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Rapido Newsletter Vol. 192
©2024 Rapido Trains Inc.
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Dear Rapido Customer,
It's the second newsletter for September and this time we have plenty of new announcements! So, before the leaves start to turn, grab a warm pumpkin spiced drink and cozy up with your phone, computer or fax machine and enjoy Rapido News 192.
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In this 192nd issue...
- New Product Announcements
- New Videos
- Upcoming Shows
- Important Updates: Dash 8 Split Cooling Radiator and Reefer Soundboards
- New Updates
- An Update On Our New Bus by Jason Shron
If you are using a web-based email service such as Gmail, be sure to click on the link near the bottom of the email that says something like "[Message clipped] View entire message". That will ensure you don't miss any of this newsletter.
Please note that all renders, pre-production samples and artwork are subject to change before the final product release.
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Did you see the teaser from our Facebook yesterday? We heard the buzz was quite loud. Now, it's time to reveal those four projects. Let's go! | |
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NEW MODEL! HO Scale Denver & Rio Grande Western 01400 Series Steel Riveted Caboose
Ready. Set. ACTION (road)! Here comes the HO Scale Denver & Rio Grande Western 01400 Series Steel Riveted Caboose — a first in plastic. This iconic caboose was a standard on D&RGW trains for over 45 years, plying the rails of the Moffat Line, Tennessee Pass and "thru the Rockies; not around them...". We're even more excited to offer this caboose with a bucket full of details and lighting features! Check out the video above or by clicking here, then we can look at some of the samples. After, we can go through the unique history of these cabooses.
WAIT! We want to mention that we have already set the order deadline for December 16th, 2024. Yes, you heard correctly — since we already have early pre-production samples, we feel confident that this project can run as soon as the deadline arrives.
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This early sample was hand painted by the Project Manager, Michael. While some things might change for production, we think it looks great! | |
Here's a later rebuilt sample with friction bearings and the thermo pane windows. | |
DRGW 01453 sits in Pueblo, Colorado. Photo courtesy of Leo J. Munson. | In 1940, D&RGW embarked on updating their caboose fleet with steel cabooses. The 01400 Series Cabooses were homebuilt at their Burnham shops in Denver, Colorado and as such, were unique to the Rio Grande. The ladders, cupola and corner posts are all distinctive spotting features of these cabooses. Don't forget the flashing end of train (EOT) red light hanging off the ends! | Note the DRGW-style marker and "EOT" lights. And by the way, they work too! | An "Action Road" lettered Aspen Gold caboose brings up the rear in Cañon City, Colorado. Photo courtesy of Leo J. Munson. | |
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From 1940 to 1951, 70 Steel Riveted Cabooses were built in batches of 10. The series would later continue production until 1959 with a welded car body. Over the years, these cabooses would see multiple changes and rebuilds — several cupola and car body window variations, with the later riveted versions sporting a backup light and EOT light mounted over the ends.
After the combination of the Rio Grande and Southern Pacific in 1988, many of these cars would remain in service for a few more years before retirement in 1992. At least one car survived the 1996 UP merger in local service before finally being withdrawn in the early 2000s.
| The underframe is packed with details. | |
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The Rapido D&RGW Steel Riveted Caboose features:
- Super-detailed underbody including all separate air and brake piping
- Etched metal road numbers included in polybag
- Full interior lighting
- All-wheel electrical pickup
- Barber-Bettendorf trucks with friction or roller bearings where appropriate
- See-through, etched metal steps and walkways
- Full end detail, including uncoupling levers
- Separate grab irons installed at factory
- Metal knuckle couplers mounted at correct height
Now for the best part; the schemes!
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Are you feeling a Rocky Mountain High? If so, let's get to ordering these awesome D&RGW cabooses! You can do so below along with downloading the PDF catalog. And don't forget that the order deadline is set for December 16th. | |
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NEW MODEL! HO Scale Greenbrier 72' IL 7780 Reefer
Rapido is excited to announce the much-anticipated modern Greenbrier reefer in HO scale! This is the 72' IL 7780 Reefer, packed with details and variations. Before we go any further, check out the launch video with Jeremy and Jordan on Rapido TV. Watch it in the box above or click here.
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Did you ever wonder how french fries travel to you? These cars carry them! | |
Did you know the door rods look buried in the door? This is replicated on our model, so while it appears odd it is prototypical! | |
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What sets this model apart from other large box reefers? For starters, the Greenbrier 72' IL 7780 Reefer has an impressive capacity of 7780 cu.ft., with a 72’ 3” interior length. This makes it a whopping 82' over the drawbars. The storage capacity is massive and shippers take full advantage of this feature, shipping items such as light or bulky frozen and perishable items.
Since their introduction, the cars have commonly taken loads of potatoes, french fries and various perishables from the Pacific Northwest and California to points on the east coast. For a time, Union Pacific and CSX ran a joint train nicknamed “The Salad Shooter” for those purposes.
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The Lineage reefer is full of color! Photo courtesy of Craig Walker. | |
The Lineage reefer above shows off one of the newest schemes these cars carry. | |
In 2020, Lineage Logistics acquired Cryo-Trans and placed more orders for the Greenbrier 7780 Reefers. The new deliveries came with different features, which slightly changed the exterior look. The cage around the reefer unit changed, the truck centers were made to be slightly closer, and a more prominent notch for the end step on the B-end was added. Lineage Logistics continued the tradition of applying a colorful paint scheme and individual car naming. | |
The original Cryo-Trans scheme with the neat names and the brand new Ontario Northland 3D CAD renders. | UP/ARMN reefer 170551 rolls east with more perishables. Photo courtesy of Bobby Allard. | Did you know the Union Pacific 82' 6" Reefer is the largest version they own? These modern reefers feature the UP shield with ARMN reporting marks. | |
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OK, that's cool, but what stands out about this model? The Greenbrier 72' IL 7780 Reefer has two distinctions: some batches of cars have Stranray Ready-Roofs with straight ribs across the top, while other batches have diagonal ribs. Both versions will be offered in model form!
Now, for those reefer features:
- Sound equipped cars come pre-installed with speaker and sound module from factory!
- Cyro-Trans carbody with two roof styles
- Union Pacific has specific carbody
- Lineage, AOKX and ONR unique carbodies
- Three types of end cages per the prototype
- Three types of walkways per the prototype
- Different reefer units per era
- Highly detailed underframe
- Metal knuckle couplers
- Metal grab irons and railings
- Researched from original blueprints
And the best part; the schemes!
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Rapido is excited to dive deep into the modern railcar market! Order you Greenbrier 72' IL 7780 Reefer today. Especially because these cars have already gone into tooling! We'll be setting an order deadline once we have physical samples — stay tuned! And if you're an N scaler and are excited about this modern reefe... maybe stick around for the next newsletter. 😉 | |
The Stratford Point wearing the Pullman Green window band. Photo courtesy of the NHRHTA. | |
The “Point” series sleepers were the New Haven Railroad’s post-war luxury flagships for overnight travel and could be found on trains across the northeast and eventually the rest of the nation's passenger rail network. Built by Pullman-Standard, beginning in December 1949, these 27 cars had 14 Roomettes and 4 Bedrooms and were named after projecting pieces of land along the southern New England coastline.
As delivered, the cars were painted with an attractive Pullman Green window band and black roof, instead of the normal Hunter Green paint. In the summer of 1955, all New Haven stainless steel cars were repainted into the McGinnis scheme with the "NH" logos over each truck. The removal of the skirting between the trucks on most of the New Haven’s stainless steel fleet started in the fall of 1957.
| Here's the Gull Point. Photo courtesy of the NHRHTA. | |
The Owl, which was the top overnight train between Boston and New York City, ran with up to nine of these cars! Most overnight trains between Philadelphia and Washington D.C., ran with at least two cars. These trains included, but were not limited to: the Federal, Quaker, and William Penn as well as the New York City to Portland, Maine, State of Maine.
By the 1960s, many of these cars were listed as "spares" and wound up in general Pullman service. Because of this, many 14-4 Sleepers had the opportunity to be seen in other cities around the country such as: Chicago, Denver, Dallas and Miami. That's a long way from home! They were also used on summer camp trains from major East Coast cities to northern New England.
| Off-roading! The Pond Point looks to be part of Baltimore & Ohio's "Columbian", in downtown Chicago. Photo courtesy of the NHRHTA. | After the infamous Penn Central merger in 1969, seven cars were sold to the Long Island Railroad for use in parlor car service out of New York City. Those cars received "LONG ISLAND" letterboards, MTA logo boards and new names, pertinent to Long Island. They remained in service until the late 1970s. | Enjoying retirement...in commuter service. The Mattituck is being used as a parlor car on Long Island Rail Road. Photo courtesy of the NHRHTA. | |
The Rapido New Haven 14-4 "Point" Sleeping Car features:
- Accurately designed from original blueprints
- Rapido’s renowned stainless steel finish
- Partial skirting or no skirting as appropriate for each scheme
- Full and correct interior details with extra optional parts
- Track-powered constant lighting for DC and DCC
- Full underbody details
- Operating diaphragms with end gates
- Separate grab irons, factory-installed
- 41-BNO-11 trucks with blackened metal wheels
- 22” minimum radius (18” radius with modification)
- Semi-scale metal knuckle couplers
Now we would like to share the schemes!
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You can order your 14-4 sleeping cars below, through your dealer or by visiting the New Haven Railroad Historical and Technical Association (NHRHTA).
In addition to these great schemes, NHRTHA also has the exclusive skirted McGinnis 14-4 sleepers that you can order by clicking here or on the image below.
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NEW SCHEMES! HO Scale PC&F B-70-69/71/75 Boxcar
Here comes the Pacific Car and Foundry B-70-69/71/75 Boxcar... again! And this time we're focusing on the last eight boxcars in existence, as well as a return to the originals Here's the catch: it is currently in production and quantities will be limited! That means you'll want to stamp your name next to each and every car you want, as soon as possible.
| SP 245655 is seen here in Piscataway, NJ, headed for Oak Island Yard in Newark, NJ. The destination for this car is Browns yard in Sayreville, NJ. Photo courtesy of Bobby Allard. | |
In 1972, Pacific Car and Foundry (PC&F) built the first of what was to be the B-70-69/71/75 Series of boxcars for the Southern Pacific and its subsidiary St. Louis Southwestern (Cotton Belt). As these boxcars entered the 2020s, they began to disappear very quickly due to age and wear. Some still wear their original SP and SSW paint, while the the Golden West Service cars have been stenciled back to SP or for new owners. This has created some wild patch-out schemes.
But the biggest draw is that these are the last eight cars in existence. Read on to find out more about the final eight.
| SP 245655 again, this time showing the brakewheel end. Photo courtesy of Bobby Allard. | In 2024, Jeff and Bobby were able to track and photograph a few of the last eight cars in action! Jeff photographed the SP 245694, which wears a unique all-brown scheme and multi-colored doors. In April 2024, SP 245655, an ex-Golden West Service patch-out, was tracked from the midwest right into New Jersey. They were able to catch it on PU Tower Organization's railcam, located in Phillipsburg, NJ. You can check that out by clicking here. | Above, SP 245655 rides in-consist on Norfolk Southern 18G, right on past PU Tower Organization's live railcam, about an hour earlier from the photo above this one. Image courtesy of PU Tower Organization. | SP 245694 makes an appearance on Chicago's south side. Note the interesting all-brown scheme as well as the multi-colored doors. Photo courtesy of Jeff Lassahn. | |
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The B-70-69-71/75 Boxcar now has a modern spin, thanks to the selection of patch-out schemes, Lake State Railway and that mysterious Railroad of Lies car that somehow slipped into the product listings. Not sure how that got there, but we suspect Jeremy had something to do with that. 🧐
In addition, we are also offering select original schemes with all new numbers. Below is a photo of a string of Cotton Belt and one Southern Pacific car on our bridge diorama.
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Spiffy looking cars from the initial run. | |
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Rapido's PC&F B-70-69/71/75 Boxcar features:
- Separately applied metal grab irons
- Scale sized draft gear with a detailed Hydra-Cushion underframe
- Full underbody brake rigging
- Factory-installed, Rapido semi-scale knuckle couplers
- 70-ton trucks with turned metal 33" wheels
- Multiple different door styles
- Road number specific number patches
- Separately applied coupler cut levers
- Separate door tracks
- Painted, unlettered version comes with multiple door styles
Now for those paint schemes and patch-outs. Scroll down to check them out.
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As these are in production now, you'll want to get these orders in immediately to reserve yours. Because quantities will be limited, once they are gone... they're gone! | |
44-Tons of locomotive? You bet! For the HO Scale 44-Tonner unboxing video, we travel with Bill to the New Haven layout belonging to our friend, Chris Adams. Once there, we'll take a close look at the amazing scenery... er, I mean the locomotive and all of the inner workings of it. Click here or above to watch. Looks like the boys had fun with this one! | |
Jordan was on a podcast hosted by Ray Arnott! Check out some great conversation about the future of Rapido, Jordan's start as a modeler, some of our new products and even... cars? He's also joined by the ubiquitous Tony Cook. You can listen to the podcast by clicking here or the photo above. | |
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Rapido Meet-and-Greet — September 20th
Head on over to the Colorado Model Railroad Museum, in Greeley, Colorado, to check out some exciting new product announcements and a chance to meet Project Manager Dan Darnell and Manager of Artwork and Decoration Josh Anderchek. They'll be there from 12PM to 4PM MDT. So if you're in Colorado they are there... right now!
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Colorado Rail Prototype Modelers — September 21st
Hey! Want to help support a new show? Check out the first inaugural Colorado Rail Prototype Modelers Meet, located in Greeley, Colorado. We'll have a selection of sample models on display and you can ask your pressing questions to Josh and Dan, who will be representing Rapido. We are super excited to be attending their first ever show! Hope to see you there.
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HO Scale Dash 8 Split Cooling Radiator
If you've ordered an HO Scale Dash 8 Split Cooling Radiator Kit, these have not arrived yet because hosehead Jason forgot to put them on the purchase order. He's fixed that now. We're sorry about the mess up. These should be arriving by late 2024 or early 2025. Thank you for your patience!
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HO Scale Reefer Sound Module with Speaker
The long awaited Reefer Sound Modules are shipping now! This means you will no longer need to wait to amplify all of those reefers you have sitting in that yard on your layout. This also means anyone around that layout will now hear an endless gurgling noise. We can't help you there...
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Tooling, Shipping and Arrival Updates
LOTS of new items will be arriving soon!
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Conrail OCS green and BN Grinstein. | |
The CN E-units wore multiple schemes. Here's the two we are offering. | |
Perhaps the most underrated executive E-units of all time: the Illinois Central Es. | |
Suburban commuter trains never looked better! | |
The NPCUs are almost here! Phase V above and Phase III below. | |
The first four Bilevel schemes are in the warehouse! Coaster, CalTrain, Utah Frontrunner and ACE. | |
The Metrolinx GO cars above and the classic "original" green below. | |
Sounder's iconic wave scheme and the new Metrolink ribbon scheme. | Meep meep. This is the New Mexico Roadrunner. | |
The Gallery cars are almost here! | |
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An Update On Our New Bus by Jason Shron
Now let's throw it over to Jason for an important and interesting bus update. And when we say interesting, we sure do mean it!
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Jason at the TTC Hillcrest shop in 2017. | |
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Hi everyone!
I'm a bit of a bus lover. That's a bit of an understatement.
When I was arranging to buy our first vintage GM "New Look" Fishbowl bus back in 2016, we happened to be with my parents for supper. My wife, Sidura, turned to my mother and said, "Can you believe Jason's really buying a bus?" My mother replied, "He's always wanted to drive a bus."
To explain that, I'll back up even further. When I was in elementary school in Toronto in the 1980s, I didn't have a lot of friends. I wasn't sporty and I wasn't cool, so I found recess to be a 15-minute exercise in misery. When I was with the other kids I would just get bullied or teased. So I hung out by myself at the fence. It was lonely there. I took solace in watching the buses drive by, particularly the GO buses.
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GO Transit 1029 at the Steeprock Garage, 1980s. | |
The school yard backed onto Finch Avenue West, and the GO (Government of Ontario) Transit fishbowls would shuttle back and forth between Yonge Street and the Steeprock Garage, passing my spot at the fence. I developed a real fondness for the 1000-series buses with their comfortable headrests. The interiors viewed through the tinted windows reminded me of train coach interiors.
The opportunity presented itself last year to acquire the same model bus as those GO fishbowls — a GMC T8H-5305a. It turns out that Golden Gate Transit bought the same kind of bus at the same time, and one was available for sale in California.
We tried to have it ready to go for our cross-America trip in March, but it wasn't yet running properly so we took a minivan instead. You can watch the video of that trip by clicking here or on the image below. It was a lot of fun all the same.
(Yes, that is a real scene from the video. You really should watch it!)
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We finally had the bus brought across to upstate New York on a trailer last month. When I called Frank to ask when it would be sent over, he said "tomorrow." I wasn't expecting it so quickly, and I didn't yet have anywhere in New York to drop off the bus! Thankfully my old friend Rob Dingman at the New York & Lake Erie came to the rescue and offered to store it at his station in Gowanda while I got all the paperwork sorted for importing it into Canada. Thanks, Rob! | |
The bus is ready to leave California. I don't think anyone looked up at the roof before it left the yard... | When it arrived at Gowanda, we discovered that the entire AC shroud had gone missing from the roof. It had not been secured properly and had disappeared somewhere between California and New York, smashing a marker light in the process. The radiator cover hinge had also torn in half. Undaunted, we drove the bus all over the Gowanda area and we had a blast. Otto Vondrak from Railroad Model Craftsman even joined us! | |
Next stop, Toronto! Photo by Otto Vondrak. | Yes, that's a Welcome Back, Kotter T-shirt. Photo by Otto Vondrak | You can order the bus that was in the closing credits of Welcome Back, Kotter by clicking here. | This is me and the Rapido Chief Mechanical Officer, Chris Fox, trying to find an air leak. We found it. | |
This used to be our AC shroud. Now it's just an AC. And a very dirty one, at that! Photo by Otto Vondrak. | The bus sat in Gowanda over the Labour Day weekend while we organized transport to Toronto. During that time, somebody decided that the GO Transit logo on the back of the bus would make a nice souvenir and pried it off. If the person who did that is reading this newsletter, we just want to let you know that we think you suck. | This used to be our rear GO logo... | |
The bus was towed to Niagara Falls and put on a flatbed to Toronto. When the tow truck driver cut in his own air line to release the brakes, he managed to bust the air shifter. So now our bus only goes in reverse.
For those keeping count:
- The bus took six months longer than planned to move.
- The AC shroud went south, smashing a marker light on the way.
- The radiator cover hinge is now shredded rubber.
- Someone stole our logo.
- The bus only goes in reverse.
This bus is probably cursed. But we really, really want it. So we're going to keep on working on it, much to Janet's dismay.
| Our two buses, side by side! Photo by Matt Belyea. | |
We have found an AC shroud in New Jersey and we're now seeing if there is any way we can ship it to Toronto. Our mechanic will start working on the transmission and other engine issues when he has time. It could be a while before we get this thing moving anywhere.
In the meantime, Janet keeps yelling "BUS!?!?" at me whenever I see her. She's not a fan of spending money on any 1:1 scale models: buses, trains, London taxis, Concorde, you name it. She's been with me at Rapido for 15 years. I'm sure I've almost got her trained to think that vintage vehicles are cool and a worthwhile investment. Almost...
| This is Janet, throttling Jordan, when he told her we were buying our first bus back in 2016. You can watch the whole video here. | |
If you can help us at all with our bus, we'd love to hear from you. If you have a truck going from New Jersey to Toronto and have room for an AC shroud, then let us know. If you have an AC shroud kicking around and you live near us, let us know. If you want to come tinker with our engine to get it working better, we're all ears!
So that's where we are. Hopefully we'll have better news about our latest bus in the near future. Hopefully...
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Well... thankfully as the resident Jerseyan, I don't have to drive this part to the home office. Right... right?
Anyway, another whirlwind newsletter comes to a close. But guess what? We'll be back in just a few weeks with even more news!
Until then, keep model(l)ing... and keep track of your A/C shrouds. 😎
Bobby Allard
Newsletter Reporter
Rapido World News Channel
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USA: PO Box 796, Higganum, CT 06441
Canada: 500 Alden Road, Unit 21, Markham, ON L3R 5H5
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