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Kato N scale California Zephyr is an accurate replica of a famous train
What an awesome set of cars. they look fantastic on my layout.
In March of 1957, the family took the California Zephyr from Oakland to Chicago. We were fortunate to have the drawing room in the observation lounge. It was truly spacious with lots of room, even for our 4 children. The car had a nice lounge, the obsravtion view to the rear and a delightful dome. This car was our home for the trip. The KATO car is quite accurate.
The trip enabled us to see the Feather River scenary and the Rockies at their winter finest.
The uniformed hostesses were wonderful and the dining great. We will never forget the trrp and now we can relive it on The Kato version.
We use the CB&Q, DRG, and Western Pacific diesels.
As a kid growing up in western Colorado I must have watched the California Zephyr come through the Grand Valley a thousand times if I saw it once. We would ride our bikes down to the a wooded area along the main D&RGW line coming in to Grand Junction from Denver. We would watch and wait, when the Zephyr came through we all talk about getting on and going all over the country. I remember we would place pennies on the track and get down behind some logs so we wouldn’t get hit by flying pennies when the train ran over them. We would take the pennies to school and sell them for a nickel a piece. I did this until some one told my dad and that put a stop to the pennies on the track.
I still remember how the cars sounded when they passed and what the engine sound like as it approached the grade. BOY was it swell.
As in the time when we would watch the real Zephyr the Kato model is swell to.
As a kid growing up in western Colorado I must have watched the California Zephyr come through the Grand Valley and in to Grand Junction a thousand times if I saw it come through once. We would ride our bikes down to the a wooded area along the main D&RGW line coming in to Grand Junction from Denver. We would watch and wait, when the Zephyr came through we all talk about getting on and going all over the country. I remember we would place pennies on the track and get down behind some logs so we wouldn’t get hit by flying pennies when the train ran over them. We would take the pennies to school and sell them for a nickel a piece. I did this until some one told my dad and that put a stop to the pennies on the track.
I still remember how the cars sounded when they passed and what the engine sound like as it approached the grade. BOY was it swell.
As in the time when we would watch the real Zephyr the Kato model is swell to.
These are excellent models and track well. My only regret is not having a 6-5 sleeper in the set. It was a fixture in the 1952 to 1970 consist. Another neat addition would be a Prospector paint scheme Baggage-Dorm-Coach to join with some of these cars in a 1970 to 1983 Rio Grande Zephyr.