The track comes with joiners too!
http://www.rapidotrains.com/track.html
Too bad I’m done for now. After twelve boxes of Shinohara, I don’t need any more. Based on Rapido’s other products I would sure be willing to give it a try.
Maybe they will include switch machines with their turnouts when they start making them.[:-^][(-D]
Way to go boys.[tup]
Hmm, sounds exactly like Atlas flex in reagrds to their description of how it bends and flows. What they don’t have are details ont he cross section - the say “compatible with all major brands” but Atlas and ME Code 83 have greatly different cross sections and you can;t just slip on some joiners and match them up. So is the Rapido track the same as Atlas, the same as ME, or somewhere in between? Guess we need someone to buy a piece and tell us.
–Randy
If you click on the link also click on the one marked “The guy with a train in his basement”. … Looks like Jason Shron is a train nut! …
Now
I wonder
If Rapido can keep it in stock, unlike Atlas.
We’ll have to wait and see.
Anybody who tries it, give us a report, pelase!
[8-|]
Go ahead Randy, buy some and do let us know.[:-^]
$7.50 per Code 83 3ft section, $7.75 for Code 100.
I will be interested to see what price Atlas charges once they have their production back in order.
Dave
Does anyone else have MR’s How to Build Realistic Reliable Track? On the back cover there is a Rapido ad saying “Track. Coming to HO scale in 2010.” So, was the production delayed?
I’ve been wondering ever since why the track wasn’t advertised again after that.
Looks to me like Rapido’s trying to split the difference between Atlas and Micro Engineering in work-ability and appearance both. I’m not sure yet what I think of it. It looks a lot like Atlas to me. The bit about being “compatible with all major brands of switches and crossings” is vague in that all brands common in HO have different rail cross sections, and the tie thickness on Atlas is greater than other brands. If Rapido’s rail matches up well with Atlas, it won’t work as nicely with Shinohara or Micro Engineering.
Given the known shortcomings of other brands of turnouts and crossings, there’s an opportunity for Rapido to enter the market with a full line of track products and provide some worthwhile competition.
well i found this on their Track page
“With the exception of some accessory items, all Rapido Trains Inc. products are produced strictly to reservations placed before the appropriate order deadlines. Avoid missing out by reserving in advance with your dealer. To make sure that you do not miss a deadline - sign up for our newsletters”
To me this is got me worried that you have to prebook all of the track.
In his product announcement he said he will only sell it to dealers. So the pre-order is less of a hassle.
Atlas has already shipped both Code 83 and Code 100 flex and it is available now, so you can see the price.
I just checked Code 83 at ModelTrainstuff – 24 bucks for 5 sticks. With shipping, I think that would still less than 6 bucks per piece. Atlas Code 100 is cheaper, 20 bucks for 5 sticks plus shipping. It does not look like Rapido will be lower cost than Atlas.
MODEL POWER $2.80 / stick THAT Is how LIONS buy Tracks!
ROAR
I like Rapido as a company, even though they have yet to make anything my layout needs. But I wonder if this is really a wise move for a company this young in this age of the “preorder”?
Yes, Atlas had a small, temporary supply problem - they have big bucks - they fixed it.
I hope for his sake Jason is not biting off more than he can chew…
“Given the known shortcommings of other brands…”
Well, that is a matter of opinion. I have been at this for 40 years, and ready to use track and turnouts have never been better - except maybe for Tru-Scale Ready Track, high speed turnouts and all.
I have used Tru-Scale, hand layed my track, used Walthers/Shinohara, and used lots of Atlas.
How are they going to do that? They don’t own the factory.
Sheldon
None of the available plastic tie RTR turnouts, in HO at least, meet all applicable NMRA standards (unless something’s changed since the last time I bought turnouts). They can’t carry the NMRA seal for conformance. I’ve used Atlas codes 100 and 83, Shinohara/Walthers and ME. All of them have problem areas revealed by checking with an NMRA standards gauge. Proper tuneup can make most of them work quite well, but a product that was 100% compliant out of the package would be nice.
If you like the appearance of ME track, it can be used everywhere you don’t need a turnout besides a #6. I use a lot of it, and insert #8 or larger turnouts of other brands, Central Valley kits, or handlaid where a #6 won’t do. I like the current ME #6, so have installed several even though I needed quite a few #8s too.
I also use Walthers (code 83) and Shinohara (code 70) flex along with ME. The difficulty in flexing doesn’t bother me as a trade off for appearance. Your priorities may vary.
They did say in the announcement that they will be having new batches produced every month, so it should always be either in stock or on its way. No pre-ordering necessary, unless of course you want to put it in order right now for the first shipment in September. It seems the delay from the original planned 2010 release was related to the recession.
I’ll be interested to see how the stuff is in person. It does look good, and from the description it does seem they’re intending to go for a happy medium between scale appearance and functionality/durability.
I know Jason is around on this forum from time to time, so I expect he’ll pop in here with some answers to other questions soon.
Jason mentioned in an email that track will be a regular production item, so you don’t need to preorder. Not like people can forego track… The prices are also suggested, not mandatory.
He also mentions they planned on track back in '10, but the way things went, the price would have been ten or more dollars so that wasn’t going to work. Since then the manufacturer has redesigned/improved the original Rapido design, which can be made cheaper, so Jason decided that, after seeing samples, he had a competitive product.
I would like to know what focus group came up with the name.
He also decided to include rail joiners…
Well, Kalmbach was already using Mr. Flexxy, so Mr. Bendy was the next best option.
–Randy
One thing that caught my attention in the Rapido announcement was the statement that the rail will hold better to the ties, thanks to better spiking,
If that proves true, Rapido will prove better than Atlas in that respect.
I cannot recall how often I have used CA adhesive to glue loose rails back down onto the ties on Atlas turnouts and flex track. It doesn’t take much to loosen the hold on Atlas track.
Rich
Interesting - never had that problem.
Sheldon