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Post by rapidotrains on Nov 9, 2018 11:58:39 GMT -8
We actually got higher than usual "thumbs downs" with this video. I gave you a thumbs up. Thanks! In the last 28 days, we've had 16 dislikes and 756 likes. Those are pretty good numbers. It means that most of our customers get our sense of humour/humor, or at least can see past it and enjoy the models and updates. I learned a long time ago in this industry that it's impossible to get everyone to like us. The best we can do is be true to ourselves and honest about our products, where they come from and what goes into them. Some will like our approach and some won't. I will be uploading the RS-11 video in a few minutes. -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Nov 9, 2018 5:59:35 GMT -8
We actually got higher than usual "thumbs downs" with this video. Unfortunately they don't tell us why, so we don't know if it's people pissed off at Jordan or people scared of Janet.....
-Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Nov 9, 2018 4:05:19 GMT -8
Hi all,
We've uploaded a video of the RS-18 locomotive and Tempo. The order deadline is November 19th, as is the deadline for the RS-11.
You can watch it here:
Thanks,
Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Nov 7, 2018 19:16:02 GMT -8
CP 41000-series hi-cube 40' boxcar! Come on! We need these! Wait a minute, ==> YOU<== can make it happen!!!!! Nah - Much better to get someone else to make them. I'm still waiting for Walthers to make the Tempo. Oh, hang on a minute... -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Nov 3, 2018 16:52:51 GMT -8
CP 41000-series hi-cube 40' boxcar! Come on! We need these!
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Post by rapidotrains on Oct 26, 2018 12:55:17 GMT -8
The formal announcements of the new Rapido HO New Haven Dining Car and "Super Continental Line" Pullman-Standard Lightweight Dining Car just came out in the latest Rapido newsletter and details are also up on their website. The latter diner is based on the cars built for CN in 1954. www.rapidotrains.com/ho-nh-dining-car/www.rapidotrains.com/ho-pullman-dining-car/I'm excited to get at least one of the P-S diners in VIA but need to go over some rosters to figure out which numbers were in western transcontinental service. Hopefully the models won't take four years to arrive like the mid-train domes! We don't intend for our new moulds to fall apart between announcement and delivery.... -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Oct 25, 2018 18:50:29 GMT -8
It's our pleasure, though Bill takes all the credit. He pushed for this model for years and he saw it through from start to finish. I think it's the nicest freight car model we've ever done. Our inventory plan went by the wayside. We made over 1300 extra cars. One week. I think we're finally starting to get noticed outside of the Greater Toronto Area.... -Jason Great new NP boxcar video posted! Nice to see the quick un-boxing, humour and usual commentary. Kudos to Bill. Sounds like inventory is not such a bad thing after all. We can't get cocky. That was a blip. I doubt that we would be able to move that much inventory so quickly next time. We have some "surprise" releases coming up where we'll announce them as they are arriving. Nothing huge - just some small runs. Let's see how they do before we start drawing any conclusions... -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Oct 25, 2018 18:48:27 GMT -8
Can't wait to see the B&O version! And BTW, I've seen "Strange Brew" many times, LOVE that movie! Also remember the comedy record put out by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas with a little help from Geddy Lee from Rush . Good stuff! That album is the inspiration for most of Rapido's videos. Ten bucks is ten bucks, eh?
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Post by rapidotrains on Oct 23, 2018 5:41:49 GMT -8
Rapido's efforts and higher attention to detail, as well s good customer service, have caused me to begin moving my model railroad's operations North of the border. Take off to the great white north! It's a beauty way to go..... -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Oct 20, 2018 18:59:34 GMT -8
We made many, many extra NP boxcars and all the inventory sold in a week.
Wow really? According to a recent newsletter, the inventory was forecast to last until Christmas! I have seen no online reviews of these cars but I did order the 1923 version and was very impressed. I did change the couplers to scale head Kadee whiskers for improved operation. Not many cars of this era have been done in RTR plastic. Thank you for the nice model and for producing extras. It's our pleasure, though Bill takes all the credit. He pushed for this model for years and he saw it through from start to finish. I think it's the nicest freight car model we've ever done. Our inventory plan went by the wayside. We made over 1300 extra cars. One week. I think we're finally starting to get noticed outside of the Greater Toronto Area.... -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Oct 18, 2018 15:33:46 GMT -8
Hi all,
Two days ago we received our decorated pre-production samples of the ATSF rebuilt RDC set, DC-191 and DC-192. These feature new bodies that are correct for the Santa Fe, and represented a significant tooling investment. It was worth it!
Here's our new YouTube video:
We're really glad we had these samples made, as we found some things we need to address:
- We need to add a baffle behind the Gyralite as it's currently causing a disco ball effect in the cab. - We're painting one of the two lenses on each Gyralite with red transparent paint and painting the back black, so only the white one will be "gyrating." - The red is too pink and the yellow on the door is too lemony. We're matching the Scalecoat instead of our original source colours. - The seats in DC-192 should be facing the other way as it's likely going to be leading more often.
We have made a few extra of the Santa Fe set for inventory. If you are on the fence and you decide you want one, I recommend ordering ASAP. We made many, many extra NP boxcars and all the inventory sold in a week. We only made a handful of extra ATSF sets. You can order the Santa Fe RDCs here: www.rapidotrains.com/ho-rdc-second-run-atsf/
Thanks and regards,
Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Oct 4, 2018 13:46:11 GMT -8
Holy old thread, Batman!
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Post by rapidotrains on Sept 28, 2018 11:15:53 GMT -8
I preordered the blue 1939 2850 Royal Hudson just because I like it, not because I'm strictly a Canadian prototype modeler. That's pretty much how I buy almost everything train related, and I suspect that a large number of Rapido's customers are just like me--they buy what they like, and many don't stick to just one prototype railroad. I will hopefully end up with two Royal Hudsons, but I can only afford to commit to one right now. Rapido is by far my favorite manufacturer, so everything they produce gets my attention, and I'm just as likely to buy a double deck bus or a Sterling Single steam locomotive as I am to buy a Gtw or D&H passenger car. Jeff C Thanks a lot for your support, Jeff. It means a lot to us! -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Sept 27, 2018 13:31:54 GMT -8
Was hoping by now Jason of Rapido would have chimed in with a POSSIBLE release date of these particular cars. I know he and his team monitor MUCH of what is said online(good or bad) about the company. Jason.....are you listening ?? I'm listening! Our tooling budget is tight right now. We have more projects in tooling than any other North American manufacturer. The Baggage-Dorm and Manor and Chateau sleepers are fairly high up our to-do list, but first we're focusing on stuff that we haven't done before. We have yet another new announcement coming next month. -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Sept 23, 2018 13:41:36 GMT -8
I read Jason's item on the Icons of Canadian Steam project and have to say I'm disappointed with the decision to make the H1a/b Hudson the next release. I'm waiting for the smaller mixed-service steam locomotives, specifically the CP/CN Ten-Wheelers and the CN Consolidation. While the H1a/b is certainly a desirable locomotive it is still not one likely to be seen on way-freights or branchline passenger trains. I think this is where there is a definite void in accurate Canadian steam models and I believe the smaller locomotives will sell very well. I recognize the business reason put forward but to judge the overall interest in all the other locos in the IoCS series by the sales of the Royal Hudson is likely misleading. The Royal Hudson is not a model everyone wants to have, especially if they don't run mainline passenger trains. I'm not willing to buy one just to show my interest in the the smaller locomotives. I think many people have been sitting waiting to see if Rapido could produce a credible steam locomotive model. Now they have produced two so I think that question has been answered with a resounding yes. Rapido's speculating on future IofCS models based on Royal Hudson sales is not helpful. The only fair way to gauge the sales potential of the other IofCS models is to open the order books and see what the response is. Let modelers show their interest with orders even if there must be caveats about delivery dates and prices. As it stands now we have no way to register our interest in having these models produced. I hope Rapido will re-consider the future of the other IoCS models. Hi David, It's not all doom and gloom! We're still optimistic that the steam program will proceed with most or all of the announced engines, though the release order will likely be scrambled further. It's a question of financing the tooling. This is what I alluded to in the newsletter. If a steam engine costs twice as much as a diesel but brings in the same funds - and takes twice as long to develop - it eats up a huge chunk of our financing abilities. The trouble with taking orders for two or three steam engines right now is that the orders don't come in until the last week, and we won't close the order book three years before a model comes out. That would hurt us more than help us. The RDC is the most extreme example. In the last week we took orders for the first run, the order book tripled. So you can imagine how I felt for the entire year we took orders - "This project was a mistake, this project was a mistake, this project..." and then it blew past our projected sales by a huge amount. Even the second run RDC almost doubled our projected sales. But again - the vast majority of orders came in the last few days before the deadline. I'm going offline for the next two days, so hopefully Bill can chime in if the discussion continues. Best regards, Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Sept 22, 2018 18:44:17 GMT -8
I don't use pseudonyms, so Gerald isn't me. But we are always grateful for any support we can get!
-Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Sept 17, 2018 18:48:16 GMT -8
What does DCC do in a caboose? Or sound, for that matter? That's really cool! Neat! -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Sept 15, 2018 17:17:39 GMT -8
Wow! Thanks for the kind words!
-Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Sept 5, 2018 9:16:55 GMT -8
Unfortunately that information is incorrect. While bell orientation may have changed (easily done on both M3H and K3L horns, you just unbolt and reverse the bell/power chambers on the manifold), there was no mass-scale M3H to K3L horn swapping going on. Over time, newer K3L's did start to show up on CN F-units as horns got swapped out if defective, but there are many photos online of CN and ex-CN FP9's and FPA4's with M3H's in the VIA era. As always, it's best to consult prototype photos of the unit in the era in question to be sure. Yeah, I wrote that about ten years ago based on the information I had at the time. We really should update it with more accurate info. A very large number of F units did have their M3s changed to K3s in the 1970s. In the 1980s, M3s were very rare on VIA. -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Aug 13, 2018 8:18:14 GMT -8
Jason, Any chances you'll doing Chicago CTA on any future bus releases? Yes.
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Post by rapidotrains on Aug 13, 2018 8:17:53 GMT -8
What is the red cyclops light between the number boards used for on Amtrak? Is it a gyra-lite or just a constant red light? On the model does it operate? It's an emergency red light used when the engine goes into emergency braking. We were originally going to make it work but we used that function output for the number boards instead so you can turn them off. -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Aug 12, 2018 17:19:30 GMT -8
Now this is a Buffalo, note the raised humpback behind the front section, sort of like a GM Scenicruiser: Man that's a good looking bus! -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Aug 12, 2018 11:24:20 GMT -8
That cabbage looks awesome. The contemporary Amtrak scheme has really grown on me. I’m a Phase III / early Phase IV modeler, so I’ll probably get a Phase III cabbage, but I actually think Phase V looks better on the P42s, and this model looks great too. Edit: I hate to say this, but something about the angle of that Cabbage photo makes it look like it has Kato short nose syndrome! I know it’s totally fine though, based on the other photos I’ve seen. Dave We didn't shorten the nose for the Cabbage - have no worries. -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Aug 12, 2018 6:06:42 GMT -8
Have the details for the undec RS-18 been finalized yet? I'm curious as to whether they will have the light or heavy style trucks. I will have to check with Dan, but I think the plan is to include the heavy trucks and sell the light ones separately. -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Aug 12, 2018 4:21:20 GMT -8
Hi all, The latest Rapido News is online. This one contains updates on various projects and thoughts on the industry now, especially given the recent factory closure in China. You can view it here: conta.cc/2P322yeThanks for reading, Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Aug 7, 2018 7:09:51 GMT -8
Hi guys, We've uploaded a new video showing production samples of the new Amtrak NPCU Cabbages. They are en route and expected in our warehouse in a couple of weeks. Here it is: Thanks for watching! -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Aug 7, 2018 7:06:57 GMT -8
I sent a message on the RS11s asking what the rationale was to choose LV with 8600 numbers (good only for about three years) rather than the later 7600s some of which are good for much longer and which the Atlas versions seem to command a higher premium, seemingly indicating higher demand for, or if they would do those in the future. No answer. Which, do what you like, but I'm not likely to preorder without a customer order on an engine only good for such a short period. I'm surprised you didn't get an answer to your email. When did you send it? I can confirm we are looking into doing some 7600s, possibly with a retail partner. They are all a little different so more complicated to do (hence the initial choice of 8600s), but we're looking into it. These discussions have quietly been going on for a few weeks. We'll have more information about 7600s in the coming weeks. -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Jul 27, 2018 7:16:26 GMT -8
Along those lines, when I heard the statement "an accurate, state of the art model has not been produced for this market in decades" my mind immediately thought that these new state-of-the-art manufacturers have not released much aimed at the late 1800s and early 1900s era of railroading (although I admit that since it is way outside my era, I don't pay much attention to what niche manufacturers are doing in this market). That was my thought as well. Here's what I think Blaine is going to announce: Sign me up for almost one! -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Jul 22, 2018 6:54:09 GMT -8
Cabooses that are done correctly will require significant research and information. They are about as specific a car as can be found on any class 1 railroad. I believe we will see more road specific cabooses soon. I don't have the specific numbers on the Genesis SP and WP cars; and how they did in regard to sales. However, when Walthers and Atlas continue to crank out foobies with their respective cars, it's going to be difficult to get there. I talked with one manufacturer and he indicated the cabooses would be a significant investment. Granted, I am not a self proclaimed marketing expert like a former forum member, and I won't venture a guess as to how they arrive at the choice to do a specific caboose. But, there is a new Bay window car series coming in HO scale...and it will be somewhat "accurate". However, it's following the Atlas plan...it is good for one specific prototype, and even though a few changes can be made to make it more accurate, they are not going to do so...they'll leave that up to us. This means filling windows...just like the old days. I am none-the-less happy to see them. Dan, Gareth, Jordan and Josh are quite keen to do another Canadian caboose, or "van" as they are often called here. They have one in mind. But the only way to make a profit on it is to paint it in as many foobie schemes as possible. Basically, if a railroad had anything remotely close, it's fair game. It costs more than twice as much to tool a caboose as a boxcar, and the unit cost is also about twice as much. A guy may buy four of one caboose and 40 of one boxcar, so your sales per road are much lower. I would never give a manufacturer a hard time for painting cabooses, passenger cars and other expensive equipment in foobie schemes. Sometimes it's just necessary if we want to see the project made at all. -Jason
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Post by rapidotrains on Jul 1, 2018 17:06:07 GMT -8
I'm interested in a couple of CN undecs but am wondering what body style it is? I want to model Cape Breton & Central Nova Scotia 3842 & 3852 but don't feel like cutting up the as built version if something more accurate is in the pipeline. Dan I and haven't discussed this yet but the body style will most likely be the 3100 from the 1970s. So it will be the modified filter package. -Jason
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