# kato question



## QueenoftheGN (Dec 10, 2019)

https://www.modeltrainstuff.com/kato-n-1060421-f7a-b-locomotive-set-great-northern-444c-444d/

any good?


https://www.modeltrainstuff.com/kato-n-1768934-ge-es44ac-diesel-engine-canadian-pacific-8700/

any good?

https://www.modeltrainstuff.com/atl...silver-series-emd-sd60-canadian-pacific-6257/

any good?



thanks!


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Kato N scale is top of line products.
Price? Up to you.


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## clovissangrail01 (Oct 8, 2019)

I cannot address the Atlas locomotive, and I cannot address those specific Kato locmotives, but I can say that every locomotive serving Prairie City, with the exception of a couple of Mopac E units, is a Kato locomotive, and they have performed flawlessly for me.

This includes Santa Fe A and B F units, CMSP&P A and B F units, CB&Q E unit, and a C&NW E unit (see below).

That's a nice price on those F7s.


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## Fire21 (Mar 9, 2014)

Every company makes a lemon now and then, but overall you cannot go wrong with Kato. From what I've read, Atlas is also very good quality.

Are those locos DCC equipped or DCC ready?


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## QueenoftheGN (Dec 10, 2019)

Fire21 said:


> Every company makes a lemon now and then, but overall you cannot go wrong with Kato. From what I've read, Atlas is also very good quality.
> 
> Are those locos DCC equipped or DCC ready?


Neither ( I think )


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## clovissangrail01 (Oct 8, 2019)

I would expect the two Katos to be DCC-Ready. In fact, they both say 'Drop-in DCC compatible' if you click the Read More link.


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*Yes, they're "good!"*



QueenoftheGN said:


> https://www.modeltrainstuff.com/kato-n-1060421-f7a-b-locomotive-set-great-northern-444c-444d/
> 
> any good?
> 
> ...



QueenoftheGN;

If it says Kato on the box, it's not just good, it's excellent! I have yet to encounter a bad Kato product. "Kato" is actually the last name of the Japanese gentleman who owns the Kato company. He's a model railroader himself, and he takes great pride in the products that bear his name. They simply don't make bad products. They also don't make cheap products, but their excellent quality is well worth their higher price.
I own about a dozen of the earlier production Kato F-7s in DC only. They are smooth runners, but they are noisier than my many other Kato locomotives. Run at scale speed, the gear noise is still there, but muted. Thes locos were bought over 20 years ago, and current production may well be quieter. Kato locomotives in general are very quiet, and smooth runners.

If you run DCC, You might check out the Kato FP-7 (note the 'P' *) A & B units sold at modeltrainstuff.com I recently bought that set, lettered for Milwaukee Road, (maybe they have GN?) The FP-7s I bought are both powered, AND DO have factory-installed DCC (motor & light only, no sound)
I don't remember the exact price, but I don't think it was much more than the price shown in your first link. ($130 maybe?) Excellent bargain for two powered, DCC equipped, Kato, locomotives.

The locomotives shown in your second, and third, links are too modern for my railroad, so I don't own either, and therefore, I don't know anything about them, other than that both Kato, and Atlas, are very good brands of locomotives. Some Atlas locomotives are actually manufactured for Atlas by Kato. However, Atlas also buys from other manufacturers, so there's no guarantee that the Atlas locomotive shown in your third link was made by Kato.

Finally, modeltrainstuff,com is a reputable, reliable, online dealer.

Good luck, Have fun;

Traction Fan :smilie_daumenpos:

* A prototype FP-7 was a slightly longer version of a standard F-7. The extra length housed a steam generator used to heat passenger cars. Thus 'P' for "Passenger" service capable locomotive.


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## QueenoftheGN (Dec 10, 2019)

clovissangrail01 said:


> I would expect the two Katos to be DCC-Ready. In fact, they both say 'Drop-in DCC compatible' if you click the Read More link.





QueenoftheGN said:


> Neither ( I think )





Fire21 said:


> Every company makes a lemon now and then, but overall you cannot go wrong with Kato. From what I've read, Atlas is also very good quality.
> 
> Are those locos DCC equipped or DCC ready?





clovissangrail01 said:


> I cannot address the Atlas locomotive, and I cannot address those specific Kato locmotives, but I can say that every locomotive serving Prairie City, with the exception of a couple of Mopac E units, is a Kato locomotive, and they have performed flawlessly for me.
> 
> This includes Santa Fe A and B F units, CMSP&P A and B F units, CB&Q E unit, and a C&NW E unit (see below).
> 
> That's a nice price on those F7s.





traction fan said:


> QueenoftheGN;
> 
> If it says Kato on the box, it's not just good, it's excellent! I have yet to encounter a bad Kato product. "Kato" is actually the last name of the Japanese gentleman who owns the Kato company. He's a model railroader himself, and he takes great pride in the products that bear his name. They simply don't make bad products. They also don't make cheap products, but their excellent quality is well worth their higher price.
> I own about a dozen of the earlier production Kato F-7s in DC only. They are smooth runners, but they are noisier than my many other Kato locomotives. Run at scale speed, the gear noise is still there, but muted. Thes locos were bought over 20 years ago, and current production may well be quieter. Kato locomotives in general are very quiet, and smooth runners.
> ...



awesome! thanks guys! as soon as i come up with the money from allowance and stuff i might just purchase them!


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## clovissangrail01 (Oct 8, 2019)

traction fan said:


> * A prototype FP-7 was a slightly longer version of a standard F-7. The extra length housed a steam generator used to heat passenger cars. Thus 'P' for "Passenger" service capable locomotive.


Notice in my picture above --

The CMSP&P locomotive (the orange one at the top of the picture is an EMD FP-7 with an F-7 B unit.

The silver Santa Fe is an F-7, also with an F-7 B unit.

The CMSP&P FP-7 is almost half an inch longer than the Santa Fe F-7.

Note also the differences in the rooflines.

Cool, huh? That's Kato attention to detail.

(The other two locomotives are EMD E units.)


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## clovissangrail01 (Oct 8, 2019)

I want those Great Northern F units.

Unfortunately, I don't think the GN made it any closer to Prairie City than Sioux Falls. Or maybe Sioux City. Or Yankton.

Maybe when GN was cutting back its passenger service on its un-named trains, it sold some F units to Santa Fe, which sent them to the shops in Prairie City to be repainted in warbonnet livery. 

Hmmmm. Let me think.


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## Big Bill (Nov 19, 2019)

All Kato, all very good, need I say more?


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## QueenoftheGN (Dec 10, 2019)

clovissangrail01 said:


> I want those Great Northern F units.
> 
> Unfortunately, I don't think the GN made it any closer to Prairie City than Sioux Falls. Or maybe Sioux City. Or Yankton.
> 
> ...



I believe in another thread (the layout forty years in the making maybe? ) somebody said the GN served around there possibly? I apologize if I am wrong.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

I can't believe the internet kids now-a-days can't find the info they want to find......I'm an old guy, and I found this:

https://www.modeltrainforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=530360&stc=1&d=1584593697


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## clovissangrail01 (Oct 8, 2019)

I found this one, which looks about the same -- According to this, Great Northern went to Sioux City and Yankton, but no farther down the Missouri River.










(Map image by Elkman at English Wikipedia)

But additional research (In other words, I actually read the wiki article) reveals that in the first couple of decades of the 20th century, GN ran the Southeast Express from Seattle to Kansas City and the Great Northern Express from Kansas City to Seattle. 

GN also had some interesting train names, like the Badger Express and the Gopher serving St. Paul.

Since Kansas City is not that far from Prairie City, it is more than plausible that the GN ran the Prairie Dog Express from Prairie City to St. Paul via Kansas City, Omaha, Sioux City and Yankton to connect with the Empire Builder.


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## Magic (Jan 28, 2014)

I've learned something tonight, the Great Northern was a much 
bigger railroad than I thought.
Got a few GN pieces on the layout so they just fit in nicely.

Magic


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## ftauss (Sep 18, 2012)

QueenoftheGN said:


> Neither ( I think )


The pages actually tell you what decoder to use.

But Kato engines opened my eyes to what was possible with N.

Frank


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