Heritage Units

 For reasons still unknown to me, I have acquired yet another Norfolk Southern heritage unit. This one is a duplicate, sort of; an SD70Ace in Erie paint. This one, however, is a Kato where my other is made by Fox Valley Models. It was a good price, and I just couldn't resist the urge.

I haven't taken any pictures to show the comparisons, but the differences between the two brands are well known. The Kato has molded in details where the FVM has a bag of yet uninstalled detail parts, the Kato locomotive colors are a lot brighter than the FVM unit, (a comparison of pictures online suggests the FVM is closer to prototype) and the Kato is capable of the expected rocket ship-like top speed while the FVM had a more reasonable top speed from the factory. 

Other than the excessively high top speed, the Kato runs with the quietness and precision otherwise expected from the brand. Installing DCC allows for the top speed to be reduced to a more reasonable level, and it has been speed-matched on the Digitrax system to the others. 

I have decided that, given the troubles I had with obtaining parts for my FVM locomotive, the Kato will replace the FVM unit on the show circuit and the FVM model will go on display. I will likewise replace any other FVM locos that I can find Kato substitutes for, but I don't expect that will be any time soon.