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Post by rapidotrains on Sept 11, 2014 14:34:02 GMT -8
Thanks for the kind words, everyone! We're very happy with the way these have turned out. Our latest announcement in the line is the mid-train dome cars. www.rapidotrains.com/budd1.html-Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Sept 5, 2014 10:52:55 GMT -8
Hi all, The latest Rapido News is now online. The new announcements are Budd Mid-Train Domes in HO and OCS cars in N. Also full info for the big order deadline at the end of this month. Please visit: www.rapidotrains.com/rapidonews60.htmlThanks for looking! -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Sept 4, 2014 13:29:28 GMT -8
You guys are wrong in so many ways.... My niece has ALS. I'm so glad there is more awareness about this horrible disease. Jeff C Mike lost two friends to ALS so he really appreciated what we were doing yesterday. -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Sept 4, 2014 10:47:11 GMT -8
The Rapido ALS Ice Bucket Challenge....
-Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Sept 4, 2014 10:46:21 GMT -8
Where is the steam line behind the opening in the pilot? This model has every detail but the pot in the corner of the engine room.....and the steam line peering out of the gap in the front pilot. A well-placed source who-shall-be-nameless told me that Rapdio is going to include tiny HO scaled tools to allow you to build your own FL-9 from the 100,00+ parts that are going to be part of this kit right down to itty-bitty pistons in the wolds first working plastic HO scale 567 Diesel. That's right. The batten strips are separate and you have to screw them all in using tiny HO scale Phillips head screws. And in order to offer this "do it yourself" version we need to charge an extra $3000 per model. -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Aug 31, 2014 16:52:04 GMT -8
White River Productions is a very professional organization that produces quality output. I was hoping they would buy RMC and I am VERY GLAD they did. I am a big supporter of Model Railroad News and Passenger Train Journal and I will be a big supporter of the new RMC.
This is absolutely wonderful news.
-Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Aug 30, 2014 17:48:06 GMT -8
Bill, where are you going to put the antimatter inducer and deuterium storage tank? They are there, but behind the cloaking device..... Bill I expressly told you we weren't allowed to install the cloaking device. You have evidently been dealing with the Ferengi without my authorization. You're fired. -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Aug 16, 2014 17:36:22 GMT -8
Thanks Jason. I realize the noses should be the same, I was just curious if the manufacturing process would allow use of the old nose. Now when you get around to doing E units, pay close attention to the location of the nose door when compared to an F unit. Unfortunately there are too many differences to be able to use the old nose, and it's at a different factory as well! We just discovered today that our number boards need work. Thank goodness somebody noticed that *before* we started tooling! -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Aug 16, 2014 7:33:37 GMT -8
I've noticed in the photos of the FL9's in battered NH McGinnis with PC worms through Conrail the cover on the pilot for the steam generator is missing. OMI incorporated this into their brass FL9. Rock Island is one road I can think of that chucked the pilot cover for ease, I assume the PC did this also to save on labor. I wonder if Rapido considered this in their tooling. Not a big deal but neat to see the exposed steam line. Actually, we are chucking the cover. They were removed shortly after delivery of the first batch and weren't included at all on the second batch. These drawings still have lots of tweaks before they will be ready for tooling. -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Aug 16, 2014 7:32:28 GMT -8
Hey Jason, Just out of sheer curiosity, does the FL9 share the same nose contures as your F9, or did you have to start from scratch? Thankfully, the nose contours on the two locomotives (and several others!) are the same. We have to modify some other details such as headlight housing, buffer plate and nose door, but the overall shape is correct. -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Aug 14, 2014 6:38:30 GMT -8
Hi guys, I am at the factory working hard on the FL9 project. Here are some drawings - with several corrections yet to be added. We should be in tooling by the end of the month for the HO, next month for N. Best regards, Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Aug 3, 2014 7:54:42 GMT -8
I do find getting non sound units from any importer getting more difficult. Act fast or they are SOLD That's because usually DCC/sound outsells DC by a huge margin. After the FP9As were shipped in 2012 and 2013, we got inundated with requests for more, but only one or two of those requests were for DC models. When we said, "We don't have any more sound units but we have a couple of DC models," the stores said "No thanks." When it comes to locomotives, we usually make a handful extra for each scheme to help out the stores that call us in a panic. With the N scale GMD-1, that is being divided evenly between sound and silent. N scale has more of a demand for silent units. For HO models, we don't make any extra silent models as we don't want to risk getting stuck with them. Best regards, Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Jul 29, 2014 19:07:41 GMT -8
OK so who is meeting me in Vegas for the 2016 50th anniversary convention?
-Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Jul 28, 2014 19:42:24 GMT -8
BTW, normal people have no @$%^&@$ idea what we're talking about.
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Post by rapidotrains on Jul 28, 2014 19:41:35 GMT -8
Jason, you must be confused. Everyone knows that if you simply couple the proton-transducers to be warp core phased plasma relays, your LRC could easily support a portable photon emitter. Anyways if you have everyone jumping to the 29th century (which violates the Temporal Prime Directive) you will run afoul of the Starfleet Temporal Police. But the problem is you need a MOBILE emitter, and that is 29th-century technology that can't be replicated. Now if you want a non-corporeal hologram, you just need to modify an NCE 10-Amp deflector array for photonic transmission - easily done with a TCS phase inverter - but WHERE'S THE FUN IN THAT? By the way, with every LRC you get a 250 LB bag of self-sealing stem bolts, and with every FL9 you get 100L of Yamok sauce. They were on special. -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Jul 27, 2014 15:33:15 GMT -8
I think you might be better to use an F unit, in order to have more room for equipment. Those shield generators take up a lot of room, and they are a must when phasering other trains off the tracks. Otherwise, your train could be struck and damaged by the debris field. And I can understand a vexed engineer--"Ach! Me bairns!!!" We are seriously outing our uber-nerdiness. (says the guy currently wearing a Starfleet T-shirt with real communicator....) -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Jul 26, 2014 18:14:28 GMT -8
Jason, if you equip the model LRC with photon emitters, purchasers can pull holographic LRC trains around their layouts, with less headaches, such as storing the cars when not in use. You could then charge more for the LRC locomotive to make up for lost car sales. I'm sure someone wouldn't mind paying the extra billion or so dollars in development costs in order to have this cool feature. And before you ask, my line of credit will unfortunately not be able to cover that cost... The trouble with photon emitters is they are darn-near impossible to make portable unless you have access to 29th-century technology. Our GMD-1 comes equipped with phasers, photons and warp drive. It also has a dematerialization circuit and a vexed engineer. I'm not kidding. Press F13-F17. -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Jul 25, 2014 14:35:18 GMT -8
Hi guys, We've just sent out the latest Rapido News. It's all about the VIA/Amtrak LRC. Orders for the locomotive must be in by next Thursday as the numbers go to China on Friday. Here's the link: www.rapidotrains.com/rapidonews59.html The photo below shows the real LRC locomotive owned by the TRHA. We finally got it running this month after 13 years in storage. Thanks for looking, Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Jul 15, 2014 7:45:37 GMT -8
Looks like somebody spiked the designers' coffee with home brewed tequila...
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Post by rapidotrains on Jul 14, 2014 18:34:58 GMT -8
And seeing the two weird directions this thread has branched off into lately, he's probably recoiling in terror. My totally unscientific poll says most modelers don't care at all which railroad is most popular, nor do they care what EMD should have named the FL9 but didn't. Jason's probably rolling on the floor laughing with this thread derailment. I wouldn't worry about him . I've performed a poll of the people currently in my kitchen and we've decided that the most-requested locomotive is this: So that will be Rapido's next release. And the release after that will be a new and improved version of the same engine with real leaking engine oil. -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Jul 14, 2014 12:37:31 GMT -8
The models will not sell on the current listings. They'll have to be re-listed at realistic prices where they'll garner at least one bid. Otherwise, what's the point of putting an item up for auction? Many (potential) sellers way over-estimate what things will sell for, aka the value. People think they must sell their item for at least what they have "invested" in it, so it ends up on the shelf collecting dust or on blocks in the front yard, rusting down toward zero value. They don't understand (or they don't like) the concept of sunk costs. Oh well... Most of the eBay listings that are emailed to me each week are crazy people relisting their same old crap at absurd prices, like a 3x5" one-page VIA route timetable for $12. I long for the days when it once again costs money to list stuff on eBay. -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Jul 9, 2014 18:14:33 GMT -8
Very cool Jason! I'm glad you met my dear friend of 38 years! Jason, thank you for the FL9 announcement. Tony and I are NYC kids and I used to watch the FL9 units every day from my apartment window on the 9th floor of the Lenox Terrace "Eden Roc" building: 470 Lenox Avenue, NY. My first memory of them was 1968; they had a very worn McGinnis paint scheme; next came the scheme I mostly relate to, the PC blue and yellow. (I'm ordering 2 PC units and one split scheme NH/PC worms). Keep up the great work and all the best to you and "the gang". Carl Marchand Tarpon Springs, FL Thanks for the kind words, Carl! And thanks for the visit, Antonio. It was great seeing you. Your timing was good. Any later in the day and I would have been running around like a headless chicken! -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Jul 9, 2014 17:57:06 GMT -8
And by the way, most of it was shot on my Canon point-and-shoot!
-Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Jul 9, 2014 17:56:40 GMT -8
This one took some serious producing work. I need Jason to give me pointers for my YouTube videos. There wasn't a whole lot of producing here. This differed from our usual videos in that we had a script and we gave people roles to play. The guy in the tie hauling Bill away is George Muirhead, the museum director! I wrote the script on the flight over, and Bill ad-libbed all his steam sequences. We tweaked the script a lot while we were filming. Because we had a script, we ended up filming it over three days. I had to keep changing back into the same outfit as the first scene we shot on day one, which was the interview with Kit (the best part of the whole video, IMO). Bill and I just made up a lot of it as we went along. For the chase scenes, I just wrote "chase scene through Locomotion" in the script. We ended up throwing out a lot of footage. There was a whole chase sequence inside a 1920s coach, but it made the overall chase too long. I also tossed out an entire part where I filmed Bill in his engine from the front of my engine. The footage was too jumpy to use. That train chase lasts maybe 45 seconds. We spent two hours filming to get those 45 seconds. It involved going back and forth along the track over and over again! Having the microphone was a big improvement. Without it you can't really hear because of all the echo in the big room. I'm really proud of it, actually. The proudest moment for me was when my wife watched it and she was laughing so hard she got tears in her eyes. -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Jul 8, 2014 13:10:16 GMT -8
Hi all,
You can see the latest Rapido creation, "Carry On APT-E," here.
You don't need to be a British train fan to watch it. It has little to do with British trains.....
-Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Jul 4, 2014 13:00:52 GMT -8
I knew Paul could fill in all the blanks, once again I'm glad they are being made, I know I'll get a pair and friends of mine will get several, PC, Conrail, Metro-North...One friend plans on getting 6 of them! Tell him he should get them ALL with sound..... -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Jul 3, 2014 6:36:41 GMT -8
We had a great visit from Antonio today. What a nice guy! I hope he wasn't too traumatized by our antics.... -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Jul 1, 2014 17:24:40 GMT -8
Why the obsession with locomotives? We might be announcing a proper American passenger car.... -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Jul 1, 2014 6:43:59 GMT -8
Yay! Rapido is going to announce the coming of the dreaded C-415! OK - how many paint schemes and when did it run? I want to make that!!!!! -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Jun 30, 2014 16:27:03 GMT -8
... we'll be announcing a new product which should appeal to all you Yanks. I certainly don't need it for my layout! Stay tuned to Rapido News for more info. -Jason
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