PRODUCT REVIEW No.2

KATO N-Scale FRANCE-SUISSE T.G.V.(cat no.10-909)

This is not a new model but a re-paint of a previous Kato offering and from what I can gather the body mouldings and the mechanism remain unchanged. The "Ligne de Coeur" branding and the blue and silver livery is now carried by all the multi-voltage TGV's that enter Switzerland and replaces the previous orange livery. The units allocated to the France-Switzerland services originally carried SBB CFF FFS logos in addition to those of the SNCF but they do not feature in the new livery which is well portrayed with legible lettering. The unit modelled is no.113 and also carries the name and Cantonal shields of Neuchatel. The 6 car set consists of 2 power-cars (one of which is motorized), 1 first-class and 1 second-class outer car and 2 second-class intermediate cars. As per the prototype the cars share common intermediate bogies (trucks) and are coupled together with a rigid plastic draw bar that attaches to a pivot peg on each car. This arrangement enables the unit to negotiate small radius curves with ease and although Kato specify a minimum radius of 249mm (9 3/4") the set will happily traverse the 9" radius curves on the hidden parts of my layout. The unit is equally stable when being propelled by the motorized power-car and reverse curves on steep gradients are taken in its stride at speeds far in excess of the norm. Both the motorized and the dummy power-cars are fitted with directional working lights (3 white at the front and 2 red at the rear) The finely moulded twin plastic pantographs on each power-car can be raised for effect but are not able to collect power from the overhead catenary. The motorized power-car's 4 axles are all driven via shafts and plastic gears from a centrally mounted motor and 1 wheel of each bogie is fitted with a rubber traction tyre. Despite it's relatively low weight the power-car is perfectly adequate for the set as supplied (even on curved 1 in 20 gradients) but the addition of extra cars (should they become available) might create problems on layouts with steep gradients. Additional cars are available for the standard T.G.V and Eurostar sets produced by Kato but as yet they have not announced any additional cars for the "Ligne de Coeur" version. (see note 1)

As can be seen from the exploded photo of the power-car, the electrics are very well set out and there is ample space within the body for "experimentation" should you feel the need. Maybe this space could be used for the addition of extra weight, DCC decoder or the fitting of operational pantographs. The body is fitted to the chassis with plastic clips and then secured by a screw in the underside of the front spoiler. Because of the need to align the lighting board with a recess in the underside of the roof, re-fitting can be a little tricky but hopefully, given Kato's reputation for reliability, this operation will not have to be performed very often. Although very smooth in operation with good slow-running characteristics (see note 2), the unit is not quite up to the standards of the newer Kato flywheel fitted locos and to obtain optimum running the track and wheels must be impeccably clean. Some locos will tolerate a certain amount of grime but this is definitely not one of them !! Kato have captured the impressive looks of this high speed train and all important measurements appear to be accurate. I have given some typical measurements in the following table for comparison.

My prototype measurements were obtained from SBB official drawings and as you can see, allowing for my measuring techniques and the need to produce a model that will negotiate sharp curves that Kato have kept very close to the original. As I said earlier, the TGV is not quite up to the standards of the newer Kato locos but I still think that it is a worthwhile addition to my Swiss N-scale layout. The fact that Kato have not had to endure re-tooling costs is also reflected in the reasonable price of this set (by European standards) as it is available for little more than the price of a single European loco.

Product supplied by:

M.G.Sharp Models, 712 Attercliffe Road, SHEFFIELD. S9 3RP http://www.MGSharp.com

U.K. Price £129.95 (October 2000)

Kato Website: http://www.katomodels.com/english/

note 1 Since this review was written a small number of add-on sets (4 cars) have been produced by WEMOBA in Switzerland. Further tests show that even with the extra cars a single motorised power car is able to climb a 1 in 36 gradient.

note 2 These characteristics relate to the original model tested. Personal experience and comments by other modellers indicate that not all examples of this model run as smoothly. Take care when buying.

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