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Rapido Newsletter Vol. 212
©2025 Rapido Trains Inc.
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Dear Rapido Customer,
Welcome to the autumn season at Rapido! We have lots of un-be-leaf-able announcements to discuss, so let's "fall" right into them!
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In the 212th issue...
- HO CLRV & N CTA 'L' Cars Update
- New 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.
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APPROVED FOR TOOLING! HO Scale CLRV
Great news CLRV fans! These iconic streetcars made it through the conditional order deadline and are now headed into the tooling phase! Keep rolling those orders in so we can make this one of the most successful transit projects ever! We can't wait to show you the first tooled samples in the new year.
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APPROVED FOR TOOLING! N Scale CTA 2600 Budd Series 'L' Cars
N scalers, the CTA 2600 Budd Series 'L' Cars have also been approved for tooling! This is a great day for Chicago commuter models and a good sign to come for N scale. With that said, don't slow down on the orders, keep 'em coming so we can make more N models! We look forward to showing you our first samples of these neat cars in 2026.
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September Announcement Video
Want to watch the latest product launch video? You can watch by clicking here or the photo above.
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HO Scale Roger Williams
Calling all New Haven fans! We have an exciting announcement: The Roger Williams in HO scale. If you missed the video at the top, click here to watch it.
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From the cab looking out: here comes a full set blazing by.
Photo courtesy of the NHRTHA collection.
| In 1956, the New Haven purchased the Roger Williams, a complete train set that consisted of Budd RDC cars with modifications for high-speed service into New York City. The push-pull style end cars both incorporated streamlined fronts and cabs, including full train control, while the four other cars were powered (like all RDCs) but lacked cabs or controls. The units also incorporated third rail electrical pickup shoes and small traction motors, allowing them to run into Grand Central Terminal under electric power. The interior and exterior styling was the work of noted architect Marcel Breuer. | | |
Above, a cab car on a split-up consist with two regular RDCs.
Photo courtesy of the NHRTHA collection.
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The Roger Williams originally operated intact, but was soon split up. This created some unique consists with the cab cars and the trailer cars running with regular RDCs. it was common to see the cab cars running with a single RDC on shorter trains.
After the New Haven was absorbed into Penn Central, the cars continued to serve the PC as well as Amtrak starting in 1971. Retired by Amtrak in the mid-1980s, amazingly, two end units plus one of the intermediate cars have been restored to operating condition at the Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum!
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The HO Scale Roger Williams features:
- First time fully assembled in plastic
- Accurately designed from original blueprints
- Cab units features Rapido’s smooth, proven in-floor RDC drive system
- Intermediate cars are unpowered, but fully lit
- An insane level of underbody detail
- Separate grab irons and handrails installed at the factory
- Full interior detail
- DC/Silent (21-pin DCC Ready) or DC/DCC/ESU LokSound
- MoPower capacitor for uninterrupted DCC power
- Suggested minimum radius: 22”
Now for the schemes.
| | OK passenger train fanatics, let's make the Roger Williams a popular hit! Order them now through your favorite dealer or directly from us. | | |
NEW SCHEMES! HO Scale BART Legacy Fleet
The BART Legacy Fleet is back by popular demand! Our initial run sold out in a matter of days of us releasing them and ever since we've heard calls to re-run the A, B and C cars again. Not only are we doing that, but we've also added a few surprises. Before we get into that, check out the new video by clicking here.
| | The BART Bicentennial renders. Note the light gray car was a special test variation. This will be sold as a single A car. | | |
Spoiler Alert: The order deadline is December 15th, which is less than three months away!
In 1976, America was celebrating its 200th birthday. Many railroads joined in on the fun by painting their locomotives in attractive schemes to honor this event. BART applied the special Bicentennial logo to a handful of its cars. The logo also appeared on their "All About BART" pamphlets at the time.
These special BART Cars are joining our own Bicentennial model fleet, complete with logo and the correct road numbers! We'll be offering an A-B-B-A set as well as the single light gray A car, which was a standalone test scheme.
| These are the production models from the initial run. Any setting, these look AWESOME! | No matter what setting the BART Legacy Fleet runs on, they always look exceptional! Including all of the small details we captured, as well as the authentic sounds that Bay Area riders are accustomed to. In case you wanted to learn more about the history of the BART Legacy Fleet, click here to view our Masterclass. It has everything you wanted to know and then some! | | Did you know our BART Legacy Fleet appeared on FOX 2 San Francisco? Yes they did! Back in February, our good friend and BART employee, Jay Sathe, appeared on Mornings on 2 with the host, Sal Castaneda, to discuss the models. Super cool! Click here or the photo above to watch. | | |
Before we jump into the features we wanted to show you some amazing model work by Mark Estrada. He's building the Embarcadero Station with full details. Hats off to you, Mark, for tackling rarely modeled rapid transit.
Each Rapido BART Car features:
- HO scale compliant
- Designed from original blueprints and field measurements.
- Track-powered flicker-free interior lighting, compatible with DC and DCC layouts
- Directional lighting, including headlights and red tail lights
- NEM-style close-coupling system, so your cars always remain as close as possible through any trackwork
- Minimum 18” radius (22” radius preferred)
- Full, multi-color interior detailing
- Low-profile drive system in A and C cars allowing for a complete interior with no visible motor
- Full underbody detail including separate electrical lines, conduit and equipment boxes
- Highly detailed, non-operating front couplers on A and C cars
- DCC-equipped models feature accurate sound recordings
New for this run:
- Individual A Cars (powered)
- C-B-B-C Sets (C Cars powered, B Cars unpowered)
- A-B-B-A Sets (A Cars powered, B Cars unpowered)
- Individual C Cars (powered)
- Individual B Cars (unpowered)
- A Cars with Display Case (unpowered)
Here are the illustrations of the A, B and C cars:
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If you missed out on these the first time, now's your chance to get in on the fun! Order the BART Legacy Fleet cars from your favorite dealer or directly with us.
Please get your orders in by December 15th. These will be delivered in the middle of next year.
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NEW! HO Scale Southern Pacific PC&F B-100-32 and B-100-34 Boxcar
A brand new, modern 40' boxcar in the merger era? That is correct! The SP PC&F B-100-32 and B-100-34 Boxcars were some of the last 40' boxcars built on this side of the 1970s. We've faithfully recreated all of the unique features of this car in HO scale, along with a variety of doors. Once again, Jordan will be very happy with another iconic SP freight car. (Spoiler alert: order deadline is December 15th!)
Click here to watch the launch video. You'll see it contains both renders AND pre-production models! We've put a lot of time into this project already. Here's our first sample:
| The first sample of the B-100-32 looks great! | |
In the early 1970s, the Southern Pacific needed a new fleet of heavy-duty boxcars for copper loading service in Arizona and turned to the PC&F. Their solution was this unique fleet of 40’ 6" 100-ton boxcars, a rare length not commonly built since the 1950s! Three hundred B-100-32 class cars arrived in 1972. The B-100-34 class would be delivered between 1973 and 1974, totaling 250 cars.
These cars feature a modern Hydra-Cushion underframe, 100-ton roller bearing trucks, 10' doors and DF-2 loaders. The car capacity is 4,124 cubic feet. While their primary purpose was copper anode service in the southwest US, these were often seen all across the country in a wide variety of other services for the SP.
| A B-100-32 looking a bit worn but still sexy. Photo by Ron Hawkins. | |
The early 1990s saw the SP undertake a fleet renewal of their equipment. Many of the PC&F B-100-32 and B-100-34 Boxcars would be selected for this rehab program. They exited the shops wearing an attractive blue with "Golden West Service" logos. The cars would also be re-marked for the Galveston Railway (GVSR), a subsidiary of SP. Fifty more would be leased to the CP, under their CPAA marks. Once the lease ran out, these 50 returned to the SP.
After the Union Pacific merger in 1996, the B-100s were gradually sold off to secondary owners. Many went to the Northwestern Oklahoma Railroad (NOKL). In 2010 they would be re-sold again to the Arizona Eastern Railway (AZER). Defying the odds and multiple owners, the AZER still operates these cars today!
| | A fleet of Golden West Service races through Dalhart, Texas. Photo courtesy of Craig Walker. | | |
The HO Scale B-100-32 and B-100-34 Boxcar features:
- Separately applied metal grab irons
- Etched metal coupler platforms
- Scale sized draft gear with Hydra-Cushion underframe
- Full underbody brake rigging
- Real rubber air hoses
- Three door styles (Youngstown or Superior or... a different Youngstown!)
- Separately applied etched metal coupler cut levers
- Separate door tracks
- Factory-installed Rapido semi-scale knuckle couplers
- 100-ton trucks with turned metal 36” wheels
- Suggested minimum radius: 18”
These cars received many attractive schemes over their careers. Here are the ones we are offering on the initial run.
| | Order those B-100-32 and B-100-34 boxcars in bulk! One, two or forty cars. You know you need them. The order deadline is December 15th, so order soon and order a lot! 😉 | | |
NEW VARIATIONS! HO Scale MOW Flatcars
Are you a big fan of maintenance-of-way models? Look no further than our newest run of HO Scale F30A and F30D MOW Flatcars! Not only are we bringing back the Camp Cars and Tie Flats, due to popular demand, but we also added two new flats: Continuous Welded Rail Rack Cars* and Wheel Cars!
Click here to watch the all-new video about this release. Note the order deadline: January 15th, 2026!
| | A CWR train on NJ TRANSIT showing similar cars. They just dropped the last stick of rail and will be heading west, soon. Photo courtesy of Bobby Allard. | |
The Pennsylvania Railroad’s class F30A flatcars was one of their most prolific classes of flatcars with 1500 being built between 1933 and 1934. The PRR utilized a massive one-piece steel casting for these F30 flatcars, and that sturdy construction meant that many of these cars lasted an incredibly long time, often with a second life in work train (MOW) service.
Let's start with what's new first. The Continuous Welded Rail (CWR) Rack Cars. CWR cars carry racks that house sticks of welded rail. Our cars will feature the welded rail racks on top of an F30D Flatcar. Generally these cars travel in sets of six or more cars, thus creating a nice lengthy consist. Unfortunately, as much as we tried to make it happen, we couldn't figure out a safe way to package the rail. Rail is not included.
| 3D design drawing of the CWR flat. | 3D design drawing of the wheel flat. Note the bearing caps and profiled wheels! | | |
Next up is our brand new Wheel Flatcar! These cars are used to carry new or used wheel sets between shops and terminals. Usually they're in company service so they would rarely exit their home rails — but we've seen photos of a few escaping from time to time.
These cars will utilize an F30D flatcar as the base with a detailed wheel platform and profiled wheel load. Spruce up your shop complex or manifest train by adding one of these unique cars.
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Our F30 bunk cars in service on Dave Abeles's Onondoga Cutoff.
Photo courtesy Dave Abeles.
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In the 1980s Conrail (and other railroads) mounted pre-fabricated “vans” on flatcars to house tack workers. Several common styles of van were built to serve the various needs of the work crews. These “Camp Trains” were familiar sights on Conrail and still exist on Norfolk Southern and other roads. We have added new paint schemes as our cars are similar to those used by many other railroads.
Rapido offers four different camp car body styles: sleeper, diner, kitchen and office. We also offer each style van separately. They are perfect offices for yards, engine terminals, construction sites, and have all sorts of other applications! Separate vans are painted in appropriate colors but are unlettered.
| Here's a car from the initial run. The stacks of ties looks super realistic. | |
And last but not least is the return of the F30D Tie Flat Cars. Several ex-TTX F30 flat cars were purchased by BN and converted to carry concrete ties. Most are still in service with BNSF today! Our tie car model is based on these BN/BNSF conversions and features a correct deck, tie rack and decorated concrete crosstie load.
These cars carry the supports built into the decks to hold concrete tie loads. Each car also features two detailed concrete tie loads, stacked five high, which are removable.
| The detailed concrete tie stacks are removable. | |
The F30A and F30D MOW Flatcar features:
- Die-cast chassis and deck for optimum weight
- Correct trucks (PRR 2E-F10, roller-bearing converted or full roller-bearing trucks)
- Turned metal wheels
- Rapido’s semi-scale couplers
- Full brake rigging
- Detailed wheel, concrete tie or rail racks per appropriate car
- Separate grab irons
- Semi-scale metal knuckle couplers
- Free-rolling trucks with profiled metal wheelsets
- Suggested minimum radius: 18”
We have lots of art to show off. First we have the CWR* schemes.
| Wheels up! Here are the Wheel Flat schemes. | Everyone's favorite: Camp Cars! | Here are the Tie Flat schemes. | | |
OK modelers, time to build that MOW train to wreak havoc at the club layout! Shut down an entire main track while you drop new rail or a tie load. Order them from your favorite dealer or directly through us.
The order deadline is January 15th. Get your orders in now!
*Please note rail not included with the CWR cars.
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NEW EXCLUSIVE! HO Scale 1937 40' AAR Boxcar — New Haven Railroad Historical and Technical Association
New Haven fans, another cool announcement for you this month! We have three variations of the HO Scale 1937 40' AAR Boxcars, decorated for the New Haven. These cars will only be available through the New Haven Railroad Historical and Technical Association, so make sure you head over to their website to get in line — these won't last long on the shelves.
Check out the schemes they are running, below.
| You can order these cars directly through the NHRTHA's website. | | |
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!).
| | A Winnebago passing a corn field! Excellent weathering done to the F40PHM-2, courtesy of Drew Hartmann. | | |
Dave Abeles's fantastic Onondaga Cutoff layout hosts the C36-7 and Camp Cars.
Look for a video on the C36-7 soon!
| | 2816 all the way from Melbourne, Australia! Thanks to Roger Cole for sending us a bunch of photos. These are simply amazing! | | |
Trainworld Livestream With Rapido — October 1st at 7PM Eastern
On October 1st at 7PM Eastern, Ken Bianco Jr. of Trainworld will be hosting a livestream featuring us as the special guest! Lots of topics and projects will be discussed. You won't want to miss it! (Jason will miss it. It's Yom Kippur. Send him your thoughts about beef ribs. He'll be hungry.)
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Rail Rails 2025 Train Show — October 19th
Yes! We are doing a Canadian show! On October 19th, 2025, we'll be attending the Real Rails Train Show in Burlington, Ontario. We will actually be there for the whole three-day convention, and it is not too late to register! You'll be able to see Jordan, Dan D. and Nat! To register for the convention, click here.
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Naperville RPM — October 17th-18th
Hey Chicagoland, we'll be attending this year's Naperville RPM again! Come on out to see the new CTA HO samples and much more. We might even have a few sneak peeks of future Chicagoland models on display. If you want to know, you'll just have to come on down and say hello to Jeff to find out.
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Trainfest — November 1st-2nd
Hello Wisconsin! Trainfest comes early this year and we're already planning head for it. Just like last year, it'll be held in the Baird Center in downtown Milwaukee. We'll have tons of samples on display and maybe even give out some hints of upcoming projects. Come on down and say hello to Lystra, Dan D. (again) and Jeff.
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Tooling, Shipping and Arrival Updates
LOTS of new items will be arriving soon! There are currently six shipments on the way from the factories in China, with more leaving in the next couple of weeks. It promises to be a busy fall!
| | Our new N scale RDCs hang out at Union Station. These will be arriving soon and they look great! Photo by Emmerson Case. | Check out the VIA collection: FP, RDC and F40PH-2D. Photo by Emmerson Case. | | The CN gang is all here. Photo by Emmerson Case. | | The very early SP C-40-3 Caboose samples. Many details will be refined before production. | | The Rapido Bus with Jason at the factory. | | Newly retooled U25B long hood! | | CTA cars in the tooling workshop! | | |
Above: Greenbrier Transverse Coil Cars finishing up production
Below: Toronto subways getting their stripes!
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Newsletter 212 brought you the goods! Lots of variety for everyone. Look for 213 next week, which will cover the October and November order deadlines. Until then, happy modeling!
Bobby Allard
Your Friendly AI Newsletter Writer
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