N700, KATO or TOMIX?

[AbaZ33a]

I hate to start another one make vs. another make discussion as I'm sure it does happen often but my point is rather not to compare the manufacturers but more a specific trainset made by both companies. I plan on building an N700/700A fleet but I'm unsure where to start due to a few factors. Right away I was more inclined to purchase my first standard N700 from KATO, the reason being I found the flush diaphragms very attractive looking and they are a lot like the prototype, plus the ease of DCC decoder installation. After doing some further research however I found strangely that the KATO N700A does not feature the same coupling and diaphragm system as the standard N700, then I also read some articles that claim the KATO N700 coupling system has a tendency to be unreliable and de couple but I was wondering if anyone who owns this set can confirm or deny this. After discovering the lack of accurate diaphragms for the KATO N700A now I now feel more inclined to look at the TOMIX N700/N700A as although they don't have the detailed diaphragms of the KATO N700 they do both appear to have the same system mechanically and cosmetically between the N700 and N700A which I do like. I set out to build this fleet using one make but now it appears to be much more complicated then I anticipated. Any thoughts anyone has on this matter would be most appreciated.

[cteno4]

Hi aba,

 

I got the Kato n700 right when it was released many years ago. It the was most disappointing Japanese train I think I’ve ever bought due to the coupling system. It struggled to make a few laps before decoupling or derailing on on our club’s old large Kato double track viaduct loop. The decoupling and derailments were random and I could find nothing in the track work that was causing them and other Shinkansens were running fine on the same track for hours at a time. I have had most all varieties of shinkansen preceding the n700a and many since none ever had issues like this. I quickly sold it to another club member who saw it run and had the full disclosure it still wanted it (and I gave him a decent discount). I then bought the Tomix n700 and was happy.
 

While the tomix n700 does not have as clean a diaphragm look, it functions great and I’m a big fan of all wheel pickup and power connecting couplers. While Tomix is not DCC ready you can still do DCC if you want. DCC for me is our in the future as I have too many trains to want to go down that path currently.

 

cheers,

 

jeff

[AbaZ33a]

20 hours ago, cteno4 said:

Hi aba,

 

I got the Kato n700 right when it was released many years ago. It the was most disappointing Japanese train I think I’ve ever bought due to the coupling system. It struggled to make a few laps before decoupling or derailing on on our club’s old large Kato double track viaduct loop. The decoupling and derailments were random and I could find nothing in the track work that was causing them and other Shinkansens were running fine on the same track for hours at a time. I have had most all varieties of shinkansen preceding the n700a and many since none ever had issues like this. I quickly sold it to another club member who saw it run and had the full disclosure it still wanted it (and I gave him a decent discount). I then bought the Tomix n700 and was happy.
 

While the tomix n700 does not have as clean a diaphragm look, it functions great and I’m a big fan of all wheel pickup and power connecting couplers. While Tomix is not DCC ready you can still do DCC if you want. DCC for me is our in the future as I have too many trains to want to go down that path currently.

 

cheers,

 

jeff

Thanks for sharing you're experience, its saved me from what would have been a very expensive mistake. TOMIX seems like the natural choice at this point, its just a pity they are so very expensive but I guess 16 car units tend to be pricey anyway. Also appears that TOMIX offers a much wider variety of N700 sub models and also an N700S which will be handy for the future expansion. 

[cteno4]

One thing I can’t speak to and maybe someone else on the forum can is if they have changed the coupling mech at all since first released. Perhaps it got fixed later. But like I said it was the most problematic Japanese train I’ve come across on the decoupling and derailing. Looked sweet!
 

Yeah 16 car trains can get pricy.

 

cheers

 

jeff

[chadbag]

I have 16 cars worth of KATO.  I've also run it smaller.  My test track is not long enough to really test but I don't remember problems in the few times I've run it.  Again, not info testing.

 

I also have a Tomix JR-West N700 and it seems to run fine as well.

 

[cteno4]

I never tested shorter, always ran at 16 car. May run ok at 8.

 

jeff

[Yavianice]

No replacement parts for the KATO N700, especially the fragile unique couplers. Skip and go for Tomix.