Review: Kato 2021 C11 steam locomotive

The C11 steam locomotive has been part of the Kato range for a long time, the first model produced in 1971. It remained part of the Kato range for more than 40 years, incrementally improved in minor ways but notably over-scale. In 2021, Kato released a completely new model that was properly to scale and also featured a coreless motor and much more fine detailing. It appears to represent the third tranche of C11s built between 1940 and 1941, but as they ran during the 1960s -- most obviously, with the addition of the electric LP42 headlight on the front.

Background

These JNR locomotives have a two-cylinder, 2-6-4T wheel arrangement and Walschaerts valve gear. No fewer than 381 examples of the class were produced between 1932 and 1947, albeit across four different generations. They were designed for use on suburban and branch lines, but were eventually seen all over Japan. Typical jobs included local passenger trains and short distance freight trains, but they occasionally worked limited express and even sleeper trains. As time passed and passenger work was taken over by railcars of various sorts, the C11s took on more freight work and even operated as shunting locomotives. By the 1960s even this sort of work was being handled by diesel and electric locomotives and mass withdrawals began, but some remained in service until 1975. Six have been preserved in working order, and more than 50 can be found as static exhibits around the country.

Kato ED75-1000 (3075-4)

What's in the box?

• C11 locomotive with working head and tail lamps
• Metallic-effect number plates (four different locos)
• Dummy couplers
• Rapido couplers
• Kato knuckle couplers

With the exception of their recent foray into 00-9 narrow gauge models, Kato's steam locomotives are not much seen outside Japan and the US. That's a bit of shame if this model is anything to go by, because it's really nice. It runs very well, apparently down to 216-mm radius curves, and mine certainly handles 282-mm radius curves without any fuss at all. It's a decent hauler too, pulling at least four carriages without any sign of slipping.

Detailing is good. There's a mix of moulded and separately fitted details including handrails and pipes of all sorts. The cab includes glazed windows and even details on the outside that can be seen when the model is held up to the light. Headlamps are fitted to both ends of the loco, and these light up in the direction of travel. 

While the model features a lot of attractive detail, this comes as a mix of plastic and brass separately fitted parts. The brass parts look excellent, but the plastic parts, like the upright poles on the front platform, are easily bent out of shape. Similarly, while having the option of different numbers makes it easy to have multiple examples of the class on your layout without duplication, the brass-effect plastic pieces are fiddly to apply and the paint seems to chip off easily. Installing them is a little bit of a faff, since you need to cut them off a sprue and then push them into a moulded recess on the model. Masking tape is one way to hold the pieces without then flying off onto the carpet, but there's a risk the tape will pull off some of the paint.

The valve gear works well, but again, the mix of metal with plastic parts isn't ideal. The colours don't quite match. From normal viewing distances the differences in colour aren't obvious, and a bit of weathering might help. But still, it's a bit annoying.

Performance is as you'd expect from any modern Kato locomotive: smooth and quiet, albeit with an unrealistically high top speed (the real locos were limited to 85 km/h). On clean track the loco will crawl along fairly well but of course the short wheelbase does make them sensitive to 'dead spots' on the track.

Conclusion

Although this is one of the smallest steam locomotives that Kato produce, at 12,100 Yen (just over £60) it still represents quite good value. The model runs as well as it looks, and even if the livery is a bit dull, the type had a very long working life and could be found doing all sorts of work almost anywhere in the country. Some remain in use even today, working special services (called SL trains) such as the SL Fuyu no Shitsugengo (Steam Locomotive Winter Wetlands) service in Hokkaido.

Incidentally, the C11 is one of the locomotives for which Kato produce a Sound Card. It's a lot of fun!

Review: Kato Diorama Mini Circus wagons

Late in November, I was at the Warners model railway exhibition at the Birmingham NEC helping out on the Kato stand. That was fun, if exhausting! As well as showcasing the Mini Diorama Circus, the new EC-1 controller was on the stand for visitors to try out. Based on the real controls of a Japanese multiple unit, this is an expensive but very fun piece of kit that works nicely with the Sound Box to deliver a more immersive driving experience.

Commemorating the Mini Diorama Circus were these wagons, sold as pre-coloured kits for £10 a piece. Using a Japanese insulated goods van as their basis, the colourful liveries (designed by Akiko Takasaki) are, of course, fictitious.

Background

These appear to be based on the RE 12000 insulated wagon that were in use on JNR between 1954 and 1986. Ice was placed in compartments on the roof, and the cold air produced would keep the contents of the van nice and fresh.

Maximum speed was 75 km/h.

Kato 'Mini Diorama Circus' versions

The Kato model is normally supplied ready-to-run. One version is supplied in the Kato 10-033 freight car pack, described elsewhere. On the roof, the hatches for placing ice can be seen, while a ladder is moulded on one end of the body that presumably gave access to these hatches when fresh ice needed to be added. But the three models reviewed here are supplied as kits, and as far as I know, only at Kato Mini Diorama Circus events.

There are three versions, which for the sake of simplicity I will call the 'red', 'green', and 'yellow' wagons. All are assembled in the same way. First, the wheels are clipped into the chassis, and then the metal weight placed onto a slot on the top of the chassis. The chassis includes built-in Rapido couplings. The painted body work is actually a sort of sleeve that slides onto a rectangular core that includes the roof. Once these two pieces are pushed together, they are clipped onto the chassis which secures the metal weight in place.

As should be clear, the wagons are essentially identical except for the coloured sleeve that features the bodyside details as well as the paintwork. Needless to say, there are no separately fitted details of any sort.

The 'red' wagon sports different affirmations on each side, encouraging modellers to enjoy their dioramas. Foxes are a bit of theme in the publications that go with the Mini Diorama Circus, in part because in Japanese mythology they are able to do magic, including being able to turn into humans. In the Kato literature, some of these foxes (and badgers) enjoy making Mini Dioramas!

The 'green' wagon has the Kato branding on one side, and an 'art is love' affirmation on the other. Finally, the 'yellow' van is the most eye-catching of the three, I think, with a simple statement on one side and a picture of a ticket on the other. If you look closely, you can see that the ticket is 'priceless' and dated to 2025.

Performance is up to the usual Kato standards, but relevant to modellers building Mini Circus Dioramas, these wagons handle 15-cm radius curves just fine. A nice touch is that all three sport Re 12xxx numbers, as befitting JNR wagons: 12001 is the green van, 12002 the yellow one, and 12003 the red van.

Conclusion

These models sold well on the day, with a lot of people clearly buying them as fun mementoes of their day trip to Birmingham. For sure, if you were buying plain vanilla Re 12000 vans from Japan, they'd cost half as much as these -- but these Mini Circus Diorama models are much more attractive models.

But what strikes me about these models is how easily they could be used to make a 'real' circus train. Weathered a bit, and then run alongside cattle trucks for the livestock and a couple of coaches for the performers, they'd be as useful on a British or American layout as a Japanese one. Sure, for a British layout you'd want to add some turned brass buffers, but that's about it.

I'm not sure how widely available these models will be. But definitely worth looking out for if you visit an event where Kato are exhibiting their Mini Circus Diorama.