Kato ED75 Review

Kato produce three different versions of this electric locomotive; this is the 1000-series designed with express passenger trains in mind, though they could be found working other sorts of trains as well, including freight trains and sleeper trains.

Background

Introduced in 1963 and working well into the 2010s, these were the standard mixed traffic AC electric locomotive for a long time. They are particularly associated with the Tohoku region, pretty much the top third of the main island of Honshu.

The 0-series (or M-type) were the first ones built. They were intended for the Tohoku Main Line and Joban Line once it was electrified to 20 kV AC at 50 Hz. Since this part of Japan is quite cold, they have various features such as snowploughs and heaters that allow them to operate more reliably in such conditions. Six batches were built, all slightly different.

In 1965 a second series, the 300-series, was introduced for the lines in Kyushu region electrified to 20 kV AC at 60 Hz. They have different pantographs to the 0-series locomotives as well as a various other slight differences. Because the coaching stock used in the Kyushu region was steam heated, and these locos lacked boilers, they were primarily used on fast freight trains.

A single 500-series, S-type locomotive was built in 1966 with thyristor control and suitable adaptations for the very cold conditions on the northern island of Hokkaido. It was mostly used on freight trains because it lacked a steam generator and was ultimately scrapped in 1986.

The 700-series locomotives were also hardened against the cold and designed for use on the northern part of Honshu, particularly the Ou and Uetsu main lines. They benefitted from a number of updates that improved conditions for the driver while also making the locomotives more resistant to the salty air of the region where they woked. For the modeller, one of the most obvious differences to this series is that the two pantographs are moved closer together. The pantographs are different as well, being the snow-resistant PS103 type compared with the PS101 seen on earlier series.

The final series, the 1000-series, the Passenger-type (or P-type), were built between 1968 and 1976. They were designed to be compatible with the electromagnetic brakes on the Koki 10000 container wagons and 20-series passenger cars. There were four different batches, each slightly different: the Kato model here represents the early batch. Needless to say, this versatile locomotive could be used on all sorts of trains. Both Kato and Tomix produce Koki 10000 container wagons, while the electrically-heated Series 50 coaches produced by Kato would also be appropriate for layouts set in Honshu.

Kato ED75-1000 (3075-4)

What's in the box?

• ED75 electric locomotive
• Working headlights
• Chemically blackened wheels
• Plastic sprues with number plates, maker plates, and multiple unit jumper cable
• Replacement knuckle couplers (Arnold-type pre-fitted)
• Two passenger train headboards
• Two-page instruction leaflet (in Japanese)

Although this is a relatively small and inexpensive model it has a lot of separately fitted details, particularly on the roof. There are two pantographs that can be posed up or down, power cables, insulators, and various boxes and cylinders. A mix of metal and plastic is used as well as a variety of colours. At the front there are also separately fitted handrails and jumper cables.

Moulded and painted details are nicely done, including quite a detailed cab interior. As with many other Kato models, numbering is left to the modeller. A scalpel or some other small blade is needed to cut away the number and maker plates from the supplied sprue, and then these can be carefully pushed into the provided recesses on the model. I found this easiest using a bit of marking tape to hold the number or maker plate from the front as they are very small. If you use forceps or tweezers, there's a good chance you'll squeeze too hard and send them flying!

Attaching the multiple unit cable isn't difficult but again, this is a very small and bendy item so needs to be handled carefully. Again, masking tape can be used to hold the piece while you position it, so it doesn't ping away if you make a mistake. Switching out the Arnold coupler for a knuckle coupler is much easier though: just unclip the snowplough and the coupler falls out.

The accessory pack also includes two magnetic passenger train headboards that stick to the front of the locomotive quite securely. These represent the 'Yuzuru' sleeper train that operated between Ueno and Aomori until 1988 and the 'Akebono' sleeper train that worked between Tokyo and Aomori until 2014. Kato have replicated the Aomori depot connection here, including white ceramic insulators (instead of the usual green or grey seen elsewhere) and real metal wires (instead of moulded plastic) to enhance the appearance of the roof details. An older design of pantograph is used, the PS101, and all these features pin its time of operation to the 60s and 70s, something of a heyday for the class.

Viewed from the front the locomotive looks surprisingly rugged, even bullish, thanks to the deep skirt and angular snowplough. Form follows function, and in this case what we see is a locomotive modified to be versatile (lots of jumper hoses) and perfectly able to handle the snowy winters of northern Honshu.

Performance is on par with other modern Kato models: extremely smooth, very quiet, and thanks to one traction tyre on each bogie, the model easily hauls realistic loads. A slotless motor ensures steady acceleration and good low speed performance. This design of motor performs like a motor with flywheels, offering exceptional performance even at low voltages. While the traction tyres do mean electric pick-up is limited to three wheels per bogie — on clean, well-laid track this shouldn't cause any major problems.

Conclusion

For its size, this is an impressive model that looks every inch the workhorse that the real ones proved to be across their long careers. Heavy and provided with an excellent motor, it can haul a nice long train, and I have no doubt that like the real locos, would trot happily up steep grades on a mountainous model railway. Equally at home on freight and passenger trains, Kato produce coaches for both the Akebono and Yuzuru Blue Train sleepers if you wanted to replicate two particular trains the class regularly hauled.

As with most Kato models, this isn't DCC-ready in the sense of having a pre-fitted decoder slot. If you want to add DCC, you'll need to replace the circuit board on the top of the chassis. Drop in boards like the Digitrax DN163K4A are available, but I haven't tried them out.

At the time of writing, these models are on sale in Japan for around 8,000 Yen (slightly over £40). That seems like an absolute bargain for such a nicely made model with such a long and varied career.