Kato E5 Shinkansen

[Hezekiah Strawbody]

Kato have just announced 3 sets to make up the 10 car E5 Shinkansen in March 2011 

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/10134780

http://www.1999.co.jp/10134781

http://www.1999.co.jp/10134782

[Martijn Meerts]

Pre-ordered =)

 

Can't say it's the best looking shinkansen, but still =)

[to2leo]

I might order E6 but I will pass on E5.

[Nozomi4ever]

Very ugly design!!

 

What happened to the beautiful design of the Shinkansen after that pretty JR 500 and JR 800 ?!! 

[Martijn Meerts]

It all has to do with the environment, and also depends on where the trains will be running and at what speeds.

 

A train traveling at 300km/h entering or exiting a tunnel creates massive shockwaves. It's even worse when 2 trains traveling in opposite directions pass each other. The newer designs are all about limiting tunnel boom as much as possible.

 

When I lived in Norway, and took the train home from work, I always got on at an underground station. The station also serviced an airport express train. Whenever that train drove into the station, you could actually feel the air from the direction the train was coming from being pushed to the other direction, long before the train was visible. Those trains, when entering the station, did about 60-70 tops, yet the air movement was very noticeable. I can't even imagine what kinda air movements a train going 300km/h in a tunnel would generate =)

[Nozomi]

Pre-ordered!

[KenS]

Preordered.  I can't say that I like the nose, but it's a great color and the design is growing on me.

[Martijn Meerts]

Just noticed, the E5 is 10 cars, the E6 is 7 cars. The E5 and E6 have been seen coupled up before for a test run...

 

The question is, will they be running coupled in service as well, because if they do, I might need to revise my storage yard a bit so I can store at least a couple of longer-than-16-cars trains ;)

[disturbman]

I don't think you'll need to since the E6 cars are shorter than the one of the E5 or any normal shinkansen. An E6 7-cars train set is shorter by ~30m than a normal 7-cars formation. Which means than your E5+E7 formation is should be more or less the lenght than a 16-cars train since the end cars of the E5 are slightly longer than those of the previous shinkansen. If you want a more detail answer I'll invite you to do the math yourself. :)

[Martijn Meerts]

I don't think you'll need to since the E6 cars are shorter than the one of the E5 or any normal shinkansen. An E6 7-cars train set is shorter by ~30m than a normal 7-cars formation. Which means than your E5+E7 formation is should be more or less the lenght than a 16-cars train since the end cars of the E5 are slightly longer than those of the previous shinkansen. If you want a more detail answer I'll invite you to do the math yourself. :)

 

That actually makes sense considering most stations can only barely fit a 16-car shinkansen. I guess they don't feel like upgrading all the platforms with an extra car-length worth =)

[KenS]

The question is, will they be running coupled in service as well, because if they do, I might need to revise my storage yard a bit so I can store at least a couple of longer-than-16-cars trains ;)

 

Sounds like it.  The Japanese text on HS (Google Translated) says:

 

(5) Designed for the future operation and E6 of the system and 併結, E514 is set to switch off.

 

Which sounds like there's a switch for the headlights on one car in anticipation of such coupling.  And it confirms (not that we really needed it) Kato's intent to do an E6 model eventually.

[to2leo]

Yeah E6, now I wonder if there is an E6 + E6 formation...

[Martijn Meerts]

The E6 isn't that much different from the E5, so it'd make sense for Kato to come up with an E6 sooner rather than later as well. Maybe they'll do the same as with the E5 and release the E6 the same month as the prototype starts service =)

[clem24]

Yeah E6, now I wonder if there is an E6 + E6 formation...

 

Why would they hook up 2 Akita mini-Shinkansen? It'd be like hooking up 2 - E3 sets... Plus the coupler would be on only be on the Tokyo facing end of the train anyway. Although I suppose it's your layout and you could do whatever you want hehehe.

 

For me, I think I'd rather wait for the Tomix release. We know for a fact it'll be released but I'd rather take full train power pickup and conventional couplers than those odd Kato kinematic couplers. Although maybe my mind will change when it does get released hehehe.

[Martijn Meerts]

I guess Tomix will follow with an E5 release soon after Kato, unless Tomix comes with a surprise announcement of an E5 before xmas =)

 

I'm actually also quite tempted to get mostly Tomix shinkansen because of the full train pickup, but on the other hand, I have some issues with those trains as well. Some cars are hard to couple, which in turn makes the diaphragm things too tight. Especially my Tomix 0 series (one of the early ones with the full train pickup I believe) seems to have this problem. It's most noticable on the motor cars.

 

It has to be said though, I haven't really looked at it much, only gave it a quick test run. It might be a non-issue, or at least an easy fix.

[Guest ___]

Kato have just announced 3 sets to make up the 10 car E5 Shinkansen in March 2011 

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/10134780

http://www.1999.co.jp/10134781

http://www.1999.co.jp/10134782

 

I'd've rather seen the FasTech 360 released.

[Guest Closed Account 1]

It's actually a good looking design with a Pinocchio Platypus face.

 

So what airplane is it reminding me of? Boeing 787 Dreamliner?

[Tecchan]

Kato have just announced 3 sets to make up the 10 car E5 Shinkansen in March 2011 

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/10134780

http://www.1999.co.jp/10134781

http://www.1999.co.jp/10134782

 

I'd've rather seen the FasTech 360 released.

 

Oh yeah, this would have been a good one on our layouts!!

[disturbman]

So what airplane is it reminding me of? Boeing 787 Dreamliner?

 

The Concorde maybe. I don't know any jet liner with such a nose. You might be better checking out fighters or bomber jets for any ressemblence.

 

 

This train is making my wallet and brain itch. Maybe I'll order the E6 release. it's really a beautifull train.

[Tecchan]

So what airplane is it reminding me of? Boeing 787 Dreamliner?

 

The Concorde maybe. I don't know any jet liner with such a nose. You might be better checking out fighters or bomber jets for any ressemblence.

 

It certainly has the weird look of an Airbus Beluga!

 

[Guest ___]

Ugh, I remember those planes all too well. We use to refab the land gear for those at Fairchild-EADS.

[alpineaustralia]

Doesnt look like the Kato model will be DCC friendly. Hmmm.

[Bernard]

Doesnt look like the Kato model will be DCC friendly. Hmmm.

 

Are you sure? It reminds of the Kato 500 & 700 in design...or I'm hoping it does.

[KenS]

Kato's support for DCC is really odd.  The series 500 (10-510), which is apparently a newer design than the E3 Komachi (10-221), lacks "DCC Friendly" status even though the E3 has it (which surprised the heck out of me when I discovered the decoder socket on the E3; should have read the page on Kato's site more closely). Although perhaps the 10-510 is just a repackaged version of the older 10-382 model.

 

It may be a size issue.  the EM13 motor decoder is about 14mm wide, and needs the frame to be wider than that to hold it.  That, coupled with the tilt mechanism, may be just too much to fit in the E5.

[Nozomi4ever]

I hope it will be fitted with a sound decorder. Don't mind paying more if they do that because I am tired of seeing train models with those "electrical" sounds..