Kato USA - 10-1788 - Passenger Train, Electric, North American, Modern Era - Amtrak

Specific Item Information: N Amtrak ALC-42 & Superliner Phase VI 4-Unit "Starter Series" Set includes:

• ALC-42 Amtrak Phase VI #302
• Amtrak Superliner I Sleeper Phase VI #32052
• Amtrak Superliner Coach-Baggage Phase VI #31021
• Amtrak Superliner Coach Phase VI #34055

Model Information: Kato boxed sets for North American Prototypes come in various shapes and sizes. These may contain complete train sets with locomotive, track and power pack or may be as simple as a pair of passenger coaches. Many of the sets use "bookshelf" boxes with cardboard sleeves and carefully cut foam inserts.

Prototype History: The modern era of rail transportation service in North America is dominated by Amtrak and Via Rail. Amtrak serves the United States and Via serves Canada. Local light rail in the form of various commuter railroads is also prevalent in major metropolitan regions.

The replacement of rail transportation by the highways system and modern air travel spelled the doom of competitive rail transportation in the 1970s. The only way rail passenger service could continue was with consolidation and subsidization under the respective national governments. All passenger service routes and equipment was consolidated and transferred to the new rail systems during this period.

Electric rail is primarily limited to commuter rail and the Northeast Corridor in the United States.

Road Name History: The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak, is a passenger railroad service that provides medium- and long-distance intercity service in the contiguous United States. Founded in 1971 through the government-sponsored consolidation of most of the remaining U.S. passenger rail companies, it is partially government-funded yet operated and managed as a for-profit corporation.

Amtrak operates more than 300 trains each day on 21,300 miles (34,000 km) of track with select segments having civil operating speeds of 150 mph (240 km/h) and connecting more than 500 destinations in 46 states in addition to three Canadian provinces. In fiscal year 2015, Amtrak served 30.8 million passengers and had $2.185 billion in revenue, while employing more than 20,000 people. Nearly two-thirds of passengers come from the 10 largest metropolitan areas; 83% of passengers travel on routes shorter than 400 miles. Its headquarters is at Union Station in Washington, D.C.

The name "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "trak", the latter itself a sensational spelling of "track".

Read more on Wikipedia.

Brand/Importer Information: KATO U.S.A. was established in 1986, with the first U.S. locomotive model (the GP38-2, in N-Scale) released in 1987. Since that time, KATO has come to be known as one of the leading manufacturers of precision railroad products for the modeling community. KATO's parent company, Sekisui Kinzoku Co., Ltd., is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

In addition to producing ready-to-run HO and N scale models that are universally hailed for their high level of detail, craftsmanship and operation, KATO also manufactures UNITRACK. UNITRACK is the finest rail & roadbed modular track system available to modelers today. With the track and roadbed integrated into a single piece, UNITRACK features a nickel-silver rail and a realistic-looking roadbed. Patented UNIJOINERS allow sections to be snapped together quickly and securely, time after time if necessary.

The Kato U.S.A. office and warehouse facility is located in Schaumburg, Illinois, approximately 30 miles northwest of Chicago. All research & development of new North American products is performed here, in addition to the sales and distribution of merchandise to a vast network of wholesale representatives and retail dealers. Models requiring service sent in by hobbyists are usually attended to at this location as well. The manufacturing of all KATO products is performed in Japan.

Supporters of KATO should note that there is currently no showroom or operating exhibit of models at the Schaumburg facility. Furthermore, model parts are the only merchandise sold directly to consumers. (Please view the Parts Catalog of this website for more specific information.)