Kato Announce ES-1 style Electric Locomotive BR E3682

[MGR Hooper!]

ES-1 Style Electric Locomotive BR E3682
 

The LNER constructed a few variants of small electric locomotives, such as the ES-1, for shunting and light duties. This is an impression of such a locomotive painted in BR black with the lion and wheel emblem which utilises the ever popular and super-reliable KATO pocketline design. At this great value price, this locomotive will be popular with beginners or simply those that fancy an interesting curio on their layout.

Available for pre-order here - https://railsofsheffield.com/news/articles/3926-gaugemaster-kato-n-gauge-4-wheel-loco

[woodenhead]

Hmm, so Katos big entry after the 800/801 is to tart up existing non prototype locos with a BR livery.

 

It's a couple of wheels short of a good idea - this generic business is getting out of hand....

 

Or is this all Gaugemaster?

Edited May 6, 2021 by woodenhead

[MGR Hooper!]

15 minutes ago, woodenhead said:

Hmm, so Katos big entry after the 800/801 is to tart up existing non prototype locos with a BR livery.

 

It's a couple of wheels short of a good idea - this generic business is getting out of hand....

 

Or is this all Gaugemaster?

Thanks for pointing that out. @Andy Y can you move the topic to the Gaugemaster sub-forum please?

[woodenhead]

or @AY Mod even 

[Michael Hodgson]

It has a certain charm but it looks like it's just a version of the old Tri-ang R 254 Steeple Cab scaled down to N.

[Fenman]

The Judith Edge ES1 is a really delightful model, so it surprises me no-one has done an RTR version. The NRM Collection in Miniature would be an obvious place for it. 
 

Obviously this is not an ES1, even if they say it is...

 

Paul

[Kris]

So if this sells well does it mean we are more likely to see further locos (generic or otherwise) from Kato, or if it sells badly will we see nothing else, or will it have no bearing... The $64000 question!

[Phatbob]

8 minutes ago, Kris said:

So if this sells well does it mean we are more likely to see further locos (generic or otherwise) from Kato, or if it sells badly will we see nothing else, or will it have no bearing... The $64000 question!

 

If it sells well, what other Japanese prototypes that Kato produce in N have a UK lookalike?  That may well be the determining how many different models Kato try this trick with? 

 

Only time will tell.  In the mean time, the fun game will be finding those Japanese lookalikes.

[Claude_Dreyfus]

5 hours ago, MGR Hooper! said:

Thanks for pointing that out. @Andy Y can you move the topic to the Gaugemaster sub-forum please?

No it's not specifically a GM offering, this model is part of the main Kato range (available from Japanese shops as well). They are also available in a UP style livery under the Kato US banner.

 

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10756971

 

[MGR Hooper!]

2 minutes ago, Claude_Dreyfus said:

No it's not specifically a GM offering, this model is part of the main Kato range (available from Japanese shops as well). They are also available in a UP style livery under the Kato US banner.

 

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10756971

 

Thank you, I suppose it's something like the locos in these packs?

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10749075/20/1

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10758935/20/1

[Kris]

37 minutes ago, Phatbob said:

 

If it sells well, what other Japanese prototypes that Kato produce in N have a UK lookalike?  That may well be the determining how many different models Kato try this trick with? 

 

Only time will tell.  In the mean time, the fun game will be finding those Japanese lookalikes.

Don't all EMU's and DMU's look the same the world over (said with tongue very firmly in cheek). 

[Claude_Dreyfus]

11 minutes ago, MGR Hooper! said:

Thank you, I suppose it's something like the locos in these packs?

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10749075/20/1
 

 

Yes, it is part of the 'pocket line' range (low priced, basic models) aimed at the more junior market - but likely to form the basis for much scratch building and modifications.

 

I quite like the concept and you may find further 'international' pocket line releases in the future. I don't think we need to worry about Kato taking such prototypical liberties in their main range though 

[Johann Marsbar]

The BR version of the steeple cab was mentioned back in December on the N Gauge Forum.

 

Back in the 1980's they did produce some of their larger Japanese electric locos in a variety of North American liveries, as I remember being rather surprised to see them in one of the display cabinets at Caboose Hobbies in Denver in 1987.  Conrail and Great Northern were two of them that I remember seeing.

I've actually got a few of their Japanese electrics (in JR brown livery) on my US N gauge layout as some of them are very much like ones which were used in the USA. One of the prototypes is an English Electric built one that is similar to the CN/Montreal Harbours Board locos (also by EE) that lasted in service in Montreal until the mid 1990's!

Perhaps they should release that EE prototype model in CN colours like this.....

 

 

 

 

 

[Claude_Dreyfus]

They have a passing resemblance to the EE designed ED18 locos.

 

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10086780

 

 

[Johann Marsbar]

11 minutes ago, Claude_Dreyfus said:

They have a passing resemblance to the EE designed ED18 locos.

 

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10086780

 

 

They do two models, the ED17 is the BoBo version which was built by EE at the same time period (mid 1920's) as the Canadian ones. I've got an ED17 and an ED18, plus an ED57 (I think), from memory, though I can't get to them at the moment due to work underway on the OO layout blocking where they are kept!

 

EDIT - The ED17 & ED18 are Micro-Ace models rather than Kato

Edited May 6, 2021 by Johann Marsbar
Extra info added

[Nearholmer]

3 hours ago, Fenman said:

it surprises me no-one has done an RTR version.

 

You'm looking in the wrong scale and genre: ETS make a very nice model of an ES1 in tinplate 0 scale.

 

Of course, there were oodles of 4W OHWE locos built and used in Britain, almost all for 'industrial' customers, even if none of them looked precisely like that Japanese one.

[Gaugemaster Controls]

In Stock Now at Gaugemaster

 

Gaugemaster Collection

GM2260201 ES-1 Style Electric Locomotive

Only £49.95

 

[Roy L S]

On 06/05/2021 at 14:19, Michael Hodgson said:

It has a certain charm but it looks like it's just a version of the old Tri-ang R 254 Steeple Cab scaled down to N.

It does, and even though I normally steer well clear of anything generic, here I made an exception, for one thing at forty odd quid it would be so rude not to, secondly pure nostalgia it is so reminiscent of the Tri-ang model. Some buffers and red paint on the buffer beams and it will be even closer to something vaguely British. Then the fun of trying to fit a chip.

[Gaugemaster Controls]

On 12/06/2021 at 13:51, Roy L S said:

It does, and even though I normally steer well clear of anything generic, here I made an exception, for one thing at forty odd quid it would be so rude not to, secondly pure nostalgia it is so reminiscent of the Tri-ang model. Some buffers and red paint on the buffer beams and it will be even closer to something vaguely British. Then the fun of trying to fit a chip.

 

There are red buffer beam stickers included in with the loco.

[Roy L S]

As well as managing to get a small Zimo chip wired (almost doubling the cost of the loco but what the heck!) in I have also added glazing, red buffer beams and buffers to develop it's British look. It runs really nicely on DCC and copes with 10 wagons no bother at all.

 

An absolute bargain, and if you should want to dieselise it, the pantograph neatly pops off so you'd just need to add an exhaust pipe!

 

Roy

 

Edited June 27, 2021 by Roy L S
Photo quality

[Michael Hodgson]

On 12/06/2021 at 13:51, Roy L S said:

It does, and even though I normally steer well clear of anything generic, here I made an exception, for one thing at forty odd quid it would be so rude not to, secondly pure nostalgia it is so reminiscent of the Tri-ang model. Some buffers and red paint on the buffer beams and it will be even closer to something vaguely British. Then the fun of trying to fit a chip.

It's not my scale, but it's got me thinking about painting my Triang one black and putting that crest and a fictitious number on it.

I do have too many other jobs for that to be likely to happen though.

[Von_Meyer]

On 27/06/2021 at 12:59, Roy L S said:

As well as managing to get a small Zimo chip wired (almost doubling the cost of the loco but what the heck!) in I have also added glazing, red buffer beams and buffers to develop it's British look. It runs really nicely on DCC and copes with 10 wagons no bother at all.

 

An absolute bargain, and if you should want to dieselise it, the pantograph neatly pops off so you'd just need to add an exhaust pipe!

 

Roy

 

Hi Roy,

 

I have acquired one of these and would like to convert to DCC... Can I ask please which Chip you used and any tips would be most welcome!

[Roy L S]

 

Hi Roy,

 

I have acquired one of these and would like to convert to DCC... Can I ask please which Chip you used and any tips would be most welcome!

I used a wired Zimo MX616 which is tiny at 8 x 8 x 2.4mm, cost £32 from Youchoos. I located the chip in the cab area above the motor. 

 

The whole model very cleverly clips together so easy to get apart, wiring is easy as the chassis is split, power comes from the chassis via little phosphor bronze strips that clip into recesses in the chassis each side. De-solder these from the motor wires and solder on power leads from the chip instead, shorten the wire attached to the motor and ditto motor leads from the chip, solder together and insulate with heat-shrink. 

 

The biggest challenge was routing the wires so that the chip located in the cab area, I found that some plastic from the top of the chassis assembly needs cutting away to facilitate this, but great care is needed as you will see that this holds the motor in place, cut too much away and the worm gear disengages (don't ask how I know this...).

 

All in all pretty easy, if I can do it anyone can!

 

Regards

 

Roy

[ColinK]

Scratchbuild a larger cab and you have a 009 loco.

[Von_Meyer]

22 hours ago, Roy L S said:

I used a wired Zimo MX616 which is tiny at 8 x 8 x 2.4mm, cost £32 from Youchoos. I located the chip in the cab area above the motor. 

 

The whole model very cleverly clips together so easy to get apart, wiring is easy as the chassis is split, power comes from the chassis via little phosphor bronze strips that clip into recesses in the chassis each side. De-solder these from the motor wires and solder on power leads from the chip instead, shorten the wire attached to the motor and ditto motor leads from the chip, solder together and insulate with heat-shrink. 

 

The biggest challenge was routing the wires so that the chip located in the cab area, I found that some plastic from the top of the chassis assembly needs cutting away to facilitate this, but great care is needed as you will see that this holds the motor in place, cut too much away and the worm gear disengages (don't ask how I know this...).

 

All in all pretty easy, if I can do it anyone can!

 

Regards

 

Roy

Thanks Roy, much appreciated - I'll give it a whirl!