Kato/Peco Announce FR Locos in 009! (confirmed!)

[PeterStiles]

5 minutes ago, Pre Grouping fan said:

but I think it's pretty much dead

I wouldn't bank in that, this is a Kato project and I'm sure it was embarked upon based on expected sales in Japan. I can't see Bachmann's offering faring as well in the land of the rising sun as a Home Grown one. Kato always talk in production runs of 10,000+, not the paltry 1 or 2 thousand you may sell in the UK...

[BernardTPM]

There are plenty of alternative FR Double Fairlies: going early there's James Spooner as built, going '70s/'80s there's 'The Square' while the current EoM, DLG and the new build James Spooner are all to a larger loading gauge.

Edited June 13, 2023 by BernardTPM

[Steamport Southport]

All potentially available from Bachmann though, I'm pretty sure they said they can do them all in the article in the BCC magazine. 

 

They already do DLG.

 

https://www.Bachmann-collectorsclub.co.uk/product/category/693/ffestiniog-railway-double-fairlie-'david-lloyd-george'-fr-lined-red/391-100k

 

I think Kato/PECO have probably missed the boat.

 

 

Jason

[PaulRhB]

20 minutes ago, Steamport Southport said:

They already do DLG

Albeit it’s too small as DLG is actually a few percent larger all round. That’s why it was a club model. 

Last I heard from someone in the know was they were still intending doing it with traction tyres, like Prince, because it would haul more. As Kato don’t do project updates and only reveal at shows so if it doesn’t get dropped I suspect the next we will see is a tooling prototype. 

[BernardTPM]

Yes, Bachmann's DLG is too small.

On the other hand it will be interesting to see if Kato ever do the tall cab version of Prince. The cab and chimney are separate parts so wouldn't require a complete retooling. I suspect it won't happen though.

[Watto1990]

I see from the September issue of Railway Modeller that Large England locomotives will be joining the range next year. 

Edited August 8, 2023 by Watto1990

[SR71]

Thanks @Watto1990.

 

Wallet bracing for impact. Is Welsh Pony in there or currently unknown?

[Watto1990]

- Welsh Pony in brown

- Little Giant in maroon

- Exmoor Pony in Southern Railway Green (fictional Lyndon & Barnstable model)

[SR71]

First disappointment, having seen Welsh Pony in December light I thought it was black. Then looked back at my photos;

 

 

Definitely brown! Far more excited than I have reasonable excuse to be. Wallet cowering in the corner.

 

Really cheered up what's been quite a challenging day although it hasn't helped my adrenaline levels any.

[jjb1970]

I think Peter Stiles is correct, Kato may go ahead or may cancel, but either way I don't think Bachmann will determine which way they go. Kato's core market is Japan, they make overseas models largely because it pleases Mr Kato (a passionate rail enthusiast, he is the real deal) and there is a market for them in Japan. Their N gauge IEP/800 sold well in Japan and it appears the narrow gauge kettles have been very well received in Japan. British demand and the collaboration with Peco are nice extras and a few welcome additional sales but Japan is the market that really matters to them.

[SR71]

Large England initial listing on Hattons;

 

https://www.hattons.co.uk/directory/versiondetails/6023/peco_products_oo9_0_4_0stt_ffestiniog_large_england

 

 

[mcowgill]

FYI my understanding is that these are not true Large Englands, the difference between these and the earlier releases is disc driving wheels instead of spoked and a different tank moulding with a forward position nameplate.  The wheelbase remains unchanged and the cab will be the current moulding from Princess/Prince rather than one with the larger symmetrical arrangement of front and rear sections of the cab side sheets.

 

Please don't take that this as criticism of Kato/Peco, I'm happy to see more models encouraging 009 modelling and most people aren't long time FR rivet counters like me!   

 

My under construction 1920s WHR layout has large radius scratchbuilt track and needs a Large England.  With disc driving wheels I can probably live with the wheelbase discrepancy and have ideas about extending the cab to the correct size as I don't need much of a gap to the tender to squeeze round tight curves.  

 

Martin

Edited August 11, 2023 by mcowgill
typo

[E100]

I'd also presume the mechanism is identical so not designed for DCC.

[MrTea]

If anyone's considering buying a PECO/Kato England there's currently a real bargain (reduced to £75) on the green version of Princess on the Hattons website: https://www.hattons.co.uk/978857/peco_products_51_251_f_ffestiniog_small_england_0_4_0tt_1_princess_in_ffestiniog_railway_green/stockdetail

[rogerzilla]

S*m's Tr*ins has recently reviewed the Small England.  I thought it looked pretty good but nothing with traction tyres pleases him much.

[PaulRhB]

55 minutes ago, rogerzilla said:

 

S*m's Tr*ins has recently reviewed the Small England

 

 

 

[jjb1970]

I find his reviews pretty useful even though I disagree a lot of the time as they do show the model pretty well and how to remove the body. I  also find him an engaging presenter. That said, his obsession with price and use of pejorative like 'rip off merchant' to describe models he thinks are expensive gets a bit much. And his use of the word 'quality' is annoying, in his view it seems to mean 'heavy'. His review of the England was typical, good in parts but felt like a hatchet job in parts.

[franciswilliamwebb]

Sam's views of the Small England pretty much match mine.  I was very tempted indeed to dabble in 009 after Bachmann's releases but the Peco offering, despite the Kato mech, doesn't seem to appeal to me in the same way even if I ignore the price.

 

But as I haven't played with one I could of course be wrong! 🙂

 

 

[Quarryscapes]

My Peco England is the best running 009 model I've ever owned, better than the Bachmann Fairlie and leagues ahead of their Hunslets. (On DC only, I'm sure DCC would being the Bachmann models up to matching perfromance) 

[big jim]

I’ve not run mine yet as I’m not sure how to DCC it up! 
 

 

[Roy Langridge]

36 minutes ago, big jim said:

I’ve not run mine yet as I’m not sure how to DCC it up! 
 

 

I hardwired a small decoder in my four, a Zimo a MX616R by memory. A fairly straightforward job. 
 

Roy

[big jim]

1 hour ago, Roy Langridge said:

I hardwired a small decoder in my four, a Zimo a MX616R by memory. A fairly straightforward job. 
 

Roy

did you do a thread about it or anything, or did you see a guide as I really want to get mine up and running 

[Roy Langridge]

41 minutes ago, big jim said:

did you do a thread about it or anything, or did you see a guide as I really want to get mine up and running 

I didn’t unfortunately. I was trained as an electronic engineer so relatively simple for me. 
 

I am away at the moment, when I am back I will pop the body off and take some photos. 
 

Roy

[Hiesler]

I installed a Zimo MX616R.

The motor connects to the split chassis with phosphor bronze strips that slot into the sides. If you pull these out and unclip the motor, one can do all the soldering away from the model.

[Hiesler]

Removed due to wrong thread. Easy mistake to make as one usually doesn't see a separate threads for each subclass of loco.

Edited Tuesday at 17:42 by Hiesler