Kato announces Class 800 in N

[JR_P]

On 25/06/2024 at 18:29, Bumpkin said:

Having just ran the full 9 car around a Kato V14 loop, there is little to no effect at all. The motor carriage has 2 traction tyres fitted (which the 5 car did not) on one wheel on the inner most axles diagonally across from each other.
 

The inside bearing bogies are free running

I find it curious that Kato opted for traction tires - I hate them! Even more surprising if their inside bearing bogies are very free rolling….

 

I actually ‘semi-permanently’ coupled my 5-car units together to run as a ten car (partly due to the, then, scarcity of the proprietary DCC chips)…. when I did so I also removed the powered vehicle from one of the 5-car units [of each ten car set] and replaced with a non-powered chassis/bogies from Gaugemaster…. again, this saved further on DCC chips…. point being though, is that I run ten car units with a single motor vehicle - the ten car set runs perfectly; so I’m slightly surprised that Kato felt the need to use traction tires on a 9-car unit….!

 

Anyway, as a consequence I have lots of ‘regular’ geared axel wheelsets spare, so presumably I can just do a straight swap with the traction tired variety as supplied with the 9-car…. 🤗 !

 

As an aside, the proprietary DCC chips are total gash, many of which I found to be faulty (could either do head or tail lights, but not both; also almost impossible to change address, either with POM or on program track)…. anyway, for £30 extra seems you can buy DCC onboard with this release, which will be well worth it, as any cab/motor vehicles that have faulty DCC chips can go straight back for a replacement…. which will save weeks of faffing around trying to find permutations of DCC chips and vehicles that work appropriately…. most bizarrely is that you get different results from the same chip in a different vehicle…. so perplexing…. 🤨

[franciswilliamwebb]

25 minutes ago, JR_P said:

I find it curious that Kato opted for traction tires - I hate them! Even more surprising if their inside bearing bogies are very free rolling….

 

As an aside, the proprietary DCC chips are total gash, many of which I found to be faulty (could either do head or tail lights, but not both; also almost impossible to change address, either with POM or on program track)

 

Agreed on both counts.

 

Fortunately Kato un-tired wheel sets have historically been easily available, I used to get them from Plaza Japan amongst others.

 

I tend to hard-wire better DCC chips into my Japanese Kato units, like you I had loads of problems with those Kato efforts (made by Digitrax) and learned the hard way!

[jjb1970]

The Japanese have never really taken to digital, the hobby is still largely analogue in Japan. Especially the dominant N scale.

[John Isherwood]

5 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

The Japanese have never really taken to digital, the hobby is still largely analogue in Japan. Especially the dominant N scale.

 

Ironic, when you remember the ground-breaking electronics that came out of Japan.

 

I have to say that I'm with them on this issue!

 

CJI.

[franciswilliamwebb]

 

Points out some of the compromises Kato have taken on this one (read the text, the audio probably won't help!)

[Kaput]

The silver wheels are a bit odd looking.

 

Do wish they'd do some 802s (and newer) though.

[Kris]

The Paddington class 800's with sound are apparently now in stock. I have just been contacted by Kernow to say that they expect them tomorrow. 

[njee20]

The silver wheels look awful. How odd. The re-use of chassis is disappointing too. I have to be tickled by the £248 price being deemed expensive though!

[JR_P]

22 hours ago, njee20 said:

The silver wheels look awful.

Yeah, terrible 🤨 !
 

In this day and age there is literally no excuse for that - its just going to make the 9-car 800 look so bizarre.

 

In that review video above, the reviewer pointed out that Kato have done the same on their German ICE, but on the ICE, all wheels on the entire set were inside bearing, and thus consistent for the whole ICE set - whilst still undesirable, at least there is consistency…. the 800 is just going to look downright weird….

 

As for the generic underframe, I can live with that…. but with all the compromises as a result of using generic parts, why haven’t Kato done a TPE 5-car…. or Hull Trains, or a Lumo….? Especially given that they proved with the Azuma that they have mastered complex liveries.

 

i was really looking forward to the 9-car, but the compromises and little niggles are starting to rack up…. yeah, sure it’s good value for money, but I shouldn’t have to take it upon myself to chemical blacken wheelsets; this is not a 1990s Farish model…. 😆

…. speaking of [Farish] pizza-cutter wheelsets, that reminds me; the flanges on Kato wheelsets are much deeper than other contemporary manufacturers…. before moving house recently, I was using a layout with Atlas code 55 and the Kato 800 does lightly bump over the moulded sleeper chairs; granted the flanges must only be like a thousandth of an inch too deep, but nothing else comes close (apart from the early Dapol Voyager from 2008-ish; but that’s more than 15yrs ago!).

 

Grumble over…. 😜

 

 

[Ian_M]

I've now got them in stock and done some running. Honestly the wheels are not really noticeable at all from normal viewing angles.

 

Ian

[njee20]

As the man selling them you'll forgive me if I take your review with a healthy dose of scepticism! 

 

3 hours ago, JR_P said:

Yeah, terrible 🤨 !
 

In this day and age there is literally no excuse for that - its just going to make the 9-car 800 look so bizarre.

 

In that review video above, the reviewer pointed out that Kato have done the same on their German ICE, but on the ICE, all wheels on the entire set were inside bearing, and thus consistent for the whole ICE set - whilst still undesirable, at least there is consistency…. the 800 is just going to look downright weird….

 

As for the generic underframe, I can live with that…. but with all the compromises as a result of using generic parts, why haven’t Kato done a TPE 5-car…. or Hull Trains, or a Lumo….? Especially given that they proved with the Azuma that they have mastered complex liveries.

 

i was really looking forward to the 9-car, but the compromises and little niggles are starting to rack up…. yeah, sure it’s good value for money, but I shouldn’t have to take it upon myself to chemical blacken wheelsets; this is not a 1990s Farish model…. 😆

…. speaking of [Farish] pizza-cutter wheelsets, that reminds me; the flanges on Kato wheelsets are much deeper than other contemporary manufacturers…. before moving house recently, I was using a layout with Atlas code 55 and the Kato 800 does lightly bump over the moulded sleeper chairs; granted the flanges must only be like a thousandth of an inch too deep, but nothing else comes close (apart from the early Dapol Voyager from 2008-ish; but that’s more than 15yrs ago!).

 

Grumble over…. 😜

 

 

All good points, and hard to argue with any of it. I use code 40 track, and whilst Kato models are generally fine absolutely any variation will have them bumping on the chairs. Interesting a Revolution Pendolino also clouts the chairs if it's lost its traction tyres (which 3 of mine have!) 🙄

 

 

[Steadfast]

Outside the box, but it's probably easier for customers to add some black or dark grey paint to the rim and hub of a shiny wheel, than to add a shiny brake disc to a dark wheel.

 

Jo

[njee20]

You have to assume that was Kato's logic, given most of their wheels aren't shiny.

[Mike Harvey]

Ronnie Corbett (or an enterprising Japanese supplier)  may be stocking the correct size of rub-down letter “O” in a weathered wheel shade.  Pack of 16 should do it. 

Edited July 25 by Mike Harvey
Corrected to 16

[Kris]

Sadly I have had to return my sound fitted version. No sound, no drive. Kernow have dealt with it well. They tested it in store and agreed that it is likely to be a chip fault. They didn't have a replacement set in the store but have ordered one in. Hopefully this one will be better. 

 

- Edit the replacement has arrived and is much better (i.e. it works). The sound file is good, it's a YouChoos sound project on a Zimo chip. 

Edited July 27 by Kris
update on replacement.