A British domestic train from Kato? 800 series available from May 2021

Started by woodbury22uk, February 09, 2019, 10:39:55 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

njee20

Agreed! The 009 announcement I think is almost more interesting - that's a very niche market to enter, which given Kato's well reported high-volume sales approach does suggest to me this is more than a little flirt with something they expect to sell well domestically.

The future of British N by Kato rests in your hands Ben, no pressure or anything ;)


njee20

Did he realise his was the wrong size then?!

marco neri

 :hellosign:
Well..
At  the beginning was:
TGV (France)...following all the series Thalys, Pos ecc. ecc.
Eurostar (UK/France)
AVE 100 (Spain)
Eurostar new livery
now ICE DB ( Germany)
coming soon Class 800 (UK)...
..when FRECCIAROSSA or Italo?...I think next century :D

Cheers

"SI TAV" Marco
...never turn you back on the ripper (judas priest)

railsquid

Quote from: Ben A on July 28, 2019, 09:42:23 AM
Having said that, Kato are also about "iconic" trains and have a huge customer base of loyal Kato fans in Japan.  Mr Kato said they sold far more Eurostars in their domestic market than they ever sold in Europe! 

Remember too that the Class 800 is a Hitachi product; the japanese are rightly proud of their engineering prowess and many will wish to collect this model for that reason.  It seems telling to me that the image selected for the launch shows the 800 in its Hitachi manufacturer livery.

The domestic market is certainly a possibility, the transportation of these from factory to port is literally an event worthy of lining the streets for; 2017:



Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_kiExQia78

July 2019 (last shipment):




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibFrLgBgHEQ


Snowwolflair

Quote from: railsquid on July 28, 2019, 11:49:03 AM
Quote from: Ben A on July 28, 2019, 09:42:23 AM
Having said that, Kato are also about "iconic" trains and have a huge customer base of loyal Kato fans in Japan.  Mr Kato said they sold far more Eurostars in their domestic market than they ever sold in Europe! 

Remember too that the Class 800 is a Hitachi product; the japanese are rightly proud of their engineering prowess and many will wish to collect this model for that reason.  It seems telling to me that the image selected for the launch shows the 800 in its Hitachi manufacturer livery.

The domestic market is certainly a possibility, the transportation of these from factory to port is literally an event worthy of lining the streets for; 2017:



Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_kiExQia78

July 2019 (last shipment):




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibFrLgBgHEQ

Reminds me of the Garrett locos for South Africa being hauled through Glasgow from the North British works to the Broomielaw for loading.

railsquid

And here's a mural in the Railway Museum in Omiya, just north of Tokyo, depicting significant events in Japanese railway history from ca. 1872 to the present day:


omiya-railway-museum-japanese-railway-history_mural_01 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

On the left we have a depiction of the first steam locomotive to run in Japan, kindly provided by the Vulcan Foundry of Newton-le-Willows, Lancs.:


omiya-railway-museum-japanese-railway-history_mural_02 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

On the right we come to the present day...:


omiya-railway-museum-japanese-railway-history_mural_03 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

Skyline2uk

I have absolutely no need for an 800.

I am thrilled they are being made.

I have a Eurostar, looking for another 4 car add on actually, and it's wonderful. It's not showing it's age against current models IMHO.

There is something very reassuring about a company, even as large as Kato, having an actual "Mr Kato".

Like him or loath him I happen to agree with J Clarkson when he said "The reason I like Honda products more than other Japanese cars is that there actually was a Mr Honda, and his passion is reflected in the design ethos"  (or words to that effect).

Very much looking forward to seeing what Mr Kato has to say about the company plans  :) (even if I can't think of anything "iconic" he would produce that would interest me, happy to be wrong).

Skyline2uk

davidinyork

Quote from: Snowwolflair on July 27, 2019, 10:07:43 AM
I really like the idea of the 800 and I hope the liveries include the GWR. (As the Virgin Azuma may no longer exist in 2021)

Virgin got the boot before any of the IEPs entered service. Unfortunately LNER, the government-owned successor, stuck with the crappy 'Azuma' branding.

Can't see any reason why it wouldn't still be the same in 2021 - current DfT policy is for franchise names / branding which can be carried between operators, of which both GWR and LNER are examples.

monkey_brains

#83
Quote from: Ben A on July 28, 2019, 09:42:23 AM

I am looking forward to hearing what Mr Kato has to say at TINGS.  These are very exciting days!


Me too!  It's actually encouraged me to get off my bottom and go to TINGS this year which at a 6 hour round trip took some doing!
A keen modern image modeller in N Gauge, the latest creation I am working on is Cottingfield - an N Gauge Rule 1 Layout

Plotting has started on a DC controlled layout for the trains I can't easily convert to DCC North Wroxham - an N Gauge Modern Era Layout

Railwaygun

The NGS Mail List claims that Mr Kato says it will Be 1/148
Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
Ecclesiastes 2:11

This has been a public service announcement
It may contain alternative facts

Caveat lector

The largest Railwaygun, Armoured Train & Military Rail group in the world!

https://groups.io/g/railwaygun/topics

NGF Military threads

https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?board=146.0

My Military Rail Pinterest area
https://uk.pinterest.com/NDRobotnik/

10mm / N armour Threads
https://www.10mm-wargaming.com/

Motto: Semper ubi, sub ubi

njee20

Yes, commented on the previous page.

Kaput

Hope its bog standard DCC ready and not the normal Kato board replacement style.

Do wonder if it will just be an 800 or if they'll cater for the differences to allow 801's and 802's.

njee20

Agreed. The drop in boards are basically a solution to Kato's resistance to DCC. The more recent Lemke/Kato Models, like the TGVs just have 6-pin sockets, so there's hope...

dannyboy

There has been some discussion on the forum lately regarding Kato entering the UK market, (can not find the thread!) - this just in from 'Train Trax' -

Exclusively Kato N Gauge!

There have been rumours that Kato will be entering the British modelling scene with the Hitachi Class 800. Today I have heard that it is more than a rumour. I understand that there are still  considerable hurdles to leap before this model is put into production. Not even certain which liveries are planned but I hope it will include the GWR. It would be great to welcome Kato who are renown for the precision and quality of their products to the British scene.
David.
I used to be indecisive - now I'm not - I don't think.
If a friend seems distant, catch up with them.

njee20

I saw that and thought it was a bit weird. It's been a rumour for months (indeed this thread started in February names the 800 in the OP), surely their showing a poster of it last week is what confirmed it!

Please Support Us!
March Goal: £100.00
Due Date: Mar 31
Total Receipts: £82.34
Below Goal: £17.66
Site Currency: GBP
82% 
March Donations