UP Rapido passenger cars

[up1950s]

I just got the 11 car UP offering yesterday . This is the new top shelf in most if not all opinions to which I agree . For those who haven't had their roads produced yet , I hope your day comes for you will be so glad you have chosen to stay in N Scale . Thank you Rapido for setting a higher N Scale level of excellence in passenger cars .

[lock4244]

Yup, it's a good time to be in N with Mfg's like Rapido, FVM, BLMA, ESM. Nothing against the established guys like Atlas, Athearn, IM, Kato, and the like (without whom N scale would suck), these guys are breathing new life into N and pushing the scale beyond the dreaded foob (the Rapido cars are accurate for CN at least).

On the subject, just got my filthy little mitts on the BLMA PS2. Nice...

[CBQ Fan]

Interesting menu bar under the video.   ???

[Chris333]

LOL  Lucky baby.

[Nato]

      While I have to agree ther Rapido has raised the bar considerably, I need to point out that these cars are based on Canadian National Prototypes. Yes I suckered for two of the UP cars one coach and one sleeper. UP only owned one Duplex sleeper, built in 1937 for the City Of Los Angeles it was transferred to the City Of San Francisco in 1941 and was sold to the SP in 1949 when joint ownership of cars used on the streamliners apportioned various cars to the three roads UP.SP C&NW. This car looked very similar to PRR's Pre War Duplex cars. The car names that Rapido have used on this car "Western" series was actually found on ACF cars built in 1949 for service on the City Of St. Louis which contained 4 bedrooms and 12 roomettes. Wabash owned two identical cars which later went to N&W.These sleepers were later rebuilt into all bedroom cars by UP. The Rapido coach does not closely match UP cars either which mostly had paired windows, not large long ones, however rebuilt heavyweight cars did get windows like this when streamlined, and Wabash had similar looking cars used on the City Of St. Louis. I also recieved Chicago & North Western painted cars. North Western did own duplex sleepers, and while the room arrangement is not quite the same these cars make excellent stand-ins and are painted in the original C&NW yellow and green paint scheme with black outlining around lettering and numbers. Quite nice. C&NW coaches built new for the railroad had smaller paired windows, but the road did buy some second hand cars with larger windows ,but I'am not sure if they were in the early paint scheme, or just the later one with simplified yellow lettering. Wheels on Rapido cars still seem to be a problem,Rapido sent me a bunch of replacement ones when my first run cars suffered from severe wobbeling and bouncing around. The Milwaukee cars I recieved several months ago still had this problem,atleast mine did. Maybe Fox Valley 36 wheels would be the answer. Nate Goodman (Nato). Salt Lake, Utah.

[up1950s]

Not being knowledgeable about passenger cars helps keep a happy smile on my face . To me I see maybe a dozen or so passenger cars , such as obs , coach , baggage , Pullman , etc ; in streamline , corrugated side , clerestory , and less that 85' etc . Dumb and happy , especially with N scale passenger cars saves loads of disappointments . It must be a real PIA for all those smart enough , and demanding enough to string together a prototypical passenger train . I wonder how many have such a train in N scale ?

[Puddington]

I am one of the dummies...........

Currently I have the following prototypically correct (or damn near close)

CPR Dominion
F7A F7B F7B power
40' express reefer, 40' express box car, ex silk car express car
curved side full baggage, cureved side RPO express
2 x 2200 series curved side coaches 2 x HW coaches (paired window, not single as needed)
HW parlor car
A class dining car
4 x 12-1 non A/C N and S class sleepers
"Dale" class 10-5 sleeper, "Grove class 10-5 sleeper
"Cape" Series Observation - sleeper- solarium
"Mountain" observation car

I need to add two grove sleepers and I'd like an 8-1-2 Glen series and I will have a complete Dominion

Canadian National Continantal (pre 1961)

F3A F3 B and/or FP7A and F7B power
40' express baggage boxcar 40' express reefer
1 x 80' HW baggage express 1 x 60 ft ss bagage express 1 x full RPO 1 x 64' RPO
2 x C&CF smooth side coahces 2 x HW coaches
3 x 12-1 non a/c sleepers
2 x 22 roomette duplex sleepers
1 observation sleeper

I need a HW dining car ( I have a foobie) and a club-lounge car, plus a few 10-5 sleepers

Canadian National (post 1961 Super Continental)

FP9A F9 B F9B power
Steam geenrator car
2 x 40' Box car Express
83' full baggage express
60' bagagge dormitory
2 x C&CF ss coahes
1 x club-galley car
1 scenic dome
LT wt dining car
2 x 22 roomette duplex sleepers (E class)
1 x 24 roometter slepper (I) class
2 x 4-4-2 sleeper "Cove class"
1 x 10-5 ss sleeper
1 skytop observation car

I need a new dome (Stillman sheel) a new club galley (brass side) and two brass side Dayniter coaches to complete the consist.

All cars are either correct RTR's (ie: rapido's) or a kitbashed , brass side, resin sheels ar scratch built...This has taken 8 years to get to this point.....

Richie hit the nail on the head..."dummy".................... ;D

[ljudice]

There was a discussion on another forum last week in which someone seems to reveal inside info that the next Kato set is a transition era UP train...

Personally, I'd like to see some more attention to modern business trains, but I can see how its a slippery slope down prototype mania as a few complete trains get released these days...

[bbussey]

... It must be a real PIA for all those smart enough , and demanding enough to string together a prototypical passenger train . I wonder how many have such a train in N scale ?

I'm striving for that.  With New Haven, I don't have much choice since most of the equipment utilized was unique.  Once Rapido produces the PBLWs in N scale, a lot of gaps will be filled.  Currently, I'm working on the following consists:

Owl - 5 of 9 cars done for the consist.  Had 7 of 9, but the CA+ I thought was cured reacted with the Alcad paint when I put the cars in the consist box so they have to be redone.

Yankee Clipper - 3 of 10 cars done.  Most difficult left to do is the "Flying" series observation, which is longer than the standard 85' and has a short porch in the back.  Waiting on future MTL heavyweights to kitbash that and the diner.

Merchants Limited - Only 1 of 9 cars done, lots of American Flyer style cars in this train.

Cranberry - Got the engine, waiting on the Rapido cars.

Montrealer/Washingtonian - 3 of 10 cars done, another 4 in progress.

Federal - my favorite consist and the one I'm concentrating on currently.  7 of 11 cars done, another 2 in progress.

Local #58 - 6 car consist I have yet to start.

Local #64 - 3 of 7 cars done.

I have the diesel motive power for all except the FL9s for Local #64.  The electric motors, that's another story.  I've figured out how to turn a Kato GG1 into a EP-3, but I have to get the brass body parts etched to build it.

[Guilford Guy]

The East Wind had a spiffy consist and that ran on the New Haven from New York to Worcester. That would look spiffy in N although I'm not sure how far the streamlined consist made it into the diesel era. Perhaps a Model Power 4-6-2 bashed into an I-4?

[CBQ Fan]

There was a discussion on another forum last week in which someone seems to reveal inside info that the next Kato set is a transition era UP train...

Personally, I'd like to see some more attention to modern business trains, but I can see how its a slippery slope down prototype mania as a few complete trains get released these days...

It always seems like the photos/videos I see of the current train is made up of business cars and converted baggage cars.  It would make for an odd model offering.

[ljudice]

The UP probably has the largest business car fleet and can actually be modelled to some degree:

 - Kato smoothside dome cars are close or exactly right
 - Kato diner is an exact match for 1-2 UP cars
 - Kato coach is close or exact
 - Kato baggage car is close or exact

Some of these cars are exactly like their original "in service" look. Others have satellite radomes for TV and Internet, etc... , ventilation modifications, etc...

Some of the missing cars like the power cars, conference cars and the inspection cars are actually available in brass from OMI (sold out) or LookModel - who make them to order - for a pretty reasonable cost, especially if you follow their regualar "sales" and promotions.

UP makes up consists depending on need - but for example the Engineering Department annual tour usually has 4 dome cars, a diner, an inspection car and apower car...

[Nato]

  As a Passenger Train Fanzee (nut) first and foremost I have a gadzillion passenger trains.Some are those Con Cor Limited Edition sets that made due with what cars were available even if they were stand-ins,because where else were we going to get say the Steam Powered Alton Limited ,Central of Jersey Blue Comet etc. Now as more proto correct or close to it cars come out I upgrade to try and make the trains closer to proto. Thats what I'am doing with my SP Lark, whose Kato Cars were custom painted for me before Kato offered that scheme now that IM Centraillia correct cars are availible to fill out consists. I can run several UP Streamliners or Domeliners from various eras that are nearly correct, and different era Empire Builder's and an NP NCL . I have over the years spent money on Brass sets and cars, SF Trains, Cal Zeph,Denver Zeph, Olympian Hiawatha for example. Then there are the nice Kato sets CZ,Pooper Chief,El Cap. and several Japanese trains. However I will still buy a car like the UP Rapido sleeper eventhough I know it ain't correct, because it is so nicely detailed and painted. I dId kit bash some cars years ago won a RMC Dremmel prize for a CZ dome obs car. I bashed a similar car for a CP Rail Canadian train. I say to each his own when it comes to passenger trains, if it looks enough like what your road ran that is ok with me eventhough I may notice your incorrect cars. I too am waiting for Rapido to do the NH Bradley Cars so I can start doing an NH Train. Nate Goodman (Nato).

[bbussey]

The East Wind had a spiffy consist and that ran on the New Haven from New York to Worcester. That would look spiffy in N although I'm not sure how far the streamlined consist made it into the diesel era. Perhaps a Model Power 4-6-2 bashed into an I-4?

Easier to bash a shrouded streamlined J3a Hudson into an I-4.  But you need Rapido's future PBLWs to represent the New Haven portion of the train.

[jmlaboda - RIP]

Puddington has been very gracious to share some of his passenger car models... how 'bout some of you others doing the same?  I'd love to see what's been done, especially so the NH cars.