50-foot Rib-side Boxcar from Fox Valley Kato s New Silver Streak Zephyr Flatcar Loads from Models11 Bachmann HO-Scale GP38 2 WalthersProto MILW SW1200 Volume 19, Issue 1 January 2013 $5.99 US/CANADA 0 1 > 7 25274 24091 3
Cover Story Pioneer Zephyr Successor Kato s E5A and Silver Streak Zephyr Cars Review and Photos by Tony Cook CB&Q EMD E5A & Silver Streak Zephyr 6-unit Set #106-090, MSRP: $250 EMD E5A CB&Q #9910A Silver Speed #176-5401, MSRP: $110 EMD E5A CB&Q #9911A Siler Pilot #176-5402, MSRP: $110 Kato USA, Inc. 100 Remington Road Schaumburg, IL 60173 847-781-9500 Fax: 847-781-9570 www.katousa.com K0D8-E DCC Decoder #1481, MSRP: $42.75 Kapton Tape #KT, MSRP: $9.75 Train Control Systems 845 Blooming Glen Road P.O. Box 341 Blooming Glen, PA 18911 215-453-9145 Fax: 215-257-0735 www.tcsdcc.com Sleek and impressive are the first words that come to mind as one opens the handsome case holding Kato s N-scale Burlington Silver Streak Zephyr set. The set includes new tooling cars and EMC-built E5A diesel power. E-units Electro-Motive Corporation early streamline diesel production included Baltimore & Ohio and Santa Fe s E1s Burlington No. 9911A Silver Pilot is one of three N-scale E5As now available from Kato. This E5A and No. 9910A Silver Speed are sold separately from Kato s Silver Streak Zephyr set. The individual E5As retail for $110 each. in 1937. Rock Island owned the unique TA diesels. Union Pacific purchased bulbous-nosed E2s that ran The City of San Francisco in the late 1930s. These examples began setting the stage for regular production E-units to come. Progression continued with the replacement of the early Winton 201A engine to the famous 567 prime mover. The very pronounced slanted nose with protruding headlight appeared with UP s City of Los Angeles E3s, arriving in the spring of 1939. Seaboard switched its Orange Blossom Special from steam to E4s, and next came Chicago, Burlington & Quincy s E5s. The first regular production E-unit arrived soon after Burlington s E5s. More than a hundred E6 examples with a more or less standard design and appearance hit the rails before WWII s War Production Board disallowed production of this diesel type in 1942. Following WWII, EMD introduced its E7 to great success and followed it with E8s and finally E9s. The last E9s arrived in 1964, closing the book on production for this famous passenger hauler. I think you ll agree Kato has done another outstanding job on this release. Q s E5 Burlington took delivery of 16 E5s beginning in 1940. Retaining the signature looks of its Pioneer Zephyr, CB&Q kept stainless steel fluting on the lower panels of the unit and had mock grille work added on each side of the headlights. Technically, three railroads owned E5s: CB&Q, Colorado & Southern (C&S), and Fort Worth & Denver (FW&D). Both C&S and FW&D were Burlington subsidiaries, and those E5s included the same styling and dress. Burlington s E5 collection was the largest, with nine E5 As and a trio of booster E5Bs. An E5 A-B pair each was on the roster at C&S and FW&D. All were provided names, similar to Burlington s practice employed for passenger cars. E5s in Burlington service hauled a variety of Based on the previously released E8/E9 drive mechanism, Kato has created its new E5A model. The fuel tanks and skirting are plated plastic pieces that snap onto the die-cast frame. The model weighs five ounces and provided above-average pulling power. 50 January 2013 Model Railroad News www.modelrailroadnews.com
trains and were certainly not exclusive to use on the Silver Streak Zephyr. This makes Kato s new N-scale model welcome by many modelers for a number of uses. Burlington s E5s racked up many miles and lasted in service into the mid-1960s. Many went to General Electric for trade-in credit on U25Bs. Silver Streak Zephyr Silver Streak is a familiar name in railroading. Burlington s Pioneer Zephyr was dubbed Silver Streak for its appearance in The Silver Streak, a 1934 movie fictionalizing the record-breaking trip made by the Zephyr. Other Silver Streak usage has included the 1976 comedy movie with Canadian equipment starring in Amroad dress as Silver Streak. TYCO produced a gaudy red and chrome Warbonnet Alco Century 430 with Union Pacific shield and called it Silver Streak in the late 1970s. The actual Burlington Silver Streak Zephyr was CB&Q Trains 20 and 21, operating 250 miles between Lincoln, Nebraska, and Kansas City, Missouri, in about five and half hours. The train began serving this route in the spring of 1940 and was powered by articulated Pioneer Zephyr equipment. Non-articulated equipment replaced the original Zephyr, and this is what Kato is presenting in N scale. The set in this make up included an E5A pulling a baggage, baggage-rpo, a pair of 52-seat coaches, and a combination diner-parlor observation. Counting the 22 seats in the obs, this set had 126 tickets to sell per trip before running completely full. The dining section included with the observation seated two dozen guests. Kato s E5A Kato s first N-scale E-unit sold in North America under its own name was its E8/E9 introduced in 1993. Now, Kato steps back a few years in prototype history for its E5A release. Three of the nine Burlington E5s are present in Kato s first By-The-Numbers EMC E5A Kato N 1:160 Type: Diesel Pull Power (Ozs @ Full Slip) Pull Loco Wt = Efficiency 1.3 5 26 Analog DC Volts Amps Scale MPH 1.7.06 3 6.0.10 74 12.0.14 160 DCC Minimum 2.8 Mid 68.0 Maximum 158.0 offering: No. 9909 Silver Bullet, No. 9910A Silver Speed, and No. 9911A Silver Pilot. The Silver Streak Zephyr Set includes Silver Bullet in its contents. Kato has individual releases of Silver Speed and Silver Pilot available for $110 each. The model follows Kato s proven design with twin flywheels powering all six axles, bettering EMD s A-1-A set up that left the center axle to operate as an idler between powered axles. Kato s E5 weighs in at five ounces and is both a smooth operator and Power for Kato s new N-scale CB&Q Silver Streak Zephyr set is E5A Sliver Bullet No. 9909. The shiny finish recreates the look of the prototype. Kato s design includes skirting for each truck mounted to the sideframes, allowing problem-free mobility around curves. The All-Scale News Monthly Model Railroad News January 2013 51
Kato provides interiors for both coach cars and the observation car in its Silver Streak Zephyr set. The one-piece plastic interiors snap out for detail painting and figure installation if desired by the modeler. Bringing up the rear of the five cars included with Kato s Silver Streak Zephyr is Silver Spirit. This Observation car includes factory-installed LED lighting to illuminate the end lights, marker lights, and drumhead. above average puller. While its top speed of 160 scale miles per hour is beyond anything the prototype could do, you will find ample speed range in the drive to allow proper cruising speeds on your layout. Kato includes a golden hue LED light that illuminates the dual headlights and number boards during operation. As delivered from the factory, the model features a single-piece front coupler shroud or cover. Provided with the model is a front coupler and bracket, allowing the modeler to double head E5s. The plated finished on Kato s E5 is excellent not too shiny to appear toy-like, but Brake wheels and diaphragms are included on car ends on each model in the set. Roof details include separately applied vents. Couplers are mounted to the trucks on all cars in this set. enough gloss to replicate the prototype. Black lettering is razor sharp and accurate. Burlington later painted some E5s with red nose stripes; Kato s first release provides the original black striping. Cab window material is nearly flush and side windows include a tinted clear plastic. DCC for Kato s E5 Train Control Systems (TCS) has released its K0D8-E decoder for use in Kato s E5A. This decoder, retailing for $42.95, is a simple drop-in install, requiring only minor DCC knowledge and expertise and maybe a minute or two to complete the project. Though it s basically a drop-in operation, one step is very important to remember and must be done. Kato s design includes two long bands running on the outside of the upper portion of the drive. Once you ve removed Kato s original DC board and have the two contact tabs bent up and out of the way, you ll see the pair of electrical bands. Using TCS Kapton Tape, remove the bands and wrap the section directly near the contact tabs with tape. This insulates the band from the contact for DCC usage. Without doing so, you ll destroy the DCC decoder and have to start over. TCS website (www.tcsdcc.com) provides excellent step-by-step images of the process. Train Control Systems decoder has eight functions with built-in onboard resistor for LEDs included on the unit. Instructions provided are simple to follow and provide a chart allowing the user to enter values programmed for future reference. The main features of TCS K0D8-E decoder include back EMF, which provides excellent slow speed and speed control; Quiet Drive, reducing drive noise without interfering with performance; Autodetect, which allows a decoder-equipped model to detect a DC set up and operate normally in this standard mode; and much more. TCS provides additional information on its website to support its decoders and includes a warranty for this and other decoders in the company s catalog. Digitrax DN163K0E is a DCC decoder board made to replace the board provided for standard DC ops. Digitrax s decoder is a simple drop-in installation. Digitrax s decoder is a 1.5 amp, six-function unit that retails for $36. Digitrax will also have a sound decoder, SDN144K0E, available to provide DCC control and sound for Kato s E5s. Kato s Silver Streak Zephyr Cars Five plated passenger cars are provided in Kato s Silver Streak Zephyr set. Kato s streamliners include truck-mounted knuckle couplers, which allow the cars to navigate tight-radius curves. The end coupler on the Obs is body mounted. The baggage car Silver Light and baggage/ 52 January 2013 Model Railroad News www.modelrailroadnews.com
Head-end cars in Kato s Silver Streak Zephyr include a baggage and baggage/railway Post Office. Note the mail bag arm included on the RPO car and roof details on both examples. A pair of 77-foot coach cars is provided matching the original prototype consist for Burlington s Silver Streak Zephyr. Coaches Silver Gleam and Sliver Glow have accurate 52-seat interiors. The multi-tasking Observation Silver Spirit provides both lounge and dining services to riders aboard our N-scale CB&Q Silver Streak Zephyr. This car is the longest in the set at 86 feet and makes for an impressive finish to the consist. Aftermarket DCC drop-in decoder boards are now available from Digitrax and TCS. Here is Train Control Systems 8-function DCC decoder in place and ready to make Kato s E5 roll. A gray plug needs to be removed and then slid forward toward the nose of the diesel and out comes the factory DC board. Simply reverse the process to install a DCC decoder board. The All-Scale News Monthly Model Railroad News January 2013 53