|
Rapido Newsletter Vol. 205
©2025 Rapido Trains Inc.
| | |
Dear Rapido Customer,
Welcome to Newsletter 205. This month we have MANY important order deadlines to discuss, as well as new photos and an update on the state of the industry.
| | |
In this 205th issue...
- Introducing the Hobby Industry Coalition
- Rapido and Me
- May Order Deadlines (Updated Video Included)
- June Order Deadlines
- Constant Contact's "Be a Marketer" — Featuring Our Own Jason Shron
- 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.
| | |
Update on the Industry
Some general and specific news for you today.
The Hobby Industry Coalition is a policy initiative built to protect and grow the U.S. toy and hobby industry.
The Coalition is made up of a non-partisan alliance of manufacturers, distributors, retailers, trade associations and other stakeholders. We at Rapido were part of the grassroots effort to get this coalition off the ground. Our goal is to advocate on behalf of the hobby industry. Hopefully we can get hobbies excluded from the large tariffs on China that are effectively a trade embargo on our industry.
Please visit hobbycoalition.org to find out more about our shared values and what you can do to help right now. If you missed it last week, click here or on the image above to view our video in collaboration with the Coalition.
Specifically, here at Rapido we are praying for a relief from these tariffs. The majority of our products are US prototypes and we can't bring in anything new to the USA while the tariffs are in place because the tariffs are higher than our entire gross profit! We would have to almost double our retail price to bring stuff in at 145% tariffs. Obviously we do not have the cash to keep running at full strength forever without revenue. We will keep you informed about how things are going here.
In the meantime, you can help out by buying Rapido products from your local hobby shop. Our new US website is still not fully up and running so our American inventory is not yet shown on the site. That will be fixed soon and you will be able to order direct, hopefully next week.
| | |
Rapido and Me
Hey there! 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!).
Times are a bit stressful, but modeling can take us to a different world! Let's check out a few models this month. We'll start off with a weathered Union Pacific ACR Boxcar.
| Check out Ted Waterhouse's weathering on this UP boxcar. | Here's the other side, showing the alternate slogan. | Bob Proctor's SP Daylight PAs haul a train through East Bay. | | |
Here's a fantastically weathered C30-7, done up by Andy Chabot.
Behind it is one of our Budd Gallery cars. Looks great, Andy!
| | |
Yes, you are seeing this email twice. If you clicked on the previous version of this email, you may have been surprised to find yourself watching the intro to Superman! As you can tell, we have a lot of fun in the marketing department.
In this version of the newsletter, we made sure to include the correct link for the May deadline video. It starts off with our version of the Superman intro.
| |
HO Scale Greenbrier 72' 7780 IL Reefer
Hello HO Scale Greenbrier 72' 7780 IL Reefer fans, the order deadline is in just a few days. Let's take a closer look at all of that gorgeous detail on our first samples. We even have a follow up video! These cars come with or without sound. Click here or the photo above to watch the video.
| These reefers are truly impressive looking and roadname specific. | There are two different roof styles, as seen on Cryo-Trans reefers. | |
The Greenbrier 72' IL 7780 Reefer has an impressive capacity of 7780 cu.ft., with a 72’ 3” interior length (82' from drawbar to drawbar), making these cars some of the largest of their kind currently on the rails.
These jumbo reefers commonly take loads of potatoes, french fries and other various perishables from the Pacific Northwest, California and other places to markets and distribution warehouses towards the east coast. Their bright white appearance makes them stand out from other grungy looking cars.
| One of the features of the HO Scale Greenbrier 72' 7780 IL Reefer is the green indicator light mounted to the platform, as seen in the photo below. | | Check out that neat indicator light, which is a working feature on our cars! | | |
Now for those Greenbrier 72' IL 7780 Reefer features:
- Sound equipped cars come pre-installed with speaker and sound module from the factory!
- Cyro-Trans carbody with two roof styles
- Union Pacific 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
- Suggested minimum radius: 22"
Here are the paint schemes. You can order the named cars individually or in six-packs.
| | Get your orders in by next Thursday for the HO Scale Greenbrier Reefer. These are sure to be a huge hit, so reserve yours now by clicking the button below or visiting your favorite dealer. | | |
Both of these cars show major differences: open-Z pattern and closed top trusses, smooth or ridged decks and note the single or dual handrails on the bulkheads.
Previous release models shown.
| | |
The NSC 73' Centerbeam Cars have two groups: Early (pre-2002) and Mid (2002-2006). We will be offering both early and mid phases, which includes the neat open-Z pattern on the top truss bar. This top truss has open structuring, which creates a very unique pattern unlike any other centerbeam on the rails.
But wait, there's more! Did you say roadname-specific details? Yes, some of these features include: multiple deck variations (smooth and raised ribbing), different handrail styles, two different side sill applications and multiple underbody variations, which also includes separate piping and hangers. For the rivet counters, we listed each roadname's detail variations in the features section.
| Piping and underside details as well as the brake pipe hangers make these cars stand out! | Wrapped lumber loads! While we could focus on the details, let's just take a moment to admire this photo with the Willis (Sears) Tower in the background. | |
We can't forget the Wrapped Lumber Loads that go together with the NSC Centerbeam like peanut butter and jelly. These designs are going to be a bit different, yet more practical than any other centerbeam load on the market.
Our versions will feature the prototypical gap between the rows. This means you can have one, two three or four stacks, piled up. These fit snuggly to your centerbeams by using a series of magnets between the two.
For the super ambitious modeler, you could even cut them apart to create those unique patterns that many cars are seen carrying. But wait, there's even more! These wrapped lumber loads will also fit other manufacturer's cars, too! Truly making them multi-versatile! Hoo-ah!
| |
Sierra Pacific, possibly the greatest railroad name that wasn't a railroad!
Note the mini gap between the strips, which makes thee look excellent.
| The possibilities are endless with these magnetic, separate lumber load strips. | |
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:
NS:
-
ex LW, exx CORP
- Risers
- Solid top truss
ONT:
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 here are the schemes for the centerbeams.
| | |
The HO Scale Centerbeam Wrapped Lumber Load are accurately sized for modern, 73’ centerbeams (Rapido and Atlas).
Here are the available company names in the first run:
| Ready to order your centerbeams? Click the button below to get started. | | |
HO Scale X-3 Tank Car
With much anticipation, our newest announcement of HO Scale X-3 Tank Cars are almost ready to head to production. Here's some neat historical photos of the 10,000 gallon transformer oil and 8,000 gallon general service cars. These would look great on any layout that models the 1920s through the 1970s!
| The 10,000 gallon insulated version of the X-3 tank car. Photo courtesy of the Richard Hendrickson collection. | The photo above shows a car fresh off the line, way back in 1927. | |
While you're looking through those accurately colored photos, we want to mention that the X-3 Tank Cars have PLENTY of details — many specific for each roadname.
These cars feature two style of brakes: K and AB. K-brakes were outlawed in the mid-1950s while AB brakes introduced in the 1933 and still used in a similar format, today.
The fun doesn't stop there all you flappers, there are multiple handbrake styles and coupler cut bar arrangements. These go hand-in-hand with the different brake variations, making these cars truly unique!
| |
X-3s on the assembly line. Love the American industrial history!
The frames to the cars before the tank is added is a very neat look!
| Here is a grouping of X-3s at a customer's siding, being unloaded. | |
Hold on a sec! We can't forget about the 10,000 gallon transformer oil "bread box" cars. In addition to the normal liquids these cars carried: fuel oil, gasoline, vegetable oils, essential oils, cottage cheese, holy water...OK, maybe not the last three, the bread box cars carried transformer oils to different locations.
Their awkwardly round yet boxy shape allowed them to house heating coils to keep the product warm at all times. The oils would in turn cool and insulate transformers at their destinations. And guess what? These cars HAVE NEVER been offered in HO scale, before! You have to order these cars like it's September 1929!!! Order a hundred! Order a thousand! It can't go wrong!
| |
The new run of HO Scale X-3 Tank Cars feature:
- Designed from original blueprints
- Correct tank bolster pads
- Correct diameter domes and dome fittings
- Correct UTLX-style warning placard holders
- Andrews or “Bettendorf” cast steel trucks
- Full underbody detailing with two distinct brake systems offered
- Correct end platforms
- Correct coupler cut bars and hand brake mountings
- Semi-scale couplers and coupler boxes
- Free-rolling turned metal wheel
- Suggested minimum radius: 18"
Check out the schemes of each car below. Note the Skellysolve car adds a bit of color, albeit in gray. We wanted to make SmellySalts cars but Bill said no.
| Load up your "tank" with these tank cars! Make sure you have all of your orders in for these neat tank cars in their stupendous color diversity! You can do so by clicking the button below or order from your favorite dealer. | | |
HO Scale General Service Drop Bottom Gondola
The HO Scale GS Drop Bottom Gondola are almost headed to production! Their order deadline is set for May 15th and we're back for a mini review of these important cars. Much like the X-3 tank car, the Drop Bottom Gondolas also need a bit of a push to cross the finish line.
Show some love for these transition-era beauties! You can't run them with your SD90ACE123 but they will look great behind all of your FTs and RS-11s and all of the zillions of transition era locomotives we have sold. Seriously, the transition era locos sell like hotcakes, and the freight cars sell like used Edsels. Please please please order these!
These cars certainly have a need they can fill on any transition-era layout. Their capabilities included everything from coal, dirt, sand and general service.
We have photos of our excellent looking samples below.
| Separate grabs, rivet detailing and that underside has us excited. | |
Numerous railroads used almost identical gondola designs, and we have a bunch of schemes to go with our classic NP versions. Remember these cars lasted into the 1980s as MOW cars — another venerable option!
Below are the NP high-sided versions, rebuilt specifically for wood chip service. These are exclusive to the NPRHA and are available for ordering on their company store. Click here to order through them.
| |
These cars have tons of details and textures too!
Just look at those plywood strips on the high sides.
| |
Rapido’s HO Scale GS Drop Bottom Gondola features:
- Designed from original blueprints and field measurements
- Fully detailed interior and underframe
- Rapido semi-scale metal couplers
- Free-rolling trucks with turned metal wheels
- Accurate paint and decoration
- Multiple road numbers per scheme
- Suggested minimum radius: 18"
Now check out the paint schemes below!
| Please reserve these by May 15th. You can do so by clicking the button, below. | | |
N Scale NSC Centerbeams & Lumber Loads
We can't forget this lil' guy: the N Scale NSC 73' Centerbeam and matching Wrapped Lumber Loads. We are just days away from the order deadline and we want to highlight all of the amazing details this car has to offer.
Now that we have the added wrapped lumber loads to go with them, these cars are your one-stop shop for lumber service on your layout! Plenty ride the rails today, so we're confident in saying that these cars are seen on nearly every general freight you might see.
Let's take a look at photos of the initial run car as well as those neat wrapped lumber loads.
| | Spot the differences! Smooth decks, closed top truss or Z pattern structure and much more. | | Don't forget those Wrapped Lumber Loads that go hand-in-hand with the N Scale Centerbeams! These will feature two styles per pack: offset and full. This gives you the option of mixed patterns per side. In fact, the more packs you buy, the more options you can create! | | |
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 these are the HO scale artworks.
| | |
The N Scale Centerbeam Wrapped Lumber Load features:
- Accurately sized for modern, 73’ centerbeams
- Two pattern designs: one unique design for each side
- Loads are held together by mini magnets
- Acquiring multiple loads will create different combination opportunities
And now for the different loads to choose from.
| Just like the first run, these cars will disappear fast! Reserve yours today. Click the button below to start ordering. | | |
HO Scale Alco FA-1 and FB-1 Locomotive
The Alco FA-1 and FB-1 Locomotives will be closing out on June 17th, which means this is your one month warning to ramp up your orders! For this month we have new renders of the Erie-Lackawanna FA. Check them out below!
| The renders of the Erie-Lackawanna FA-1 look great! | More angles of the attractive GMY scheme. | These are looking good, right? Below we'll drop a few detail photos of the initial run. | From the initial run, these models show off the amazing details, both underneath, the exterior and of course, the interiors! | |
Here are the HO Scale FA-1 and FB-1 features:
- Correct nose and windshield contours, scanned from sister loco FPA-4
- Flat or angled number boards as appropriate
- Dynamic and non-dynamic brake versions
- Etched side and fan screens
- Heavy, die-cast chassis
- 5-pole motor with dual flywheels
- Operating headlights, class lights and back-up lights
- Full underbody piping and conduit
- Separate grab irons and handrails
- Many road-specific details installed or included
- Full, multi-color interior
- MoPower capacitor system for uninterrupted DCC power
- DC/Silent (21-pin DCC Ready) or DC/DCC/Sound - ESU LokSound V5 Decoder
- Suggested minimum radius: 18”
As mentioned, there are eleven schemes on this run. The last three schemes at the bottom come as single A units. All others have options for single A or A+B sets!
| Ready to load up on Alco FA-1 and FB-1 Locomotives? Slam that order button below to get started. | | |
N Scale F40PH-2D Locomotive
The N Scale F40PH-2D Locomotive returned to much fanfare in March. We're excited to have this locomotive back for those 1:160 modellers. We'll take a quick look at the schemes and return with a bit more in June.
| 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! | | |
N Scale LRC Coaches
The perfect match for our F40PH-2D, the N Scale LRC Coaches are also closing out on June 17th. We're super excited to have these back again and even more excited to get them into production! We're working with N scale experts to ensure that this new run of LRC cars operates flawlessly. The last run was produced during COVID when we had real problems getting reliable components for our circuit boards. This run will not have these problems, and we are improving the pickups and the truck operation.
We'll be back next month with a bit more on them. In the meantime, here are the schemes.
| Our first release sold out immediately, don't miss the boat! Make sure to order these now through us or your favourite dealer. | | |
Constant Contact's "Be a Marketer" — Featuring Jason Shron
Jason was recently featured on Constant Contact's "Be a Marketer" podcast series. Host Dave Charest interviewed Jason about all things from how Rapido started, how customers react to business and just about anything related to trains and business. Click here or the photo above to check it out!
| | |
Rapido Live! — May 27th, 7:30PM
Calling all Rapido fans! Bill, Jordan, Jeff and Nat will be hosting a live stream May 27th, at 7:30PM! Come join them for a night of Rapido model discussion that generally warps into a wild discussion about anything! You won't want to miss the back-and-forth between them. They will be happy to answer your questions!
Join in on our Facebook page. If you happen to miss it, you can always re-watch it later via Facebook or when we upload the video to our YouTube.
| | |
PRRT&HS Convention — May 14th-18th
Join Bill at the PRRT&HS Convention in mid May and bring along your hot topic questions, too! We're anticipating this event might not just be a sample showoff, but possibly something more. You'll just have to wait and see. 😎🧱
| |
New England Railroad Prototype Modelers Meet — May 30th
Join Bill (again) at the annual New England Railroad Prototype Modelers Meet on May 30th to see some of our samples as well as some fantastic modeling from fellow modelers. Oh, and that potential new model at the PRRT&HS meet could be there too. 😉
| | |
Tooling, Shipping and Arrival Updates
LOTS of new items will be arriving soon!
| | New Look Buses! Heading through the paint shop now. | | The Ballast Hopper sides for Herzog. | | The Enterprise Starship Hopper! | | The best for last! Union Pacific GP40 Slugs in the printing room! | | The N scale Greenbrier Reefer samples have just arrived! Look at all of that detail. | The GP20 Tank Cars are almost here! And they look great, especially the Safety-Kleen versions. | The billboard logos really make these cars stand out. | | |
And just like that, newsletter 205 is in the books! As the weather gets better, grab a model and detail away on it. We'll be back soon with some new announcements and exciting news!
Bobby Allard
Newsletter Reporter
It's gonna be MAY
| | |
USA: PO Box 796, Higganum, CT 06441
Canada: 500 Alden Road, Unit 21, Markham, ON L3R 5H5
| | Check out our YouTube channel, Facebook page and Instagram! | | | | |
