Before we go any further, let's take a moment to reflect on one of the most important days of the year: Remembrance Day and Veterans Day in the US. Today is a day to stop and honour all of our armed forces, who sacrificed everything, in World War I, World War II, and other conflicts. We also honour all men and women who continue to serve and protect. We also take a moment to remember our own Mike McGrattan, an air force cadet veteran who left us at far too young an age in 2016. So place your poppy in a visible location and salute those who have served. Today is your day. From our family at Rapido, hats off, we salute you.

The B-50-15 and B-50-16 Boxcar might have been one of the most recognizable boxcars in the SP's fleet. Their long life span and multiple variations and paint schemes helped them stand out from other freight cars.

Beginning in 1925, the Southern Pacific built nearly 5,000 40' outside braced wood boxcars in two classes – B-50-15 and the B-50-16. These cars were built to nearly identical designs, the primary difference being in the ends used. The 3900 cars in the earlier B-50-15 class used corrugated steel ends, while the 1003 cars in class B-50-16 used “Dreadnaught” ends.

Both groups of cars used a variety of different roofs, with the Murphy radial roof and the Viking roof being the most common. In fact, nearly all B-50-16 received Viking roofs. Most of these cars were delivered with T-section trucks, though many were later upgraded with “Bettendorf” style trucks.

Of course we captured all of what I just typed above on the cars. But wait, there's more! Before we get to the rebuilds, let's take a look at some of the renders.

Impressed yet? OK, NOW let's discuss the B-50-15 and B-50-16 Boxcar rebuilds. In the 1930s the SP started a program of re-siding cars in both classes, replacing the wooden sides with steel sheet sides inside of the side bracing. This program continued on and off for many years, and not all cars were rebuilt. The steel sided cars, in particular, remained in service for many years, with 227 B-50-15 and 25 B-50-16 cars still in revenue service as late as 1970. Because of their antiquated-looking construction, they really stood out in a train by that date. Now, ready to see the 3D renders of these cars? Scroll down, of course!

Rapido’s new HO Scale B-50-15 and B-50-16 Boxcar models include a variety of unique details, including:

Ready to see all of the paint schemes and variations being offered on the initial run? Scroll down to check them out.

With every new product launch comes a new catalog. The HO Scale B-50-15/16 catalog has all of the needed info to help make your ordering decisions. Click the photo below to view it.

Once we get a sample to show off, we will announce an order deadline for the HO Scale B-50-15 and B-50-16 Boxcars. So keep checking back for future updates on this car!

Everyone needs coal hoppers! And what better way to deliver coal on your layout than with the brand new N Scale AutoFlood III Rapid Discharge Hopper! Now you can run that giant unit train of hoppers on your home or club layout and make everyone wait, while your 150+ cars disrupt every other train or small model town.

But what is an N Scale Rapid Discharge Hopper? Well, for starters, the prototype has had thousands produced since 2004. The all-aluminum body car has a capacity of 4,200 cubic feet with five rapid discharge gates. These gates allow for easy and quick unloading, rather than the usual four gates or rotary method. BUT these cars are still able to rotary dump, as long as rotary couplers are applied. BNSF and CEFX have these features and, luckily for you, both are road names on the first run!

Now, let's look at another render.

What are the features of the N Scale Rapid Discharge Hopper? Let's take a look:

Need to see all of the schemes being offered? Why of course, we have that covered! Scroll down to look.

Ah, yes, the catalog. Here you will find EVERYTHING you need to know when you need to place your order(s) for the N Scale Rapid Discharge Hopper. Click the photo below to immerse yourself in product info.

The N Scale Rapid Discharge Hopper will certainly be a big addition to your unit coal train fleet! Once we have a physical sample to show, we'll announce an order deadline. You won't want to miss out on these cars, so make sure you get your orders in. Our HO Rapid Discharge Hopper is our biggest-selling HO scale freight car EVER. Hopefully our N scale customers will make this our biggest-selling N scale freight car!

Available now in HO scale through the official CP store is FP9A locomotive #1401 as it appeared during its service life with the Royal Canadian Pacific business train and #2816 “Empress” steam program.

Limited quantities are available. Please visit the links below to order before they're gone!

Canadian orders: Click Here

US orders: Click Here

As mentioned above, these won't last forever and once they're gone, they're gone! So grab one for your executive train or to put behind the 2816!

Our unique HO Scale New Haven Stainless Steel Diners are still available from the New Haven Railroad Historical & Technical Association! These cars were designed with the help of NHRHTA and feature many details, such as:

Check out the available schemes below. If you click on the photo, it will take you directly to the NHRHTA's site to place your order. Rapido has been sold out of these cars FOREVER.

Two very important order deadlines close out in just a few days: The HO Scale CP D10 Steam Locomotive and the HO Scale Procor 5820 Covered Hopper Car. Let's take a look at both of these!

The Canadian Pacific D10 Steam Locomotive has been on a long, but interesting journey since it was announced. We are now happy to say that November 15th will be the order deadline. Once we calculate the orders, the exciting part begins: Production! Before we get there, let's take a look at some new samples and a new video!

Click here or the photo above or below to watch our brand new D10 Steam Loco video. Then hurry back to check out some photos of the D10.

Ready to see some photos of the new sample? You're in luck! Scroll down to look at the HO Scale CP D10 Steam Locomotive.

The D10’s appearance changed over the years with variations in headlights, fuel type, walkways and tenders, to name a few. That means we had to work that much harder to design EVERYTHING! The D10 Class Steam Locomotive features many optional details to accurately portray these locomotives in several configurations and subclasses. These details include:

Credit Valley Railway Co. is also offering two exclusive paint schemes: Credit Valley #1057 and CPR #1057. Click on the photos to visit their web site.

Need to see the elaborate D10 catalogue? It has EVERYTHING you need to know to order one of these magnificent steam locomotives. Click the photo below to be whisked away!

November 15th is the order deadline for the HO Scale CP D10 Steam Locomotive. Get your orders in as soon as possible! Just like the Royal Hudson, these won't last long on the shelves.

Need to move those plastic pellets? The HO Scale Procor 5820 Covered Hopper car has you covered! These hoppers are a staple of the pellet and granule industry, commonly seen in large groups in manifests and parked along team tracks. Don't forget, the order deadline is November 15th for these cars, so don't be late!

Check out the split HO Scale Autoflood Coal Hopper and Procor 5820 Covered Hopper video staring our very own Matt Gentry. Click here or the photo below to watch.

This is the most important part of the order deadline announcement: the catalog. Click the photo below to scroll through the road and item numbers being offered on this run.

Have you ordered your HO Scale Procor 5820 Covered Hopper(s) yet? November 15th is just a few days away, so if you haven't, don't forget to! These beautiful cars are waiting for you to take them home!

Three BIG order deadlines are on call for the 15th of December. Make sure to put the HO Scale Rohr Turboliner, HO Scale RR-56 Reefer and the HO Scale USRA Single Sheathed and CP Clone Boxcars all on your calendar. You won't want to miss out on these great items!

Picture yourself relaxing alongside the Hudson River in "Upstate New York." It's a calm and pleasant afternoon as you watch a few boats float down river, while the rush of Metro North FL9s, pulling sets of "bombers" (Bombardier Shoreliner Cars for the non-NY folk) whiz by. You hear the unmistakable sound of an old cast P5 wailing in the distance. The harmonic sound echoes through the Hudson Valley. Everyone looks up as one of Amtrak's Rohr Turboliners blasts past on the Adirondack.

There's nothing more satisfying than seeing the sleek nose, white body with red and blue Phase III trim and matching trainset rush past. Talk about a solid looking consist! But at the time, no one made a model of it. Fast forward twenty years and Rapido is now producing the only - the definitive - model of the HO Scale Rohr Turboliner! Are you ready to make sure you have all of your orders checked, finalized and submitted? The order deadline is set for December 15th, 2021.

Let's take a quick peek at the newest sample we have.

These new samples are looking great! But what if we told you there will be a fully-painted sample debuting soon? That's right! We can't wait, either. Plus it might even be traversing a layout with a setting that it roamed in real life! You'll need to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you won't miss it!

Yes, yes, contain your excitement! We still need to look at the features of the HO Scale Rohr Turboliner:

Need to see the schemes, once again? Here you go!

And of course, here is our handy sales catalog, which contains all of the road and item numbers associated with each model. Click the photo below to look through it.

The HO Scale Rohr Turboliners will certainly be eye-pleasing and we know these won't last on shelves long, so that means make sure you have ALL of your orders placed to ensure your get a model! December 15th, 2021 is the order deadline. Mark it down and check your lists, twice!

HO Scale ATSF RR-56 Reefer

The HO Scale ATSF RR-56 Reefer might be considered a "can't miss car" for anyone modeling the transition era. These venerable reefers plied the rails, carrying all sorts of perishable goods in a time when trucks did not dominate.

Now, ready to see some sample photos? keep scrolling to see the newest samples we have!

But what about those schemes? Scroll down to see every scheme and slogan being offered on the initial run of HO Scale RR-56 Reefers.

These reefers contain a "plug and play" circuit board that accepts our new reefer sound module! When you are ordering your reefers, be sure to order some with sound. To install the sound, you simply remove the shell and plug in the sound module. You can order these from your hobby shop or directly from us.

Did someone say catalog? Here's everything you need to know about the HO Scale RR-56 Reefer! Click the photo below.

Make sure you have December 15th, 2021 marked down, as that's the order deadline date for the HO Scale RR-56 Reefer. You won't want to miss it!

The HO Scale USRA Single-Sheathed and CP Clone Boxcars were one of the most successful built at a time when the world was in turmoil. Fast forward over 100 years later and you'll find our highly detailed car, waiting for you to place an order for it! But don't blink, the order deadline is due on December 15th, 2021.

In the next few days we are expecting a sample and we will shoot a brand new video for it, so keep a close eye on our YouTube channel for it!

The HO Scale USRA Single-Sheathed and CP Clone Boxcars feature an all-new body with correct steel underframe and correct free-standing details.

This is the full list of features:

Want to see the paint schemes? There are TWO sets of photos: the USRA Single-Sheaths and the CP Clones! Scroll down to see them!

We have not one, but two sales catalogs/catalogues. The regular USRA Single Sheath cars are on the left while the CP Clones are on the right. Click the photo of the desired one to see the catalog/catalogue! (We're bilingual, eh?)

Save the date! December 15th, 2021 is the day the order deadline arrives for the HO Scale USRA Single Sheathed and CP Clone Boxcars. Make sure you have all of your orders checked and submitted so you get the cars you want!

Lots of updates and photos to view this month, so without wasting more time, let's get right to it!

Could you believe, a WHOLE shipment disappeared? Neither can we, but that's what happened last week. Our shipment of HO scale Procor tank cars took four months to get here, narrowly avoiding falling into the ocean and narrowly avoiding a CN derailment. We sent our first shipment out to distributors, and then last Wednesday we got a call that the entire tractor trailer containing our shipment had been STOLEN!

We let everyone know through our social media channels, in case the thieves tried to sell the cars. Then, on Thursday, we got another call. The trailer had been found! And the thieves opened our pallets, found our model trains, had no idea what they were, and left them. We were delighted to find almost the entire shipment intact.

How's that for a wild 24 hours?

All of us here at Rapido want to thank many of you for your kind wishes and for your offers of help! We really appreciate it and are thankful for all the support from the amazing model railroading community!

Our famous "Ask Us Anything" livestream will return tonight, November 11th, at 7PM EST (4PM PST).... 8:30 in Newfoundland! Tune in to see Jordan and a few other Rapido members join the panel to discuss the SP B-50-15 Boxcars and the N Scale AutoFlood Hoppers, as well as the November and December order deadlines. They'll also field some questions and give a general update on the current state of the industry.

You can check all that out on our Facebook page at 7PM EST tonight! If you can't make tonight, no need to worry, you can re-watch on Facebook or once we upload a version to our YouTube channel!

Since our last newsletter, Jeremy has been busy editing new videos for your enjoyment. Let's start with the N Scale Horizons and Comet Cabs and Cars. It's an "N-vasion!" Francis goes through all of the ins and outs of these new cars. And let me tell you, they're beauties! Click here or the photo above to watch!

Next is a neat look at the HO Scale B-100-50 Boxcars, shot on Lance Mindheim's fantastic LA Junction layout. The scenery is a masterpiece and we cannot thank Lance enough for capturing the scenes. Click here or the photo below to watch the video!

Not too much has changed from last month. We are, however, expecting these items into the warehouse sometime in the next few weeks:

The HO Scale GLa hoppers, Steam Generators, and X72 Boxcars have all left the factories and are enroute. As for when they'll get here, your guess is as good as ours!

Here are a few photos of some projects currently in various states of assembly. In the photo above are window glass inserts for the HO Scale Bombardier Bilevel Cars.

Next up is the HO Scale Barrel Ore Hoppers, all lined up, ready to go. These should leave the factory in the next few days. We're waiting for production samples to approve.

The Barrel Ore Hoppers are looking good!

Barrel Ore Hoppers stacked high.

HO Scale F59s! Some of the GO shells, in the tampo room.

Here's a Trinity Rail Express F59PH.

And an HO Scale EP-5. Yes, they're almost here!

HO Scale Bilevels, anyone? These shells were used for testing the painting masks.

It's been a while since we've seen the HO Scale Fruehauf Trailers, but here is part of the tooling. We're expecting samples next month!

We have U25B Truck sideframes in this photo. Time to get excited!

U25B traction motor cables and handrails with the signature "hump" at the rear.

These are the long hood molds for the U25B, ready for testing!

The X-3 Tank Car tank and frame mold slides. It's starting to look like a car!

There's been lots of doom and gloom lately with delayed shipments, stolen shipments, and stuff going pear-shaped! So we wanted this next section to be more lighthearted. Let's take a quick sampling of what some of Rapido's employees have seen in their railfanning journeys these past few weeks. We'll start off with Josh.

Jason recently went on a VIA trip to Winnipeg. Here's his travel log:

"As soon as I got word that VIA was allowing access to the dome cars and dining car, I immediately booked a trip for the kids and me to take The Canadian to Winnipeg. The trip was fantastic, and because there was no fancy Prestige service we got full access to the Park Car for the entire ride. Bedroom F is larger than all the others, so we always book in bedrooms E and F together for a huge room for four people. We arrived in Winnipeg, spent some time with my in-laws, and flew home. VIA Preference is a very generous reward program, so we can do trips like this at least once a year. Such wonderful memories!"

Now that's a great way to end this edition of "Railfanning With Rapido!"

For all of our American friends: Happy (early) Thanksgiving! The long weekend might be just over two weeks away, but it's certainly something to look forward to! Oh, and turkey is passé! This Thanksgiving, consider making a Turducken! Gobble Gobble Quack Cluck.

From our family at Rapido to yours, we wish you a safe and enjoyable (future) holiday weekend!

Until next time,

Bobby