I saw my first ones at the LHS yesterday. They were marked at $45. I was impressed by the fine detail but I don’t think they look that much better than Walthers lightweights which I can get from Trainworld for half the price. Besides, if you have just a few cars like that, it makes the rest look like garbage by comparison. I’m not prepared to replace my whole fleet so I’ll just pass on these for now.
It’s not about how much better they look than Walthers. The intent of Rapido’s owner was to produce passenger cars based on Canadian prototypes. The benefit for the rest of us is that these Rapidos are very similar to some of the cars found on U.S roads.
I understand your point, but why would you have to replace your whole fleet? I have newer Walthers Budd cars and older Rivorossi Budds. The Walthers look much better, but instead of junking the Rivorossi’s I’ve elected to repaint (metalize) the body shells and weather the underframes. They look nice coupled with the Walthers cars.
BTW: Look at some prototype photos of passenger trains of the past. UP, Pennsy, Norfolk & Western, Milwaukee Road, New Haven. They were not all “postcard perfect”. Some of these trains were composed of clean, glistening cars, mixed with cars that were in need of paint jobs or scrapping, especially during the 1960s. Heavyweights and streamliners were also used in the same trains.
I have three Waltners heavyweights (NYC) and find that they are very nice. Judging only from photos I have seen, the Rapidos look to be about the same in quality, a bit more detailed. Can’t say much about the paint since I have never examined one up close. I agree, though, that one should not have to discard other cars merely to place an appropriate Rapido or three on one’s layout. Unless, of course, there is a clear and glaring disparity…even then, I would like to have the best that I can afford. Even if it can only be one every six months.
I guess it is kind of like having sound in your locomotives. I was very happy with my old locos that had no sound but when I got the first sound equipped loco, it made all the rest seem less realistic. Now I want to have sound in everything. Almost all the new locos I buy have factory sound and I am in the process of retrofitting the rest with sound decoders and speakers. I’m just afraid that if I buy these high end passenger cars, I’ll be less satisfied with what I already own. They look fine by themselves but if they are in the same consist with the new Rapidos, I think they will suffer by comparison.
At least one or two reviews I’ve read have said the Rapido cars are probably the most detailed RTR cars ever produced in HO. Can’t think of any other models that have the hopper chutes for the toilets !! [:O]
I think as far as them being TOO good to run with other cars, I guess it depends on what you’re doing. My freelance road runs from the US into Canada, so I was thinking of getting some of these cars to run together on a train for my road. Since they would basically just be running with each other, I don’t think it would cause a problem for my Rivarossi, Athearn and Walthers cars.
I’ve not seen the Rapido Cars yet. Been to a few LHS in my area and no one carries them.
I bought some Used P2K NYC Lightning Stripe E-8’s a few years ago. I go them because the detail was SO nice. Just the opening doors blew me away. I have yet to convert these to DCC. I keep my MRC Power Pak just to run them.
I would love to have the funds to do a really nice NYC Passender train. I try and get the Walther’s as I find them.
I heard on this Forum that the shop I visit in NJ stocks these, so I can’t wait to do a road trip.
Chris
Yes, I surely do understand. At some point in one’s life of MRR, though, everything evolves…your example of sound is one of them. And, by your own admission, returning to silent running is unthinkable. Why? Once you answer that question from the point of general rationale, the very same logic should apply to your interest in “bettering” everything else, even if it came to eventually giving up on DCC and introducing your locos to its next evolution or its replacement. Passenger cars are just #14 on the list, behind amazing turnouts (Fast Tracks or your own handlaid), improved flextrack and joiner system (?), locos that get their power by microwave (?), and any other improvements that add so much to the enjoyment of the hobby by those who don’t build everything from smelting their own iron and on up.
Why not allow yourself the pleasure, as the CEO and COO of your road,of being able to afford occasional replacements to your aging passenger fleet? The morning commuters would have their noses pressed to the window, using their sleaves to wipe the condensation that prevents them from admiring the sleek new coach on the next track over that is to enter service next week. Rumours are that another three are on the way.
Do you like my sweet-talking?
I got one of the Milw. Rd. duplex sleepers and they match perfectly with my heavy weights. The colors are almost identical compared to the walthers. The other thing makes these cars so nice is that they have lighting and it’s really nice. It doesn’t flicker. They run really nice and the detail is a loot more than the Walthers. You really need to give it a look to understand.
Happy railroading[(-D]
James
I have a VIA Rail one, bought in Nanaimo last time I was down to the Island.
It is very nice and will be a good foundation for my short VIA train. Paint is very good, detail superb. Will I get rid of the other passenger cars I have, in CP? No, why would I? They look fine to me.
Here’s a couple of shots on Rapido’s website:
Here is a couple of close up shots…
Why not grab some detail parts from your LHS and up grade the older stuff? Is everybody so spoiled with RTR that you can’t glue on a few parts, add an interior, lighting kit, etc? Geesh. This is model railroading afterall.
I got one of the GN sleepers. Sadly, the roof grabs were installed crooked and the paint around some of the windows wasn’t “registered” properly. I think perhaps Rapido should pay a bit more attention to the production stage of the process.
Ed
My UP Rapido lightweight coach is presently coupled between a Walthers HW diner and a Bachmann Spectrum HW observation. Unless you look real close, it does not “ruin” having other brand cars in the consist, but it sure would make IHC or Athern cars look bad! MRPO in West Milford NJ sold me mine for $39.98, their regular price, which includes the interior & lighting. Lighting was included with the Bachman, but it is spotty - uneven, and lighting was extra cost on the Walthers, but more even. The Rapido lighting represents flourescent lights, the others represent incandescent. It is a much better car, but it will not “ruin” your other cars in normal operations.[8D]
One thing I noticed about these cars was the individual window shades. Can they be raised and lowered? What would really be cool if that could be done externally with a magnet. Or am I thinking too far outside the box.
This is my biggest beef about the cars, the shades are printed on the window and can not be changed. How many passenger cars had shades that even?
I hope the next run will be user applied shades so some variety can be added.
Pathfinder,
You bring up an interesting point about window shades. But, while it’s not typical that window shades would all be in the same position on the prototype, it’s likely very cost effective for Rapido’s producer to have the shades pre-printed on the windows.
This is only my opinion:
While it’s a very cool idea, movable window shades (how would they be installed?) would definetly add to the cost of these cars. When you have small, movable parts on model railroad rolling stock there’s that headache of a chance that these parts on some of the cars may fall off or become damaged during the shipping process to distributors and/or hobby shops. Let’s face it…our friends at UPS, Fed Ex, and the U.S Postal Service are not always gentle with packages; especially since they’re under pressure to deliver quickly.[sigh]
Some customers would not want to take cars apart to perform the simple repairs, so they return the car(s) back to the LHS and demand a swap. The store’s owner either repairs the problem or ships the car back to the manufacturer. I could be wrong, but perhaps this is why the windows have printed curtains.
High Greens [swg]
My LHS is having a 20% off sale and I was thinking about buying a few of the NYC Rapidos but knowing what I know now about the window shades made the decision for me. I think it would have been far better to leave this detail off completely than to have all of them printed in exactly the same halfway down position. It’s as if everyone on the car is obsessive compulsive. Making them moveable probably would have made them prohibitively expensive, but if they had to preprint them on the windows, why not do it realistically and print them in a variety of positions including having some completely raised which I would consider the normal position anyway. When I ride a train, I want to see the world go by and would only pull the shades when the sun was low to the horizon and right in my face.
This is an aside to the comments above, but if it were me, I would paint them to suit my taste. All one needs is a mix formula, although complete accuracy would have some of the shades recently replaced and therefore not faded…ergo, some colour variation.
Have you seen what PCM’s doing with their HO Daylight passenger cars?
Those things are selling from $75-$150 A piece! (Well some are properly articulated…)
They only show one car, but the look really good!