1st let me tell you I have been in N Scale for 30 years now, I have painted way to many engines. some for my own line , see picture , and some for real roads , see another picture. All these of course you need to take apart and put back , no problem , till now. I decided to paint up the new KATO NW2 to Chicago West Pullman and Southern, so I took the shell off, and to my amazement , the trucks then fell off , along with a couple peices of copper stricps. this was because the only thing holding the mechanical parts together was the plastic hood I had just removed. I paid close to $100 for this and they cant even screw the frame together? And some junky copper strips are providing contact to the rails. How cheap can you get. My last KAto was a GP38 , and it woudl barely run, full throttle and the lights would blase and the thing would creap along, Sent it to them ,they replaced the engine , which I had already done , and guess what same problem I had painted it for TP&W and really wanted it to work . I finally fixed it , I put a Atlas GP 38 under the shell… I ca say one thing , this is my very last Kato anything.
What exactly is the purpose for this rant? Kato makes the finest N scale locomotives ever produced. The NW2 you are talking about is a fine, fine model produced to the highest standards.
Your Kato GP38 is one of the FIRST Kato units produced under the Kato name…about 20 years ago. So you cannot compare it to Kato’s modern offerings.
David B
I have a couple “KATO’s” in HO scale,these are fine running and well put together,but I must admite I have never been a big fan of their Warrenty, 90 days doesn’t seem like a lot,I look for lifetime and thats where my $$$ goes.
Mike.
Who offers a lifetime warrenty in HO scale? Ive never heard of one.
David B
The purpose of this rant is to tell people about this. Yes it looks nice , yes it runs nice , but they can do a much better job of holding the thing together. Di they expect nobody will want to paint there engine. I mean for Petes sake , the shell holding the thing together. And on the old one , why did they send it back doing the same thing, I sent a detailed letter to them. I will take Atlas any day , or maybe get a KATO and duct tape the frame toether
Mike:
I think what you need is a piece of Reality:
Bachmann’s ‘N’ gage with their !00% ‘replacement’ warranty __*__just might be a good start.
No, Don’t thank me. You’re deserving .
__note:*__Bachmann’s Warranty is not FREE. it is a $15 replacement FEE (plus shipping your engine) to factory. It’s an EXCHANGE - (1)as long as they have a replacement, (2)(it’s cheaper than paying NY Technicion ‘Union’ wages) - so 'How valuable is the product?
Current BACHMANN complaints (‘wiring’ derailing tender ), will get same problem back in exchange (not repaired) for a $27 ‘education’ fee.
HOW LONG do you think the factory will take to write a ‘Manufacturing Change Order’ to correct the current problem in China? - so you can get a ‘free’ $27 Repair?
Unfortunately, you rant will fall on deaf-ears as everyone else in N scale swears by Kato as the do-fasco standard.
The split-frame design of Katos are no different from the way Atlas and Proto units are produced. It is the culmination of decades of research and design. So saying that you will “take an Atlas any day” is just silly because they are built exactly the same way.
Plenty of people paint Kato locomotives with narry an issue…including myself.
David B
I just painted an Atlas RS-3 when I took it apart it stayed together. I just spent over 1/2 hour putting the Kato back together, and I had to use masking tape to hold it together. Yes I know they run great, everyone says so. I can not imagine why Kato did not run a coule little screws thru the frame to hold it together, maybe they have been listening to the praise too long. As I said , I paid 100 bucks for this engine and it falls aprt when I remove the frame. Try putting the little u joint things back together sometime, and I wonder how may people remove the shell and paint it.
I took my NW2 apart to install a decoder, and had no issues at all. I think it is a great little loco!
Was there anything holding yours together? All I did was remove the whole shell in one peice and I looked at the frame and the trucks were hangin down held on by the u joint that connects the truck to the flywheel. the copper strip was laying on the bench And when I put it back together the 1st time it did the same thing so I taped the frame together. Just din’t understand
Is it good practice to study exploded-parts diagrams before dissasembling any locomotive. My inclination is that you held onto the trucks to remove the shell and the trucks came off. They are just press-fitted on and will come off with any force (by design).
David B
Bachmann…
Hmmm…so I can send in my old Bachmann 2-6-2 and get a new one?
David B
Really, Thats odd I guess those little lifetime warrenty cards in Proto’s and Spectrums that have HO engine’s in them are what?
I Guess I should have said " Lifetime Limited Warrenty" And I quote the Spectrum Warrenty " Bachmann Ind., Inc will remedy any defect or Malfunction occurring in the Locomotive within the Life time of the Purchaser"
Which is still better than 90 days, I have actually used both Warrenties at no cost to me but shipping.
Or am I wrong???
Enlighten me … As I’m sure you will
Mike
Wow…I guess I just never pay attention to those little cards.
The problem is that I tend to kitbash or modify everything I buy…hence voiding any warranty in any product I buy.
It is good to see that warranties are bieng offered in this hobby, but the warranty of a particular locomotive has never been a factor to what I am buying.
David B
David-I’ve heard of people sending in 20 year old locos that Bach couldn’t fix, so they replaced them with comparable new locos for a minimum fee of $10-$15. They’ve sent me parts for my old ones for free. No questions asked. I really don’t see why people complain about their service dept.[%-)]
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Mike:
I think what you need is a piece of Reality:
Bachmann’s ‘N’ gage with their !00% ‘replacement’ warranty __just might be a good start.
No, Don’t thank me. You’re deserving .
__note:Bachmann’s Warranty is not FREE. it is a $15 replacement FEE (plus shipping your engine) to factory. It’s an EXCHANGE - (1)as long as they have a replacement, (2)(it’s cheaper than paying NY Technicion ‘Union’ wages) - so 'How valuable is the product?
Current BACHMANN complaints (‘wiring’ derailing tender ), will get same problem back in exchange (not repaired) for a $27 ‘education’ fee.
HOW LONG do you think the factory will take to write a ‘Manufacturing Change Order’ to correct the current problem in China? - so you can get a ‘free’ $27 Repair?
—
Don Gibson
… ________ _
I I()||| ||||| I / I
((||----------| | |||||||||| I ______ I
// o–O O O O-----o o OO-------OO
###########################
Gee $27 Dollars, What does KATO Offer??? After 90 Days??.
Mike
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I have no complaints about Bachmann’s service department as they offer a lifetime warranty. Within one year they will repair or replace the loco for free. You just pay the postage to send it to them. After one year there’s a service charge of $10 for HO or N scale locos. I’ve had two locos, one Large Scale and the other On30, promptly repaired and replaced by them.
Gee…a locomotive that never requires warranty repair, perhaps?
Again, I have never considered a warranty when it comes to my locomotive purchases. Kato makes the finest locos in HO and probably will always. They offer trouble free operation (save the SD40 fiasco…a simple fix though).
David B
I really don’t remember. I think I’ll pop it open over the weekend and see what’s up! I just don’t remember an issue. If there was one, it obviously didn’t bother me much!