Turbo in hand!

[bbussey]

Arrived today!  The paint job is spiffy!  Some assembly required, won’t get to this until the weekend.

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Comes with a 36-page bi-lingual instruction manual.  Equipped with traction tires on one wheel per axle.  Each unit is tamped on the bottom with orientation arrows and consist car numbers, so that everything is assembled in the correct order and orientation all the time.  Also included — non-traction tire axles, for better electrical pickup.  And, replacement detail parts if the installed ones get lost or broken.  Snaps together easily.  The one (very minor) detriment package-wise is that the talgo truck units must be removed to return the models to the foam nest. 

A very cool set.  I hope this sells through the roof for them.

[peteski]

Cool!  As far as sales go, they had enough reservations (and IIRC, then some) to proceed with this project. But like you, I hope that it sells well beyond reservations. The price (especially with sound) might be bit much for some potential buyers.

[Joetrain59]

My set should be here later today. Need to pay a bit more to the credit card bill this month. But just had to have it. I saw it once at NYP when a teen railfan.
 Joe D

[nstars]

I’m playing postman (the set is not for me) but here’s another one.



Marc

[C855B]

Can I play?



Protective plastic wrap removed for clarity.

Be sure to read the manual. Very entertaining! (And informative.)

[nickelplate759]

In that last photo (C855B), the shade of blue looks pretty darn good.  That said, I'll repeat my earlier comments (in another post) about how this kind of thing depends on lighting, camera, and the display monitor being used.

[peteski]

My sets arrived today. I haven't opened the package yet (was stick cleaning up after out first snow storm of the season)!  I'll likely run these at the local train show I'm participating in this weekend.

[central.vermont]

My sets arrived today. I haven't opened the package yet (was stick cleaning up after out first snow storm of the season)!  I'll likely run these at the local train show I'm participating in this weekend.

I'll be there to watch!!     
Jon

[C855B]

Danger Will Robinson!

In my hands mere hours, and already an oopsie. Beware of handling the power units and cars at the coupling ends. The simulated suspension outrigger is muy fragile:



Bump it once and it will bend at the bracket, return it into position and it will weaken, bump it a couple of more times and it will break off. It's not "engineering" plastic with any elasticity to speak of, like you would expect with, say, handrails.

Yes, I have it apart. Not difficult, round toothpick in the gap under the rear "vestibule", wedge up gently, then run fingernail where the body halves separate. I bought DC with the intent of installing non-sound decoders. Yes, decoders. It needs one at each end. Of course I ordered just one.

[peteski]

Danger Will Robinson!

In my hands mere hours, and already an oopsie. Beware of handling the power units and cars at the coupling ends. The simulated suspension outrigger is muy fragile:



Bump it once and it will bend at the bracket, return it into position and it will weaken, bump it a couple of more times and it will break off. It's not "engineering" plastic with any elasticity to speak of, like you would expect with, say, handrails.

Yes, I have it apart. Not difficult, round toothpick in the gap under the rear "vestibule", wedge up gently, then run fingernail where the body halves separate. I bought DC with the intent of installing non-sound decoders. Yes, decoders. It needs one at each end. Of course I ordered just one.

I guess if they were Delrin, they would not hold paint well. I believe there are spares in one of the little bags included in the set's boxes.  So, they should be removable (before doing any rough handling, like disassembly.  Thanks for the warning!

As for the decoder, you can probably make one end unit into a dummy (just remove the gearing from the truck and disconnect the motor. I doubt the set will need 2 power units to run well.  To be honest I'm not sure why they made both ends powered. (well, except to make it just like the prototype).

[ek2000]

Just unboxed my early Amtrak set and completed a few laps around the track. What a great set ! Rapido truly hit this one out of the park ! Details are great, even the tiniest markings are readable and the sounds are excellent. The interior lights are just right. I've seen this model in O and HO scale and never imagined this would be available in N someday. Thank you @rapidotrains for a truly outstanding model.

[Point353]

To be honest I'm not sure why they made both ends powered. (well, except to make it just like the prototype).

Perhaps it's useful if you have one of the nine-car CN/VIA sets.
Or, if you're running an Amtrak set as the Potomac Turbo over the hills of West Virginia.

[C855B]

As for the decoder, you can probably make one end unit into a dummy (just remove the gearing from the truck and disconnect the motor. I doubt the set will need 2 power units to run well.  To be honest I'm not sure why they made both ends powered. (well, except to make it just like the prototype).

Interesting thought, although with only two axles powered that might not pull the 5-car set. Disconnecting the motor is easy, just pop the DC bridging connector off. I'd probably also replace the traction tire wheelset on the unpowered end with the supplied plain axle. Anyway, I ordered a second decoder earlier this evening.

I need to underscore what Jason wrote in the manual about being sure to have track power off when placing the trainset on the rails. With all wheels picking up power, the prospect of shorts across the full DCC current is highly likely whilst lining everything up. Bottom line, though not well-explained ("don't throw switches under the train"), is that derailments are potentially bad news, and could melt things before track power protections responded, provided they did at all. We had this exact scenario with a Tomix Shinkansen trainset at a show earlier this year.

I was planning on running it on our club layout at a show next weekend, but between the fragile suspension bits and the potential for short circuits through "normal" community-layout handling by others, I'm thinking better of that idea. Been burned before by unaware "helpers" doing things like drag-rerailing an Athearn Big Boy and stretching the tires. That one's still on my bench.

[peteski]

Interesting thought, although with only two axles powered that might not pull the 5-car set. Disconnecting the motor is easy, just pop the DC bridging connector off. I'd probably also replace the traction tire wheelset on the unpowered end with the supplied plain axle. Anyway, I ordered a second decoder earlier this evening.

True, but you also need to make is free-rolling by making sure the truck's wheels are spinning freely. When I do that, I usually remove all the gears in the truck.

Yes, it is only a single powered truck, but the end unit is relatively heave, and with one or more traction tires it will likely be able to pull the consist if there are no extreme grades.  It would be even better it there was a way to lighten the other dummy end unit.

[C855B]

Truth be, you'll still probably want two decoders. We overlooked rear light control. That could certainly be done with a function-only decoder, or with passing wires front to back. However, the time you've spent on what amounts to a clumsy hack is worth way more than the $32 to just get 'er done with a second decoder.