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I’ve recently purchased Prince from the KATO/Peco Welsh narrow gauge stock, and I’m impressed by the model, the details are 10/10. I’m planning to use this model for future convention operations and personal public events, I hope more 009 models are being made by KATO. Also planning to purchase the rest of the England Engines.

I don't know if this is the right part platform section to ask this, so Jeff if you're reading and if you think that this needs to move to a different part of the forum, be my guest. So, I'm planning to buy my first steam locomotive kit from this seller from Japan, since it's my first time doing something like this since I'm more used to buying models whole, this is way out of my comfort zone, while I have no problems painting the locomotive body part at least that's the other part I can deal later, but the eBay post has the chassis in disassemble kit, which that part was new to me. Here's the kit: https://www.ebay.com/itm/314931160402 Since I can't show the photos, the post has a power unit chassis kit, which is disassembled, I've never worked on a chassis kit, and I wondering if anyone in this forum has assembled a power unit chassis kit and any tips on assembling the chassis.

It's been a while, but if you do not remember the post a few months back talking about the Kato Railway Park and the engine Oscar, there's going to be a 009 scale model of that engine that KATO is making, here's the link; https://www.world-of-railways.co.uk/news/first-view-of-kato-009-loco-oscar/ I don't know the date of this model's release, or if there's an unlettered version, but hopefully, in 2025, this looks like a nice sweet model for operation on tiny layouts and at conventions, can't wait.

I've been trying to find a Japanese N scale steam engine that is DCC friendly (not requiring soldering) but so far am having no luck. I've looked at Kato's offerings but they seem to be pretty much only DCC friendly for the EMUs and a few diesels. I like the new Kato C11 171 but sadly have found no info on how difficult DCC installation would be. Does anyone know if any Japanese manufacturer does any? Or should I just give up on this? Thanks!

For anyone who has followed BLI stuff for many years, they're going to be making a new line of Union Pacific FEF-3s, link:https://broadway-limited.com/blogs/news/the-broadway-flyer-october-2023 During a QNA on October of 2023, someone asked what the next lineup for Steam after the Reading T-1, BLI replied; "Right now we have the N scale Union Pacific Late Challenger and PRR M1a/M1b in the works. These locomotives will come with smoke, prototypical sounds, and several different paint schemes. They also will be arriving in Paragon4 Sound/DCC and in our Stealth series. The locomotives will be incredible pullers! Besides those two, we also have 6 locomotives in design right now. One of which is the Union Pacific FEF's and AT&SF 3751 Northerns. No timetable yet for an announcement or any additional details yet. We also have the USRA Pacific's coming out soon in N scale in both Paragon4 and Stealth." Someone else asks about the upcoming lineup back in January, link:https://broadway-limited.com/blogs/news/the-broadway-flyer-january-2024 BLI replied; "Right now the two we have the designs finished for or are nearly done are the Santa Fe 3751 Northerns and the Union Pacific FEF-3's. We are not at the point to tell you which locomotives we have in the queue at this point in time as we are still gathering data packages, reference materials, price estimates, etc. It takes a lot of work to get new tooling accurate especially for road-specific steam. The difficulty in gathering these materials is finding enough photography and references from all angles. It helps our designers to make the model. From there it takes anywhere from 3-4 months, sometimes longer depending on the model to create a rendering. I can't say which ones we are working on, but here is a list of locomotives we want to bring to N scale. SP Cab Forward, New Haven I-5, Commodore Vanderbilt, GS-4, C&O K-2 Mikado, among a few others. We have heard from you N scalers you want more steam, and we're looking forward to it!" A March 2024 update, BLI said this; (link:https://broadway-limited.com/blogs/news/the-broadway-flyer-march-2024) "Now onto things we are working on! If you've been reading this newsletter in the past, you know we've teased some exciting stuff! We have been actively working on more N scale steam and diesels. Currently we have the following locomotive types in design. We don't have a timeline for an announcement just yet as we are still working on reviewing the designs, getting tooling costs, estimates, finalizing details and more. The two designs that are the closest to complete are the Santa Fe 3751 northerns and Union Pacific FEF-3 northerns. Santa Fe 3751 Northerns Union Pacific FEF-3 Northerns Southern Pacific Cab Forward AC4/AC5 Baldwin RF-16 Sharknose EMD GP30 EMD GP35 C&O T1 PRR J1 PRR H10" I'm quite excited about this since we might have different varieties of 844 during its revenue and excursion runs, like 8444 in black, 844(and 8444 1987-1989) in grey scheme 1990-1991, without white walls 1996-2010, one with whitewalls, and current look. While I do love my KATO Union Pacific 844, having different varieties is nice, plus we might get an announcement later this year, probably late 2024 before the year's end.

I gave my 4014 a quick run before putting it back in the box and putting it in my small Adidas luggage bag, this is quite a nice model and this is KATO's magnum opus in my opinion, the details are nice, the engine runs smoothly, and this little engine can pull. I'm excited to show this model at Silver Age Comic Con next week, I'm also excited about whatever the next steam locomotive KATO is going to produce. 10/10

My recent purchase is the Reading 2102 by Broadway Limited, it's a nice model, runs well, the details look nice, and I can't wait to operate this engine during the display operation at my local Comic-con, I'm planning to buy some Pennsylvania passenger cars for my 2102 to pull.

Despite RASS's engines being my favorite Japanese steam locomotive, C571 is one of my favorites when it comes to Japanese mainline steam. It's been almost four years since the engine's removal from service for a mechanical problem on the SL Yamaguchi, and the most recent update, or at least a look at what's happening is this video: It shows the tender is outside the shop and the cab is off, and I'm guessing that they're starting the process of repairing the engine, so that's good news, and maybe we could see the engine back in operation in 2025(just a guess, don't hate), but that's the most recent update we have, which the video is from 3 months ago. General discussion about this, and hopefully we'll see this steam star soon.

I'm sure we all know about the Railway Park and its opening this year, the link of the site, https://www.kato-oo9.com/en/sekisuiml, I'm excited about this, I could see this being very popular for regular tourists and railfans, and maybe we'll get a Japan Railway Journal segment on this. Though, I'm a huge fan of two-foot gauge and a big follower of RASS(羅須地人鉄道協会), their little tiny workshop has built Oscar(https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=849972353797277&set=pcb.849983143796198), an British influence 0-4-0t saddle tank engine for this new railway in 2023. This is exciting.

I don’t want to sound spoiled or ignorant, I’m happy of what I’ve had, but I think that KATO would do well if they do more U.S. steam locomotives instead of UP and SP steam. Like Santa Fe 4-8-4s, Reading T1s, NYC Hudson, and much more, a little bit of variety you know, what do you guys think? (Delete this forum thread if it’s not appropriate)

I've always admired the brightly polished brass number plates on steam locos and the bright numerals of plates on diesels and electrics in Japan as well. All locomotives in Japan usually had four number plates in all on each side. Correct me if I'm wrong, but instead of number plates American locomotives usually just had their numbers painted on. They are pieces of railwayana that easily distinguish which railway a locomotive belonged to because of their distinctive design (much like how identifiable plates from British or South African locomotives are). Maker's plates I've always liked too, and there are numerous design based on the several different locomotive manufacturers who've supplied Japan with its locomotives throughout its rail history. I have just a cardboard replica of locomotive 58654's number plate in given to me by a Japanese friend who equally loves the SL Hitoyoshi. Does anyone on this forum collect full-sized replicas made of brass or indeed original Japanese locomotive number plates themselves? I'm not planning on collecting any (so far) but I'd like to hear from others. Also, why were some Japanese SL number plates red, green, blue, brown etc.? Why the difference?

Today was a day I'm so glad that I didn't sleep in during! 🛌 Saturdays are rarely entirely free for me now, and that's not a bad thing, but there was no way I would've missed out on November 18th - Because it was my first and last chance to witness the 101st Birthday Celebration of my favorite Japanese Steam Locomotive (do I have to say it?) 58654, which needs no introduction! 😄 I was joined by fellow members of 肥薩線again at Yatsushiro Station bright and early, and despite the cold, chilly weather, the crowds soon poured in and needed barriers from crossing the yellow line to get photos. My friend and fellow rail fan Minki Hatashima was there to greet and farewell the gallant SL and even landed an interview on the spot with NHK. I did as well. You can see his name mentioned in this article (in Japanese) about the party events. She's a beauty, isn't she? We know now for certain that the restoration of the Hisatsu Line to Hitoyoshi will be done. Next, we can only hope that this beloved steam locomotive will return there, too. But the day's adventures did not end there...

Umekoji roundhouse, which now has the Kyoto Railway Museum around it, in 1946. Nice footage. A different location is depicted around 5:28, the video description says it may be the Keio Inokashira Line. Definitely not Kyoto Station :). Although I was wondering if it was Hankyu Arashiyama, that's a two-track physical terminus.

My beloved steam locomotives in my sizable N gauge collection can be temperamental gents and don't always run steadily, sometimes easily freezing while the throttle is up, especially at low speeds, and needing a pounding of the table or the "Hand of God' to push them into action again. I make sure that the track and wheels are squeaky clean, but my steam locomotives can still be fidgety and unsteady in their performance, meanwhile my diesels and electrics all run as smoothly as a sewing machine and can achieve low speeds without "sticking". My 58654, the jewel in the crown of my layout, curiously runs smoothly and flawlessly in reverse, while it has issues running forward. I was told it has to do with the tender drawbar as the tender wheels have pickups. Anything to improve the performance of my steam or any other locos would be welcomed.

In the period preceding Japan's growth into a self-sufficient industrialized powerhouse, their emergent railways imported a plethora of locomotives from Britain, America, Germany, Switzerland, and a very few from Belgium in their early days. The variety and antiquity of these engines would've made Japan a paradise for rail fans had these generally survived longer into the period when travel and color photography became more accessible. I especially like these 'Okajoki', (陸蒸気) as they are colloquially called today, for their English-type buffers and screw couplings applied to them, particularly on British and American locomotives built for Japanese rails. Baldwin locomotives, like this Sanyo Railway Class 10 (950) 2-4-2T, were really quite handsome for, as I like to call it, their 'Anglicized-American' look to them for their buffers, lack of a bell and cowcatcher, and marker-type lamps placed on them instead of a huge headlight. Note the similarities to Lyn, another Baldwin locomotive built for an English narrow gauge railway. Which non-Japanese built steam locomotives do you like? https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/locomotive/images/e/e5/BLW41_Sanyo_10.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20230426025240 https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BaldwinLocomotiveLyn.jpg

Hi, I have a couple of Kato steam locomotives (Hitoyoshi, C62-Tokaido and D51-498). I noticed on the forum that some people seem to have issues with certain models derailing often. From my experience, I mostly have issues with the D51-498 with the last set of wheels (see picture below) that tends to "jump" left or right, particularly on turnouts. However, I do not see any way to fix this issue since there does not seem to be any screw to shift the position of these wheels or the stiffness of their connection to the locomotive... Did anyone encounter such issue and find a way to fix it ? Thank you ! Alain

My local Kumamoto hobby shop has disclosed to me that KATO intends to produce the SL Hitoyoshi (as well as SL Aso Boy while they're at it) in N gauge during 2022. I trust their word as since they're long-time KATO dealers for several decades now, and I'm a frequent customer of theirs. It makes sense considering the number of JR Kyushu trains and locomotives they've made so far, never mind the Tohoku-region (2028-1) 8620. I'm hopping we'll all see it as a Planned Product in the soon-to-be-released 2022 catalog. I really like their JR Kyushu DE10. This is the video from which I originally learned of the SL Hitoyoshi, way back before I came here. It immediately became my favorite train in Japan.

My Dad, who lives in the Kaliningrad oblast in Russia, sent this photo that he took this weekend of Er-791-94 at the Kaliningrad-Passazhirsky train station. This is apparently the first steam fan trip in the area in 20 years. He noted that the 0-10-0 pulled a singular coach that was sold out, even though tickets were expensive. Hopefully, this is a sign of future steam trips. Jeremy

Nice video of a fan-trip of C57 1 from a few days ago. The Google translation of the title is “Goodbye SL Kita-Biwako.” Is the locomotive going somewhere?

I was wondering if anyone could recommend good resources about the history of steam locomotives on Hokkaido.

So you would not imagine there was much chance of finding any working steam locomotives up North, the weekend before Christmas, in the shortest hours of daylight in the whole year and in the middle of a rapidly deteriorating Covid situation as the mutant virus spreads like wildfire But... The Lakeside & Haverthwaite railway, about 15 minutes from my house, had other ideas. They had cancelled the 'Santa' specials early on but decided to run some socially distanced 'Mincepie specials' To this end they had used their British Railways Mk I compartment coaches with a family 'bubble' each being allocated their own compartment. face masks were mandatoryand if you wanted afternoon tea in the tea room you had to book in advance. Motive power was Andrew Barclay 0-6-0T 1245 of 1911. Now finished in black and named as C arron no 14 seen at Haverthwaite station with the blower on and safety valves lifting The trip was a gentle meander from Haverthwaite to Lakeside station on Windermere. At the lake the loco runs around and returns to Haverthwaite Bunker first At Lakeside the Windermere steamers were laid up for the Winter. 'Tern' was on the slip behind the Signalbox for its annual inspection. I always think this boat looks as elegant out of the water as it does in it You can see how close it is to the signalbox more in a mo Kev

Hi all, new member here. Heeeelp!! Been wanting an N gauge JNR fleet for a while, but just ordered a D51 (#498) (Kato brand). I have a couple questions, because the seller (on eBay) didn’t specify these: 1) does it have an operating headlight? 2) is it DC from the factory? 3) will it work in the US? I saw something on the eBay page about being sure the plug was type A and 95-100v. Now, all the other stuff I have from Kato works fine (I have unitrack and a Kato power-pack) but I really don’t want to have to buy a transformer or whatever just to be able to run my train. It’s the 2016-7 model, of that helps at all. Sorry if this is the wrong place to put this, like I said I’m new.

Here are two good videos of an open day sort of event at Umekoji. Ayokoi's video features a still image of an informational panel with some English before showing the engine itself. Karibajct's video has some scenes inside the roundhouse, filmed from on top of something about as tall as a locomotive or tender, it's an interesting view of the interior. by ayokoi by karibajct

Related to the recent announcement by Tramway of an HO scale 8600, a bit of vintage prototype footage. Other than a few scenes in Wakamatsu in Kyushu in the beginning, the scenes are on the Gonou Line in Aomori, where these types were used on mixed trains.

JR Hokkaido announced this week that three steam locomotive excursion services will cease at the end of this fiscal year. The services are the "SL Hakodate-Onuma", the "SL Niseko", and the "SL Hakodate Christmas Fantasy". Reasons given for the cessation of these services are increased workloads for staff in improving systemwide safety, preparations for the opening of the Hokkaido Shinkansen, and the expense of installing ATS with overspeed control on steam locomotives. Apparently the steam service running between Kushiro and Shibecha, the "SL Fuyushitsugen", will continue to run in season. http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/hokkaido/news/20140710-OYTNT50006.html