Rapido Trains - New GP20

[Narlie]

If you’re concerned about old style Rapido couplers, that’s not what they mean. The modern Canadian Rapido has no connection to the Arnold Rapido of yore.

My concern is that they(Rapido Trains) have departed from their habit of using micro-trains couplers on their n scale products.
I have over 2 dozen of their N scale freight and passenger cars, all with micro-trains couplers.
Is this a new coupler they have invented for n scale?

[thomasjmdavis]

Not to encourage thread drift, but this is a valid point. Your voice is not old, just experienced. Its been hilarious lately seeing exactly this at shows: Tables full of crappy cars from the old days marked up to ridiculous levels. I smile when I see the same dealer with the same table "full o' junk" over & over again. Just because you bought a collection from the 80s does not mean people will pay 2020s era prices for it. Thats entertainment!

Let us not forget "custom weathering" ($10-15 extra), aka "oops, I knocked over a jar of paint".  Or "brand new in original box" in which the original box was originally for a different car from a different manufacturer.

That is the "eBay phenomenon" caused by its movement from an auction site to an overpriced "buy it now" site where 95% of sellers think they have cornered the market.  I think it all started with MTL cars.  Dealers started looking up the highest auction price ever paid (for a limited run car in original box and packaging, never opened, kept in a humidity controlled, dust free, smoke free environment by a well known fastidious collector), and figured they should get at least that much for whatever model came out 6 months ago, in whatever condition it happens to be in.

I can only assume that someone pays those prices, but it isn't me.

[dem34]

Let us not forget "custom weathering" ($10-15 extra), aka "oops, I knocked over a jar of paint".  Or "brand new in original box" in which the original box was originally for a different car from a different manufacturer.

That is the "eBay phenomenon" caused by its movement from an auction site to an overpriced "buy it now" site where 95% of sellers think they have cornered the market.  I think it all started with MTL cars.  Dealers started looking up the highest auction price ever paid (for a limited run car in original box and packaging, never opened, kept in a humidity controlled, dust free, smoke free environment by a well known fastidious collector), and figured they should get at least that much for whatever model came out 6 months ago, in whatever condition it happens to be in.

I can only assume that someone pays those prices, but it isn't me.

They do unfortunately. Lot of new people getting into the hobby during the pandemic but without shows and clubs to give people realistic examples of what some old stuff should cost they massively overpay because they expect trains to be expensive. I long for the days I could haggle a Bmann K4 down to $110, or buy a shelf of IM kits for $15.

[cv_acr]

I've always wondered how they ended up with the same name.

I don't know why Arnold-Rapido named themselves the way they did, but Rapido Trains is named after a CN named train/service "The Rapido".

http://canadianfreightcargallery.ca/cgi-bin/image.pl?i=cn5454&o=cn

The founder is an HO modeler, and the company started out with HO resin models before making the jump into HO injection molded models, and probably wasn't aware of Arnold-Rapido back then.

[cv_acr]

My concern is that they(Rapido Trains) have departed from their habit of using micro-trains couplers on their n scale products.
I have over 2 dozen of their N scale freight and passenger cars, all with micro-trains couplers.
Is this a new coupler they have invented for n scale?

I would assume a compatible/clone.

They made their own HO kadee clones for the longest time as well.

[amato1969]

Really nice!  Definitely getting a few of these!

  Frank

[Pomperaugrr]

I live in New Milford, CT. Housatonic RR is local freight carrier.
 They haul PROCOR tankers (and many of them), full of alcohol to
 Pharmco nearly everyday. Medical grade alcohol. Sometimes they
 Have these cars stashed all around.
 I'll need to get a few.
 Joe D

I will need to grab a few myself.

[Rossford Yard]

Appreciate them making those new tankers.  Will be getting more than a few myself.

[mat82]

The good thing: Only 6 rd numbers with safety stripes 

[Missaberoad]

My concern is that they(Rapido Trains) have departed from their habit of using micro-trains couplers on their n scale products.
I have over 2 dozen of their N scale freight and passenger cars, all with micro-trains couplers.
Is this a new coupler they have invented for n scale?

Most likely a chinese 1015/16 or 2004 knockoff (the MT patent expired a number of years ago)
They are pretty common in the industry, if you have a car with MT couplers without the gold MT sticker they are likely the chinese manufactured version...

[basementcalling]

So are there different roadnames for a second release? UTLX? CITX? Any other common tank car reporting marks that showed on these cars that Rapido isn't offering in round 1? I can only really justify the modern PROCOR markings from this run.

[Narlie]

Most likely a chinese 1015/16 or 2004 knockoff (the MT patent expired a number of years ago)
They are pretty common in the industry, if you have a car with MT couplers without the gold MT sticker they are likely the chinese manufactured version...

Thanks for the feedback from all. Jordon at Rapido Trains has confirmed to me that it is their MT compatible coupler they are using and have been for the last couple of years.
I will certainly be getting a number of these models. 

[GonzoCRFan]

The pre-production shots have been posted.

[eja]

What is the purpose of the two "smoke stakes" on these cars?  I've never seen them on any other tank cars.

[Scottl]

They are vents, these are non-pressurized tanks.