Rapido FL9s in the house!

[JSL]

No fooling there is tooling! 

[coosvalley]

OK, sooo...Arnold made an Alco S2, but, they had not made any in a long time so Atlas made an S2, and it seems to be a hit....Lifelike/WKW made an Alco FA2, but have not made one in a long time, so another FA2 would be , not a good choice?......I don't understand this logic

I don't think Rapido needs to, or should make an FA though, there are better models that fit their Canadian company better..maybe an RS18(oh wait, Lifelike/WKW again...arrrggg!)....

I think we need to either get WKW to release some N-scale models, or officially retire their models(either seeming unlikely), so we can have those models "back in play"......I could really uses some GP-18s, or C424s....

[Missaberoad]

No fooling there is tooling! 

I noticed your blog!
So much for the no demand argument

Any more info you can share?
Btw i love the windshield glass!

[bbussey]

It makes little sense for a number of reasons. Life-Like released it twice, the second time with a split-frame metal chassis, and it didn't sell despite the reasonable price and excellent tooling and deco work. Their FA and PA deco quality still remains among the best ever done in N. Second, there aren't enough roads to support it, and it's not iconic enough with a huge following to tool as a minimum-scheme model the way a K-4 or an FL9 is. Third, they are not difficult to find on the secondary market. Why would a manufacturer invest in such a project when there are better options to choose?

[Missaberoad]

It makes little sense for a number of reasons. Life-Like released it twice, the second time with a split-frame metal chassis, and it didn't sell despite the reasonable price and excellent tooling and deco work. Their FA and PA deco quality still remains among the best ever done in N. Second, there aren't enough roads to support it, and it's not iconic enough with a huge following to tool as a minimum-scheme model the way a K-4 or an FL9 is. Third, they are not difficult to find on the secondary market. Why would a manufacturer invest in such a project when there are better options to choose?

http://bnsf-nscale.blogspot.ca/2016/06/any-guesses.html?m=1

This is the link that sparked my comment...

They are N scale, and dont appear to be life-like

[jmlaboda - RIP]

No fooling there is tooling! 

Details appear to be consistent with CN's FPA4 and FPB4 except for the double steam generators on the forward end of the B.  Detail appears to match that by Rapido Trains, what with separately applied grabs.  Definitely interesting... lets hope...

Edit:  Found some shots of the FPB4s that shows two sets of SGs on at least some units... great to know...

[Wutter]

Just curious for everyone that has a FL9 already, do the models actually have red class lights as mentioned on page 2 or is this just a holdover statement from the HO model?

http://rapidotrains.com/content/manuals/15-n-fl9-instructions-manual.pdf

[bbussey]

No red class lights.

Twin-beam headlight, single-beam backup light over the rear door.  No lit number boards.  The twin-beam headlight is impressive, as the "light bulbs" are inside the casing behind the lens cover.

[bobdobbs]

No red class lights.

Twin-beam headlight, single-beam backup light over the rear door.  No lit number boards.  The twin-beam headlight is impressive, as the "light bulbs" are inside the casing behind the lens cover.

No decoder installed on the DC/DCC units, must mail in for the decoder you paid for.

[Kisatchie]

No decoder installed on the DC/DCC units, must mail in for the decoder you paid for.

True.

http://brooklynlocomotiveworks.com/rapido-trains-fl9.htm#dcc


Hmm... that's not nice...

[wcfn100]

No decoder installed on the DC/DCC units, must mail in for the decoder you paid for.

Not exactly what you "paid for" as a true dual mode decoder would have been much nicer to have than a straight DCC decoder with zero stretching.


Jason

[bobdobbs]

Not exactly what you "paid for" as a true dual mode decoder would have been much nicer to have than a straight DCC decoder with zero stretching.


Jason

Very True!  Luckily I cannibalized a EUN 6 pin out of a Fox Valley unit to test out and play with my FL9, hopefully I will get the decoder in the mail some time soon to square up my decoder deficit.  If you don't have Spare decoders for your FL9's you are SOL till they come in the mail.

[peteski]

Not exactly what you "paid for" as a true dual mode decoder would have been much nicer to have than a straight DCC decoder with zero stretching.


Jason

I'm not sure what you mean.  Zero stretching is a method of operating plain DC models on DCC powered layouts. Dual-mode decoders (pretty much every decoder which has been manufactured for the last 20 years or more) can be operated on DCC and also on DC (with limited capabilities on DC).  I really don't know how Zero stretching even comes into play in this conversation.

I see that FL9 dual-mode locos are sold as pure DC models and if someone wants to make them operate on DCC, they send away for a fee mobile DCC decoder. Then they install it in their DC FL9 making is a dual-mode model.

Main gripe of people using DC is that when they buy a dual-mode-decoder-equipped loco, they do not run very well on DC (especially unfiltered DC which many DC throttles put out). So they end up yanking that decoder out of the model anyway.

What I see here is that Rapido actually made a DC loco which is true DC model (to please the people who want to run the model strictly on DC).  But customers who want to run them on DCC layouts will now have to go through extra step of getting and installing  the free decoder. This to me seems like a win-win situation.

People who gripe that when they buy a DC model it should work well on DC are happy.  But now we have modelers coming out gripping that they want a dual-mode decoder factory installed.  I guess there is no way to make everybody happy, no matter what you try.

But at least to me it seems like Rapido tried to please the hardcore DC people and didn't  consider that the group of people who want a soundless decoder would gripe about going through the trouble of getting andi installing it. 

I guess the only way to make everybody happy would be to use a decoder which was switchable to be DCC or DC.  There woudl be jumpers on the circuit board which would select either DC or DCC functionality. IIRC, early Atlas locos had just such a decoder. But N scale is a bit small to have selection jumpers inside.  And even then someone would probably gripe that now they actually have to pull off the shell to changeover from DC to DCC. 

[bbussey]

Guys, really, enough with the "I have to mail away for the free decoder" whining. It was announced ahead of time that the units would be DC only. If you want DCC right now this very instant, buy the sound-equipped model.

[sirenwerks]

It makes little sense for a number of reasons. Life-Like released it twice, the second time with a split-frame metal chassis, and it didn't sell despite the reasonable price and excellent tooling and deco work. Their FA and PA deco quality still remains among the best ever done in N. Second, there aren't enough roads to support it, and it's not iconic enough with a huge following to tool as a minimum-scheme model the way a K-4 or an FL9 is. Third, they are not difficult to find on the secondary market. Why would a manufacturer invest in such a project when there are better options to choose?

Bryan, just because you have the FAs you need doesn't mean the rest of the world is happy. 


The amount released by LL/WKW to date is static (and arguably diminishing due t unavailability, breakage, wear, etc.); while demand is not static.  New modelers come into the hobby who want the model, existing modelers who didn't make first purchase want them and those who did first purchase want more, etc.  There's even argument to be made that a new, super-detailed model would create its own modicum of demand (like the GMD being bought by non-Canadian modelers 'just because it's cool').


Ergo, if WKW won't release existing tooled models, a new manufacturer has reason to consider satisfying mounting post-WKW release demand.