Kato USA HO scale GE P42 diesel locomotive
Read this review from
Model Railroader magazine
by Dana Kawala // Published: July 10, 2013
Are two motors better than one? A typical HO scale locomotive uses a single direct-current (DC) motor mounted on the chassis. Earlier this year, Kato introduced a new approach on one of its HO scale Japanese locomotives by using two compact coreless motors mounted in the trucks. For its first North American locomotive to include this high-performance drive system, Kato has chosen a contemporary thoroughbred, the General Electric P42.
The prototype. Along with the P32AC and P40DC, the P42DC is part of the Genesis series of locomotives built by General Electric Transportation between 1992 and 2001. A majority of Amtrak trains are powered by at least one GE Genesis unit. The locomotive is 14 inches shorter in height than the General Motors Electro-Motive Division F40PH, the previous Amtrak workhorse, making the Genesis locomotives capable of traveling on virtually every Amtrak route.
First delivered in 1996, the 4,250 hp P42DC is dimensionally identical the 4,000 hp P40DC. In addition to the 208 units built for Amtrak, GE built 21 P42s for Via Rail Canada.
Model details.
The dimensions of the Kato model match a prototype P42 builder’s diagram in the 1997
Car &
Locomotive Cyclopedia of American Practices (Simmons Boardman).
Grills and other molded details match prototype photos. Separate detail parts include the 5-chime horn, rooftop antenna, and cab steps, which are removable for modelers who plan to run the engine on tight-radius curves.
There’s clear glazing in all the cab windows, but no windshield wipers. The simplified cab interior includes engineer and fireman seats but no figures.
The P42s have undergone some changes during their 17 years of service. The Kato model represents the prototype as it looks today, including a mini global positioning satellite (GPS) dome and modified nose. When first produced, the P42s had a 1-piece nose section. Starting around 2010, Amtrak modified the P42 with a bolt-on front nose section for easier maintenance. This nose section also has a more rounded headlight housing. Earlier P42s had a clear shield in front of the headlights, and the housing had a more angular “home plate” shape.
The model’s phase Vb paint scheme matches prototype photos and is available with the road number 161, 68, or 188. The printing is crisp and straight. The blue background on the number board is also correct for the model’s era.
Under the shell.
I used wood toothpicks to help me carefully spread the sides of the plastic body shell away from the metal chassis. The body shell then lifted off easily, and the first thing I noticed was the part of the frame that usually houses the motor on a conventional HO locomotive was taken up by a lot of die-cast metal.
This split metal weight runs the length of the locomotive and is attached to a plastic chassis. There are two cutouts on top of the weight for 28mm speakers.
A printed-circuit (PC) board is attached to the top of the weight and has two surface-mounted light-emitting
diodes (LEDs) on each end. Clear and red plastic tubes guide the light to appropriate openings in the body shell.
The GPS dome doubles as a lighting control knob. Normally the headlights, number board, ditch lights, and marker lights are directional. When running the P42 in a multiple-unit consist, the lights can be turned off or set to forward-only. A screwdriver is included to turn the knob.
At the time of this writing, Kato doesn’t have any instructions for converting the direct-current (DC) model that we tested to Digital Command Control (DCC). The company is releasing factory-installed DCC sound versions of the P42 with either an Electronik Solutions Ulm (ESU) or SoundTraxx decoder. The 8-pin plug on the model’s PC board isn’t a DCC socket and doesn’t isolate the motor. It’s used for lighting effects on the factory-installed decoder versions.
The trucks are press-fit, so they’re easy to remove. The sideframes are plastic with accurately molded details
including springs and bearing caps.
The truck-mounted motor/flywheel/gearbox assemblies are surrounded by die-cast metal, which adds extra weight right over the axles, adding to the overall tractive effort.
The four metal wheels on each truck pick up track power. When a truck is installed metal tabs on the sides connect to metal strips that run along the bottom sides of the locomotive frame and send track power up to the PC board. Black and red track power leads are visible at the back of the motor.
Performance.
In a conventional motor, the armature is wrapped around an iron core and spins inside magnets. In a coreless motor, a self-supporting wire mesh spins around a magnet. Some advantages of these over conventional motors include more uniform torque, less vibration, and a more compact size.
Since they don’t have an iron core to act as a heat sink, coreless motors are more prone to overheating at maximum voltages compared to conventional motors. The Kato P42’s maximum is 12V and shouldn’t be exceeded. This model should also not be run with a DCC system using the analog address (00), because most DCC systems apply voltages higher than 12V to the track.
The motor and flywheel on each truck of the Kato P42 are about a quarter of the size of a conventional motor/flywheel assembly in an HO locomotive. The Kato drive system is also one of the most powerful pullers I’ve run. During force meter tests, the P42 produced 7.2 ounces of drawbar pull, equivalent to 34 HO scale passenger cars, or more than 100 HO freight cars, on straight and level track.
The conventional Kato drive has a reputation for smooth performance. This new drive system is even quieter and accelerates even more smoothly.
The efficiency of the coreless motors was quite evident during testing. With only 0.5V applied to the track, the model crawled at less than 1 scale mph. I ran the model all the way up to its 12V maximum, where it achieved a prototypical 110 scale mph top speed.
The new truck design doesn’t show any signs of binding or power pickup issues. The P42 ran through a 18" curve (with cab ladders installed) and no. 6 turnouts without difficulty.
This HO scale P42 is an accurate model, and the coreless motor drive is a standout feature. With its compact size and excellent pulling performance, the design holds a lot of potential.
Price: $198 (direct current, no sound), $318 (ESU Digital Command Control sound decoder equipped), $328 (SoundTraxx DCC decoder equipped)
Manufacturer
Kato USA
100 Remington Rd.
Schaumburg, IL 60173
www.katousa.com
Era: 2010 to present (as detailed)
Features
- All-wheel drive and electrical pickup
- Available with factory-installed DCC sound decoder
- Blackened metal wheels in gauge
- Dual coreless, truck-mounted motors with flywheels
- Kato magnetic knuckle couplers with modeler-installed trip pins at correct height
- Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) illuminate number boards, headlight, ditch lights, and marker lights
- Minimum radius: 143⁄5" (370mm)
- Weight: 1 pound 6 ounces
0 Acela End-Business - BS 89944 sl.01.JPG
0 Acela End-Business - BS 89944 sl.03.JPG
) hobbysta izbacio setove u H0 i N.
