I’ve stated before that I won’t buy rapido because they are too expensive. However I have a $50 ModelTrainStuff.com reward coming on top of MTS’s already low prices. I love small switchers, and rapido is doing their sw1200 in GN paint. Just a couple of questions before I decide to purchase.
1- How do they run? Rapido says they have a “silky smooth drive”. Is that true, or just marketing.
2- The GN version has a rotary beacon. Can I expect that this will be a functional part, or astetic only.
3- Anything else I should know about rapido’s stuff, good or bad?
All my Rapido locomotives three FP9 (the B is a dummy however so runs great), two FP7 (one A and B consist), an F2A and B consist, a RDC3 and a Royal Hudson run exceptionally well. I prefer them to my other brands. But only slightly I must say.
Of the current models, post 2000’s era manufacture, I have the Atlas Trainmaster and S2 which compare well to the Rapidos but I prefer the Rapido sounds, a little. I have three Genesis locomotives: a pair of GP 38-2 and a GP9 which in my opinion do not run quite as well as my Rapido stuff or the Atlas stuff but there is hardly any difference really. Possibly I could change the Genesis behaviour to be more to my liking if I knew enough about programming CV values.
One of my current favourites is a Lifelike Proto2000 GP9 with factory installed DCC and sound so not a lot of progress has actually been made since then would be my observation. Since the early 2000’s locomotive power has been very, very good as far as I can tell.
Rapido has a very good reputation (in general) for putting out high quality HO engines. Their SW1200’s have not been out on the market yet so there is no reviewer feedback on them yet. They are due out soon from what I understand.
I’ve got two of Rapido’s New Haven FL9’s, and one of their F40PH’s. Love them! Excellent runners (DCC/sound).
I’m feeling a little wary of the/my upcoming SW1200’s. Switchers are very crowded, internally. There’s no room for error in designed the drive.
One quibble I have with them is it LOOKS (judging from their decorated samples) like there’s going to be a noticeable joint between the exhaust stacks and the body.
I am ESPECIALLY hoping they get the colors right on the GN model–I can’t recall it ever happening on a plastic locomotive model. Usually the orange is too red and/or the striping is too bright and too yellow.
Regarding the rotary beacon: Rapido specifically points out there will be ones on top of both my BN and GN versions. I will be VERY disappointed if they are not working. They say there’s going to be working cab lights and classification lights, both of which are useless to me. The BEACON is not; it is very obvious during locomotive operation. My belief is that I will not be disappointed in this matter.
I suppose the words “cautiously optimistic” are applicable for me.
I bought one of their RDCs a few months ago. I liked it so much that I bought another. And then another. Good motor control, good sound, excellent detail and paint.
I don’t have any other Rapido products yet, but I’m sure my next engine purchase will be a Rapido.
As for the beacon, frankly I don’t see how they could economically make a true rotating beacon, especially when it isn’t even being used on most of the models. I’m guessing it’ll be a single stationary LED that gets gradually brighter then dimmer. That effect would look reasonably like a rotating beacon while also being easy to do. But if the beacon is a big deal to you, ask Rapido.
If I recall correctly, prototype manufacturers couldn’t economically make a true rotating beacon either in some cases. See the Prime beacons (8901, 8911, 8913 with Acutek ‘Stratolite 80’ domes) that have four light bulbs in a horizontal ‘square’ inside the housing that are sequentially switched like marquee chase lights to give the effect of rotation. Ed will have detailed pictures of the inside.
I suspect at least some of the existing ‘Mars light’ boards could be adapted to produce good ‘prototype’ appearance of operation… Ngineering sold boards that could drive 4 LEDs in the correct way, and I see no reason why the Rapido item (102106 as a ‘Rapido Bits’ part) couldn’t do the same – I am tempted to say for 25 bucks it had better! [:)]
I see models that use only 3 LEDs (Ngineering also has a board doing this) but I don’t know a prototype. Ed will.
All run great and the acceleration smoothness is the best of all, on par with my ScaleTrains units.
I had to open one of my SW 1200 RS to install its decoder (I bought by mistake a non-DCC unit that was in the wrong shelf at the LHS) and it has been very hard to open. Not a simple lift-the-hood operation !
Rapido did a quite funny self deprecating video showing how tricky this was to do. I like their style. It is very Canadian to poke fun at oneself when cracking jokes about others.
I am not Canadian. I know how and why it’s done like that up here but I’m just an amateur at Canadian style humour.
I could make a very strong argument that my GMD-1 is the best model engine I’ve ever owned in not-quite 50 years in the hobby.
Unfortunately, their video demonstration of the SW-1200s doesn’t include one with a rotary beacon, but given that it does show SP ones with a complete lighting package which includes 5 lights that all work, I’m confident the ones advertised with strobe lights have working strobes, not just a casting on the roof. (SP unit is at about 8 min. in.)
I have exchanged e-mails with Rapido at least 20 times. So I’m pretty familiar with their approachability.
For myself, I am committed to buy two SW1200’s*. If they come with a working beacon, that is great. If they don’t, I’ll have to install them. I believe they’re going to have working cab lights and other little lights sprinkled around. No complaint from me there, but if I had to choose, I’d pick a working beacon over those.
So, as I said, it’s a big deal for me (having a working beacon). Whatever they ARE going to do, is done. So nothing Rapido could say would be useful to me. So I won’t e-mail them this time.
One thing notably missing is “keep alive”. Switchers run at low speeds all by themselves, so getting past a bad pickup spot is more difficult for them.
Ed
I’ve been in love with GN SW1200’s since I photographed one in Williston around 1965. Walthers did one, but I was very wary of them getting the colors wrong. Hopefully, Rapido has done better/perfectly!
They should be working as all the beacons on past Rapido offerings were functional. In fact, they have the only proper Prime beacon flashing set up using 4 mini LED’s to give the sequentional flash pattern in these beacons. I would say the beacons will be functional with the proper flash pattern for either the earlier revolving style or the later solid state Prime(guessing that will be the style on the BN but it could be both as they sported both). Why not email Rapido or message them on FB if your on there? Mike