Alco products are one of our specialties... and the HO Scale Alco FA-1 and FB-1 are no exception. This classic cab paved the way for Alco's run with the FA and FPA series. They also showed off Alco's iconic bulldog nose design, which would become a favorite among railfans and modelers, alike.

From the mid 1940s through the late 1950s, Alco sold nearly 700 examples of the FA-1 and FB-1 models to 25 railroads in the US, Canada and Mexico. But unfortunately, they were a distant second to EMD's line of locomotives. (You know what? Alco and MLW were better. That's my editorial comment.) But these crowd pleasers hung around long enough to pull freights through the early 1970s. Regardless of time frame, the HO Scale FA-1 and FB-1 Locomotives would look right at home on your layout!

How accurate are Rapido's Alco FA-1 and FB-1 Locomotives? Let me list you all of the details. Remember, we have a tradition of Alco products here - with unsurpassed detail. That's right, these are the ULTIMATE FA-1/FB-1.

So, with that said, here are the features for the ULTIMATE FA-1/FB-1:

Time to look at every scheme being offered on the first run of HO Scale FA-1s and FB-1s. There are 11 schemes to pick from, and you'll note CN is the only road without matching B units. If you are upset that CN did not order B units, please contact them to express your disappointment. The number is 1 (888) 888-5909. Tell them the guys at Model Power sent you.

Ready to look at the catalog? This comprehensive packet contains everything else you need to know about the HO Scale FA-1 and FB-1 locos. Click the photo below to check it out.

As with any new announcement, we will announce the order deadline once we have a painted sample to show off. (I demand the LNE one.) (Ed: You're full of editorial opinions this newsletter, aren't you?) (Bill - So do I, so there!) So, keep an eye on our social media and future newsletters for updates. Oh, and place those orders for the HO Scale Alco FA-1 and FB-1!

Some think it's boring; others think they all look alike. Rubbish! The Union Tank Car 10,000 Gallon X-3 Tank Car (Ed: That's too wordy. Let's call it the X-3 Tank Car to save ink. OK, back to the sentence you were halfway through.) is possibly one of the most important tank cars in the history of tank cars. Not only did this car span 50-odd years in service, from the 1920s through the 1970s, but their versatility made them popular with shippers.

The X-3 Tank Cars were built in various capacities and configurations, which includes the 10,000-gallon version we are producing. They were also built with single, double and triple domes. We will be replicating the single-dome version. With that said, the basic 10,000 gallon, single-dome version was the most common style. From the 1920s onward, Union Tank Car (UTLX) fielded the largest fleet of tank cars in North America, and the 10,000-gallon X-3 accounted for nearly 13,000 of them!

The basic X-3 was used to haul fuel oil, gasoline, vegetable oils, pretty much any liquid that did not require special handling features. These cars could be seen everywhere in North America!

Also, a quick credit where credit is due: Our model has been developed with the help of noted UTLX tank car expert Steve Hile.

We are offering two distinct versions of the HO Scale X-3 Tank Car; the K-brake equipped cars, which are good before 1953, and the AB-brake equipped cars, which are good from the 1940s onwards. In addition to brake equipment, our models will feature correct handbrake and coupler cut bar arrangements, which differed depending on the brake equipment installed. Proper Andrews or “Bettendorf” cast steel trucks will be fitted, depending on the era.

And now the rest of the HO Scale X-3 Tank Car features:

But don't you want to see all of those colorful schemes on this car? Scroll down to look.

Sales catalog for the most boring tank car in the world? We'd disagree with the boring part, but the catalog design sure is spiffy. Check it out by clicking the photo below. (Ed: I'm not disagreeing.)

Go ahead! We dare you to order as many of these tank cars as you can, because everyone needs tank cars! The Rapido X-3 Tank Car is plenty beautiful and once you see a sample, you'll agree. Until then, keep checking back for updates on this project and a future order deadline.

What is the most easily-recognized sleeping car you can think of? Forget your 10-6s or your 4-6-4s... the Budd Slumbercoach tops them all. (If you disagree, just go with it! These are neat cars.) What makes them so unique? Only 18 cars were built by the Budd Company, from 1956 to 1959 for five different roads. But they went just about EVERYWHERE.

The Loch Rannoch in phase II. Photo courtesy of the Kaluza Mueller collection.

In case you didn't know what a Budd Slumbercoach is, here's a quick overview. A Slumbercoach has a capacity of 40 guests for the targeted "overnight" traveler. The floor plan features 24 single occupancy rooms, along with 8 double rooms with a single aisle right down the center of the car. This method was mid-priced alternative for overnight trips, instead of uncomfortable coach seating or pricey first-class options. Probably the most unique and distinctive feature on these cars is the staggered side windows.

The Slumbercoaches found their way onto many famed passenger trains, such as: the North Coast Limited, the Denver Zephyr, the National Limited, the Texas Eagle and many more. Upon the creation of Amtrak, many cars would survive into the 90s, still earning their keep on trains such as the Lake Shore Limited, Auto Train and one of my favorites: the Crescent, which I saw pulled by those GE E60CPs. (hint hint, Jason...) (Ed: The first one will cost you $100K, and they are $399.95 after that.)

The modern-day Loch Ness, now owned by Webb Rail, hanging out in New Orleans. Photo by Marc Glucksman.

Many of the Budd Slumbercoaches still survive today in museums and private collections. The Loch Ness is probably the most famous, as it is currently owned by private railcar owner Webb Rail and can be seen traveling the country on private charters. Check out their website: you might just be able to ride in a real Slumbercoach!

Our HO Scale Slumbercoach features include:

Hey, did I mention you can own a model of the Loch Ness, too? Yes! Now you modern Amtrak modelers can throw it onto the back of your long distance consists to create an authentic "PV" look!

But what about all those schemes on the HO Scale Budd Slumbercoach? Glad you asked! There are nine schemes, including unlettered. Here they are:

Time for the Budd Slumbercoach catalog! Click on the photo below to download it.

Have an overnight train? You won't want to miss out on the HO Scale Budd Slumbercoaches! Once we have a few samples to show off, we can announce an order deadline. Until then, please make your overnight passengers happy with a bed in which to sleep, by ordering those cars!

Two interesting locomotives in our line will close-out their ordering periods this Wednesday, September 15th. These are the HO Scale H16-44 and the HO Scale FPA-2u and FPB-2u. Both are conditional releases, which means if we don't hit the required sales by September 15th, we will have to file the projects away, never to speak of them again. But enough doom and gloom! Scroll down to check them out!

The F-M H16-44 Locomotive is an important diesel in railroad history. It was a staple of the early transitional era of diesel power. Many roads tried Fairbanks-Morse's model soon after they began to dieselize their motive power fleet. In fact, the locomotive could be seen in the US, Canada and Mexico.

The unfortunate drawback to the H16-44 was that they were up against other refined builders such as EMD and Alco. Their railroad careers were not overly long, but they did make an impact.

Click on the photo below to download the catalog!

The FPA-2u and FPB-2u Locomotives are the true definition of "oddball." There were ONLY two A-B sets made by MLW. (Jason really, really, REALLY wants these for his layout. ...which means if he gets them, he'll be on cloud nine and we can sneak something else in the suggestion box.) They were the precursor to the successful FPA-4 and FPB-4 locomotives that defined passenger train travel in eastern Canada from the 1950s to the 1980s.

Jeremy has filmed another one of his classic videos begging for your orders. Please click here or on the image below to watch.

Click on the image below to download the catalogue. Note the Canadian spelling of catalogue. You should order more now.

Just to remind you, this Wednesday, September 15th, 2021, is the order deadline for both the HO Scale F-M H16-44 and the HO Scale MLW FPA and FPB-2u Locomotives. Get those orders in and we might just be able to bring you good news in a few weeks!

Yes, October is almost here. That means we bring you another set of new order deadlines: The HO Scale E8A and E8B Locomotive, the HO Scale AutoFlood III Rapid Discharge Hopper, the HO Scale 52'6" Mill Gondola and the N Scale PC&F B-100-40 Boxcar. Lots of things to get to, so let's jump right in.

The time has finally come: the HO Scale E8A and E8B Locomotives are headed to the order deadline. Before we jog into the photo showing all of the schemes and the catalog, let's check out a surprise teaser shot of the commemorative Amtrak 4316 all-wood case!

It may be too late to order 4316, but what about the other schemes? Glad you asked! Dan has been hard at work with all of his current projects as well as painting up a sample of an Erie Lackawanna E8. We can't wait to see how it turns out! But in the meantime, he took a teaser photo of it from his workbench. Once completed, we'll be sure to show it off on our Facebook and website!

And over on the Canada side, Dan is hard at work on an EL hand-painted sample. Stay tuned for the finished product on our Facebook page.

Time to see all of the roadnames being offered for the HO Scale E8A and B Locomotives, in case you might have forgotten. (Did I mention Southern is my favorite?) Scroll down to see them and the others.

And remember, all you Canucks, that the port hole window on 1800 is reversed in CP and VIA paint schemes, just like the prototype! Also a reminder, Otter Valley Railroad is doing an exclusive of renumbered VIA units 1898 and 1899. Click on the road numbers to order those.

The E-Unit catalog/catalogue is a great place to catch up on all of the road numbers being offered as well as those ever-important item numbers. Click the photo below to check them out!

Ready to finalize your orders for this classic covered wagon locomotive? The E-Units might have been one of the most popular and recognizable diesels of all-time, and we're delighted to say that our HO scale model seems to be equally as popular. Our HO Scale E8 Locomotive will certainly add color and class to any layout, even if you don't need one!

The AutoFlood III Rapid Discharge Hopper has quickly become one of our most popular and talked about models in our freight car line. Anyone that needs a unit coal train will certainly need a ton of these hoppers. But don't blink; the order deadline is just a few weeks away on October 15th, 2021.

Before then, let's quickly take a peek at some of the factory tooling samples that just arrived.

BNSF? UP? Maybe you're interested in building an all-leaser consist of AutoFloods. Check out the roadnames being offered on the first run, below.

Need to see the road numbers? Maybe you need to look at those item numbers before placing your order? All of that and more can be found in the catalog by clicking the photo below!

Friday, October 15th is on the clock. Mark your calendars, as that's the ordering deadline for these snappy Rapid Discharge Hoppers. Remember, not only does a coal train look right at home on almost any layout, that coal load won't carry itself to the power plant!

It might seem like it was last month that the HO Scale 53' 6" Mill Gondola was announced... Wait! It was last month! Yes, this is a quick turn for these gondolas. We want to get them into production right away! Since these are fresh in everyone's mind from August, we'll just show you the pretty drawing again and remind you that we're doing PGE and "no data" versions for your custom road!

And the catalogue. Can't forget that! Click the photo below to check out all of the 52'6" Mill Gondola info.

Don't forget Friday, October 15th, is the order deadline for these venerable 52'6" Mill Gondolas. Make sure you reserve the road numbers you want before then to ensure you get the cars you want!

The most important box of 2021! That would be the N Scale B-100-40 Boxcar. The HO models are en route, and we're ready to make the N scale ones too! This versatile workhorse was built for Southern Pacific and saw a variety of paint schemes and second-hand owners, including a second life on Amtrak.

You've seen the 3D renders, but now how about some physical samples? Keep scrolling!

Every important scheme being offered and Amtrak? Why yes! Scroll down to see which N Scale B-100-40 Boxcar scheme is your favorite.

It's catalog time! Check out the N Scale B-100-40 Boxcar catalog below by clicking on the photo.

Now that we have a sample of the N Scale B-100-40 Boxcar we can officially declare Friday, October 15th as the order deadline for these all-purpose boxcars. Make sure you get your orders in before then, or risk having your warehouses on your layout go out of business!

Lots of news to get to, including new arrivals, what's shipping soon and Jason's essay about how the global logistics issues are affecting our industry. We also have some factory updates.

Before we move on to factory updates, we need to tell you about our "Ask Us Anything" livestream we are hosting tonight on Facebook. After a short hiatus, Jordan, Jason, Bill and Josh return to tell you about all of the new announcements, order deadlines and field any questions you might have. (As long as they're not all "can you a make model of _____!")

Tune into on our Facebook page at 7PM EDT tonight! Reading this after the live broadcast? No problem! A recording is still on our Facebook page. Click on the link, press play, and have a listen while working on your layout!

Due to the global shipping mess, our shipments are taking a very long time to get here and are often arriving out of order, meaning something that left the factory first will arrive after a shipment that left the factory later.

Here's what's just arrived:

Here's what's hopefully arriving next:

Here are some photos of these are other models that are en route.

Speed lettering sure looks good! As of September 13th, 2021, most of the HO Scale B36-7 Locos have shipped from the warehouse!

Here come the N Scale FP9As! They should be arriving at your door sometime before the end of September, 2021. Hooray!

The HO Scale PRR X31A Boxcar is almost here!

Getting excited for N Scale Comet Coaches and Cabs? We want you to!

Check out that larger fuel tank! The HO Scale Later Phase F40PHs are just a few weeks away.

The surprise second run of HO Scale 53' Husky Stack Well Cars will be arriving in our warehouse soon!

Ready to deliver that time sensitive cargo, from Chicago to LA? The HO Scale B-100-40 Boxcars will be here soon to help you out with that!

SP all the way! The HO Scale SP B-100-40 Boxcars never looked so good!

The HO Scale F30 Flatcars are somewhere on the Pacific!

Trailer service never had it so good! The HO Scale F30 Flatcars will deliver that HO Scale Trailer of items in no time!

This is an edited excerpt from my column this month in Railroad Model Craftsman. Please click here to subscribe!

Right now, our industry is facing an unprecedented challenge and I wanted to bring you, my fellow model railroaders, up to date. The global shipping industry is in a complete mess. This is not just affecting the model train business; it’s affecting every industry that deals in consumer goods.

Since May, the following shipments have left our factories in China:

Of that extensive list, the only models that have arrived at our warehouse since May are the SW1200s, the first shipment of B36-7s, and the N scale FP9As. In Rapido’s 17-year history, we’ve never had ten different projects en route at one time. In addition to these delays, shipping costs have more than tripled. The only reason the N scale FP9A locomotives arrived was because we sent them by air cargo.

Why is this happening? The one-word answer is COVID. With so many people staying home and not spending their money on travel and restaurants, there has been a surge in spending on consumer goods. Everything has seen increased demand. On the other hand, during the early months of COVID a lot of people in the shipping industry were furloughed, and now there is a shortage of locomotive engineers, port employees, warehouse workers, you name it. Many Chinese ports, such as Yantian and Ningbo, have had to partially or fully shut down for lengthy periods due to local COVID outbreaks. That leads to congestion at the other ports, and returning vessels are waiting one, two or three weeks to dock.

All of this has resulted in unprecedented shipping delays, and it's affecting our whole industry. Please be patient with Rapido and your other model train manufacturers. Your models are on their way, but it’s taking a really long time for them to arrive. Please continue to preorder products from all your favorite manufacturers and please continue to support your local hobby shops. We’ll get through this together.

Despite all these shipping delays, our designers and tooling shops are working hard. We hope you are as excited about the three new announcements as we are. And we hope you enjoy all these great products when they DO arrive!

Until next time,

Bobby