I just received my newsletter from Rapido and they are now taking orders for thier HO steam engine.
While, I do not like preordering I have no problems with preordering from Rapido. I have a couple of sets of the Canadian as well as a number of CN diesel engines and also a set of their HO passenger series cars finished in the 1954 green and black colours.
I can only say that thier diesel locomotives are among the best available. The quality of their passenger cars is at a higher level of detail than any others that I have ever bought. As the Canadian passenger set goes it is indeed “museum quality” as indicated in Model Railroaders review of the set.
I had a couple of minor incidents with some of the items, nothing major, and Rapido made good immediately with replacments.
The Royal Hudson is the first in their steam offering and if their steam engines are anyway as detailed as their desiels the competion had better get ready to match the Rapido steamers as they are produced and come online.
Anyone here ready to order the Rapido steam engines as they are brought to market. The only constraint with these engines is that they will all be of either the CNR or CPR railroads.
Following the release of the Royal Hudson, Rapido will be releasing two 4-6-0’s, one each in the CNR and CPR versions. I will be buying a few sets of those for sure.
I’ve had similar experience with Rapido by making things right when slight (or in one case major!) shipping problems arose. I have some of their first release passenger cars that took quite a bit of fussing to get them to track well but otherwise, they’re beautiful. The UA Turbotrain is also fun to run every now-and-then.
I was disappointed that I dropped the ball on the complete Canadian train but I did score the Park series car which is astounding with the level of detail (etched partition glass and antimacassars on the seats).
I have a pair of the F-40PHs and they are among my favorite engines and I’m awaiting (today, I hope) the delivery of a Penn Central Blue and Yellow (that’s the way I remember them in the early 1970s) FL-9.
So, for the steam, I’m holding out for a GTW U4b (2022! Yikes, I’ll also have to budget for a wheel chair lift to the layout basement).
I commend Jason, the two Dans and the rest of the Rapido crew for all the work they put into every project they jump into!
I’m glad to see the Royal Hudson on the erecting floor already! Great News!
I agree with all that has been said, I believe that what is produced by Rapido is some of the finest quality models ever made. Living in the U.K. we have a lot of modellers that build continental europe railways and it was said for a long time that Fleischmann were the Rolls Royce of european models, if that is the case then Rapido are surely the Rolls Royce of North American models.
I have several of their models and would recommend them to anyone. Now they are embarking on a range of less costly, Prime Mover loco’s starting with a Dash8 ‘draper taper’ no less quality but you add the bits provided and the decoder goes in the fuel tank, clever these canadians eh!
There ain’t a doubt in my military mind that Rapido will do themselves proud with any steamer they offer, and I intend to get at least two. I’ll wait for the 2816 Hudson model and either a 2-8-2 or a 4-6-2, but the versions gussied up a bit for passenger service.
