I am planning to purchase one of Kato’s four passenger car kits (probably the SP with coach, dinner, pullman and sleeper). I was hoping someone could give me their opinion of the quality, etc.
I plan to repaint so are they easy to disassemble? Are the windows easy to remove, the body easy to disassemble, etc…
Thanks for any input!
Peter
My primary interest is modeling passenger equipment, although I model in HO. I have taken a look at their (Kato’s) new Super Chief run, and those cars look to be spectacular. It they are representative of the rest of Kato’s pax cars, I don’t see where you could go wrong. At least they didn’t botch up the Super Chief like Walther’s did with their HO run. I would love to have those “Regal” and “Palm” sleepers RTR in HO, although the brass car sides are fun.
I have one of Kato’s business cars. Getting it apart was somewhat difficult…mainly because I was afraid I’d break something.
Peter,
My experience is limited to seeing the Super Chief cars and owning a set of smooth side passenger cars, plus a few extras (3 domes and an extra coach). The smooth sides are in pieces getting painted and decals. They came apart with no real problem. The shells slide off the frames, trucks are held in place with a screw, the window sheets fit into place as do the interiors. I can only assume the other passenger car types are similar.
Hope that helps.
That doesn’t seem “limited” at all! Were these cars N-scale? This will be my first paint job so I am reluctant.
Thank you for the valuable information.
Peter
They are indeed all N-scale. They aren’t difficult at all. I painted them Floquil Platinum Mist with a lightened version Polly Scale Atlantic Coast Line Purple window stripe. Anything below the car body is black. All was done with an airbrush except the black which was minimal enough I used a brush. I’m using black decal stripes to sharpen up the lines between colors. I brush painted the interiors with a couple of craft store acrylics.
They are getting pulled by a Kato PA/PB set, which is in “the paint shop” at the same time.
I’m probably a few days work (not calendar days) before I start applying decals, which I am yet to print. Unfortunately, this work is competing with a lot of other household chores these days, so progress has slowed.
I hear on the house chores… ahh spring time. Please post some photos when your done, would really like to see.
Thanks again,
Peter
Peter,
Rather than take up everybody’s bandwidth by posting them here, the links to a few shots of the Kato passenger cars are below. Remember, these are in progress. A little touch up needs to be done, and thin black stripes will frame the purple window stripes, and also run on the very bottom of the car body (just above the wheels). Each seam between colors will also be framed with a thin black stripe on both the A and B unit.
The colors are a little washed out.
Enjoy, or use them as a lesson of “don’t let this happen to you!”
http://home.earthlink.net/~adelie/PA-PB.jpg
http://home.earthlink.net/~adelie/Observation.jpg
http://home.earthlink.net/~adelie/Dome.jpg
http://home.earthlink.net/~adelie/Coach.jpg
http://home.earthlink.net/~adelie/Diner.jpg
http://home.earthlink.net/~adelie/Sleeper.jpg
http://home.earthlink.net/~adelie/RPO.jpg
They are lookin’ good so far!! That will be a sharp lookin’ passenger train.
Thanks Smitty,
The entire train will be the RPO, a baggage car (not pictured), a sleeper on some runs, 2 coaches, a diner, 3 domes and the observation. The baggage car has been a pain in the rear for some reason!