Kato Precision Railroad Models

Lore & Background

The Kato model railroad companies were founded by Yuji Kato, father of current president Hiroshi Kato, of the parent company Sekisui Kinzoku Co., Ltd. Yuji Kato died on November 21, 2016. The company manufactures models for multiple markets: Japanese prototypes for Japan, North American prototypes for North America, and European high-speed trains and Rhaetian Railway trains for Europe. It also produces OO9 scale models of Ffestiniog Railway engines. Design and distribution for the North American market are handled by Kato USA, founded in 1986 and located in Schaumburg, Illinois.

In both N and HO scales, Kato manufactures an integrated roadbed track brand named Unitrack. Kato N-scale locomotives feature 5-pole motors, blackened metal wheels, and on some models operating ditch lights, directional golden white LEDs, and all-wheel electrical pickup. A multiple train control system named KATO Digital was introduced in the late 1980s for HO scale. Conceptually similar to Digital Command Control (DCC), it was an important milestone for Kato but was not very successful; both the controller units and decoder modules were expensive, and locomotives equipped with a KATO Digital decoder could not be used on conventional systems, making it difficult to run on friends' or club layouts.

Reader's Guide

Kato Precision Railroad Models holds significance as a major Japanese manufacturer serving multiple global markets with prototypes from Japan, North America, and Europe. Its Unitrack system, an integrated roadbed track available in N and HO scales, became a widely used standard, particularly in modular layouts such as T-TRAK. The company's early foray into digital control with KATO Digital in the late 1980s, while commercially limited due to high cost and incompatibility with conventional systems, marked an important step in model railroad control technology. Kato's N-scale locomotives are noted for features like 5-pole motors, blackened metal wheels, and optional operating ditch lights and directional LEDs. The company's U.S. subsidiary, Kato USA, founded in 1986 in Schaumburg, Illinois, handles North American design and distribution. Kato's main competitor in Japan is Tomy. The company's founder, Yuji Kato, died in 2016, and the current president is his son Hiroshi Kato.

Did You Know?

• The company's U.S. subsidiary, Kato USA, was founded in 1986 in Schaumburg, Illinois.
• Kato introduced a digital control system called KATO Digital in the late 1980s for HO scale.
• Kato manufactures models for Japanese, North American, and European markets, as well as OO9 Ffestiniog Railway engines.