Bill: OK, I need a break already. Josh, you take over for a while.

Josh: Gee, thanks Bill. Throw me into the fire by doing not one, but TWO new locomotive announcements in the newsletter. You do realize I've never done a newsletter before, right? And that Dan Darnell designed both these engines so I'm not even the designer?

Bill: Yes and yes. Please continue.

Josh: OK, here goes nothing!

So anyone who knows me knows I'm all about Canadian Pacific, and have been since I was a wee lad. (Well, that and buses… and streetcars…. and….) So I'm really excited to announce the new Rapido HO scale CP RS-18u!

Starting in 1980, CP sent all 69 of its remaining RS-18s through a rebuild program, coming out of the shops as RS-18u locomotives 1800-1868. As part of the rebuild, they sported new chopped short hoods to improve visibility; full tri-colour class lights on both ends; a new front number board assembly above the cab windows; and an improved uncoupling lever design. Under the hood, the RS-18u featured overhauled engines and trucks, improved heating systems, new wiring, windows, cab insulation and control stands. The dynamic brake and 251B engine rated at 1800 h.p. remained the same after the overhaul.

Once out of rebuild and now with a new lease on life, the RS-18u locomotives found themselves working everything from branchlines to mainlines and even yard services across the CP network, but predominantly in Ontario, Quebec and the Eastern provinces. After CP retired the entire fleet in the mid-90s, many units would continue to earn their keep in shortline and regional service in both Canada and the US, proving that after over 50 years of total service time and a top-to-bottom rebuild courtesy of the men and women at CP's Angus Shops, these MLW-built workhorses continue to earn their keep.

The RS-18u found its way to the rosters of various railways in Canada including the Société du chemin de fer de la Gaspésie, New Brunswick East Coast, Ontario Southland, Ottawa Central, Quebec–Gatineau and the Chemin de fer Sartigan. More RS-18u's found their way south of the border and worked various US-based roads including the Adirondack Scenic, Bath & Hammondsport, Buffalo Southern, Cuyahoga Valley, Minnesota Commercial and Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroads.

Oh right, the model. It'll look great, that much I can tell you. And it will run like a Swiss watch with no motor or motherboard problems, because we've solved those issues that plagued our first run of RS-18s.

We've also modified the structure of the model so that the shell comes off easily now! No really, it does! Three screws on each end under the frame and "pop" it's off! No more fidgeting and cursing. This significant design change will sadly render Jeremy's amazing disassembly video redundant. Sorry Jeremy.

Jason doesn't seem to think that the shortline schemes will sell, but our product team does. So we've convinced Jason to offer these RS-18u locomotives in shortline colours as conditional releases - meaning that we have to get enough orders before we will produce them.

The other staples of Rapido locomotives will certainly be found in the HO scale RS-18u, including:

Please click on the image below to download the catalogue.

Please click here to visit our web site for more information or to order direct.

Alright, now that the CP motive power is out of the way, the show's over. Goodnight everybody!

Bill: Ummm Josh, that’s only one. Weren’t you going to talk about TWO locos? You’re not actually going to make ME do any of the work here, are you?

Josh: Alright, alright. I might be a CP guy, but I know a great looking locomotive when I see one, and this one is sure to impress, as it's a real beauty. Introducing the Canadian National RSC-14!

Canadian National originally purchased a total of 225 RS-18s, so like a huge number. But in the 1970s, CN was looking for a solution to provide replacement motive power to their underpowered and aging fleet of RSC-13s, with the challenge being the lightweight rail of many branchlines throughout the Canadian Maritime provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

The solution was to retruck 38 RS-18s with A-1-A trucks salvaged from the outgoing fleet of RSC-13s. This was performed by CN's Moncton Shops in 1975 and 1976. These refitted RS-18s were classed as RSC-14s (owing to the fact their 251B prime movers were downrated from 1800 to 1400 hp) and were subsequently assigned to Charlottetown, Moncton and Halifax. A traffic slump in the spring of 1989 left fewer than 15 units in service. These were restricted to yard or transfer work following CNs decision not to equip any RS-18s and RSC-14s with new safety systems then required on mainline locomotives in Canada. CN retired its last RSC-14 in September 1993.

Today only two units remain in Canada - CN 1754 is preserved at the Salem & Hillsborough Railroad in New Brunswick, and CN 1762 is parked at the former train station in Kensington, Prince Edward Island.

The Rapido Trains RSC–14 locomotive features include:

The RSC-14 loco is in final design now, and the order book is open. Click on the image below to download the catalogue.

Please see your dealer or go to our RSC-14 web page to order direct.

OK Bill, it's now your turn to do something! Bill? Bill? Oh come on...

Bobby: Bobby here. Bill has disappeared again. He doesn't seem to do any work these days. How does he get away with it? Guess that I'll just have to step in.

The Angus is back…and juicer than ever!

Now before you get excited, we’re talking CP Angus Vans, not the burger, although that does sound tasty as I type this during lunch (and a Tropical Storm, so if the power goes out…).

Between 1972 and 1981, CP’s Angus Shops in Montreal built over 300 modern, wide-vision “vans." For all you guys not wearing toques, "Van" is Canadian for “Caboose.” Hence the “Angus Van” name that stuck with them throughout their careers. They proved popular with crews and many are still on the road today as shoving platforms or rider cars in MOW service. One of the more unique uses for a van was CP 422999, which was converted into a track gauge calibration car.

Our updated CP Angus Van features:

The MSRP is $99.95 (US) or $119.95 (CAN). Seeing as our previous runs have become "rare" (sorry, I know) and have gone for huge money eBay, we think that's this is a BARGAIN! In fact, if you think this price is too low, please send an extra $20 per model to my house in New Jersey. Heck – the model isn't really necessary. Just send me money!

Click on the image below to download the sales pack:

Please click here to visit the web site. You can order from us or, preferably, from your favourite/favorite hobby shop. We'll announce an order deadline about a month before we are ready to rock at the factory.

P.S., After all this discussion of “Angus," it’s OK for you to go order your burger and put on some AC/DC, but make sure you reserve a bunch of Angus Vans first!

As we've been mentioning in these newsletters, the 15th of each month (or the following Monday if the 15th is on a weekend) is always a Rapido order deadline. August 15th is this Saturday, so Monday the 17th is a big order deadline.

Please get your orders in ASAP for:

More info on the M420 and the F40 can be found below, but we covered the F59PH pretty extensively last month. In case you missed it, please click here or on the image below to watch the F59 video.

Bill: I'm back. Thanks guys!

We have a few projects with order deadlines coming up on September 15.

Information on each project is below. Don't forget to get your orders in before September 15th to avoid missing out! You can order through your dealer or direct.

We've just received decorated samples of our upcoming EMD SW1200 switchers. Dan is busy with a few last minute corrections then we're ready to start production. We may be biased, but we think that they look great!

So far, almost a third of our orders are for SP. That's right - it is our biggest seller by a huge margin. Thank you to all the SP fans out there who have reserved one (or several, apparently). Now the rest of you guys need to step up. GTW fans - we're making three versions for you, and total sales of all three equal the sales of about one number of SP. We know you GTW fans are out there – please order yours soon!

If any store or club or historical society wants us to make a custom number for SP (or any other paint scheme), please get in touch before the 15th!

Click on the image below to download the SW1200 catalog. Then please click here to visit the web site or please contact your dealer ASAP.

Please note we've updated the artwork for the CB&Q models. 9273 and 9277 have the "Everywhere West/Way of the Zephyrs" slogans on them as they wore these for most of their lives. The third number, 9278, has "Burlington" on the side. More info at the SW1200 page.

Again, if you would like to commission a custom number of any SW1200, please let us know before the 15th!

The Comet passenger cars have become a staple of commuter railroading in the eastern US. Numerous cars continue in service for SEPTA, NJ Transit, MBTA, Metro North, Conn DOT and even Montreal's AMT. We're ready to head into production on these as well so be sure that you have your reservations in.

Check out this interior shot and try not to drool. Oh yeah – you should also compare this to the interior on any old "Comet" cars you may have in your collection.

How about that incredible underbody detail? The cab cars and coaches have different underbody equipment, just like the prototype.

What about some NJ Transit? We gotta show you this too...

These cars will create the perfect train to go behind our upcoming F40PH and rebuilt FL-9 locos!

Please click on the image below to download the catalog!

Please click here to visit the Comet web page. We'll have a video ready for you to see them in action before the order deadline. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel to ensure you don't miss it!

Remember that I mentioned that Jason was working on his layout using the excuse that he had to shoot a video? Well, it seems that may have been true.

We're re-releasing our popular Steam Heater Car. We've done some internal upgrades on the model, removing the smoke unit and replacing it with a digital sound unit that beautifully captures the sound of the steam generator in action.

Click here or on the image below to see our latest video featuring our Steam Genny running on Jason's layout. It stars Rapido's upcoming President and CEO, Isaac Shron, aged eight.

Annoyingly, Jason's layout is starting to look REALLY good. I need to catch up... You can visit his layout's Facebook page to see his latest progress.

You can download the catalog showing all available roads and numbers by clicking on the image below.

Please call your hobby shop and reserve, or click here to order direct. Remember that order deadline... September 15th!

We received updated samples of the HO scale M420 loco including the new Rapido-TCS Sound decoders. The crew at TCS have done a great job of mastering our jointly recorded sound files and the new decoders sound great! TCS is still doing a lot of tweaking to make sure we get a healthy amount of engine thrash and turbo, and we are finalizing the functions and notching.

Click here or on the image below to see the new video.

Please see your dealer or click here to reserve your M420 fleet. The order deadline for these engines is August 17th, i.e. MONDAY. As Jason mentioned in the last newsletter, we really need more people to reserve before the deadline so please spread the word!

When the locomotives are in production and the decoders have been finalized, we will do a new video showing how the Rapido-TCS decoder works and the slight differences between it and our ESU LokSound decoders. As we showed in this video, they are 100% compatible with each other, so MUing your M420 to your RS-18 or Dash 8 will be no problem.

We've also just received samples of our new N scale VIA Rail Canada F40PH-2D locomotives with ESU LokSound V5 decoders. Join Rapido CEO and President (at least until Isaac takes over), Jordan Smith, as he puts them through their paces! Click here or on the image below to see the video.

The order deadline for these models, along with the rebuilt (Renaissance) F40s, is Monday August 17th, so please make sure that your orders are in!

Click here for the original F40 (including the Canada! scheme).

Click here for the rebuilt F40.

(After more than a year of including two different links with every newsletter, we really wish we had put both of those locomotives on one web page...)

Since we don't have any layouts locally that would do justice to the Colorado scenery that the prototype Ski Train ran through, Jordan sent our ski train models our to our friends at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Greeley, Colorado for a test run. There Michelle Kempema spent the day... and night... and next day... running the train on their amazing HO layout. I do wonder about some of her wardrobe choices though... (Ed: She's a Trekkie. You're fired.)

Click here or on the image below to see this great train on this magnificent layout! And I really do love Star Trek, I promise!

Hang on! I thought that was going to be another picture of Michelle and the museum layout. Jordan? Why are you in that picture? Jordan!

We're going live again... this time on Monday, August 17th, at 8 p.m. EDT.

Jordan will be moderating a discussion with Dzobby, Josh and Dan Darnell. They can answer all your questions about Rapido products and Rapido in general. They can also all talk about classic cars and trucks, in case the train talk gets boring.

Please don't just ask "Will you make model X?" because we will just say "maybe." We want to engage in some interesting chatter about the hobby, so let's hear from you guys!

Please click here to visit our Facebook page.

The N scale Dash 8 locomotives have just arrived and will be shipped to customers next week. The HO scale LRC, N scale LRC and HO scale containers will be here next week and will ship out by the end of the month.

As you can see in the photos, the HO scale Canadian RDCs are almost finished. They will leave the factory next week and arrive in September. Jason asked me to tell you "It's a good thing that CERB was extended to the end of September, eh? And no, we would never suggest you spend your CERB on model trains. Never. Ever. At all."

I don't know what he's talking about but I assume our Canadian readers do.

We have several exciting projects either in tooling, or just about ready to go to tooling. In locomotives, we have the HO scale Alco PA-series, the HO scale CP D-10 4-6-0 steamers and the Fairbanks Morse H16-44 locos (more on those in a moment). The tooling for the Procor tank car is pretty much finished:

We have been busy with freight cars as well. The HO scale Evans X-72 and SP B-100-40 boxcars designs are well along in the design phase, and we have just received and are reviewing the first injection samples of the HO X31a boxcar. We also have another freight car in tooling that we haven't even announced yet! So lots more neat stuff to come...

Speaking of the H16-44, it seems that we bumped that from the last newsletter because it was getting too long. I'm glad that this one is so short and concise! Ummm.... never mind. Here's John to tell you ALL about it!

John: Thanks Bill! The H16-44 models are coming along nicely I must say. We are in the final design phase of this model.

This project has been a tough one to do. There is little documentation on FM locomotives so we had to send two expendables – I mean good friends of ours – into a mirror universe to take accurate measurements of the last existing H16-44 Phase III locomotive over there.

Bill: Wait…what? We sent two people into a mirror universe?

John: Everything worked out fine. Using a controlled ion storm simulation, we were able to transport Jon Calon and Chris Doering to the mirror universe. They found the surviving TE (Terran Empire) #8554 and took all the needed measurements.

The great news is that we got them back. Chris keeps looking at everyone like he's planning to overthrow them, so we might have got back the wrong Chris. Jon is fine, except that, um, he glows. It's nothing serious, and Michaelea says it's actually a bit of an improvement.

Bill: Oh well, as long as his wife is OK with it.

John: Indeed.

The H16-44, like most locomotives made in the 1950s, went through numerous changes during its life cycle. The Phase I & Phase II units looked dramatically different than the Phase III version we are working on right now. The H16-44 phase III units looked like a smaller 4-axle version of the H24-66 Trainmaster with its boxy appearance & high walkways. When you see one, you need to count the axles to know whether it is an H24-66 (6 axles) or an H16-44 (4 Axles)

The first unit up for review is the B&O H16-44. The B&O owned eight units. We couldn't get a prototype photo in time for this newsletter, but you can see one here.

The B&O units were pretty much stock Fairbanks Morse. There was nothing really unique to set them apart from H16-44s ordered for other railroads. These units ran long hood forward.

Bill: Did they run on the Kingston Subdivision or the O&W?

John: I don’t think so, just the B&O.

Bill: Then why are we doing them?

John: Next up, we have the CN Version of the H16-44. Note that I ignored you there.

Bill: Could these units run on Jason’s Kingston Subdivision?

John: Why, yes. Yes, they can. (He said having absolutely no clue…)

Bill: OK, then the project is safe.

John: The CN H16-44 locomotives were built in Canada at Canadian Locomotive Company instead of the Fairbanks Morse factory in Wisconsin. These units had unique Dofasco trucks instead of the usual C-Liner trucks. Jason will think that these look like the greatest locomotive on the planet and will probably want 1000 of them, even though CN rostered only 18.

He'd better not be serious. Next up we have the CP Version of the H16-44.

The CP H16-44 came in four different styles. The style we are modelling in this run is the late 87xx series. These units were also built in Canada and used the same Dofasco trucks as the CN. Unlike the CN units, these locomotives ran short hood forward.

For the next units, we offer the Milwaukee Road H16-44s which ran somewhat south of Canada.

The Milwaukee Road H16-44s were the only phase III units that did not carry dynamic brakes. However, everything else on them was pretty much the same as the rest of the American units (except the dreaded New Haven).

And now… the New Haven H16-44s. (Before you even ask, Bill: No, they never ran on the Kingston Subdivision or the O&W).

Of course, the New Haven H16-44 is the oddball of the bunch. It had unique vent locations, different handrails, different fuel / water tank, and has a steam generator in the nose. Of course we have to replicate these unique features or else we will never, ever hear the end of it from You-Know-Who.

Bill: To protect his privacy we decided not to mention Paul Cutler’s name.

John: Since we are modeling New Haven, we might as well do the Penn Central H16-44 as well.

The Penn Central has quite a following these days. They simply love broken and beat-up locomotives painted in black. So yes, someone other than that Craig Zeni guy models the Penn Central.

Bill: Hey wait a minute, don't pick on Craig Zeni! He also models the O&W!

John: There's no accounting for taste.

Now for the coal haulers.

Here we have the Virginian H16-44. This is the first time Rapido has ever made a model for the Virginian Railway! Hurray!

One interesting feature of the VGN H16-44s was they had unique and curvy end handrails. All the other H16-44s including the Canadian units had the same type of end handrails. This brings a little bit of style to the boxy brute styling of the H16-44s phase IIIs. The VGN units ran long hood forward.

Last, but not least, we have the N&W H16-44s.

All of the Virginian Railway H16-44s went to the Norfolk & Western. The N&W added spark arrestors on some of the units and, of course, painted them blue.

Bill: Thanks John. I'm glad you kept this, um, brief. Is anyone still reading?

John: They're all still reading. 11.174% of our readers are from Virginia. Just be sure to order a bunch of H16-44s as soon as possible. I need help to pay for my new boat. And I made up that statistic, by the way. It's really 11.173%.

Bill: For those of you who are still reading, we want to close out with a fun guest piece from Randy Schnarr, the designer of our RailCrew products. While many of us, Jason and myself included, are working to fill as much basement space with layout as possible, Randy has gone in a... different... direction, and made the most of some modeling time provided by the current situation. We'll let him explain:

Randy: As a would-be model railroader, I've collected, and collected... and collected track, locomotives, rolling stock, buildings, power packs... all for that dream layout that never happens. In fact, my dream changes so many times, it seems it's never good enough to get started.

But then the pandemic struck and all of a sudden, time was plentiful. Time to actually build a layout... but what? Then it occurred to me that it would be interesting to try a very tiny novelty layout. The challenge was to make it a fully featured layout in a minimum of space. Maybe this project would help me to develop some techniques for my eventual dream layout ...to practice on something that is less "ominous."

Out came a section of flex track and a piece of foam board to determine how tight a radius a Thomas locomotive can negotiate. After testing, it appeared a nine inch radius would work, leading to an 18" diameter and a 20" wide board. My 3/4" foam sandwich board was 62" long, not a bad size for a tiny railway. This would be a layout that can even be stored on one end in a closet when not in use.

With those size limitations, how would I be able to fit an oval for continuous running (a bit of "rail fanning") and some industrial switching operations? With a sketch pad in hand, the ideas began to take shape. The final layout design contained six turnouts, three industries, a railway service siding and a runaround to service the facing and trailing turnout points sidings.

Now the real fun began, and here's how to do it:

It is easy to test various options by using T-pins to hold the track on the foam board until you settle on a final layout design. Once a final plan is set, lift each section and glue it in place. 3M Super 77 spray works well on painted or coated foam, but first test it on your surface. If it erodes the foam, use an alternate latex-based adhesive. Set weights on the track to ensure good contact with the glue to the board. Remove the pins when the adhesive is set.

That part was relatively easy, but reasonably satisfying.

With all track in place, apply power to the rails. Be aware of polarity issues around turnouts. It may be necessary to cut breaks in the rails and to wire some sections independently.

This is a very satisfying stage. You have achieved a fully operational layout. Many modellers stop at this level and run their trains, however, more can be done in simple steps depending on available time and resources. It's possible to just get carried away with experiments on scenery, controls, buildings, lighting, backdrop etc... and end up looking like this:

Surprisingly, 40' freight cars will actually run on this layout, although shorter cars work better!

How did it go from a bare board to this? One step at a time... all the while experimenting with materials and techniques:

This is another starter layout representing a small industrial switching area. It is built on a 12" x 72' board. It can handle large locomotives and will provide hours of operational fun when it is built ...to whatever level you choose. The 10" high backdrop of this layout is actually photos from a larger layout. The relief buildings are also made from photos, cut and glued to foam core. The sky is spray painted.

This little layout provides lots of switching action in a small space, and a natural industrial area that can be worked into a larger layout. The layout weighs only 8 pounds, so it is easy to store on end in a closet when not in use if layout space is limited.

If these layouts have taught me anything, it's don't fuss too much! Have fun. Try things. If something doesn't work well enough, try something else. It's all about experimenting with materials to get the desired effect. Not enough materials? Spend time at your local hobby shop; go to auctions and train shows (when we can!); ask your friends if they have excess materials on hand to sell.

Build one or two of these little layouts and you'll be ready for the big dream layout. If you plan well, the small experimental layouts could become a part of your larger plan.

The most important thing of all is to get started. Let the fun begin.

It took me 30 years to get started.

Bill: Thanks Randy! Those look like fun projects. in fact, I have some "scrap" foam in my basement, and some track, and a few buildings. Right, I'm off to the basement!

Until next time, stay safe and have fun with model railroading!

Bill