Rapido N scale wide-vision vans

[wmcbride]

@peteski   - thanks for suggesting that I check the batteries with my multimeter.  Two of the four were kaput (0.7V, 0.5V); two appeared good (5.2V, 5.0V).

The printed-circuit board end of the battery holder has a small “+” symbol printed on it, so I installed the two batteries to suit.  Waved the magic wand to & fro, but no luck.  Flipped the batteries just to be sure, but still no lights.  So, I dunno.  I’ll buy some new ones and try again.

@turbowhiz - there are lights on both ends, correct?  Not just on one end?

I aligned my batteries (I thought) in accordance with the + sign on the battery holder and no joy. Switched them around and the light worked.

I made the initial mistake of dragging the wand across the roof like trying to move a switch and got nothing. Just placing the wand on top of the roof and removing it got the lights to work.

Yes, there are lights at each end and each has a separate switch on each side of the cupola.

I just rechecked mine and one end (as noted above by Turbowhiz) has one light dimmer than the other. On the other end they are pretty equal.

[peteski]

@peteski   - thanks for suggesting that I check the batteries with my multimeter.  Two of the four were kaput (0.7V, 0.5V); two appeared good (5.2V, 5.0V).

That doesn't sound right Dwight.  LR44 are standard alkaline cells.  When fresh they will show around 1.5-1.55V They can't possibly supply 5V.  Actually even lithium batteries can only produce 3V.  Something doesn't add up.

[turbowhiz]

That doesn't sound right Dwight.  LR44 are standard alkaline cells.  When fresh they will show around 1.5-1.55V They can't possibly supply 5V.  Actually even lithium batteries can only produce 3V.  Something doesn't add up.

Just as a point of reference, the batteries for this car is a much less common LR41 not a LR44 (which definitely are too big to fit... I tried!). Regardless, the voltage is the same ~1.5 volts.

[Dwight in Toronto]

@peteski  - doh!  Right you are - careless ‘reporting’ on my part - I meant to say 1.52 & 1.55V readings.  Apologies.

I just walked out the door at Rapido Trains … they exchanged my less-than-ideal ONR van for a good one.

[Dwight in Toronto]

Went looking for LR41 batteries at our nearest Walmart. 

Despite there being literally dozens of identical looking button batteries, not one of the number identifiers was anything remotely close to “LR41”. 

Turns out that 392’s are precisely the same thing, but, of course, the rack of 392’s was sold out!

[MK]

This is a good place for cross referencing watch batteries.

https://www.swatchbattery.com/crossreference.html

BTW, I have been using them for years.  Used to be $1 a battery but prices have gone up.  Still not too bad.  The good thing is free shipping for over (ONLY!) $5.  I save up for what I need for my watches and what not and place an order to get free shipping.  Now with slightly higher prices, it's even easier to get free shipping.

[turbowhiz]

@wmcbride

Yes, in my example you can see light in the gap between the roof and the side of the car. Also between the cupola and the roof too. That said, you need to be looking at it at just the right angle to notice, but it’s evident.
As best as I can tell, the red color for the markers is tinted right on the marker lenses themselves on the end of the cars.

@Dwight in Toronto ,

You can try Canadian Tire for the 392/LR41’s too, I picked some up there yesterday quick. Expensive mind you, but silver oxide vs alkaline, less problematic leakage wise. Amazon is an excellent option for these in quantity if not quality for a low price too.

[wmcbride]

@wmcbride

Yes, in my example you can see light in the gap between the roof and the side of the car. Also between the cupola and the roof too. That said, you need to be looking at it at just the right angle to notice, but it’s evident.
As best as I can tell, the red color for the markers is tinted right on the marker lenses themselves on the end of the cars.

@Dwight in Toronto ,

You can try Canadian Tire for the 392/LR41’s too, I picked some up there yesterday quick. Expensive mind you, but silver oxide vs alkaline, less problematic leakage wise. Amazon is an excellent option for these in quantity if not quality for a low price too.

I don't have any light coming through gaps like roof-side or under the cupola. I had two rectangular areas on the center of the roof where the light underneath was obvious. When I have the energy, I'll use a silver paint marker to paint the underside of the roof (if I can get this thing disassembled without breaking it). For normal layout lighting (daytime ops), it's not visible so no big deal.

[dangerboy81]

 Not sure if anyone has cracked one of these open further to explore more yet or not, any tips as to getting the roof off would be appreciated.

The roof is glued on to 2 cross pieces, and has small locating pins but, it seems they painted them first, then glued them on so it wasn't too bad to pry the roof off. The paint gave way pretty easily. You can see one of them in the pics with the copula off, the cross piece underneath the roof piece. I should have taken pics.

I'd tell you why I took a roof off, but I'd be way too embarrassed to admit I broke a wire while struggling to put the batteries in the holder. I soldered the wire back on, but still had no light, so I took the roof off wondering if I'd have to replace the wire. Then realizing the lights weren't on because I didn't turn them on at that end. 
uh..ya...I'll just keep that to myself.

Anyways, the set up is similar to the PSC Van's for the lighting, 2 light pipes come off an LED to take light to the ends. Maybe they are red light pipes? They are painted black under the roof. (ceiling?)
on my PSC van, I had 1 light brighter than the other so I replaced the light pipes with 2 red LED's but I don't think I'll bother with this one. I model modern, and my Cabooses are meant to sit at a museum  or yard track anyways. 

[lock4244]

I received my order yesterday, and a quick inspection of a few of them reveals a very nice model overall. No paint or decal issues, though one van is not a good roller, but it's not being dragged along, either. As stated earlier, I'm not going to be putting batteries in mine so I've no worries about removing the cupola.

Very happy to have a fleet of accurate Angus vans, another step closer to reliving my formative years trackside with Dad watching trains hauled by big MLW's with one or more vans bringing up the rear. At that time, and it's my modeling era not so coincidentally, we'd regularly see members of TH&B's foursome used on CP trains... one memorable was a TH&B van bringing up the rear of a stone train being pushed down the Nelson Pit Spur in Scarborough... the van, 30-35 offset hoppers, and two 5500 series SD40's. The van was in use as a van, no mere shoving platform, as this was before EOT's were implemented.

I have the SD40's, I have the offset hoppers, I now have the vans; just need those big MLW's.....

[sd75i]

  I broke my wire off one side so I guess it will have to be wyed to use in other direction.  Don't think I'm gonna tackle getting to where it needs to be soldered.  Even if I got to it, not sure I could solder it without farking it up!  Lights look very cool though!(on the one end)  Before I broke wire, I did have the one bright other dim as others did!

[turbowhiz]

So just a quick follow-up as to the disassembly of this car; The trick is to remove the body at the sill. It’s not glued there, although it is at the ends. It’s much easier than attempting to remove the glued-on roof. One of my ends came off at the roof, the other at the floor, but in any case, it was WAY easier to remove the body from the sill then the stock cupola in my experience. I just worked my fingernails gently in the middle, and pulling outward on both sides in the middle at once it was easily removed. The tabs are on the inside of the body, and note they are WAY smaller then the stock cupola tabs.

Once inside, I painted the roof to body seam black from the inside to clean up the light leakage, and attempted to improve the marker light performance by gently melting the fiber optic line ends by holding a soldering tip (700 degrees) very close to, but not touching, the fiber optic strand ends (which just appeared to be cut, but not formed in the car internal ends). One end of my van improved quite well, the other end not so much. Another factor is how thick the red paint is on the outside of the car that actually makes the markers glow red.

If (more like when) your wires break off, or if you want to attempt fixing the marker light evenness, its actually easier to get the body off then the cupola.

[Dwight in Toronto]

Way to go turbowhiz - you’re a brave man, using a soldering iron tip to smooth over those fibre optic end-tips!

I was curious to see how the electronics were configured beneath that shell, but didn’t have the confidence to try yanking the shell.  Now I know what’s in there - thanks.

I put batteries in one model, and then the other, just to be sure that the led’s functioned.  Once satisfied that they are both workable, I removed the batteries and probably won’t bother again.  Granted, the markers are a nice touch, but they are not discernible unless the room lights are shut off (and even then, barely so). 

All in all, my feeling is that Rapido expended effort and cost for negligible effect.

[peteski]

So they use white LEDs with red-painted ends of the fiber optics to produce red color light?  Why didn't they use red LEDs to begin with?  Are those white LEDs also used for illuminating the model's interior?

[Dwight in Toronto]

Both led’s are sufficiently isolated that I could not detect any illumination of the caboose interior.