Interesting Rapido Blog Post...

[Cajonpassfan]

Geez, I don't know guys, KATO gave us four, count them FOUR, versions of the RDC, in TWO different lengths. Just how hard is it to paint/decal a stainless body for one's favorite road? We should all be so lucky with respect to other needed equipment....
Just sayin'?
Regards, Otto K.

[craigolio1]

Geez, I don't know guys, KATO gave us four, count them FOUR, versions of the RDC, in TWO different lengths. Just how hard is it to paint/decal a stainless body for one's favorite road? We should all be so lucky with respect to other needed equipment....
Just sayin'?
Regards, Otto K.

Agreed.  In HO Rapido is looking at besting a phase two unit that is from the 60's, 20ft too short, with a rubber band drive and no interior.  The next contender was a phase one unit which I don't know much about but based on the fact it was a Life-Like model I imagine left lots to be desired.

For us N scalers Kato gave us all four versions, with interiors, typical Kato run quality, and due to over production, or whatever, a drawer full of them at $30 a piece.  I own at least 10 RDC-1s and 3s.  Six of them have been modified to be phase two VIA and BCR units (or at least they are in the ends are in the process of it anyway).  I can honestly say that while I have purchased literally everything else Rapido has made in N scale, I don't think I'll get any of the RDCs if they do come to N scale.  They'll be $250 each which would mean I'd be into them for at least $1500.  I'm saving that for my N scale VIA Rail Canadian! 

Craig

[cv_acr]

Agreed.  In HO Rapido is looking at besting a phase two unit that is from the 60's, 20ft too short, with a rubber band drive and no interior.  The next contender was a phase one unit which I don't know much about but based on the fact it was a Life-Like model I imagine left lots to be desired.

They're Proto1000s, not old Life-Like trainset shlock, and they're not bad. We have a few of them at the club layout.

The bodies are decent, and they perform reasonably well, but they're 20 years old now, have the motors installed in the body shell (easy enough to hide on a -2 or -3 with baggage compartment, but problematic for the interior of an all-coach RDC-1) and only one truck actually powered and can occasionally have some pickup issues (although the worst issues we've had with them actually stemmed from their wheelbase being the exact "perfect" length to sit with the truck on either end directly on both dead frogs of a standard No. 6 crossover). We never did get to the point of trying to put sound in them either; since they sound more like a bus than a locomotive, there's no standard American decoders that have the sound for it; I don't think we ever found a sound decoder for a Budd car. Couple of the guys were looking into European diesel-hydraulic switcher sound decoders to see if there was anything close there.

But an all baggage-express RDC-4, which we need a pair of for the Sudbury-White River service, has never been done in HO save for some ancient brass runs. Life-Like only did the -1 through -3 - which is what Rapido is announcing in their initial announcement, but we really *need* those RDC-4s.

The decision has already been made however to replace the existing fleet with the Rapido cars.

[peteski]

Rapido RDC depict a different phase than Kato (and the old Roco/Con-Cor) models.  Rapido ones have smaller end windows and differently mounted headlight,  B&M owned both phases of those so I would love to see Rapido's version in N scale. But I'm not holding my breath.

[Puddington]

Right now we have no plans to produce an N scale RDC. As we say "we never say never at Rapido" but right now we have our go forward plans fairly set and the N scale RDC isn't on that list.

Very sorry to those who were hoping.

[bbussey]

Geez, I don't know guys, KATO gave us four, count them FOUR, versions of the RDC, in TWO different lengths. Just how hard is it to paint/decal a stainless body for one's favorite road? We should all be so lucky with respect to other needed equipment....
Just sayin'?
Regards, Otto K.

Including painted/unlettered if I remember correctly.

They also released BM in the Kobo line.

[Missaberoad]

Not nesesarily hoping or even thinking it was in the works. Just voicing my opinion that I would support such a product.

[sirenwerks]

Right now we have no plans to produce an N scale RDC. As we say "we never say never at Rapido" but right now we have our go forward plans fairly set and the N scale RDC isn't on that list.

Very sorry to those who were hoping.

If Rapido does, please consider doing the NP version of the RDC3, with the fluting that wraps around the front end.  And, if the single GN RDC3 becomes an option, remember it had that funky four window arrangement on the one side.

[ncbqguy]

Here we go again with the bleeping Boston & Maine RDC stuff.....

....I planned on doing Boston & Maine on the 2nd production.   Unfortunately, Tokyo insisted on double the numbers for each stock number for the first production and Kato USA was stuck with half the run until they dumped them.   As was pointed out most of the missed roads are a really simple decal job.

When planning production for the life of a model you can't do all the "best" roadnames in the first production and leave the "dogs" to the second production.   Also, another reason New Haven was selected over Boston & Maine for the first production is that we needed New Haven to justify the RDC4....B&M didn't have any and the two (modified) units that the M&StL had would not have justified tooling it.  Note that neither LifeLike nor Rapido had the chops to do an RDC4, even for the supposedly huge HO market....

Those wanting Phase II RDCs should contact the guy selling RDC bodies at Shapeways.   The ones he has rendered so far are kind of a Phase I 1/2 as they have the headlight but lack some of the fluting on the ends of the Phase II units. Note that the trucks for Phase II are different as well.  He does have the RDC9 so B&M guys should be making him a millionaire....

Charlie Vlk
Railroad Model Resources

[arbomambo]

Geez, I don't know guys, KATO gave us four, count them FOUR, versions of the RDC, in TWO different lengths. Just how hard is it to paint/decal a stainless body for one's favorite road? We should all be so lucky with respect to other needed equipment....
Just sayin'?
Regards, Otto K.

Otto,
couldn't have said this any better than you have...one really has to wonder sometimes...
~Bruce