Rapido Trains has just released the new road names and paint schemes they threadened we would not see unless they recieved enough pre orders. Here is my brief evaluation. Keep in mind that the two cars Dayniter Coach and Duplex Sleeper are CN prototypes and do not stand in really well for some of the U.S. roads. My two CP coaches are really nice, the color looks very correct having seen some of the real CP LW coaches with their curved sides several times and having ridden on them on the Royal Hudson Train in BC a couple of times. The Maroon color is a nice dark almost purple color instead of the often mis done Tuscan Red color or the Redish Brown color found on Walthers Soo Line baggage car. Illinois Central cars have Orange color that looks too pale and flat compaied to the brighter Orange found on both Life Like's E Units and Con Cor cars that were painted to match. The Gold striping on the Rapido cars is nice ,both LL & Con Cor used a brighter yellow color. The car name "Banana Road"on my sleeper was on a Pre War non duplex sleeper built in 1941 for the Panama Limited. I was fortunate to be in Chicago a couple of times in the late 1960's and saw IC cars and the Orange did look zippier . The Erie cars in two tone Green appear quite nice,but the colors are a bit subdued compaired to Life Like's E-8 diesel and Con Cor Green cars. Not ever having seen the prototype cars in green execpt in books I really cannot say which manufacturer is correct. One of my favorite sleeper names (sounds like a Harry Potter Character) "Eleazear Lord" a historical figure is on one of the sleepers. Of course Erie had no duplex sleepers. Lastly we have Milwaukee Road cars painted in Union Pacific colors. These cars are quite well done and the sleeper looks enough like MLW duplex cars to be a good stand in. coming soon I hope ,Missouri Pacific "Jenks Blue" cars with white striping and lettering. Nate Goodman (Nato). Salt Lake, Utah.
