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Kato GEX sets and the future


backofanenvelope
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  • 9 months later...
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  • 11 months later...

A GE 4/4 II and Einheitswagen, I've just wet myself with excitement. Would have liked a GE 4/4 III in Hockey Club Chur livery but you can't have everything. Hopefully Kato might go for a couple of freight wagons now. 

 

My shopping list has just got bigger!

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I did notice that one. Although I'm aiming for a Co-Op Ge 4/4 III from Germany in the next month or so. I wonder if Kato will do the Hakone livery on Ge 4/4 II for the Japanese market.

 

I'm really pleased this range has taken off, and it will spur me on with my layout now.

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Gaaaaaghhhh.

 

No need to thank me - just because I've spent best part of £150 THIS WEEK on shapeways prints of a GE4/4 II and one of each first and third class EWI coaches..

 

Talk about taking one for the team.  :blackeye:

 

Jon

Edited by jonhall
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Noch is the driving force behind the expansion of this range, so no surprise. Kato/Lemke tends to cover the standard gauge models

 

 

My layout will be at Eurotrack in a fortnight

 

and coming soon in CM

 

 

Here are some of my efforts (personal and Shapeways)

 

gallery_3117_4158_26473.jpggallery_3117_4158_38369.jpg

 

gallery_3117_4158_94267.jpg

Edited by Gordonwis
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A GE 4/4 II and Einheitswagen, I've just wet myself with excitement. Would have liked a GE 4/4 III in Hockey Club Chur livery but you can't have everything. Hopefully Kato might go for a couple of freight wagons now. 

 

My shopping list has just got bigger!

 

The Davos Hockey Club Version is offered by AB Modell...

 

http://www.n-schmalspur.de/neu17-00.pdf

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Gaaaaaghhhh.

 

No need to thank me - just because I've spent best part of £150 THIS WEEK on shapeways prints of a GE4/4 II and one of each first and third class EWI coaches..

 

Talk about taking one for the team.  :blackeye:

 

Jon

 

 

All may not be lost. I think the Shapeways Ge4/4II will sit OK with the Kato, it's pretty good dimensions - wise and easy to assemble. I am expecting that both will run on my layout at the same time - but would avoid double heading .

 

I think the EWI's will be an OK match, again the shapeways one is pretty good appearance wise, and as the current (though threatened) RhB style is to run trains with many variants of EW stock in the same train - the real trains don't look totally homogenious. I suspect the Kato EWIs will be issued with current type of bodyside stripe, so putting an older variant of the stripe and logo on the Shapeways would help to split the two types visually. 

 

Again, I would plan to run both on my layout at the same time, although perhaps not in the same train.

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Time for a heads up:

 

Adding the latest announced models, by 2018, Kato will have issued a total of 16 different models (usual disclaimers apply!):

 

Ge4/4III - 7 versions

Allegra 3-car EMU - 2 versions (different running numbers)

Glacier Express 2006 design coaches - 2 versions

Bernina Express coaches 

EWI (as just announced)

Ge4/4II (2 versions just announced)

 

8 versions of the Ge4/4III are/will have been available. In brackets in the list below are the date periods during which the locos ran in this livery on the RhB. Those who like time period realism on layouts  should note some of the dates carefully as some combinations will be unrealistic, for example Heidiland Bernina should not run with the Glacier Express coaches as the latter have only run since 2006, and Die Kleine Rote only just coincided with the 2006 GEX sets. This may explain why it has sold less well than the Lazzarini issued at the same time. As can be seen from the list 644 being in plain red in 2011-12 matches the date of the original Kato release.

 

641 Heidiland Bernina Express (1995-98)

641 Co-op (1999 - today) BUT the 'fruit and veg' picture  changed in that time

642 Albula / Ruinalta 100 (2003-08)

644 plain red (1994-95 and 2011-12)

644 Lazzarini yellow (2013 - today)

650 Die Kleine Rote (2000 - 2006)

650 Unesco (2007 - today)

651 Glacier on Tour (2005 - today)

 

As there are only 12 loks in the class, that's not bad!

 

Finally a couple of other things to note:

 

I have looked at the possibility of modifying the Allegra 3-car into the 4-car S-Bahn version, but although at first glance it might seem easy, the window/door etc arrangements would require quite a few quite complex modifications.

 

The new universal driving trailers are very similar to an Allegra coach so Kato may well choose to do one, similarly the AGZ.

 

 

 

 

BTW: Interesting to look back in this and other forums to some early posts suggesting the original Kato GEX models would be a one off...

 

.

Edited by Gordonwis
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Another interesting add-on, really curious to see the mast actual size...

 

It looks the same size as the Japanese round pole.

 

It looks a bit generic to me, not particularly pure RhB and the bottom arm is far too short.

 

Also it suffers from the problem I have had with using Kato bases. I have long wanted the simplicity of using Kato's method 'out of the box' but it causes the following problems:

 

1) the crossways base under the track lifts the trackbed a mm or so above the baseboard, complicating the work of blending the track into the scenery

2) the base suits round poles which are not used in Switzerland or France (although OK for a German layout). This accessory has not been modified with a new version of the cross base in a 'square hole' shape, so looks silly . I have previously made several attempts to modify the Kato bases to suit square girder poles but the round Kato base plate always makes it look silly.

3) the height of the pole is always wrong because the base sits at the bottom of the ballast shoulder  so is usually too low above the track itself for European model locos. Ideally Kato need to do an accessory that would be a bit like a fat plastic washer, to boost the height for people who want it  

 

This offering doesn't change any of the above so I won't be getting any. I shall continue to use slightly modified  (Sommerfeldt or N-Train). 

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It looks a bit generic to me, not particularly pure RhB and the bottom arm is far too short.

 

It looks reasonably like one type of mast and a pull off one too. Thing is there are several pretty distinctive types and the station gantries are pretty essential too :)

I think they've effectively only modelled the insulator on the bottom arm looking at the two masts so a bit of brown paint would help. Modelling the arm would be impossible in plastic when they intend it to be handled on a typical temporary Japanese home set up.

As Gordon noted there are better options if you want to get closer to scale on a layout :)

The AB model are the cream for Nm

Go to produckte - oberleitung

http://www.n-schmalspur.de

Edited by PaulRhB
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(...)

As Gordon noted there are better options if you want to get closer to scale on a layout :)

The AB model are the cream for Nm

Go to produckte - oberleitung

http://www.n-schmalspur.de

Well, I just wanted to let you see another Kato news - I am really curious to see it  :) as I never saw a japanese-style pole.

As I am modelling Nm, I know quite well Michael Bange and N-Track production   :angel:

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No criticism of posting it, very useful with the unitrack as kato's Japanese customers often just set up temp layouts.

I'd be happy to use them on a layout by cutting off the flat plate and gluing them on, just adding to Gordon's list of options ;)

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