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Rapido News Volume 81
©2016 Rapido Trains Inc.
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Dear Rapido customer,
I did not plan to send another newsletter for several weeks but we just "accidentally" launched a bunch of new products at our dealer open house so here is the newsletter with the info.
In this issue of Rapido News:
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A New Look For Rapido
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A WHAT?
Yes, we have completely lost our minds. We've launched our most ambitious YouTube video ever, and the results have ranged from "OH MY GOSH! AMAZING!" to "That was awful." To be fair, the latter comment came from my wife, Sidura. I'm not kidding.
Click here or on the image above to watch "A New Look For Rapido." Please share it with your friends, especially if they are bus foamers.
A teaser photo of our new product line is below. We will provide more information in the coming months. And if you email us to say "But Busch already made one!" then I have only one thing to say to you: "Globe F7."
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Oh my! Such detail! Look at those seats! Those stanchions! Those rivets!
I'm suddenly weak at the knees...
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Did somebody say 3800?
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New HO Scale 3800 cu. ft. Cylindrical Hopper
This is probably the most-requested freight car among Canadian modellers today (note the two LLs in modellers). The 3800 Cubic Foot Canadian Cylindrical Hopper (most people just call it "the 3800") has been a part of almost every manifest freight train in Canada for the last 50 years, and it's hugely visible in the USA as well.
You can get rid of all your 4550 cu. ft. grain car foobies!!!!
The prototype cars are 100 tons in capacity with four hopper compartments totalling 3800-3850 cubic feet. Originally designed by Marine Industries in 1965, the cars were also manufactured by Canada's other two car builders, Hawker Siddeley and National Steel Car.
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CP artwork, early multimark
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Our 3800 is a fully-detailed, ultimate Rapido model. It features:
- Brand new Dofasco S-2 100-ton trucks
- Etched running boards and brake changeover platform
- Finely-moulded plastic walkway supports and end cages
- Optional secondary air reservoir (if applicable)
- Full separate air piping and brake equipment details
- Metal Macdonald-Cartier Couplers
We have samples already, but not from two of the moulds so it's missing a few bits. See below...
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First test shots of some of the 3800 moulds...
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The MSRP for the 3800 is $49.95 (US) or $59.95 (CDN). Rather than announce a firm order deadline, we're doing something different with these cars. We are finalizing our numbers with the factory in August and starting production, for delivery (hopefully) before the end of the year. I know this car will leapfrog some other models, but we have a new, second production workshop and we want them to start on something a little easier than a locomotive.
We'll make some extras, but we imagine they will be sold out by the time the models arrive. If you want to make sure you get yours, please order them by the end of July.
Click here to visit the 3800 web page. You can order direct from us or from your local dealer.
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Rapido's new well car and container (well, the top one anyway!)
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New HO Scale Prime Movers Well Car and Containers
Wow - we're really getting into freight in a big way today. I'm pleased to announce the second and third models in the Prime Movers by Rapido line: a Gunderson 53' Single-Unit Double-Stack Well Car and an insulated 53' container. If you model 1980 like I do, you are saying: "Huh? Another modern stack car and container?" But if you model the present day, these models are for you. They have never been done before in HO scale.
As any modern-era modeller can attest, not all stack cars and containers are the same.
When I say "single unit" I mean that this is a stand-alone car. You don't need to order five at a time! Instead, you should order SIX!
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Not bad for a first sample!
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Wife-Approved Pricing
Prime Movers by Rapido is all about combining affordability with new prototypes. Most "affordable" ranges of model trains feature 30-year-old tooling with a couple of bangs and flashes thrown in to make them look different. Not only are ours affordable but they are also all-new.
The MSRP is $49.95 (US) or $59.95 (CDN) for a well car AND two containers. That's a GREAT DEAL! I even used bold text and capital letters there so you know it's a GREAT DEAL!
The well car is diecast so it tracks beautifully whether empty or loaded. Dealers please note that like other Prime Movers by Rapido models these new cars feature full wholesale discounts.
The order deadline is October 31st, with delivery early next year. Click here to visit the stack car and container web site. You can order direct or with your favourite dealer.
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Proto-Paint is here!
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New Proto-Paint
OK - full disclosure. I love Floquil solvent-based paint. I find I had more control with it than any other paint I've ever used. But I also have three kids. And I don't want solvent-based paint fumes floating around my house, even though I have a sizeable stash of Floquil hidden in my workshop.
So I've accepted the need for water-based acrylics. But, like most model railroaders, I've been frustrated by a lack of a comprehensive line of high-quality, railroad acrylic paints.
Dan Darnell came to my rescue with his new line of
Proto-Paint, which is now
OUR new line of
Proto-Paint!
He has worked with a paint supplier here in Canada to produce this exceptional line of model railroad paint to his exacting specifications. If you've ever seen Dan's work, you know he is one of the best custom painters in North America. You've seen his work: he painted our modern GMD-1 and our Dash 8 samples using
Proto-Paint. Both locomotives are visible in this photo:
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Dan Darnell painted these babies.
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Proto-Paint colours/colors dry to a decal-ready gloss finish, except for the weathering colors/colours which dry to flat finish. The coverage is excellent, though we are having a devil of a time deciding whether or not to include that pesky U in the word "colour." The jury is still out...
Proto-Paint is made just along highway 407 from us here in the Toronto area, so supply will not be an issue. We have some in stock now with more on the way and several new colours under development.
The MSRP is $7.95 (US) per ounce or $8.95 (CDN) per 29.5ml jar. You can read more about Proto-Paint by clicking
here.
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Rapido's new Noise Killer roadbed!
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New HO scale Noise Killer Roadbed
This one came out of left field. Just for fun, we wondered if we could make HO scale roadbed that would reduce track noise so you can hear your beautiful Rapido sound locomotives. We think we've pulled it off.
Our new
Noise Killer Roadbed is available in both branchline and mainline profiles. It is made of a dense foam product that feels more like rubber and can be curved down to broad curves without being split into two halves. If you have tight curves you can easily cut it down the centre with a sharp Olfa or scissors.
Like all foam roadbed, it's best to use
Noise Killer Roadbed on layouts made from extruded foam insulation or another smooth surface rather than directly on plywood. Whatever your base, you'll see how our roadbed drastically reduces wheel noise.
The MSRP is $9.95 for 25 feet. We have some in stock now with more arriving in August.
Click here for more information.
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She models DC. He models DCC. Two Solitudes.
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N Scale's Two Solitudes
With our new FL9 locomotive we ran smack into the middle of the great divide within the N scale community. Much more so than HO, the feedback we've received from the N scale community suggests a major schism between DC and DCC. Among HO modellers, many DC users are planning to switch to DCC or have decided that at this stage in their hobby there is no point. Very few new layouts are being built using DC.
But in N scale, DC is still king. And this is something I now understand and wholeheartedly respect.
When we started making N scale locomotives, we approached DC and DCC as if we were making HO scale locomotives. We focused most of our R&D on DCC models and DC was more of an afterthought. This was a colossal mistake.
Before we delivered the N scale GMD-1 we announced the N scale FL9, still making the same assumption. But then the GMD-1 came out, and we realized how wrong we were. DC users vastly outnumbered DCC users. And DC users were rightfully pissed off when their engines did not run as well as their DCC/sound-equipped counterparts. Our original plan not to offer a DC-only FL9 model would not fly.
What were we to do? Well, we went back to the drawing board for the FL9. We designed it first as a DC locomotive, and then we added DCC and sound. We tested numerous silent DCC decoders and were unhappy with their performance on DC, so we dropped the decoders from the silent models. But as we had originally announced that the silent models would come with DCC, we decided to include a coupon for a complimentary silent decoder for the few of you who ordered the silent model for your DCC-equipped layout. That was Mike's idea.
We've had half a dozen calls from DCC customers upset that they have to install their decoders themselves, but it is honestly the best solution we could find. It is very hard to bridge the yawning chasm that exists between DC and DCC users. The result is we have a silent locomotive which works beautifully in DC out of the box, and we have a sound-equipped locomotive which works beautifully in DC and DCC out of the box.
Mike would have been proud of our FL9. We finally hit one out of the park in N scale. One of our distributors just bought all of our remaining inventory and another distributor came calling the next day but was too late! If you haven't seen our FL9 yet, please contact your local hobby shop. We're now completely sold out.
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A pair of N scale FL9s passes through Calamityville
on Jim Madsen's Dayton NTRAK module.
Photo courtesy John Kleperis.
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Well this is probably the most news-filled newsletter I've ever written and it's also one of the shortest. It's only taken 11 years to figure out how to do that, and I'm sure to forget by next month.
Have a great Dominion Day (Canada), Independence Day (USA) and Staying On The Rails No Matter What Day (Lower Trainswitch).
Thanks for reading, and please encourage your friends to sign up for our newsletter!
Jason
Jason Shron
President
Rapido Trains Inc.
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