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Post by rapidotrains on Jan 10, 2014 10:12:18 GMT -8
They also have to think of crews and cleaning/restocking the plane. It has to be somewhere that Cathay Pacific has a contract with. In Canada, that's Toronto and Vancouver. -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Jan 10, 2014 10:10:52 GMT -8
Jason Thanks for the update. The pictures are very interesting and the factory pictures show progress on several items. The flight with the return for the sick person really must have been disappointing. Some of my overseas flights have been just as fun as your flight, which was no fun at all. I noticed that the assembly workers are mostly women, at least in the pictures that you posted. Do they assemble the complete car or is the work passed on to the next person after certain parts are installed?. Is the factory dedicated to your products only? I noticed you referred to it as our factory. Thanks Larry Each person generally assembles a complete section, whether it is underbody, trucks, interior, or exterior. They are almost all women - they are much more dextrous than us cloth-eared men. The really fine stuff is generally given to the youngest women, between the ages of 18 and 21 or 22. Anyone older doesn't have the patience. One assembly workshop is just doing MLW stuff. The other assembly workshop does stuff for lots of companies. Rapido is the only client in North America, though. Best regards, Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Jan 10, 2014 7:42:47 GMT -8
Hi guys, The latest newsletter went out last night. While the big announcement is in N scale, there is quite a bit of HO scale news in there. www.rapidotrains.com/rapidonews52.htmlThanks for looking, Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Jan 9, 2014 5:15:55 GMT -8
Hi guys, I've uploaded a blog about my latest trip to China. It can be found here: rapidotrains.com/blogThanks for looking! -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Nov 16, 2013 15:14:10 GMT -8
what is the list price for Undec Meat Reefer Kits listed at now ? for a simple Box Shaped car they sure took a long time. or did getting the Barber S-1-L trucks correct take longer than expected ? Spikre You don't know the half of it! Every time that mould shop fixed one thing, they broke something else. We got our first samples in summer 2010, and the tooling was finally finished in summer 2013. That's three years for a glorified box. In contrast, the MLW gondola was completely finished (and I mean completely) in five months. The undec kits are $34.95, including several pages of instructions written by Bill. -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Nov 15, 2013 12:04:48 GMT -8
Dang, Jason, you need a cape and super-hero spandex to keep up. I guess the rumor mill starts here on what that new HO Rapido loco will be... Loving the lightweight Geep project What I really need is about 40 hours in a day. Glad you liked the newsletter! -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Nov 15, 2013 11:28:05 GMT -8
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Post by rapidotrains on Oct 27, 2013 15:56:31 GMT -8
It's all good James. I do not use passenger trains therefore I have NO interest in reviewing passenger cars, steam engines or really old era model railroad stuff for that matter. I just had to make it clear that I got the piece for free so there was no secrets and no "assumptions" about it. I just came right out and said it. As I said in the review I am not going to spring $7.50 for the Bendy Track. I will stick to the $4.79 (Which is expensive ENOUGH) Peco Flex track. Atlas is about $4.25 so it is an easy choice to switch to Peco since I have switch from using those horrible Atlas turnouts. The next or future layout that I build from scratch will be done using Peco Turnouts and Peco Flex Track. If people decide to buy and use the Bendy track then that is really good for them. Either way I will not get a dime of the sales from ANY company so it does not matter in the least bit to me. People need to wrap this around their head. 2005 Atlas Flextrack box of 100 - around $225 2013 Atlas Flextrack box of 100 - around $425 2013 Peco Flex Track box of 100 - around $450 2013 Rapido Bendy Track box of 100 - Around $750 I really appreciated your review, Al. I found it to be very honest. But to be fair, let's compare MSRP: Atlas Code 100 Flex - 100x $5.50 = $550 + 400 rail joiners @ $3.50 for 48 = $579 - Atlas web site Atlas Code 83 Flex - 100x $6.75 = $675 + 400 rail joiners = $704 - Atlas web site Peco Code 100 Flex - 100x $6.80 = $680 + 400 rail joiners @ $4.42 for 24 = $753 - Walthers catalogue Peco Code 83 Flex - 100x $7.20 = $720 + 400 rail joiners @ $4.58 for 12 = $872 - Walthers catalogue Rapido Code 83 Flex - 100x $7.50 = $750 + 400 rail joiners @ free = $750 - me If you get Peco track from your local dealer at a price below MSRP, I suspect you will be able to get Bendy Track for below MSRP as well. -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Oct 27, 2013 10:44:22 GMT -8
Scanner software needs adjusted... Since the B&LE is now CN (official, with red & black engines on the property) you may now move forward with the SD18. Oh! My! Word! Until this moment I have never seen a photo of a CP chop-nose RS-3. These have the be the funniest looking engines I have ever seen! A quick Google search revealed more photos at Ray Kennedy's site: www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/CPR_Toronto_Yard/otheryards.htmThanks for sharing this. You learn a new thing every day! -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Oct 24, 2013 9:40:50 GMT -8
Thanks Jason How much closer could it be? ? Laser it and be sure!!! The roof contour has been hard to duplicate correctly also without this type of technology. Nice Work. Larry Thanks! Attached is a low-res screen cap of the scan. The headlight housing on the scan is wrong because 6765 had a new one added after a collision. Someone thought the windows looked off. That means that the windows are off on the models in his collection. If we ever do another unit with compound curves, you can bet we'll do the scan thing again. It takes the guesswork out of it. -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Oct 24, 2013 9:37:35 GMT -8
No No No--don't cross the border into doing American diesels--I want to see your company do well. Another manufacturer is quietly saying the sales of their recent Canadian release diesels are outselling sales of similar American engines by more than 2 to 1. It seems the Canadians will BUY. Make what will sell the most! Thanks! But the "other" manufacturer's comments need to be taken in context. When a Canadian version of an engine comes along and it's the first accurate one ever made, of course it does well. On the other hand, the US version is the third or fourth accurate model of said engine, so obviously more people will say "I've already got 10 of them - do I need another?" The American market is still a lot bigger than the Canadian market. Our New Haven, B&M and LIRR Osgood Bradley sales prove that. All going well, we start cutting the tooling for our new American locomotive in the next two weeks. -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Oct 23, 2013 18:32:09 GMT -8
Ok... the nose is the wrong shape ... now ya happy??? That damn thing is SWEET!!! Don't you go painting that in Cuyahoga Valley colors now... or my wallet's gonna hurt. Thank you, my good man, for telling me the nose is the wrong shape.... Here's why it isn't: www.rapidotrains.com/scan.html -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Oct 23, 2013 15:52:20 GMT -8
We've got our first test shots of our new MLW (well, it's close enough to Alco - I wrote "Alco" to get all you southerners to pay attention!). Bill painted it up, and here's a pretty photo. Even though I hate this scheme, I had to wipe the drool from my keyboard. I'm waiting for someone to tell us the nose is the wrong shape. Go on! Tell us. Best regards, Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Oct 13, 2013 10:00:41 GMT -8
Our thanks to you for bringing such great detail to your products. I never realized how custom designed each passenger car really was until we started looking into the details and layout of the coach cars. The bottom line is we all want our favorite railroad items with your kind of detail and fidelity, which is not available in most products produced today. Thanks for sharing your vision and keep up the great work on your products. I still would like the FA ALCO's in a kit. Larry My pleasure, Larry. I'm crazy about this stuff. I have often been told I have an unhealthy obsession with Genemotors. Below is a photo of two of my kids under a CN diner about three years ago - hanging out by the Genemotor. At the time my daughter was the only three-year-old in North America who knew what a Genemotor was. I suspect she's forgotten now. To me the trip just happened but to her it was half a lifetime ago. When I took the kids on the recording trip aboard the FPA-4 in 2012, they got really bored. Everyone dreams of a cab ride, but to a kid a cab ride can get boring after a few hours going up and down the same five miles of track. Isaac (my one year old) is now big into trains - he loves VIA trains (of course) as well as the Amtrak trains and British Pendolinos and HSTs we watch on YouTube. Hopefully they will all keep the interest in trains and I'll be 3 for 3 in the "kids grow up to be railfans like Daddy" category. The key to keeping them interested is to take them on as many trains as possible. Isaac loved The Canadian this past summer. He liked to walk from the Park Car to the baggage car and back again - a mere 1700 feet each way. I worked off the dining car meals on that trip. -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Oct 12, 2013 17:49:11 GMT -8
Repeat, these cars are NOT of a U.S. prototype. They are similar to other Budd built flat top coaches. The U.S. prototype coaches will have different window patterns and interiors. There is no one "U.S. prototype." A Budd coach built from CP will likely be incorrect for CB&Q, just as a Budd coach built for UP will likely be incorrect for ACL. Very few passenger cars - especially coaches - were "off the shelf" models that were the same from road to road. Each railroad specified what they wanted, and the cars were built to match. Even when two cars were built to what was effectively the same plan, one year apart, there were many differences. Compare CN's Green sleepers with the L&N's Pine sleepers. I may be reading too much into your post, but it seems that saying "Repeat, these cars are NOT of a U.S. prototype." suggests that all Budd coaches built for US roads were basically the same and that the ones built for CP were actually penguins. In fact, they were all different. And none of them was a penguin. -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Oct 3, 2013 18:53:52 GMT -8
Hi guys, The latest Rapido News went out to subscribers this afternoon. You can read it here: www.rapidotrains.com/rapidonews50.html The big announcement is our 60-seat Budd coaches decorated for some "pretty close" paint schemes. Also our Budd Park Cars in Canadian schemes. The line is referred to as "Superior Stainless." We're aiming to be top of the line with these cars, and the MSRP and detail level both reflect that. I suspect I'll have to deal with some flames on the forums from taking that kind of stance, but I have my asbestos suit on so I'm ready... :-) Attached are the Superior Stainless logo with a cheeky excerpt from our new ads, as well as a close-up underbody shot of one of the cars. Thanks for looking, Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Sept 4, 2013 1:42:03 GMT -8
Actually, the Walthers GN dome has been done in the later paint schemes in GN Big Sky Blue, GN experimental green/white scheme, BN Hockey Puck, Amtrak Phase I, II, and III Good point! The GN dome is correct for Amtrak as well. Though did it ever run in BN colours? Looking at photos of rainbow era trains, it seems that very few cars actually got BN paint before Amtrak came along. -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Sept 3, 2013 18:52:39 GMT -8
If you were wanting a bang on dome with a US prototype get the GN Budd ones. They didn't have stainless steel fluting on the sides, but were still really nice looking. Unless someone models GN, this dome would be equally as incorrect as the CP dome..... We will indeed be bringing out our CP Skyline in "foobie" schemes, probably before the end of 2014. We're hoping that once you see the detail on our Budd cars, you will embrace their foobiness with all your soul. Each Rapido Budd car has between 350 and 400 parts. The underbodies are not for the faint of heart.... -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Jul 15, 2013 17:06:36 GMT -8
LOL. You have WEIRD, OLD, RICH men in charge at these manufactures, NEED I SAY MORE? Sales of the CN FP9A (complete with WHEELS!) were really good, so I'm ready to retire to my private island in the Aegean Sea. And because I'm old, the kids will have to move out - the lazy, freeloading bums! Though if Isaac gets his own apartment, I wonder who will change his diapers? Signed, Old and rich model train manufacturer in Ontario
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Post by rapidotrains on Jul 13, 2013 18:37:20 GMT -8
Thanks for the good-humoured comments, guys. Someone on CanModelTrains didn't get it. He saw my comment that it was a complete failure and then proceeded to tell everyone why... without watching the video!
-Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Jul 12, 2013 15:28:57 GMT -8
Hi guys, This pretty much speaks for itself. The track was a complete failure. We're really disappointed about this. -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Jun 23, 2013 17:18:52 GMT -8
I don't think that the street price will get as low as $4.25 but it is certainly possible that some dealers will sell it that low, especially if you are ordering in bulk. If price is your only consideration, then there is even cheaper track available. If you can find Model Power track, the MSRP is under $5 so the street price is probably even lower. Code 100 track costs us more than Code 83 because there is more metal being used. But the ties are the same for both, so you'll get North American tieplate detail and tie spacing on your code 100 track. Our track is what I hope will be a good compromise between detail and ease of installation. I really think the factory nailed it with the wood grain texture. Is it vastly different from all the other track out there? Not particularly. It's just another option. The ties on our track are full height. I was amazed by the emotions I've seen in response to this announcement, especially on the CanModelTrains forum. Some people seem genuinely upset that we're bringing out track. One fellow is worried it's a huge mistake and we'll go bankrupt. (No fear of that - track is really easy compared to a locomotive.) And another guy just seems pissed off that I was singing the praises of my track because he likes his brand better. I think next time I will choose to put something less controversial into my newsletter, like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or gay rights. -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Jun 6, 2013 19:05:43 GMT -8
That is some of the best modelling I have ever seen. As someone planning a December-based layout, there is a lot of inspiration in those photos.
I hope Mike writes a book on his modelling and photography.
-Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Jun 2, 2013 9:26:57 GMT -8
By the way if anyone finds US roads that are bang on for this car PLEASE tell us!
-Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Jun 2, 2013 9:25:41 GMT -8
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Post by rapidotrains on May 30, 2013 13:52:44 GMT -8
Jason, I have been looking forward to these (GMD-1) for some time. I was dissapointed though to see only 2 road numbers for the 1900s though, as I want 2 each of the noodle schemes, but not 1900, as it apparently served in Winnipeg. (My dream plan is based on Thunder Bay in 1980). Will number decals come with the unnumbered units? I saw the sample (and the gon) at the Ottawa Train expo and they look great, even at this stage. I wiil go for a 6-pack of gons as well, since they were also used for pulpwood. Richard PS Sorry `bout the missing hyphen in my username, I'm afraid I had not noticed that important distinction. That's quite alright, my good man! The unnumbered units will include decals, likely printed by Microscale as they did a great job on our FP9A decals. I will add a note to our web site. Best regards, Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on May 30, 2013 13:51:44 GMT -8
That is the finest HO scale gondola on the market. Interior detail, actual "zee" side bracing... I'll be getting at least one. Wow! Thanks a lot for the compliments! -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on May 30, 2013 6:55:58 GMT -8
THANK YOU for the unassembled undecs! Seems to be a fading trend. Our pleasure! Bill spent an entire day writing the instructions for the reefer kit, and then asked me "whose idea was it to make this a %^@% kit? Oh right, it was mine." -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on May 29, 2013 16:33:51 GMT -8
Hi Guys, Yesterday I sent out a newsletter with two big product announcements. You can read it here: www.rapidotrains.com/rapidonewscurrent.htmlI'm on my ancient iPhone 3GS so I'm not sure if this post will show up properly. I would post a photo of the new gondola and GMD-1 but all I have on my phone is funny menu pictures from China... (though they are very funny, by the way). Thanks for looking! Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Apr 14, 2013 18:00:45 GMT -8
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