Kato 223 4-Pack - Good Set?

[CDOT]

I'm new to Japanese railroading. I purchased a Hankyu 9300 4-pack to get started. I was looking for a second engine and saw this:

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/255052983782?epid=5010103228&hash=item3b6257ade6:g:SOEAAOSwD1Vg7f9~

 

It looks like an older set, but it is in the US already which is nice. Anyone have experience with this pack? Is it pre-dcc/worth picking up?

[disturbman]

Since Kato just re-released a 4-car 223 set that Japanese shops are selling for 30 or 40 bucks less, I would say pass and buy the new one.

I don't think any of Kato 223 are DCC friendly. Kato's webpage for 10-1677, the set released last April, doesn't mention that that set is DCC-ready or DCC-friendly. That is usually reserved for sets they expect to sell well outside of Japan. Not sure a common JR West commuter trains falls into that category.

[CDOT]

Thanks! Will look out for something else.

Edited July 14, 2021 by CDOT

[chadbag]

Both my JR West 223 sets (different part number) are EM13 DCC compatible.

 

I have the 10-536 and 10-947

 

I do not have the 10-388.  I looked at the KATO site for this and it doesn't mention DCC.

 

 

 

[chadbag]

@CDOT  Amazon JP, Rokko, Model Train Plus,  and many others are good places to look for Japanese trains sent to the US.  Usually beats eBay etc.

 

[chadbag]

3 hours ago, disturbman said:

Since Kato just re-released a 4-car 223 set that Japanese shops are selling for 30 or 40 bucks less, I would say pass and buy the new one.

I don't think any of Kato 223 are DCC friendly. Kato's webpage for 10-1677, the set released last April, doesn't mention that that set is DCC-ready or DCC-friendly. That is usually reserved for sets they expect to sell well outside of Japan. Not sure a common JR West commuter trains falls into that category.

 

More and more, most KATO stuff is DCC friendly with their own EM13 style decoder.  Unless it is a re-release of an older model using the older tooling.  I know that a great majority of my KATO EMU types that I have (I don't have all) are friendly, though some aren't.  As well as most of my KATO Shinkansen (newer models).  Even most of the newer locomotives are compatible through a swap of the light board for the correct Digitrax/TCS (and others).   There are, of course, plenty, especially older based ones, that aren't.

 

Most of my Japanese trains are KATO because of this.  I don't shy away from non KATO stuff if I really like the offering, but for mundane things I tend to buy KATO as they are easy to convert most of the time.

 

The aforementioned Hankyu 9300 is not one that is DCC friendly out the door and needs an old fashion ed hardwired decoder.  But most of my other EMU from KATO are.  A few really old ones excepted.

[chadbag]

3 hours ago, disturbman said:

I don't think any of Kato 223 are DCC friendly. Kato's webpage for 10-1677, the set released last April, doesn't mention that that set is DCC-ready or DCC-friendly. That is usually reserved for sets they expect to sell well outside of Japan. Not sure a common JR West commuter trains falls into that category.

 

 

Actually KATO's website lists the 10-1677 as DCC friendly using the EM13, FR11, FL12.    (Using my Google Translate app with camera and the below PDF onscreen)

 

https://s3-ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com/kato-model/schedule/pdf/202103111449276049af673eba3/223kei2000.pdf

[gavino200]

linky no worky

[disturbman]

You can't hotlink PDF files on Kato's website: https://www.katomodels.com/product/n/223kei_2000

My bad, I checked the page for 10-1677 and it was not listed anywhere there. Since they *usually* list it on the page itself, I didn't thought of checking the assy list.

Would be worth re-checking the list for 10-388. Edit: no, they don't give an assy list for that one. It's a rather old model, not sure there was DCC-ready trains at that time.

Edited July 14, 2021 by disturbman

[chadbag]

yeah I don't know about the 10-388.  It is rather old.  Though my 10-536, which is also old from the low number -- did not check the actual date), does have it.

 

I did try and find an ASSY or other for 10-388 and did not find it and Google was no help.  If you (generic you) are contemplating buying it, ask the buyer to scan the included documentation sheets from KATO.  You can easily find the DCC stuff on it if it exists, even if you don't speak Japanese.

 

I rather like the white-body (221) look of the 223-1000 10-388...

 

Sorry about the KATO PDF link.