Manufacturer
Kato USA Inc.
100 Remington Rd.
Schaumburg, IL 60173
katousa.com
Era: 1988 to present
Comments: This N scale Gunderson Maxi-Stack I from Kato USA features a level of detail once found only on intermodal cars in larger scales. The major dimensions of the plastic-and-metal model match those shown in a prototype diagram in BNSF Railway Freight Cars Volume Two (Great Northern Pacific Publications).
The prototype Maxi-Stack I is a five-unit articulated car. Each well can carry one 40-foot or two 20-foot containers with one 40 to 53-foot container stacked on top. Although they weren’t made during most of the 1990s, production of the Maxi-Stack I resumed in 2000. Our review sample is decorated for part of a 900-car order delivered to BNSF Ry. in 2006.
The lettering on the model is clearly printed and matches prototype photos, including tiny stencils that are legible under magnification. The cars are also available lettered for TTX.
Separate detail parts on the model include plastic brake wheels on each end well and etched-metal see-through walkways. The insides of each well’s side sills also have the distinctive circular strength rings found on the prototype.
The internal framework of the car is plastic, but the sides are metal. The total weight of the car is 2.5 ounces without containers. This is an ounce too light, according to National Model Railroad Association RP-20.1. However, the NMRA recommended practice doesn’t take into account articulated cars. Two removable plastic containers add .25 ounce of weight to each well. The containers feature magnets to help hold them in place.
The Kato couplers on each end unit are at the correct height, per NMRA S-2. The trip pins are modeler-installed parts. The other units easily attach to the trucks; however, no instruction sheet is included. There’s a video showing how to attach the units on the Kato website. Each truck bolster has a flat side and a notched side and each well has an end marked A or B. The B end fits into the slot of the flat side of the truck and the A end sits in the notch on the other side of the truck.
The wells stayed together without any problems as I ran the car forward and back through turnouts, crossovers, and 11″ radius curves. The metal wheels are also in gauge.
The Kato N scale Maxi-Stack I is an accurate, smooth rolling car that will fit into the intermodal fleets of many modern-era N scalers.
