Rapido FL9s in the house!

[bobdobbs]

Solved the whining noise, running this on Atlas code 55, the whining was coming from the fore and aft MU hoses, they extend down to the rail heads, as the track undulates up and down (I suck at laying track) the hoses were scraping, making an odd whine, going around curves, the hoses were not over the railheads, no noise.  Solution- get some very sharp sprue cutters and remove a tiny fraction of the ends of the MU lines, say 1/4 of a MM did it for me.  No noise.  I guess you could run the unit for a very long time until the hoses wore down, but I am impatient.  Oh BTW the wheel Flanges on the Rapido FL9 are the finest I have seen in any plastic model, very nice, and it runs perfectly on my Atlas code 55, wheel gauges were dead on.

[jmlaboda - RIP]

If you look at Atlas engines the street price point for DCC equipped engines is about 125.00, the street price of the FL9 with DCC is 129.00, but in a DCC equipped Atlas or Bachman, I get the decoder installed in the engine.

Price comparisons really are not possible here because of the level of detail found on the FL9, which way surpasses Atlas and Bachmann.  As it stands right now they are the leading company doing such detail, though there has been an ongoing thread about Scale Trains being a "game changer".  I would say that Rapido has already proven itself in more than one way as being a "game changer" in its own right.  Higher quality equals higher price, which often in the past (siting Concor here) wasn't the case.

[Nato]

                     :|I received my three direct from Rapido, cost was slightly more then going through online dealers, but worth every penny. Yes the level of detailing is among the best I have seen on any N Scale model, brass or plastic, ordered an as delivered locomotive, a rebuild with out the small pantograph, and a non sound locomotive. Yes I too was surprised as a DCC Duel Mode Decoder installed was promised, but sending away for a decoder to self install is just as good. My DC locomotive runs very nicely on my layout which is DC Wireless using CVP system. I love the way the backup light also works directionally. The two DCC Sound locomotives have the standard crank the throttle way up, hear sound and then the locomotive speeds away, but can be throttled back to a decent speed, you get an abrupt stop you cannot slow down. This is ok as I know they will operate beautifully with DCC wireless (NCE) on the Wasatch N Scale layout at shows. I have always been a fan of these locomotives so I had to get several of these to operate on my Western United States (Utah) UP, SP, other roads layout. I' am sure Mike is smiling watching us unwrap our packages, place them on the track and listen to them rev up and move out.                                                                           Nate Goodman (Nato). Salt Lake, Utah. 

[unittrain]

All this talk of the quality of these units finally got me to purchase a PC unit, for freight service on my early Conrail Cleveland Pittsburgh line through Ohio. The quality of these warrants considering an alternate reallity besides PC had odd lashups so maybe not too far of a stretch.

[peteski]

So, does this model have separately-installed grabs (or will Scale Trains still be the fist one to do that in N scale, other than few even earlier models from other manufacturers)? 

[jmlaboda - RIP]

Separate grabs and all...

[bbussey]

Just about a separate everything.  Grabs, rear ladder, roof piping, panto, hooded hancock whistle and pedestal, winterization hatch, steam generator dome, MU connections front and back, coupler levers and probably others I'm forgetting about.  The parts diagram sheet is mind-boggling.

[ljudice]

They sound awesome and I'm starting to think I should squirrel some away in case the wife really decides it's time to leave NJ when the kids are out
of school here and I end up with a new basement.  Late NH/PC era has always held fascination for me....

[OldEastRR]

Just about a separate everything.  Grabs, rear ladder, roof piping, panto, hooded hancock whistle and pedestal, winterization hatch, steam generator dome, MU connections front and back, coupler levers and probably others I'm forgetting about.  The parts diagram sheet is mind-boggling.

Wondering if Rapido sells those parts separately. Couldn't find it on their webpage, but if you click on their "American Ambassadors of Rapido" icon (under "uncategorized) you'll find a very interesting photo. 

Hey! They're doing HO FA2s! Maybe they'll do N scale ones!

[Mr Z]

I got mine yesterday an a little time to play with it. Very impressed with both the model and the sounds.

For those who have the sound version, have you tried pressing F15 and F16 yet?

Martin Z

[Mr Z]

Hey! They're doing HO FA2s! Maybe they'll do N scale ones!

Being Rapido, I wonder if a FPA4 might be more likely.

Martin Z

[jmlaboda - RIP]

Hey! They're doing HO FA2s! Maybe they'll do N scale ones!

Being Rapido, I wonder if a FPA4 might be more likely.

This was discussed some among a few (Puddy+) back when they first announced the FA2s and FPA4s in HO but the problem is this... does a market actually exist that could justify the heavy investment?  Doubtful at best, especially with the Life-Like models being able to be found often on eBay.  Folks would often prefer something priced more like them than the cost that would be involved in bringing new models to market.  Would love to see it myself but don't think that there is enough modelers out there to justify such.

[OldEastRR]

. does a market actually exist that could justify the heavy investment?  Doubtful at best, especially with the Life-Like models being able to be found often on eBay.  Folks would often prefer something priced more like them than the cost that would be involved in bringing new models to market. 

OK, maybe you're satisfied by the DCC-less LifeLike metal frame FA2s or like even better the bendy-plastic-framed blob weighted ones because they're cheap, but I'M not satisfied by them. We get Centipedes and FL9s but there wouldn't be a market for FA2s? Seems like "there isn't a market for it" is a pretty hollow argument when we're getting "mooing cow" stock cars and TWO versions of horse cars. Is that so we can model the PRR's famous "Barnyard Limited"?

[bbussey]

Makes no sense to produce an FA2 in N, as Jerry stated.

[wpsnts]

I'm in for some FA-2's.