offered. Guess I'll just have to make my own! I am certain that they will offer variants (numbers and paint) of this FEF-3, and possibly different trains for them to pull (specifically the Overland Limited) and introduce new cars that are appropriate. Kato's rep was informative about the very conservative nature of Kato's owners, and he was adamant about Kato NEVER offering a GS-3 or a de-skirted GS-4, so the logical extension of their conservative business nature tells me that they would never even think about offering an FEF-1 (the least marketable model), and then a totally different model (an FEF-2) and the last variant (the FEF-3) which is the MOST marketable model. That strategy doesn't make business sense, even to me, a rabid transition-era UP fanatic. Of course, I would WANT them to do that...but in reverse order. I am sure the Kato FEF will be a great addition to my present fleet of brass FEF-3's and FEF-2's. :0) Cheers! Bob Gilmore
Unfortunately you are probably right on the mark. They have an excursion engine mentality when it comes to US steam with the exception of the Mike. However they do produce loads of work a day steamers for the Japanese and European markets. Go figure.
Of course they're not going to stray away from the main stream of excursion service engines. An excursion engine hits a modern audience while at the same time makes a starting point available for the modeler doing the era when the engine was new or in revenue service. It probably also has to do with the never satisfied complainers that Kato hears from on a daily basis too, THEY really have struck a nerve with Kato management. They'll do a present day 844 and the 40's modeler will cry, well here's a 40's era version, and a late 40's modeler will cry because two rivets were rearranged in 48', boo hoo it won't work for 1950. So, if we are blessed with an F-E-F-3 from Kato, enjoy it, do with it what you need to and be thankful for what you got. The HO croud (and a historical society) nearly wined and cryed Kato out the HO market. Since then, quite a while ago now, new models have been slim to none, they got new figures/people! I suggest we don't go down this road.
I recieved another Kato Japanese D51 2-8-2 today, they released a retooled version about a year ago as present day excursion engine D51 498, the one I got today is also D51 498 but in the lettering scheme it wore when it hauled the Orient Express in Japan in 1988. Kato have made several minor detail changes to backdate it to its 1988 appearence including a new tender top with different coal/oil bunkers (some D51's burnt a combination of oil and coal). In a few months we will be getting from Kato yet another D51 in a steam era, regular service version with different road numbers. They've also done different variations of the C62 4-6-4. The moral being don't you Americans let Kato tell you they can't do several variations of the same engine.
It's not that they can't or won't do variations on things. It's the bashing that they recieve when they try, a color shade is off, letters are too far apart, ect, ect... There's also some economic factors too of course, but their response to the corner they've been pushed in in the American market is, we made a starting point, do it yourself from there. I don't know how much wining and crying they get from their home market, but they sure do seem to be a bit more flexible over there.
Those durned, nit-pickin' rivet counters! Whassamatta wit' dem? They'll be the death of N-scale fersure dude! OOPS!!! Hey, I just criticized myself!! Although I do not want to be overly critical, it would seem to me that if you're going to spend nearly a million bucks (or maybe MORE!) on research and tooling for a new model, why not spend a little time and get it right? Doesn't cost any more usually...especially when talking about shades of color, typefaces and letter spacing...which don't require ANY investment in "tooling"...just a little questioning the UP experts and reading some readily available books and publications. Heck!...the 844 actually exists still, so wouldn't it be easy as pie to send out some photographers and guys with measuring tapes to crawl all over her and MAKE SURE it's done "RIGHT"?? If they don't do it "right", then they deserve to be criticized...don'tcha think? Cheers! Bob Gilmore
If Kato is doing the 844, I'd bet they've already been to Cheyenne with their tape measures. That's how they did the 4449. What I'm getting at is, it's not that Kato did do anything wrong (maybe they have), but the number of people out there that always know better, and know better only in their own opinion and then have to rag on Kato for it. You'd probably be suprised how many people feel the need to contact Kato with a thanks for nothing attitude because something wasn't done how they saw fit. Those are the trouble makers. If you like counting rivets, have at it, it's modeling, do something yourself to make you happy and take pride in. Why get jacked out of shape at manufactures, take matters into your own hands at your workbench.
Boy oh boy..... gonna leave that one alone. I can't tell you how nice it would be to have another Kato loco as a base for modifications into other roadnames' 4-8-4's (or otherwise! None of this is set in stone yet...). From Kato's technical track record, we can extrapolate that it will be a modern, DCC mechanism with tight-radius ability (for Unitrack's common radii at least), and another centipede tender on the market for kitbashers will be something of a treat. I'll also assume tha with such a big engine, weight (pulling power!) will also be up there. That's one of the biggest concerns I had (and why I never bought one) over the Con-Cor 4-8-4 of late; I am told they're fantastic models if you have sweeping, majestic curves (which many of us don't). I don't mind a little overhang if it means I get to run this-
One of my Train Shed Cyclopedias #23 has a set of very nice drawings of the FEF 1 and the more I look at it I see the potential for a number of other locos. Of course repeating what I said earlier it sure would be nice to have removable smoke deflectors and domes and not have to carve off things and sand. And a little sprue with the domes as in the FEF 1 or 3 plus the deflectors would be a nice touch for the modeler. That said I am not a UP fan and I may have less than 15 pieces of UP equipment all freight. So if I were to buy one it would be for what I can make out of it and not for what it is. Also I don't really expect to see this loco, if it gets done, probably for another year or maybe two. And somebody else could come out with it in the meanwhile. Athearn has already done the Challenger and Bigboy and who knows what lurks there next, but they have been doing some UP steam. And gaaasssp!!! there is Bmann who has been quiet of late in the N scale steam end of things. And they are way overdue to upgrade that old time worn 4-8-4 of thiers.
Like I said, Athearn's rep said they were not planning ANY new N-scale engines for the foreseeable future. Kato will make an FEF-3...not an FEF-2 or an FEF-1...it will be the 844 in modern paint with smoke lifters, oil bunker along with a "train" to go with it and it will be the modern excursion train with several new cars. One more time...NO FEF-1 It will be announced by Kato near the end of this year, and it will be on shelves early in the first quarter of next year. This is not my imagining...this is what the Kato rep told me at the SLC WGH Show.
Hey, without the smoke deflectors, and with a different tender, its close to a C & O 4-8-4 ! I'll take one!!....Mike
I don't see any FEF-1's coming down the pipeline either, but surely Kato would have the foresight to produce other road numbers as well as coal tenders to fit. In fact I want number 838 just because everyone will clamour for 844.
I'm excited for Kato to produce the F-E-F 844 and heratige train to go with it. I was going to build my own train using the COLA set but now I'm not and having the 844 to go with it makes it even better. I sure hope Kato makes it, I have a pretty good feeling it's more then just a rumor. Now if Athearn would rerun the challenger in #3985 too!
Forgot to mention.... a couple weeks ago, I was about to head home to Alameda and saw, on the tracks rolling through Emeryville, what looked to be the Coast Starlight with two private varnish UP heavyweights behind it! Fresh, perfect yellow paint and all. Awesome sight, really had me grinning from ear to ear!
I'm pretty sure Kato is going to produce it. The Athearn rep told me they were going to re-run both the Big Boys and Challengers "...in a year and a half". Let's see...the SLC WGH Show was two months ago? That makes them available near April or May of 2013. I'm sure happy that I bought a bunch of 'em a couple of years ago! They really looked good running on my modular layout at the Hostlers Model Train Festival the first weekend of this month! Tsunami sound rocks! (except for the whistle...which sucks). And...my 3985 has a coal load (not oil). My other 3985 will become a 3700 class Challenger as soon as I build a 1950's oil bunker for it. Every non-Big Boy pulled freight out of Ogden in 1952 had a helper on the rear to Wahsatch (except the Park City local) and the oil-fired 3700 class Challengers were ideal for that job since they didn't have to stop at the Echo coaling tower (which I'm building as a 24' modular LDE). One day, both Ogden and the trackage to Wahsatch will be included in the layout (if I live that long). Now, if I could only convince a quality manufacturer to make a Baby Turbine and a quality Veranda Turbine...I'd be SET! Oh...and I've got three brass FEF's. The 844 in two-tone gray with lifters, another FEF-3 in black, and an FEF-2 in black. They all will be getting Tsunami sound DCC by the October SLC NMRA show. Gonna run two of 'em consisted double-headed pulling the Overland Limited out of Ogden, just like the prototype. Should be an awesome sight! I'll be buying several more when Kato runs 'em since at least 22 passenger trains went through Weber Canyon daily in 1952 and quite a few of them were pulled by FEF's. Cheers! Bob Gilmore
