Trying American N Scale | Kato Amtrak P42 Train Pack | Unboxing & Review 

I’m an American N Scale modeler. I absolutely testify that Kato products are utterly mechanically superior to virtually everything else I’ve tried. I’ve purchased heavily used locomotives that sat in dirty garages for years, and immediately ran well, and instantly speed match with brand new similar locos. Truly remarkable. Often less tiny detail, but always enough, and always rugged. I’ve never broken a Kato handrail (which is a miracle compared to other manufacturers). Even the wheel pickup is impeccable. So much better than other makers. I don’t really know how they do it, but they are a marvel as a manufacturer. And the price has always been reasonable compared to poorer offering from other makers. Oh, and I love your channel. 😊👍👍

I've actually met Mr Kato! He randomly popped into the shop I used to work in when he was over for the Warley show a couple of years ago. I nearly fainted when he handed me his business card!!

Wow It’s not hard to see why Kato is so prestigious in the model railroading hobby. This N Scale train pack is absolutely phenomenal

As a Yankee (aka: American), I've learned a LOT about British trains and terminology from watching your videos. I found it funny (not odd funny but 😆😆😆funny) as the video is titled American N Scale. American N Scale, made by Kato in Japan and reviewed in the UK. Kato is by FAR the best N Scale money can buy.

I bought my first Kato set last year, it was a four car emerald green Japanese Railways 103 series EMU. I got it for 60 dollars from an online retailer and I couldn’t be more happy with it! It’s got directional headlights and tail lights and runs like a dream!

The Amtrak viewliners are single floor. The upper windows are for the top bunk bed. They're not space beds 😂 I've never personally been on a viewliner sleeper, but if I'm not mistaken the bottom bunk folds up into seats

Hi Sam, the decoder you showed on screen are for Kato EMU style of equipment, like their Shinkansen and other Japanese passengers train and some European TGV. On that type of loco you would just replace the whole board with a new DCC board, make the conversion very easy. That's true for most N scale loco from most manufacturers, not just Kato. Aside from that awesome review very in-depth as always.

Sam, you should visit the Kato Headquarters in Tokyo someday! They have a couple very large N scale layouts of Japanese Prototypes and a huge showroom and shop! It's exceptionally cool! Also Kato Unitrack is amazing stuff, the best "pre bedded" track on the market, bar none

A little bit more info about the genesis diesels: they were conceived to be a replacement for Amtrak's F40PH express engines. And as of right now, all genesis diesels are in the process of being retired and replaced by the Siemens ALC-42.

I've been collecting Japanese N scale for the last 30 years and I can tell you it's been like this all that time. I have hundreds of items of Kato and some TOMIX, and it's all FANTASTIC, most of it runns better than what is in this video !!! I left british N scale in the early 90's because of one visiting Kato loco to my layout.

This is your first time with a model that I actually own. I have this exact p42 set, and I plan on getting another to be able to make the Crescent, a train I used to ride all the time to get to Atlanta. A friend of mine managed to find a Japanese c62 used at a model shop near me, and I'm eternally jealous of her.

Kato is the best. Japanese craftsmanship at its finest.

I run n-scale and have never been disappointed by Kato products. I have the Kato Union Pacific 844 and the Big Boy. They run extremely smooth and the level of detail and control is second to none.

Kato products are superb and, rightly, revered among N scale (gauge) enthusiasts. They have offered two British prototypes: in the mid-1990s they produced the then-new Class 373 Eurostar and more recently they have the new Hitachi Class 800 bi-modes on offer in 5-car GWR and LNER liveries, with 9-car variants due this year. The great thing about Kato is that, in general, their trains come in complete packs so you have a train-in-a-box and don't need to fish around for additional coaches to make it complete. Mr Hiroshi Kato is the president and he tends to visit some of the larger UK shows; he was at Model Rail Scotland last weekend and often attends The International N Gauge Show in September.

My first experience with model trains was with N scale. I was 7 years old. The layout was a replica of the Erie Railroad mainline going through Salamanca, NY. Circa 1948. A splendidly done layout with tons of detail. The model town looked just as Salamanca did, pre-flood. The layout was owned by my godfather, and when he saw how much I liked model trains, he got me more involved: taking me to train shows, and showing me his weathering techniques. Eventually, he added me to his layout, literally: a small model version of me, sitting on a bench by the tracks, eating a texas hot dog from Wellsville.

The Viewliner gets it's name presumably from the second row of windows, which were originally for the top bunk in each sleeping compartment to have a view out of the train as well, but the second row of windows stuck around for the Viewliner II Diner cars.

I am a Brit and have been living the USA for 46 years. I have a number of Atlas/Kato HO locomotives that are superb, 2 RS3, 1 RS1 and a RS11. They run great and can be M/u and all keep the same speed. AT a display we hooked up 3 diesels and successfully pulled a train of 156 HO cars.

The Digitrax DN163K0A DCC decoder is an easy drop-in fit, completely replacing the large board.

Kato being the #1 pick for N scale like always, I have their Big Boy & F3 and honestly only got Kato products aside from a few they don't have like the PRR T1 just because they haven't made it yet. Definitely recommend Kato through and through along with how durable they are as I had actually dropped my Big Boy and nothing broke aside from one detail part that I simply glued back on but the motors and all still worked smoother than even my old HO stuff.

I have two Kato Shinkansens a 100 series and a 200 series plus an EF65. They are the best trains I own quite expensive but definitely worth the price

I have both N scale and Ho locomotives from kato, they are the only brand of locos I have owned that ran perfectly straight out of the box and never ever had any issues with, they are spectacular runners with bullet proof reliability to this day, thanks for the video Sam, love the variety in your channel, your a great influence on the hobby.

Kato equals quality, lots of lessons in the build in what should be in so many other model train manufacturers. Their track system is also very interesting to tinker with. The old argument related to made in China Vs Japan is simple. Yes sure sometimes something made in China is ok, but sadly so many times it's substandard for the priced. Wow why am I thinking of Hornby right now. Japan has a lot of pride in their design and manufacturing, it can be seen in so many of their made in Japan products.

As someone who rode on an Amtrak train multiple times, I’m really impressed with the model’s attention to detail and its beautiful performance. I’ve not own one of these as I only run HO scale model trains, but I would love to try this set of models featuring that loco and the first two coaches I rode on many times! Thanks for sharing your thoughts! This looks like one of the best looking model trains that Japan has ever produced in their own N-scale line!

HI Sam! The reason for the drastic differences in prices for this and other Kato sets, is that they come with different features. This set, the intercity, for example, can be had like the one you reviewed, in the base configuration, with the coaches not lit and a DC locomotive, which can be upgraded to dcc with a decoder that replaces the stock board. There is another version that comes with lit coaches and yet another that comes with a DCC equipped locomotive. Great review as always! PS: I would love to see do a review of one of Kato's n scale double track V track packs.

I think this is the first time you've reviewed a model whose prototype I not only know I've seen in person, but have ridden behind. In the close-up shots the silver paint has a shiny, metallic flake kind of appearance. In person it's a much flatter gray color. Kato know this because the HO scale version has a flatter finish. Looks like at any distance that effect isn't noticeable, though, so it's not a big deal. Speaking of the HO scale version, I have one and I recommend you get it too. I don't want to give much away but it has a very interesting mechanism and a lot of weight.

Hello I’m Japanese model train fan I usually loves N gauge model train. KATO’s steam train is massive great model, Quality is great and works very perfect, greatest steam model train in the world.

About 3-4 years ago I took the Amtrak from my hometown to Chicago to stay with my cousin for a college visit. It was my first time on a train alone and isn’t a shuttle. I loved it and I currently attend that college I visited

I don't work for Amtrak themselves, but I see these almost every day, and I must say these models look great and quite true to life.

I've found that while Kato doesn't have the best detail, it certainly does shine in terms of quality.

A bit of information about American sleeping cars. They usually come in two varieties, those being ones with individual rooms (roomette style) and ones with fold-out bunk beds (Pullman style). Pullman style was very popular in the early twentieth century, and some can even still be found in service today. Meanwhile, roomette style was also a thing in the early twentieth century, but it really became popular with streamlined passenger services. Nowadays, roomette style is the most common type used in regular passenger service.

I have multiple Kato locos, a JNR DD51 Diesel, a JRF EH 500 dual electric, a Duwag tram and multiple EMU's. Every single one of these still run beautifully. The best one of them being the Japanese EH 500 dual electric freight locomotive. It runs so nicely even over the terrible trackwork of mine and can pull 12 tanker cars up a unreasonably steep gradient. For most of their Japanese stuff they include a detail pack with handrails and also locomotive running numbers to fit yourself. This way you can decide which running number you want. I run Kato track and a controller as well and while the track isn't the most popular here in Switzerland, it's incredibly easy, having a gravel bed with clips and electronic points are as simple as plug and play with no wiring skills required. Their controller is inspired by a Japanese EMU and is incredibly fun to use. I recommend you try it one day. Kato locomotives run as good as Fleischmann, a German manufacturer, but being about 30% cheaper. I serviced a few myself and they are a treat. Highly recommend some of their Japanese locos. I really wanna see what you think about them 😁 greetings from Switzerland. Oh and BTW, I left the superchat donation last week and you can simply call me Jeanne. Its a French name and my nickname is a reference to my favourite anime game.

Kato have an excellent reputation in N gauge. One of my most prized possessions is my Kato Eurostar, which is over 20 years old now and runs as well as this set! I have also met Mr Kato himself, a very nice gentleman who is appearing at more and more model shows in the U.K. Incidentally if you want to visit the International N gauge show one year, that’s a great taste of N gauge. Ref the digital situation, Kato was not keen on DCC for a while. None of their chassis were designed with it in mind so the proprietary chips are an afterthought. Just to say apart from the Eurostar, the only U.K. based train the do is the IEP 5 car sets. They are shortly releasing the 9 car sets as well. Best

Thanks for reviewing another US prototype, Sam! I have a Kato HO EMD NW2 switcher (purchased many years ago) and it runs very smoothly and is quite heavy for its size. Kato is well known over here for their excellent mechanisms, which you have now experienced for yourself. Cheers from Wisconsin!

I am a uk based USA outline modeller found out about kato and tomytec/Tomix (track) over 15 years ago, they are simply great track,locos and rolling stock.

I've travelled on the Lakeshore Limited (shown as one of the trains on the back of the box) between Rochester and New York Penn Station. I travelled coach (economy) class, but it was still a comfortable, quiet ride with plenty of space and a super helpful conductor. The stations were clean, well-maintained (Penn Station's architecture is awesome). Their online booking process was also very straightforward. Americans obviously love their cars and internal flights, but in comparison with our broken railways here Amtrak, which is a quasi-public corporation with all the stock owned by the government, seems to be profitable and offers what you would expect from a well-run railway. Great that this model reflects that quality.

In case not already said... A Viewliner has Bedrooms and Roomettes. A basic Viewliner room,though called a Roomette, is essentially a modern version of the traditional Pullman Section with a toilet added; a traditional Roomette was sold for single occupancy and included a toilet and a washbasin. Each car has two Bedrooms with the remaining accommodation being the Roomettes. Their single level design, as opposed to the two-level Superliners, reflects the clearance restrictions on eastern railways.

I'm really happy to see how much of a great first impression Katos' products have given you Sam! They're definitely my favorite manufacturer in this scale, and I think they've hit that really good sweet spot between detail and price. I have several Japanese and American Steam locos from them, and, like their diesels, they run amazingly, and even for the ones that are 10+ years old now, I just have to run them in again and they run as if they're brand new! I whole-heartedly reccomend trying out their American FEF-3 and Japanese C62 locomotives (they also just recently released a Big Boy if you're looking for that one in N-scale) DCC is a bit of a mixed bag in N-scale as the size constraints is one factor, as well as it having limited success in the Japan market, but overall the decoders all adopt that "drop-in chip" style/shape for most locos in N-scale. Love the channel Sam, these in-depth reviews are always a fun watch at the end of my day :)

Prior to the AmFleet II there was the amfleet I coach. Amfleet I can be identified by their having their side doors on both ends of the car rather than just one end like the amfleet II.

Love to see you doing a Kato review! Would live to see more. I have a similar set to this that I just recently got and very much agree with your reviews.

I’m so happy you actually reviewed a Kato product for once, I own the same P42DC but with running number 47 which ironically was wrecked a few years back. I own the Santa Fe f units and both superliners and freight cars and they are all so well made and run so well. I highly suggest trying out the emd f7 units they produce those things are really nicely made

Cheers Sam & so glad you cover n gauge from time to time which is the scale I work with. I definitely think both China & Japan manufacture quality models! I especially love the Japanese n scale Kato snap together track they do! Absolutely brilliant! The n gauge Kato train sets are brilliant, too! China also manufactures a lot of our model railway products now & they're also quality! This was a quality model on the video! A lovely train pack of a US model from Kato! Brilliant stuff mate & real quality!👍

N scales awesome and I’m happy to see others become interested in the smaller models and it’s even more awesome that you started with kato!

I have a number of Kato N scale locomotives. They are very easy DCC installs and as you've seen, very high-quality mechanisms. Run at scale speeds, they are also among the most quiet runners I have. By and large they are the best combination of value and quality in the N scale market. DCC in N scale is only gradually achieving something like an 18pin type standard.

In US N Scale, the DCC board usually replaces the lighting board. Not too fiddly an exchange but does need kapton tape. And those Kato couplings - they are designed to uncouple if you push the carriages or loco and carriage together. Can cause surprises if you get a sudden voltage drop

Kato have also made numerous HO scale US diesels, first under the Atlas brand and then as the phenomenal drive system of the Stewart range of EMD F units from FT to F7. After this success they started their own range of US diesels sold from Kato USA. Some of the one i have are multiple of their SD40 , SD45 and the newer ACW4400 ( i think). If i saw an Atlas loco had a Kato drive, i made a point of buying several as I do with Stewart F units. One Atlas Alco was so close to a New South Wales 40 class diesel that an Australian shop had a large order made in close to NSWGR Tuscan Red so that real modellers had a great base to modify and detail it up as a 40 class. Really made a lot of Australian modellers even more fed up with Lima drive systems and the Hornby similar ones. Even steering people to even second hand Kato based locomotives have them converted away from the poor running expensive stuff they had or were thinking of buying. The lack of extreme detail is a plus when not falling off. The detail is soon forgotten when they experience how Kato units perform.

I've had a static display N scale model of this very locomotive for years, it's so fun to see Sam review a moving example of it!

I came back to model trains a year ago. Since then I've bought a lot of Amtrak related content from Kato (as well as UP 4014) and the quality is very telling. Very detailed, great runners and still proves to be a well worth purchase

Kato is just plain awesome! It's extremely easy to make complete and accurate passenger train consists with them!

3:06 I'm glad they included consist guides. You can also use Viewliner II baggage car 156-0958 to model Amtrak long-distance trains from 2016 to the present day instead of 156-0953. The Viewliner was debuted in 1987 with two prototype cars (and a diner car) as a replacement for 1940s and 50s streamliner sleeper cars on routes east of Chicago, the upper windows are meant to give upper bunk passengers a view outside. 50 production cars were delivered beginning in 1995 and have 12 roomettes, two larger bedrooms, and an acessible bedroom.

Thoroughly enjoyed your presentation. I do love my Kato display models which extends to ninety nine units. All purchased in the States during many stays there.

A very impressive model! The quality of the metallic paintwork is extraordinary, and the manufacturer has used such a tiny grain size for the silver flakes that it's hard to believe that the exterior is not clad with real alloy. I have seen a few other products from Kato, and can confirm that their Quality Control is second to none. I think your foray into N Scale will be very successful, and bring you even more international viewers. Compliments to Jack for lending these Tiny Trains to you, and it will be great to see more! Perhaps you can find the space to put together a landscaped layout, because many people I have met at Shows are fascinated by what can be achieved in a fairly small space in N Scale, especially if you incorporate multi-levels, bridges, viaducts, tunnels and an Alp or two. As you said recently, it is amazing that Hornby went for TT instead of N Scale for their new products, and they may still decide to rethink that choice, if they can bear to swallow their pride and write off the investment in TT.

Amazing video well done Sam

I was not a model train fanatic prior to the pandemic. During the pandemic, RU-vid randomly offered me one of your videos. I loved your approach to reviews and started watching more model railroad channels. About a year and a half ago, I bought my first train set, the Kato Santa Fe Super Chief starter set with a loop of pre-bedded, snap together track and a power pack, for about 200 USD. I've gotten two more locos since, both Katos. They all run excellently and easily stand up to Catzilla attacks. Check out Kato's Pocket Line steeplecab electric loco. I picked one up for $35 and it's a little guy that runs like a charm.

Got my first Hornby in the 70s...Got my first Kato about 5 years ago. Never looked back. Amazing engineering in them and really it is where a lot of other manufacturers should aim to be. For DCC you replace the main Kato Board, eg. ESU micro with sound. Solder the clips, LEDs and speaker. So it is different to OO that way, but even I can do it. N really has come a long way. Just bought an Atlas GP-7 with sound ... sweet.

Awesome video today Sam really nice train pack

I was into N scale for a few years in the late 1990s when I was in a flat and limited for space. I had collected a few N scale pieces before that, but when I started shopping for the new layout, I was absolutely blown away by the performance of the KATO USRA heavy Mikado, very quiet and smooth-running. I never imagined N scale could do that! And that was over 25 years ago now, I’ll be really interested to see how things have progressed since then. Anyway, I’d definitely recommend the KATO Mikado for a steamer.

I have a Kato n gauge LNER Azuma, it is really fantastic, very pleased with it.

Very smoll but really cool my friend. I have 3 more engines coming so Ill keep u updated my friend. Keep being awesome and ur trains are the best

I love the amtrak and metra commuter trains by kato so much! Highly recommend them!

I remember recommending N scale to you a while ago. Having used Kato since 2009, I can safely say their products are amazing.

Great review Sam, I would love to see some 009 narrow gauge stuff and the tiny t gauge. God bless you both

Fantastic review! I love my p42 from kato to death. Got a heritage unit version which is really special. One thing I would like to mention about Dcc. You mentioned that it is odd that the loco does not have a next18 socket. In USA n scale models we rarely use next18 systems. Most models (especially diesels) use “drop in” decoders like the one you showed on screen. We don’t use plug tech like next18 due to space limitation. So our main solution is drop in. It is essentially the standard of 90% of North American n scale models. It makes installation of Dcc and Dcc sound extremely easy. Cheers and keep it up! -jay

I model Japanese N scale so Kato is often at the top of my shopping list. Many of the the things and features you mentioned are on everything they make, like the typical/historical consists in the instruction book, or most locos coming with multiple number plates. Coach lights usually don't come pre--installed, but they're standardised so you can pop them in virtually anything they make easily. In terms of pulling power, it's pretty normal for them to be pretty strong. The C11 tank engine is absolutely tiny but can easily pull over 10 coaches. Everything remotely recent has a coreless motor with a flywheel. The Shinkansen models are geared for speed and you kinda really need the superelevated curves for them. Kato often has some pretty creative solutions to couplings and such. A very interesting one recently is the EF55, a streamlined electric that, to enable a reasonable minimum radius, the bogie will actually move backwards under the body of the loco whenever it turns left or right so it misses the front cowling. I own quite a few Kato steam locos. Anything from the current generation of steam locos is phenomenal. In the past they have some really obvious compromises to make way for the mechanism but their recent ones (last 8 years I think?) are noticeably smaller and actually hit the target scale, with some really amazing detail. I'd recommend the C11, C12 or C56 for the most impressive performers (considering their size and price), 58654 SL Hitoyoshi for some of their best detail, or the Big Boy for one of the most ridiculous models ever made - it can go round 282mm (11") curves. Something you didn't get to see here is that most Kato sets come with a book case for storage. I only see it from Japanese manufacturers but it's super convenient. A tip for buying the Japanese prototype models - buy from Japanese shops in Japan. The official importers unfortunately end up adding quite a lot to prices so it's typically twice the price and shipping is no where near that much even if buying a single item. Not to mention the availability for specific models is much higher.

This was such an awaited video of mine on your channel. I began with my dad growing up with OO Hornby and Bachman, and was lucky to get some European HO stuff as well. However, now I live alone and space has been an issue so I tried to give N scale a go as I am a big fan of High Speed, with my fav train being the Class 373 Eurostar sets. Now, of course I got the Hornby one and it was decent, but it left me wanting more. I remember you mentioned in your video it would be awesome if they did a full railway detailed version. Well now I have both the Kato old livery and the new one. Let me say, it’s incredible and you can get a proper long train with the expansion packs. Kato did and absolutely incredible job with it, far beyond what I have seen with other manufacturers. Also big fan of the bullet train, especially the 500 series. Honestly what a train. Also bough the E5 Hayabusa starter set. I have also purchased the new Azuma Class 800s and the value for money compared to the Hornby ones is considerable. It’s absolutely incredible! And again what gets me is the value for money for the quality on all these models! I know Graham Farish were selling a class 220 Voyager 4 car set for an RRP of nearly £399 I believe. But then Kato had the class 800s from GWR and LNER at half the price with their incredible Unitrack! And the quality is just insanely good value. It’s hard to go back after you tried Kato. I saw also Importing them from Japan on Amazon international delivery is quite cost effective too. However not tried it yet so will let you know the result. Any who digressing here, but the point is it is great to see you have given Kato a try and look forward to see you try more of their stuff. A Classic Japanese Steamer or maybe a Bullet train would be amazing! Or just their British offerings. Also I noticed you checked Gauge Master and they are a bit overpriced, so would recommend looking at TrainTrax in York as I noticed the N gauge society were advertising them! They have an 8 car Kato bullet train for £176.40. An absolute steal! Would definitely recommend as I have it and works like Clockwork! Any roads will stop rambling on as I seem to be sponsored by Kato themselves at this point with this comment 😅, Thanks so much for the awesome video and keep up the great work man!

So glad you finally tried, in my opinion, the best model train producer. It's nice that I already own the thing you're reviewing! For the price differences - Kato does make this exact Amtrak set as a full on starter set with power pack and transformer - so that might be the price differences you saw. They also make a pack of just the coaches, so it's a bit confusing which is which at a glance online. I have, and recommend both Kato's D51 (Japanese steam engine) in n scale and Small England 0-4-0 in 009 scale (HO scale for N scale track). Both are the same quality you saw today! My only problem with Kato is I wish they made more steamers!

Although I enjoy all your videos, I'm happy to see you do another n scale review. I grew up with HO but left the hobby for a number of years (mostly for space). I few years ago I saw a locomotive In N scale that I really liked and bought it. I fell in love with the scale and have slowly been building my collection. Although I am definitely a novice with model trains, I will say all my Kato locos I own have all been amazing runners. I have three Kato steamers; a Southern Pacific class GS-4, a Union Pacific Big Boy (which I never thought I'd own one), and a Japanese National Railway Class D51. All of them have impressed me. I personally would recommend the D51. If you look around you can find them for fairly cheap.

Hi Sam, With the decoders its a drop in decoder so you just replace the existing PCB with a decoder that fits the model (most US manufacturers of decoders have a really nice selection too for decoders)

I don’t really do N scale, but I have owned a few Kato HO scale models, and I must say that they are pretty good. I mainly only have two of their rs-1 locomotives, and they have been very satisfactory. They have relatively simple electronics, 5-pole motors, and all wheel drive. They don’t have brass bearings, but they do use brass contacts as bearings as well as pickups for power.

So glad you’ve finally got a Kato locomotive!. I have a bunch as I model both Canadian / US and Japanese. I’ve yet to see one that doesn’t run at least as well as the set you have here. I’ve bought quite a few second hand for less than CDN$100 and they all still run smooth as silk. The whole dual flywheel / 5pole motor is pretty much the minimum spec for all North American locos these days. I have a Kato mikado that was the gold standard steam loco in N over here for years, and now also have an FEF-3 which is just incredible (performance and details) though I’m not sure it would cope well with your inner radius loop!

I have a 3 Kato engines in HO Scale and 2 in OO9 and love them.

I have 5 n scale genesis’s and this exact set. Out of all the n scale engines I own my genesis’s perform the best and can haul the most. One of the best Kato packs out there. Kato is the best n scale manufacturer.

You'll not go wrong with Kato! Wonderful stuff.

the first class was originally given the designation "AMD-103", "Amtrak Monocoque Diesel, 103 MPH", with "Genesis" having always been the product name. it was then changed to 'Dash 8-40BP" before settling on P40DC. Both be P40DC and P42DC are classed as "Series 1 Genesis". The Series 2 is occupied by the one version you didn't mention, the P32AC-DM, which is a dual mode diesel/third rail electric locomotive specifically built for New York Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal.

I have an older class C57 steam engine from Kato (product number 2007-3) and it is one of my best performing N scale locos, a very quiet and smooth runner. :)

As someone who has the n scale Kato model of Union Pacific 844, I would highly recommend it. It’s a beautiful runner and I have not had any problems with it after owning it for 4 years.

Hope you enjoyed checking out Kato and Amtrak, Sam! I'm a big Amtrak fan myself, and I got several of Kato's products as gifts many years ago, so it means a lot that you're reviewing them here. I'd highly recommend checking out the bi-level Superliner cars and especially the iconic F40PH locomotive in the equally iconic Phase III livery!

I have Kato’s HO Scale P42, and it is a beauty

Digitrax makes a drop in decoder for these, that simply replaces the entire "dummy" board. It only takes a couple of minutes to make the swap, and it works with all DCC systems. The Kato decoders you show are just for controlling the lights in the cars. The cars themselves don't come with lights, but Kato makes a drop-in lighting kit for those as well.

Nice review, Sam! Nice to see an Amtrak loco reviewed here! You should review the HO Scale version (also by Kato) of the P42!

I have a pair of Kato N scale D51 class steam locomotives, and even though I've had them for years now they still blow my mind every time I get them out of the box. They put so many larger models to shame in both detail and performance, however they do use traction tires since Japanese models are generally even smaller than European models. If we didn't have a great big ocean in between us I'd lend you one to try since they've never truly been run 😭 Great video as always!

I love my n scale Kato locos and coaches. I have a 15 coach Orient Express set, purchased off Ebay a few years ago for about £160, and I've fitted light kits into every coach, as well as adding some tiny hand painted people. It looks stunning. Also I've got two Class 800 UK sets, Azuma and GWR. These don't allow for light kits unless you are very very skilled. Most recently I treated myself to a Thalys 10 car set, again a bargain off Ebay, and I've fitted lights into all coaches and front and rear locos. Again it looks superb. If you buy direct from Japan, e.g. Plaza, then the prices are cheaper than the UK BUT you have to remember that there needs to be added to the price import duty and VAT. This then makes them not as cheap as you imagined. The price you pay from a UK supplier will include the above taxes so it's horses for courses. The quality of these Kato models is wonderful, in my opinion, and I'd highly recommend them. Try some more Sam, I'll lend you one of my sets if you ask nicely !!

As an American N scale enthusiast, I can also attest to Kato's Quality. You might be interested in reviewing their pocket line series. They are more meant for beginner modelers, but they are by far the best value for money I have ever seen myself for a new n scale product from any brand. You may have to shop around, but I got my small loco (with a flywheel), and two coaches for $60 USD.

Great to see you branch out into N. I’ve got the LNER and GWR Azumas which are terrific. There’s also the freelance 0-4-0 electric with pantographs which is a really fun loco. I have found some problems with the track though, particularly the crossovers which have tended to derail grafar locos like the class 37. Other members of the N Gauge Society have reported similar issues. That said, getting a whole Azuma train, controller and circuit of track for around £200 is incredible value.

Went into the Kato store in Kyoto station last summer. It was fantastic. I wanted to go into their Tokyo location, but ran out of time. Really worth a visit.

kato, and just N scale in general seems to get better quality than even HO scale stuff, Im always more satisfied to use N scale

If you take a look at a 1970 Minitrix class 27 or Warship diesel, they had virtually the same motor and gear set up as late 1990s Bachmann diesels, or later Hornby ones, with motors in the centre (no flywheels), two universal joints connecting to two gear towers to wheels; all wheels driven and pick-ups....Do a review on one or both. They were and are (even at a crawl) Brilliant. All this with 3-pole motors too!!!!

Hi Sam! Thank you from Portugal for doing some amazing and useful videos! You need to try some Minitrix locomotives now that you tried Kato. They are amazing and you can still buy them made of metal and not plastic. Cheers and keep up the good work 😊🎉

Great review presentation. Love your accent. My dream is to go to Japan and tour the factory one day soon.

I started with a kato n scale set with a GE ES44AC and six freight cars, or trucks lol. I cant believe you've reviewed one, and i missed it!

I have one of these sets as well other Kato locomotives and they run and look great

The sleeper car upper winds are for the bunk that pulls down, the seat turns into a bed and the bunk pulls down for the second bed. Private room for one or two people.

I have 8 Kato ho gauge North American diesels and they are really great runners and they are good value too.

Awesome video Sam's trains 😊

They are made in Japan mukka... of course the engineering will be awesome! Kato could certainly show a few other companies how to build model railway stock. I am normally a OO modeller but I bought the complete Kato 'N' gauge "Dr Yellow" Shinkansen a few years ago. It is a beautiful train and even though I keep it as a static model, it is reeks quality and class. It's marvellous.. 😊 Keep up the good work chum. Cheers ftom Oz. Gaz

Regarding KATO's HO offerings for the North American market, I've had a very positive experience with them. Though bought off of the secondhand market, their locomotives are wonderfully detailed and quite reliable. I recently picked up an SD80MAC that was mint in box and was sitting on someone's shelf for some time, and it ran perfectly the moment I applied power to it. Their "Unitrack" embedded roadbed track line is also considered second to none for its type, and there's even clubs here (N-Trak) that do modular layout sections using it.

I am not an American railfan but I am pretty sure the livery on the P42 is Amtrack's phase V livery and not phase VI. Regardless, it is an awesome model

Hi Sam, I have the same set. I think Kato's storage system with the bookcase format (it comes with the expansion set!) is such a good format to store your models. The formation guide is also pretty informative for users too. Also, Im pretty sure its pronounced "Kah-to".

Can't go wrong with Kato. I have over 100 of their N scale locos, and about 200 freight cars and 100 or so passenger cars(thanks to sets). Picked up two new Union Pacific SD90MACs this week, they run perfectly! I have this Amtrak set, it's a great set. Plenty of Amtrak stock out there to add to it! The white box ahead of the front axle/bogie on the loco shell is the builder plate, in real life you could read information about when it was built and what production number it had,etc.

Wroxham Miniature Worlds in Norfolk has a fab Kato N Gauge exhibit. Good excuse for a holiday to go & see it.

I have the ACS 64 set and it is Great!. From my experience Kato is very reliable and durable