I had never seen HO rolling stock kits from KATO before. However, now they offer some on a very limited basis, which might be of interest to you if you need a covered hopper from one of 7 railroads, including GE, B&M, Great Northern, Monon, Seaboard, Wabash, or WM. The kits only come in sets of 3 cars, with a retail price at MBKlein of around $34 (although now most of them seem to be sold out). I obtained a set of Wabash hoppers. They are very easy to assemble, press fit, no glue required. The detailing is above Accurail, but below Intermountain/Red Caboose/Branchline. The grab irons are mostly molded on; however, the hinges of the hatches are very delicate individual pieces.
Disclaimer: I do not have any commercial benefit from the success of KATO USA.
JW
I did not see them on the MB Klein site but they are mentioned on the Kato website.
Their photo proof-reader should make sure all the cars are on the rails before approving a photo, note the B&M car...
https://www.katousa.com/HO/Hopper/index.html
I have not followed Kato releases since the Amtrak P-42s. Their HO offerings are pretty scarce.
Thanks for the info,
Ed
These aren't realy new, just a re-run of the kits Kato offered many years ago (unless they're old stock that's trickling out to dealers). They've been gone from hobby shop shelves for so long as to be largely forgotten.
I had a three pack of the GN cars, but only built one (it's the same road number as the one currently shown on the page linked above), then gave the others to a friend. The kits are designed to snap together. The trucks and wheelsets work very well, but the Kato plastic couplers don't. Fortunately it's easy to replace the couplers with Kadees.
These are reasonable cars for the price. As I recall the three packs retailed for around $45 the first time, so there's essentially no adjustment for inflation reflected in the Kato site's pricing. At roughly the same cost per car as an Accurail or Scale Trains kit, they're a steal.
Rob Spangler
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
gmpullman Their photo proof-reader should make sure all the cars are on the rails before approving a photo, note the B&M car... https://www.katousa.com/HO/Hopper/index.html
Had to chuckle at that one, Ed. Only a couple of days ago did I contact a seller on eBay about the upside down smoke box cover on an OMI 2-8-2 Mike. It was custom-painted and being sold "as is" so I inquired as to whether the cover could be rotated 180-degrees or not. The seller quickly picked up where I was going with that and sent me a brief thank you a short-time later for the catch. It's probably still up for auction, if you want to catch the "typo".
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
tstageHad to chuckle at that one, Ed. Only a couple of days ago did I contact a seller on eBay about the upside down smoke box cover on an OMI 2-8-2 Mike.
...and I've lost track of how many times I've seen photos where the tender is placed with the coal bunker facing away from the cab
Still, from an outfit like Kato I would expect a little more attentiveness
Cheers,
The original run of these included Rio Grande cars. They used an odd dark gray that some found off-putting as it wasn't even close to right. Unless you're a Rio Grande fan, this might not be such a problem.
They are great cars, though, on the whole, well worth the asking price.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
The original run also included Santa Fe.
I had these in stock in my hobby shop (1997-1999) and they were good sellers. The kits are designed to be assembled without glue. I originally built 2 of 3 cars that way; and never finished the 3rd. I recently re-discovered this kit, and am assembling it with spots of super glue. I never really trusted the two unglued, but assembled cars.
Goodness. My unglued kits have been in fine shape since they were first available -- it takes maybe 10 minutes to get the whole thing up and running. Wonder if they found a forgotten pallet sitting somewhere? Kadee also manages to supply assembled cars without glueing anything together. Masterful tookmaking.
Funny thing is the middle car is off the track partially, quite funny!
I have a slew of these from the earlier run and am very fond of them. When asked about re-running these some years ago, somebody at Kato was very negative about it. They may have made too many of them and the market was flooded. Or perhaps customers didn't feel they needed three of the same roadname. What may have brought them back was the need to include some rollingstock in their Unitrack starter sets, which I notice include three assembled hoppers.
At first I thought this might be a necro'd topic cause I've been watching MBK regularly and never saw the KATO covered hopper kits listed. I just did a search now and nothing ... will try again but anyway...
Yes, like Rob noted, these have been around for a long time - not a new player as the OP stated. I've found the 3 car D&RGW set on Ebay for $20 about 12 years ago and those kits literally snapped together, no glue required.
My goodness they were the best engineered kits' I've ever built. It's a shame Kato hasn't done other kits since those were first released way back nearly 20 years ago. I'll have to keep an eye out for another set - I wouldn't mind the NP car.
The only thing I don't like about my D&RGW set and kept me from buying them for a years was the awful dark gray color they are painted - I mean really dark! That said, I don't think I've seen a photo of them when they were new so maybe they were that dark. The only reason I overcame my loathing of the color is the cheap price I was able to get the 3-car set for ($20). Building them was a joy as I found out.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
I have noticed that lately ModelTrainStuff has had a lot items label 'warehouse find'. Maybe that is what these were.
I too have one of those 3-car sets from Kato. I haven't built any of them yet, but I am glad that they are so easy to build and that they are spoken so highly of here. I believe my Erie Lackawanna set is close to the right color of gray, but I haven't seen prototype photos of these cars.
I noticed that Kato is still stating they are an ACF prototype, by all the experts on the MFCL they are actually a GATC proptotype car.
Rick Jesionowski
Rule 1: This is my railroad.
Rule 2: I make the rules.
Rule 3: Illuminating discussion of prototype history, equipment and operating practices is always welcome, but in the event of visitor-perceived anacronisms, detail descrepancies or operating errors, consult RULE 1!
SouthPenn I have noticed that lately ModelTrainStuff has had a lot items label 'warehouse find'. Maybe that is what these were.
Believe me, I watch MBK and have seen lots of those "warehouse finds" and never saw the KATO 3-car kits.
As I am the OP, let me chime in again. I find the history of these hoppers very interesting; my thanks to everyone contributing to this history. After playing with a Maerklin train set early in my life (in the 1960s), I re-started with this hobby around 2002, when my son turned three. Thus, I was not aware that these hoppers had already been in the market in the 1990s.
I check the MBKlein web site several times a week, looking at the new products in HO; some of them can be sold out very rapidly. This is how I came across these KATO kits; the MBKlein inventory listed only one or two sets available for each road name. I immediately ordered the Wabash set. When I searched the MBKlein web site again a week later, before posting the original post, none of the sets were left.
Thanks again
riogrande5761 SouthPenn I have noticed that lately ModelTrainStuff has had a lot items label 'warehouse find'. Maybe that is what these were. Believe me, I watch MBK and have seen lots of those "warehouse finds" and never saw the KATO 3-car kits.
Google KAT-380205, and you will get the MBKlein listing with an "out of stock" designation.
Great kits.
Buy them if I find them. Have about 4-5 sets so far.
Very nice for the money, enjoyable to put together and they don't fall apart when touched.
Other makers could learn a lot from putting a few of these together.
DrW Google KAT-380205, and you will get the MBKlein listing with an "out of stock" designation.
No need. At this point, its moot since mbk is sold out. That train has left the station as they say.
FWIW
Ebay has about two-dozen listed anywhere from $32 on up.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=kato+ho+freight+car+hopper&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xkato+ho+freight+cars+hopper.TRS0&_nkw=kato+ho+freight+cars+hopper&_sacat=0
Good Luck, Ed
As always there is Ebay of course. Thats where I got the only Kato kits I have over 10 years ago.
If the D&RGW cars were used between Denver and the coal fields in NW Colorado they would indeed be dark from repeated trips through the Moffat Tunnel. The steam days of the D&SL revealed cars that looked as if they were all painted black.
Rex Beistle
Rex Beistle If the D&RGW cars were used between Denver and the coal fields in NW Colorado they would indeed be dark from repeated trips through the Moffat Tunnel. Rex Beistle
If the D&RGW cars were used between Denver and the coal fields in NW Colorado they would indeed be dark from repeated trips through the Moffat Tunnel.
These cars are not factory weathered, or they would look it. No, KATO just used a very dark shade of gray, several shades darker even than the Kadee 2-bay I have, which is several shades darker than the Bowser 2-bay.
It is standard for model makers to attempt to paint freight cars in their "as delivered" color, but as many of us know, they often come out looking wrong to us. Some companies claim to use actual paint chips, in which case they can claim accuracy, but then there is the issue of how the color hue and brightness translates into model railroad rooms (where the color appears quite dark) vs. say, full sun (where the color appears much lighter).