Rapido N Scale Announcements - July 2024

[James Costello]

News from Rapido in N Scale:

F40PHM-2 Locomotive:
https://rapidotrains.com/n-scale/diesel-locomotive-47/f40phm-2.html

Budd Gallery Cars:
https://rapidotrains.com/n-scale/passenger-car-74/budd-gallery-cars.html

SP 3/4 Dome Lounges:
https://rapidotrains.com/n-scale/passenger-car-74/sp-dome-lounge-cars.html

Announcement Video:
https://youtu.be/szouy-PjNVA?si=xaTfFQICl7LSJHnw

[EspeeGoldenState]

Yep, my wallet is definitely cringing at all 3 announcements.


I know of at least one F40, and a set of Gallery cars. The domes are my biggest fear, as I almost want every single one of them. 

[Englewood]

Yikes! This may be the most expensive announcement in my 40 years in N scale. The SP dome cars have been on my list for years, and I'll definitely need a train's worth of the Metra gallery cars. The F40 is unique enough that I'll pick one up. I haven't done the math yet, but I'm guessing that this will take a huge chunk out of next year's budget.

It never ceases to amaze me that after all this time, and all the rolling stock that I have, manufacturers still manage to produce things that make me want to spend my hard-earned dollars. What a time to be an N scaler!

[mu26aeh]

Guess the sodium chlorate car flyer was accidentally left on the printer....

[Missaberoad]

Guess the sodium chlorate car flyer was accidentally left on the printer....

That one might have to be Prairie Shadows.

[chessie system fan]

Are the Budd gallery cars the same prototype as the Kato cars?

[Missaberoad]

Are the Budd gallery cars the same prototype as the Kato cars?

No these are an earlier prototype, the Kato cars represent cars built in 1994-1996 by Nippon Sharyo.

https://www.n-sharyo.co.jp/business/tetsudo_e/pages/zusametra-pc1994.htm

[OldEastRR]

If these are original prototype models, wondering why they didn't do some in CB&Q schemes.

[djsmeltzer]

If these are original prototype models, wondering why they didn't do some in CB&Q schemes.

Because this is the version updated for HEP.  The original ones were piped for steam heat.  It looks like they will be doing those in HO for a future run. If these do well, maybe they’ll do those in N in the future too.

[learmoia]

Because this is the version updated for HEP.  The original ones were piped for steam heat.

Are the differences big enough to notice?

[thomasjmdavis]

Because this is the version updated for HEP.  The original ones were piped for steam heat.  It looks like they will be doing those in HO for a future run. If these do well, maybe they’ll do those in N in the future too.

The Rapido description on the product page was very confusing on this point- given that it focused on CB&Q's first cars circa 1951 and other early cars, and the only mention of HEP (that I spotted, anyway) is a bullet point in the car features.  With the lack of precise info, one might well assume that HEP was introduced on these cars in 1951. If you hadn't posted, I would have wasted 20 minutes looking up when HEP first came into use in passenger cars.

Of course, with Rapido's usual scatterbrained approach, somewhere on the website, there is probably a full history of gallery cars including Dr. Who and his pretty assistant riding the cars at several points of time, and lots of "humorous" sidetracks.

Lucky for me, nothing I can use on my layout this time around, as my wallet is stressed as it is.  I suppose, two or three years from now, maybe we'll see an ATSF big dome.  Although, for my purposes, I think I'd prefer Kato do them, because most of the cars I will run them with are Kato.

[kscessandriver]

The question becomes, since they're refusing to do 210, do I renumber one to 210?

If you know, you know. The whole thing is hilariously creepy, but still funny to me.

[jagged ben]

SP 3/4 dome lounges!?!?!!!

[EspeeGoldenState]

The Rapido description on the product page was very confusing on this point- given that it focused on CB&Q's first cars circa 1951 and other early cars, and the only mention of HEP (that I spotted, anyway) is a bullet point in the car features.  With the lack of precise info, one might well assume that HEP was introduced on these cars in 1951. If you hadn't posted, I would have wasted 20 minutes looking up when HEP first came into use in passenger cars.

Usually when companies announce HO stuff first and then N scale. They seem to always leave info out on the N scale page. I went to the HO page and found this info.

While the Milwaukee Road and Rock Island fleets were built with Head End Power (HEP), the original Burlington cars were equipped for steam heat. Starting in 1973, the Burlington Northern started a program to convert the original CBQ fleet to include HEP. This resulted in the cars losing their steam heat in favor of electric heat and the original incandescent lights was replaced with fluorescent lights.

[MetroRedLine]

No personal interest in these but I do think it's great that commuter rail is more represented in model railroading these days, especially in N scale. For many people, it's the only train they'll see every day.