I ‘m an N scale model railroader. All of my locomotives are Kato, I have 3 Amtrak P42 Genesis locomotives that pulls my Amtrak Superliner the Coast Starlight, a 10 car Southern Pacific Morning Daylight set that is pulled by the GS-4 4-8-4 number 4449 in Daylight colors which is my excursion train, and a Santa Fe EMD SDP40F which is my freight locomotive. I’m waiting for the Kato EMDSD70M flat radiator Southern Pacific number 9804 that I ordered in mid April & should have it by July. My era I’m modeling is from 1974 to the present covering the entire West Coast . My freight cars are Kato, Atlas,Microtrain,Concor, BLMA, Intermountain. My model railroad is the Pacific West Coast Model Railroad.the video is very informative.
I have both the current Kato SD70Ms and an earlier one with flared radiators. I see both versions often on my local UP mainline. One thing I wish Kato would have done is paint the front and rear handrails white. Every UP locomotive I've seen, EMD and GE, has white handrails on the stairways. Everybody but Kato seems to do it right.
Update: I bought the UP one and really love it. Pulls a lot of cars... way more than my Kato SD70ACe locos interestingly. Also I really like the bright headlight on top of the cab. Great loco and I'm going to buy the Southern Pacific one when it comes out soon.
Great video. I’m new to DCC. Does the decoder have small, but I’m assuming very bright LEDs on the ends of the board? Therefore it doesn’t need the larger LEDs like the original light board had? I thought you’d lose the lights after you dropped in the decoder, but sure enough your running footage had lights.
Ron, on these new SD70's, are the trucks like the SD70Ace with "floating" axles, or are the axles fixed, like in the ES44AC? I can't tell by the video or any pics posted. - Nice video!
I'm not sure what you mean by "a normal Arnold" but you can upgrade them to Micro-Trains couplers which are the industry standard in N scale. They were formally Katy and are the Katy couplers of N scale.
Did Kato made couplings that will fit on this? I don't have American rolling stock so I want to see if you can couple this to Japanese and British rolling stock. Non-US models do not have this type of small knuckles you know.
It happens that I’m not in America. I’m watching you from London, Uk!! I’ve never heard, even when I visited my cousins in Shelbyville Indiana, Model Railroad News.
I bought both number of the UP and NS in December and have the SP and CSX on pre-order. I also have the original run of CSX and SP. I had been hounding the Kato booth at NTS for years to get them to do a re-run and the new runs of UP and NS. They are great runners. Thanks for the video!
Nice looking Locomotive. Just an FYI: CSX does not have many SD-70M model Locomotives. They may have bought "a batch,"(usually @ 25 loco's), for trials and kept them. CSX predominately runs the SD-70Ace models.
DN163K1D is the wrong decoder, DN163K1C is the correct decoder, it has the motor clips, check and see for yourself 😀 I don't know why Kato mention DN163K1D.
Very nice! Kato is doing N-Scale that looks as nice as many HO models and they have the reputation as good runners. Ron, a minor correction; while the SD70s appeared in the late 90's the huge UP order started in the spring of 2000. I remember traveling to see the first five on their very first trip west on the Overland Route. The SD70M order was over 1000 locomotives (plus about 25 that they got from SP). The 2000-vintage UP SD70M order also brought back the winged medallion and the "lightning stripe" (from the CNW). I live near a BNSF mainline and usually NS sends GE motors as run through power but their SD70Ms have wandered into Nebraska once in a while.
The order was actually placed in 1999, with delivery of the first units in 2000. The body style change took place mid-2000. The original order of 1000 was extended by 400, then the SP units were acquired in the merger.
I just bought the UP version, arrived here on March 17. It came with that same DigiTrax decoder pre-installed. Price, including tax and shipping was $162.36 from Model Train Stuff. It is my first DCC loco, and I totally love it.
Kato has been making some very nice models for both N and HO scale, and this is another fine one. Ron, I hope that in the near future you can find a way to take a look in at the Bachmann EM-1 in N scale? I have the HO version and heard N scalers asking about that model! Thanks for sharing Muse
Finally! The price on the first run 70M’s were getting out of hand! Urban legend said the original tooling was damaged, and was not going to be done again. Glad to see that wasn’t true!
Thanks, Ron. What is the price difference between buying DCC installed, and buying a decoder and self install? Wish it was this easy for all other MFG.
Good video review , Ron. I am surprised that Digitrax does not suggest putting some Kapton or other insulating tape over the bare portions of the frame so the motor tabs don't accidentally short on the frame and fry the decoder. If it were me, I'd probably have done that.
Did you make that cradle. I have done a couple of reviews and would like something like that. Last review I did was on some nscale exactrail cars. Nothing like some nice models. Those locomotives are nice. Great review.
I love the quality, performance and reliability of Kato locomotives. But I think the tooling and level of detail have fallen behind several other brands in recent years.
Absolutely, last week I received the BNSF D9 run from Scaletrains and was blow away at the amount of details they came with for the price. The sound is also very nice but really quiet out the box.
Be sure to check out Kato's new 20th Century Limited set in N scale as well. I reviewed it in this video: ua-cam.com/video/4BxmcgIuX3I/v-deo.html
The SD70M is my favorite loco of all time. I especially like the flared radiator version.
I always love how smooth Kato’s loco engines run
I just got the Athearn SD70M in HO from midwestmodelrr, I also was surprised to learn just how many SD70Ms Union Pacific owned: 1,400+ of these
That was the single largest order of any EMD for a class 1 rr. They are also my favorite locomotive!
The Minecraft Rail King is here!
I ‘m an N scale model railroader. All of my locomotives are Kato, I have 3 Amtrak P42 Genesis locomotives that pulls my Amtrak Superliner the Coast Starlight, a 10 car Southern Pacific Morning Daylight set that is pulled by the GS-4 4-8-4 number 4449 in Daylight colors which is my excursion train, and a Santa Fe EMD SDP40F which is my freight locomotive. I’m waiting for the Kato EMDSD70M flat radiator Southern Pacific number 9804 that I ordered in mid April & should have it by July. My era I’m modeling is from 1974 to the present covering the entire West Coast . My freight cars are Kato, Atlas,Microtrain,Concor, BLMA, Intermountain. My model railroad is the Pacific West Coast Model Railroad.the video is very informative.
Not an N scaler myself but these are great vids to watch!
Edit 4/10/2021, I am officially a member of N scale! Boy this stuff is really nice!
Thanks. Glad you enjoy them.
Very nice Sd70s love that series of engines.
I have both the current Kato SD70Ms and an earlier one with flared radiators. I see both versions often on my local UP mainline. One thing I wish Kato would have done is paint the front and rear handrails white. Every UP locomotive I've seen, EMD and GE, has white handrails on the stairways. Everybody but Kato seems to do it right.
Several manufacturers are or have been guilty of this over time, but it is easy to add a bit of white paint to the appropriate handrails.
I'm pumped they are doing a run of these.
Update: I bought the UP one and really love it. Pulls a lot of cars... way more than my Kato SD70ACe locos interestingly. Also I really like the bright headlight on top of the cab. Great loco and I'm going to buy the Southern Pacific one when it comes out soon.
I picked up 2 of the CSX models. they are only running in dC but they are still great, I have yet to take the step towards the DCC side
Great video. I’m new to DCC. Does the decoder have small, but I’m assuming very bright LEDs on the ends of the board? Therefore it doesn’t need the larger LEDs like the original light board had?
I thought you’d lose the lights after you dropped in the decoder, but sure enough your running footage had lights.
Love that NS locomotive
Ron, on these new SD70's, are the trucks like the SD70Ace with "floating" axles, or are the axles fixed, like in the ES44AC? I can't tell by the video or any pics posted. - Nice video!
If you mean that the axles are defective, no, my 2 SD70s came perfectly fine.
Just got one of these not to long ago great models
Can you change the couplers on Kato USA locos to normal Arnold type N scale couplings?
I'm not sure what you mean by "a normal Arnold" but you can upgrade them to Micro-Trains couplers which are the industry standard in N scale. They were formally Katy and are the Katy couplers of N scale.
Did Kato made couplings that will fit on this? I don't have American rolling stock so I want to see if you can couple this to Japanese and British rolling stock. Non-US models do not have this type of small knuckles you know.
@@RonsTrainsNThings I think he's referring to Arnold Rapido, really not really normal anymore.
The NS one is on my wish list
It happens that I’m not in America. I’m watching you from London, Uk!! I’ve never heard, even when I visited my cousins in Shelbyville Indiana, Model Railroad News.
I bought both number of the UP and NS in December and have the SP and CSX on pre-order. I also have the original run of CSX and SP. I had been hounding the Kato booth at NTS for years to get them to do a re-run and the new runs of UP and NS. They are great runners. Thanks for the video!
That is Nice. Who is the fraudster that painted (Decaled) IMRROcom on your UP two bay hopper. I know I did not do that...
🤔🤔🤔💡🤣
Very nice locomotive🚂
Nice looking Locomotive. Just an FYI: CSX does not have many SD-70M model Locomotives. They may have bought "a batch,"(usually @ 25 loco's), for trials and kept them. CSX predominately runs the SD-70Ace models.
CSX hardly used their ACes. They got rid of them a few years back.
Very nice locomotives! Also thanks for correctly pronouncing Kato. ;)
Lol, yeah. I live being corrected by people who mispronounced it.
I've been dying to see a review of these!
Does anyone know where I can get replacement trucks for my Kato SD 40? Thanks.
DN163K1D is the wrong decoder, DN163K1C is the correct decoder, it has the motor clips, check and see for yourself 😀 I don't know why Kato mention DN163K1D.
Very nice! Kato is doing N-Scale that looks as nice as many HO models and they have the reputation as good runners. Ron, a minor correction; while the SD70s appeared in the late 90's the huge UP order started in the spring of 2000. I remember traveling to see the first five on their very first trip west on the Overland Route. The SD70M order was over 1000 locomotives (plus about 25 that they got from SP). The 2000-vintage UP SD70M order also brought back the winged medallion and the "lightning stripe" (from the CNW). I live near a BNSF mainline and usually NS sends GE motors as run through power but their SD70Ms have wandered into Nebraska once in a while.
The order was actually placed in 1999, with delivery of the first units in 2000. The body style change took place mid-2000. The original order of 1000 was extended by 400, then the SP units were acquired in the merger.
Wow that's a cool locomotive, plus great vid.
I bought both numbers in the southern pacific
I have one 👍🏾😁👍🏾 Csx sd70m 4695 on n scale is only about $100.00
I have bought one in the csx paint scheme. Can’t wait for it to arrive!!
I just bought the UP version, arrived here on March 17. It came with that same DigiTrax decoder pre-installed. Price, including tax and shipping was $162.36 from Model Train Stuff. It is my first DCC loco, and I totally love it.
I just got a CSX one
Kato has been making some very nice models for both N and HO scale, and this is another fine one. Ron, I hope that in the near future you can find a way to take a look in at the Bachmann EM-1 in N scale? I have the HO version and heard N scalers asking about that model!
Thanks for sharing
Muse
good vid
Finally! The price on the first run 70M’s were getting out of hand! Urban legend said the original tooling was damaged, and was not going to be done again. Glad to see that wasn’t true!
The top of the Union Pacific models roof looks just like the roof on the HO scale UP sd60 from proto!
Nice review on this! I might wanna try to find these someday. Are they gonna do a second run on this union pacific models or not?
Thanks, Ron. What is the price difference between buying DCC installed, and buying a decoder and self install? Wish it was this easy for all other MFG.
Honestly, it is significant. Assuming MSRP, it costs $80 more to buy DCC equipped, but you can install a better Digitrax decoder yourself for $35.
Good video review , Ron. I am surprised that Digitrax does not suggest putting some Kapton or other insulating tape over the bare portions of the frame so the motor tabs don't accidentally short on the frame and fry the decoder. If it were me, I'd probably have done that.
This decoder is backed with a plastic film, making use of Kanyon tape unnecessary.
Give me a steam locomotive any day of the week!!
Did you make that cradle. I have done a couple of reviews and would like something like that. Last review I did was on some nscale exactrail cars. Nothing like some nice models. Those locomotives are nice. Great review.
Yes I did. Here is a link to a video about it. ua-cam.com/video/xgZJg_clr6U/v-deo.html
I love the quality, performance and reliability of Kato locomotives. But I think the tooling and level of detail have fallen behind several other brands in recent years.
Absolutely, last week I received the BNSF D9 run from Scaletrains and was blow away at the amount of details they came with for the price. The sound is also very nice but really quiet out the box.
Not an unattractive locomotive, I must say. I’m not really into diesel locomotives, but can appreciate their role in train history.