Well, it finally happened.
Rapido has announced some stuff I may just want to buy, at a price that seems very reasonable.
The ALCO PA/PB and the EMD SW1200
And both will be offered undecorated in DC, just what I would want.
I have a small fleet of PA’s already, but this offering does have my interest. The SW1200 would literally be “brand new” on my layout, but they do fit the timeline.
Sheldon
Rapido’s order deadline is 12/2/2019 for Fall 2020 delivery.
Browsing around their site, I found the Meet The Team page. Hair is in everyone’s description. Too funny. [:D]
I have confidence in Rapido’s overall quality, and I love their management style. I highly recommend their youtube channel where you can see their sincerity to keep pushing themself to produce the best train and bus models. I believe there PA/PB will be the best version, though I still want to see the sample first before I place the preorder.
Oh dear, I should not have looked.
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Thanks Sheldon.
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-Kevin
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HA! I knew Jason would get you sooner or later Sheldon.[(-D]
The SW1200 was actually announced a year ago (2018) at Trainfest. They had a poster with the various roads/color schemes.
This year at Trainfest, they some undec shells (lots of variations). Very nice!
I have my preorders in…
Brent, Jason hasn’t got me yet but,came mighty close with the SW1200 but, I passed seeing I have 10 SWs already-
4 SW1500s,
a SW1000
SW1
2 SW7s
SW8
and a SW1200 plus Alco switchers…
One could say I am switcher poor.[:O]
The order deadline for the PA’s is May, I will have to give that some serious thought.
The SW is interesting, but not as much as the PA’s.
Neither is a need, but the PA’s are very tempting. I like passenger trains…
Sheldon
I’d say full speed ahead.
I’ve got three Rapido locos (FPA-2, SW1200RS, Royal Hudson), all DCC sound equipped. Compared to my Broadway Limiteds (which are still quite good) and MTHs (which are shelf queens), the Rapidos are top notch.
I’d have an order in for a set of Santa Fe AB PAs already, save that I need to know if they’re making the ten-wheelers or not. Budgets and such.
Stu
Well Stu, I have no reservations about Rapido quality, and I am likely to preorder some PA’s, but we all have different needs.
Mine will be undecorated and DC powered, to be painted and lettered for my ATLANTIC CENTRAL, no sound or DCC here.
In 52 years of modeling I have never owned a loco that said Santa Fe…I don’t model the Santa Fe, I’m not a collector, I only buy what fits the theme of my 1954 Mid Atlantic region layout.
I have some BLI steamers, but I would not give you a $1 for most of their diesels I have seen.
While I am happy with the seven BLI steamers I have, I am much more happy with the 35 Bachmann Spectrum steamers I have.
When it comes to era correct diesels for my layout, most are older Proto2000, Intermountain, and Genesis.
I’m very happy to see Rapido doing well and expanding their product line. But I’m not someone who replaces mod
Well, I’m actually a little teensy bit sad. I wanted “really good” Alco PA’s for so many years…once had a lot of fun with the Athearn blue box Alco PA’s on my home layout…have owned a few brass PA’s through the years (some had issues which is why they are gone). I basically had given up all hope of ever having “really good” HO Alco PA’s.
Now I’m firmly in the Conrail era, with lots of appropriate freight cars and motive power, and big blue Alco Centuries…years after the PA’s were gone from even freight service (well maybe except D&H).
I want to order some but at this late date I’m kinda like “what am I going to do with a PA?”…I only have one passenger car at all (Rapido D&H dome car).
I’ve got more big Alco/MLW’s on pre-order (Conrail actually leased a bunch) so don’t even really have spare funds.
John
I am told that many of the newer all-singing all-dancing DCC/sound locos are going to people who don’t want to get into their older engines for updating.
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Special motive power for your executive inspection train?
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That makes sense to me. If I were going to switch to DCC, I don’t know how much desire I would have to update all my locomotives. I am sure a few (maybe many) would be replaced.
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-Kevin
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I’m sure they are, for many it has become a RTR hobby. Personally, as stated above, I’m not into the singing and dancing, I still build/work on trains, and I don’t replace models I previously decided were acceptable.
Sheldon
Well John I guess my standards are much lower, I consider my Proto2000 PA’s as “really good”…
You know, I’m having some small regret in even starting this thread…
Sheldon
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And… as they switch to DCC, more unused DC equipment (especially brass steamers) becomes available for me.
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-Kevin
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Agreed, and if the right Proto2000 PA’s show up on Ebay tomorrow, at the right price, I would think long and hard about spending $400 on a set. Not that $400 is too much, but if you can get what you want for less…
This is the first time Rapido has made anything that temped me. And I respect the fact that they are willing to make undecorated DC locos.
All this chatter about sound and DCC, or “better quality” is beside the point.
Sheldon
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Yes… I will probably preorder an AB set of PA-2 locomotives in undecorated DC. I have only owned Athearn PAs, never a Proto 2000 model. This would be a serious upgrade for me. The fact I can have an accurate PA-2 is icing on the cake.
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I have always loved the fact that Rapido supports the DC/Undecorated/No Sound market. Now that they are making something I truly desire, this will be a happy purchase for me to make.
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-Kevin
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I have asked Rapido a few questions that will determine if I am truly interested, more to follow.
Sheldon
Well… this has been a frustrating 30 minutes. I decided to preorder the PA2/PB2 set, and my wife is on board, I need to get the pre-order in right away.
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I went to Rapido’s site and set up a new account.
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I made it to the check out procedure, but I keep getting a message that there is an error and I need to re-enter my credit card account information.
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I called Chase after the third failure, and they show no record of a transation attempted from Rapido, and no transactions have been denied by Chase.
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I guess their system is glitching… maybe I will try again later.
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-Kevin
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