N Scale Rapido RTL Turboliner

[Lemosteam]

One can only assume they have calculated that trainsets are a more profitable product in N-scale.

They won't be getting my money - that's for sure...

If they did their calculator is broken, because why would they then beg N Scalers to spend more money?

[bbussey]

I have the Turbotrain, which admittedly is very cool, and it fills the oddball category for me.  The Turboliner is cool, but it doesn't hold a nostalgic spot for me and I have a number of sound-equipped FAs to allocate for.

[ljudice]

Now this I would order:

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[packers#1]

I’ve got to echo what others have said, not really something I need or care about. Now bring that RS11 or GP38 to n scale and you’ve got my attention.

[kscessandriver]

Looks like Trainworld has them up for pre-order already, at $389 for DC and $579 for DCC. That's better than I figured they would be.

[eric220]

oof that's  $1033.00 in my money. Did they ever produce the UAC Turbotrain in N scale? - I can't see it on their product list

[kscessandriver]

Rapido posted on their facebook page that the turboliner sets have arrived at their HQ and they're in the process of shipping them out in the next week or so. Going to be an expensive time...

[learmoia]

Rapdio posted on their facebook page that the turboliner sets have arrived at their HQ and they're in the process of shipping them out in the next week or so. Going to be an expensive time...

Ohhhhhhh..... Crap....

[wmcbride]

I just received my Amtrak Turboliner w sound from Lombard today (Amtrak Phase III Late).

It is really nice. I have only had a chance to put onepower car on the track before having to do life stuff. The sound is great (prime mover and horn) and the strobes are really cool. Not ginormous or super bright but certainly visible here in my daylit room.

While my wallet is not happy, I am. I'm glad I preordered.

Bill McBride

[vermonter_railfan]

Mine just arrived from Iron Planet Hobbies this morning.

This thing looks phenomenal and runs great, once the bugs were fixed.

So it turns out the claim in one of Rapido's videos is only about half true, they said that all the trucks will be picking up power. Which is in fact true but the front leading truck on the powered units is independent of the rear truck and the trucks for the cars. So the only power that the motor is getting is from the front leading truck. In my case, I'm not sure if there was oil on the trucks or a little bit of dirt, but once I got the front leading truck cleaned up the things are running phenomenally. I did disassemble one of the power cars to try and figure out how everything is set up, plus confirm my suspicions of the two separate trucks. It would be feasibly possible to easily add a pair of wires from the rear truck to the front left and right rail pick up. Thus allowing pick up from every single wheel set, or if you wanted to, there's plenty of space to add a small keep alive.

[peteski]

So both trucks pick up power but they are not interconnected?! That sure is a strange design. 

[vermonter_railfan]

So both trucks pick up power but they are not interconnected?! That sure is a strange design. 

That is correct, atleast that's what I noticed. I tried powering the rear truck with a pair of alligator clips to power the unit when I tried cleaning the front truck, it did not work. I also had only the rear truck on the track and hung the front off the end of one of my modules and I did not get power to the decoder at all.

[peteski]

That is correct, atleast that's what I noticed. I tried powering the rear truck with a pair of alligator clips to power the unit when I tried cleaning the front truck, it did not work. I also had only the rear truck on the track and hung the front off the end of one of my modules and I did not get power to the decoder at all.

Yes, your photo seems to confirm that.  The flat springy contacts don't seem to have any visible top connections to the front of the model.  Are they actually used to power anything in the model?  There seem to be black wires from those strips connecting to something small in the rear of the model, but I can't tell what that is.  Are they maybe used to power the interior lighting board?

[vermonter_railfan]

Yes, your photo seems to confirm that.  The flat springy contacts don't seem to have any visible top connections to the front of the model.  Are they actually used to power anything in the model?  There seem to be black wires from those strips connecting to something small in the rear of the model, but I can't tell what that is.  Are they maybe used to power the interior lighting board?

That is correct, those two copper contacts are pickup up the rear truck power. The two wires are attached to the coupler mechanism that provides power to the next car (which also picks up power on its own). There are two springs that are mounted in the interior piece that bridge the power gap between the copper contacts for the trucks and the light board. The wires seem through the light board on the left side are the speaker and motor wire connections.

Easy fix would be soldering a pair of wires from the L and R rail connections between the front and back

[peteski]

That is correct, those two copper contacts are pickup up the rear truck power. The two wires are attached to the coupler mechanism that provides power to the next car (which also picks up power on its own). There are two springs that are mounted in the interior piece that bridge the power gap between the copper contacts for the trucks and the light board. The wires seem through the light board on the left side are the speaker and motor wire connections.

Easy fix would be soldering a pair of wires from the L and R rail connections between the front and back

I agree that adding those connection would greatly improve power pickup reliability to the decoder/motor/headlights.  Not sure why Rapido didn't do that in the first place.  I have several Tomix Shinkansen sets where all the trucks in all the cars are interconnected through the couplers making providing reliable power to all the power consumers in the set (lights and propulsion).