At long last my A-A set of the new FP9’s arrived. One of the locomotives was from the last set produced so I have had to wait quite a while before the second locomotive was delivered.
Not only are they great looking the sound is very good for HO given its restraints.
The lighting is directional, the numberboards are lit and there are also classification lights.
The engines have excellent pulling, my 8 car consist has no problems with my 2% grade. No if only CN would produce a tail end car.
Don, magnificent! May prove to be the finest detailed and running yet.
The Rapido units are replaceing a set of Intermountain FP9’s. I had no complaints with the Intermountain units at all. However, the amount of detail on the Rapido units is exactly what the CN locomotives were outfitted with.
Having had purchased the Rapido CP Canadian and seeing the standard of detail that Rapido puts into their products I just had to bring my CN roster up to the same standard.
As I said, the Intermountain units were fine, they are just as detailed as the Genesis models, but neither of them are modeled on reproducing exact replica’s of Canadian locomotives.
Walthers Proto, Atherean Genesis and the Intermountain engines are very close in what they offer, but I decided that my Railroad deserved models of real Canadain locomotives and not generic models as offered by these manufacturers. Both steam and diesel engines on my layout are modeled on specific Canadan engines.
My model railroad layout’s steam roster is now all fine quality engines manufactured by Totem, Overland, PFM, Van Hobbies, Division Point and Tenshodo.