Rapido News 202 - Spring Has Sprung with New Announcements and Model Photos

Rapido Newsletter Vol. 202

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Dear Rapido Customer,

Welcome to our March announcement newsletter! N scalers, this is YOUR month — we have THREE launches we think you'll enjoy as well as a new run of HO scale Centerbeam schemes.

In this 202nd issue...

A Discussion about Tariffs and Model Trains
Rapido and Me
New Product Announcements
Events and Shows
Tooling, Factory and Shipping Updates

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.

A Discussion About Tariffs and Model Trains

We want to present you with a serious topic that is at the forefront of every question lately: tariffs. Join Jason and Dan G. for an in-depth chat about how tariffs will affect you as a customer and what we're doing about it. Hopefully this will clear up any questions or concerns you may have.

Click here or the photo above to watch.

Another important update is that all US orders will now have state sales tax applied. When we shipped from the Canadian warehouse, the tax was not applicable.

Another update is that we will soon - sometime in April, hopefully - be dividing our website into American and Canadian versions. The American site will be rapidotrains.com and the Canadian site will be rapidotrains.ca. You will also notice a change in our newsletters then too; we will provide two button links to purchase the same product. Please make sure that you order from the correct site. International customers will need to order from the Canadian site.

We know this is all a real pain, but as North America's only international model train manufacturer - we really do straddle the Canadian/American border – these changes are needed in order to keep your costs down.

For those asking clarification questions about how tariffs work for Canadians or international customers ordering products that are in stock at the US warehouse, we are adjusting tactics as we go until it is up and running. (Read: we honestly don't know yet.) As events continue to move at a rapid pace, please stay tuned as we adapt to the shifting economic climate.

Rapido and Me — Customer Photo Submissions

Check out some of the recent photo submissions we've received from our friends. Remember, you too can be featured in Rapido and Me. You just have to send them to us at trains@rapidotrains.com or tag us on social media (and not in a story that will disappear after 24 hours!).

Here's four for this month.

This awesome HO scale photo and modeling was sent to us from Tim Hayman.

Leon Richard sent us this neat scene of an N GMD1 and F40PH-2D.

Here's a D10 pulling the Polar Express, sent to us from Oregon Western Railroad Productions.

Jeff Rice weathered and patched this B70 boxcar.

It's product launch time! And to compliment our new announcements, click here or the photo above to watch the launch video.

NEW SCHEMES! HO Scale NSC 73' Centerbeam

Here comes the return of the HO Scale NSC 73' Centerbeams! This is one of the most common freight cars on the rails since the late 1980s. We're excited to bring these back with a new series of paint schemes, road names and roadnumbers. We'll start off with some of the initial run cars, below.

Lots of underbody piping and brake details!

The car on the left shows the early-Z pattern, with the open bracing, with the deck mounted risers. The car on the right has the normal closed-top pattern and without risers.

The NSC 73' Centerbeam Cars have two groups: Early (pre-2002) and Mid (2002-2006). We will be offering both early and mid phases on this run! This means lots of variations and details including the unique z-pattern open truss top. These also have multiple deck, side sill and underbody variations to boot!

Crisp lettering on the bulkheads. Note the famous leaning/tipping centerbeam warning.

We also are working on centerbeam loads with an assortment of different lumber distributors. We'll be making that announcement shortly!

A popular scheme: BC Rail (BCOL) in the awesome green scheme used on most freight cars.

The HO Scale Centerbeam features:

Multiple side sill variations with different winch and ratchet configurations
Multiple top truss configurations; early Z pattern and standard closed pattern with and without tie-down brackets
Two deck configurations; early with risers and mid without risers
Two underbody configurations
Multiple end cage variants
Multiple brake stand options
Multiple truck types (six to be exact!)
Factory-installed rubber airhoses
See through eroded metal crossover platforms
Fully detailed underbodies with brake piping
Factory-installed metal grab irons and coupler lift bars
Free rolling, metal wheelsets
Suggested minimum radius: 22”

For each roadname, here are the individual car features:

BCOL:

First NSC order
Never offered before!
Risers on deck
Solid top truss

BNSF:

Second NSC order
Smooth deck

CNIS:

First NSC order
Open 'Z' pattern top truss
Risers

CBRY:

Solid top truss
Risers

NS:

ex LW, exx CORP
Risers
Solid top truss

ONT:

Risers
Solid top truss

TTZX 861000+

First NSC order, 100 ton car NSH 75
Risers
Solid top truss

TTZX 866+

Large 2006 order
Smooth deck
Solid top truss

UP:

ex CP
Risers
Solid top truss

WC:

Smooth deck
Solid top truss

Now, the best part of the announcement: the pretty pictures!

Ready to order your centerbeams? You only have until May 15th to do so. Click the button below to get started.

Click Here to Open Catalog

Order the HO NSC 73' Centerbeam

NEW RELEASE AND SCHEMES! N Scale VIA Rail F40PH-2D Locomotive

The N Scale F40PH-2D Locomotive is back! This return brings you the popular schemes from the initial run as well as some new liveries! Before we get into the schemes, let's take a peek at some action shots of the N F40 as well as a quick bit of history of VIA's iconic locomotive.

Check out these neat shots! Our F40PH-2D and LRCs look fantastic on Emmerson Case's Union Station scene, above.

Shane McCarthy sent us this neat shot of two F40PH-2Ds rounding a curve.

VIA’s F40PH-2D Locomotive has been the face of passenger train travel in Canada since the 1980s. These locomotives were built in London, Ontario between 1986 and 1989. They feature a desktop control stand (hence the “D” in the designation); a unique fuel tank and underframe arrangement, a carbody design with custom panel and door locations and numerous other Canadian-only details.

The F40PH-2Ds, one original and one rebuilt version, cross a neat bridge scene on Emmerson Case's awesome layout.

In 2010, VIA Rail Canada contracted CAD Railway Industries in Lachine, Quebec, to rebuild its F40 locomotive fleet. This involved removal of the HEP (Head End Power) alternator and installation of a separate HEP generator in the rear of the locomotive. At the same time the locomotive was given VIA’s green, grey and yellow Renaissance paint scheme first seen on the P42DC locomotives in 2001. By the end of 2012 all 52 F40PH-2D locomotives had been rebuilt.

Later in the 2010s VIA began applying various wraps to their F40PH-2Ds and LRCs. Most recently VIA has been applying the "Love the Way" wraps to many of the F40s. We're excited to include these in our new release!

Ready for the N Scale F40PH-2D Locomotive features? Here are the original versions:

Scaled from original blueprints and field measurements
Unique Canadian F40PH-2D body and details
Working headlights, ditch lights, number boards
Separate grab irons and handrails installed at the factory
Incredible underbody detail including separate piping
Different rooftop details for different paint schemes
Available in original scheme (1986-1998), Canada scheme (1998-2014) and also selected advertising wraps
Accurate F40PH-2D sounds on sound-equipped models

Next up are the rebuilt F40PH-2D features:

Unique Canadian F40PH-2D body and details
Working headlights, ditch lights, number boards
Working emergency headlight and emergency shutdown strobe light
Separate grab irons and handrails installed at the factory
Incredible underbody detail including separate piping
Different rooftop details for different paint schemes
Accurate Rebuilt F40PH-2D sounds on sound-equipped models

All F40PH-2D Locomotives feature:

Suggested minimum radius: 11”
Will operate smoothly on DC and DCC layouts
Now equipped with MoPower capacitor, for uninterrupted DCC operation

Now for the best part: the schemes!

Notice that last drawing? We are bringing back 6403 in the $10 bill version with "Canada" written across the nose, eh? And ten lucky customers will receive a free, crisp, mint, uncirculated $10 bill with The Canadian on one side. We're sealing the jewel cases so there is no peeking inside until you've actually bought your model! Because ten bucks is ten bucks, eh?

(We're actually including a golden ticket inside the jewel case as we can't squeeze a mint $10 bill in those wee N scale boxes!)

The N Scale F40PH-2D Locomotive has an order deadline set for June 17th. Our first release sold out immediately, so don't wait and order these now! You can start rolling them in by clicking the button below.

Click Here to Open Catalogue

Order the N F40PH-2D Locomotive

NEW SCHEMES! N Scale LRC Coaches

The perfect match for our F40PH-2D, the N Scale LRC Coaches are also back and better than ever! These neat passenger cars have endured the test of time and continue to run off the revenue miles for VIA Rail, nearly 45 years after the first cars were delivered. We're excited to announce new run of these, featuring new schemes and returning favourites. Check out some pretty photos as well as a quick history of the LRC Coaches.

Here's a Business Affaires car at Port Hope, Ontario, back in 2024.

Built by Bombardier between 1980 and 1984, these cars first entered service for VIA in 1981. By 1985, following the second delivery of coaches, the LRCs had become essential for VIA. They eventually took over most Corridor services in Ontario and Quebec. In 2010 the cars entered a major refurbishment program. It was discovered that they had structural issues which could not be overcome. The rebuild program was scaled back, resulting in some cars receiving a full rebuild and others just a cosmetic refresh. Instead of full repaints, many cars were wrapped with various schemes beginning in the mid-2010s. Despite planned replacement by the new Siemens Venture equipment, many LRC cars remain in daily service today.

Note the interesting assortment of scheme variations in this photo Jordan took in 2018. The car in the original scheme has a neat fade. These are available for the first time in our new release!

The LRC coaches originally had two versions: coach and VIA 1 first class. They were externally identical, with the first class cars carrying a VIA 1 logo and no large Canadian flag. In 2013, VIA converted the VIA 1 cars to Business Class cars featuring 2 + 1 seating, some blanked windows and a new paint scheme.

Please note: These models are from the initial run.

Want to know the N Scale LRC Coach features? They're all here:

Accurate dimensions from blueprints and field measurements
Coach, VIA 1 and Business Class versions
Working marker lights
Etched-metal stirrups
Full interior detail with accurate colours and tinted windows
Track-powered interior lighting compatible with DC and DCC
Suggested minimum radius: 14” (11" if you replace the couplers with longer ones)

Below are the schemes for this run.

The N Scale LRC Coaches will close out on June 17th. That's over two months away, but don't wait as we're certain these cars will sell out like the last run. Click the button below to order.

Click Here to Open Catalogue

Order the N LRC Coaches

NEW SCHEMES! N Scale NSC Centerbeam

We can't forget the mini-me version of the NSC 73' Centerbeam! This much sought after N scale car is also making a return with a variety of new schemes! Before we get to the schemes and variations, let's take a quick look at the details of this car. We'll start it off with some photos of the previous run.

The BC Rail version demonstrates the closed top truss pattern.

Just like the HO version, we will also be offering lumber loads soon for the N Scale NSC 73' Centerbeam. Check back soon for the announcement!

This top down view perfectly shows the open 'Z' type truss pattern, which is unique to the early versions.

The N Scale NSC 73' Centerbeam features:

Two top truss configurations; early 'Z' pattern and standard closed pattern with tie-down brackets
Two deck configurations; early with risers and mid without risers
Two underbody configurations
Multiple brake stand options
Multiple truck types
Fully detailed underbodies with brake piping
Free rolling, metal wheelsets
Multiple end cage variants
Available in singles or multi-packs
Suggested minimum radius: 11”

And now for the schemes. Please note that we are using the HO scale art temporarily and will update the art for N once it is ready.

The N Scale NSC 73' Centerbeams have an order deadline set for May 15th. Just like the HO version, the first run of N Centerbeams sold out immediately. So you won't want to miss out on this new run. Click the button below to start ordering.

Click Here to Open Catalog

Order the N NSC 73' Centerbeam

Events and Shows

Rocky Mountain Train Show — April 5th and 6th

Want to experience a Rocky Mountain high? Well, hop over to National Western Complex in Denver, Colorado, on April 5th and 6th to see our booth. We'll have samples on display and can answer your questions! Check us out at our booth in Expo Hall N, D7/C8. We hope to see you there!

Supertrain Calgary — April 5th and 6th

Guess what? This year's Supertrain is ALSO on the 5th and 6th. Just like split squads for Spring Training baseball, we'll be splitting our team to attend Canada's largest train show in Calgary, Alberta. Saddle up and ride on over to the Olympic Oval at the University of Calgary, booth MC_02, to check out our display. Go Flames!

Tooling, Shipping and Arrival Updates

LOTS of new items will be arriving soon!

HO Scale Metra F40PHM-2 Locomotives - In Buffalo, on hold until April
HO Scale F30 Flatcars and MOW variations - In Buffalo, on hold until April
HO Scale PFE R-40 Reefer - In Buffalo, on hold until April
HO Scale Comet Cars - In Buffalo, on hold until April
HO Scale Amtrak NPCU - In Buffalo, on hold until April
HO Scale PRR H21 Hopper - In Buffalo, on hold until April
HO Scale PRR G22 Gondola - In Buffalo, on hold until April
The Cars of Via: Heritage Fleet, Volume 1 Cars 100 To 517 Book - Just arrived! In stores now!

New Model Photos

The order deadline for our new EMC/EMD FT Locomotives is April 15th. We just got new samples in! We'll be making a video before the deadline.

We are really pleased with how these models are turning out. Why should the modern freight guys be the only ones to get super-detailed diesel locomotive models? Transition era modelers deserve the full Rapido treatment as well, and these FTs certainly qualify!

The new FT samples are here! Check them out on Bill's layout!

Above is the very unique NP version.

Above shows the Santa Fe close-coupling system. Our Santa Fe FT is the first model EVER to include couplers between A and B units as per the prototype. This involved significant engineering challenges to be overcome.

If you own an FT from another manufacturer, please compare our detail level with theirs. The Rapido model is the first to introduce 21st-century-level details on this important prototype.