Kato Class 800/0 five-car unit – in detail
1: A pair of five-car GWR IETS, 802011/ 002, pass Bradford-on-tone on a Penzance – London Paddington working, May 2020. RAIL
2: Overhead power has yet to reach Bristol and the West, necessitating bi-mode traction for the GWR IET fleet. No. 800008 sits at Bristol Temple Meads in November 2017. T.M. PIKE/RAIL
3: LNER also operate a fleet of five-car bi-mode ‘800s’ and Kato’s LNER version is due imminently. LNER ‘Azuma’
No. 800201 passes Marston while working a Lincoln-king’s Cross service in December 2019. PAUL BIGGS/RAIL
little shallow and there has been no attempt to depict the connector cables.
The rooftop pantographs are neatly moulded and poseable, but it’s a plastic head rather than photo-etched stainless steel which is increasingly the norm.
Perhaps the most significant error is that the interior in Car D (Composite) has the First Class seating at the wrong end. Kato is aware of this issue, which affects only the first 1,000 models of the production run and the interior tooling has since been corrected.
Kato told Model Rail that any forthcoming models, including the LNER versions, will be supplied with the correct interior. In a welcome further move, Kato will also make spare interiors available for affected customers who may wish to replace them. Installing the new interior is a straightforward task, as the bodyshell can be unclipped and reassembled easily, without the need for specialist tools.
Just as we closed for press, Gaugemaster - Kato’s UK distributor - confirmed that anyone who has bought one of the affected models can claim a retooled interior free of charge, either for fitting themselves or, if their original dealer is unable to provide this service, Gaugemaster will do the job.
The interior issue aside, this is a superb model and it’s clear that Kato’s shortcuts are based around a commercial decision to keep the price down, with, perhaps, half an eye on its domestic market. Indeed, Kato has said previously that it sells far more Eurostar models in Japan - where
‘N’ gauge is the dominant scale - than in Europe.
It seems likely that Kato is expecting the same with the Hitachi-built Class 800. The important thing is that the basics – shape, running, functions – are right, so the modeller can enhance the model if he or she wishes, and the bonus for
‘N’ gaugers here in Britain is that we now have a reasonably priced, accurate and smooth-running model of what is likely to be the dominant high-speed passenger train in Britain for the next 20 years or more.
With very minor changes, Kato could also use this model as a basis for the similar Class 802 units in service with Trans Pennine Express and Hull Trains, and it is to be hoped that these attractive new liveries may come in due course. (BA)