A plea from Jas___ Rapido

[pdx1955]

Clearly there is more demand for 50's/60's US passenger cars than more modern Canadian cars. I got a few Rapido cars as they make good stand-ins although I wish they'd make more road names or schemes (or example I could use more SP daylight and two-tone gray, but I can't use the silver/red ones). I'll admit I have a few reefers which I'll keep as they fill in the meat reefer role vs the tons of PFE's. I'd be all over them if they were to make the NP boxcars as I think these and others transition era signature freight cars would be a big hit.

[Rich_S]

My only hope of Rapido trains making a locomotive I'm interesting in purchasing is, if the just announced HO scale FM H16-44's sell well. I've already contacted them about this and that was their exact answer.  I'm betting if they do produce a N scale version, there is a slim to none chance of them producing it in the P&WV paint scheme.

I've also asked for a N scale U28B with the slanted short hood (not the pug hood used on later models) and U25B style walkway as used by the Southern Pacific, P&LE, Milwaukee Road and Rock Island railroads.



 

[BCR751]

Make more US stuff??? Really??  Well, now you know how us Canadians feel when we see new stuff announced that is 90% for US roads.   Rapido is a Canadian firm and they definitely should make Canadian products and I support them 100%.  To all of those that said "Make US Stuff", do you want some cheese with that whine?

Doug

[C855B]

Make more US stuff??? Really?? ...

No, I don't think we're saying that. It's great you have a quality manufacturer catering to the Canadian modeler market. However, Jason can't whine about insufficient product sales (to offset production costs) when there are a handful of Canadian prototypes he could pursue that have crossover appeal with or without proto-based tweaks, and therefore a larger customer base.

That said, the poorest crossover potential happens to be in Rapido's focus on modern and near-modern passenger prototypes. They're mostly unique to your market.

[Steveruger45]

No, I don't think we're saying that. It's great you have a quality manufacturer catering to the Canadian modeler market. However, Jason can't whine about insufficient product sales (to offset production costs) when there are a handful of Canadian prototypes he could pursue that have crossover appeal with or without proto-based tweaks, and therefore a larger customer base.

That said, the poorest crossover potential happens to be in Rapido's focus on modern and near-modern passenger prototypes. They're mostly unique to your market.

Yes.   Yes.  Yes.   That’s the point.  We are Not whining. Just saying let more of us support you Rapido by Also making stuff more of us can use.

[CBQ Fan]

Make more US stuff??? Really??  Well, now you know how us Canadians feel when we see new stuff announced that is 90% for US roads.   Rapido is a Canadian firm and they definitely should make Canadian products and I support them 100%.  To all of those that said "Make US Stuff", do you want some cheese with that whine?

Doug

Lol this is how I feel when I see HO modelers bitch at Kato for not offering enough HO items. 

[peteski]

Make more US stuff??? Really??  Well, now you know how us Canadians feel when we see new stuff announced that is 90% for US roads.   Rapido is a Canadian firm and they definitely should make Canadian products and I support them 100%.  To all of those that said "Make US Stuff", do you want some cheese with that whine?

Doug

I'm just being realistic, and blunt.  It is clear as day to me that there are many, many more N scale modelers (mainly in north America, but I'm sure this applies to other continents, like Japan and Europe), that percentage-wise, more American railroads are modeled out there than Canadian.

I also understand that Rapido is a Canadien manufacturer, so it is good to see them support their local modelers.  So now that Rapido sees poor sales and reservations for their Canadien prototype N scale emodels, it is up to you and  other Canadien modelers to reserve and buy enough of those models to make Jason want to produce them, and more like them in the future.  I personally have no need for such models, and will not be buying them. And, as you can see by responses in this thread,  I'm not alone in this.

[thomasjmdavis]

I am fine with Rapido doing Canadian prototypes.   I just wish they did more Canadian prototypes that made it to Chicago via GTW in the mid- 1950s.  To date, there are a sum total of 2 cars- the original "Panorama series" CN coach and more recent baggage car.  The Bay and "E" series sleepers are accurate models, but were not in regular use on those trains (first consist I can find with either of them in Chicago is 1962, and that was as added cars due to planes being grounded). The Daynighter and the cafe lounge are foobies in 1954 paint, as they represent 1960s rebuilds of some of the coaches.

My request to all manufacturers concerning passenger equipment or locomotives is pretty simple- show me a photo of the prototype sitting in Dearborn station during or prior to 1956. 

[thomasjmdavis]

I agree that the FAs and FBs would be good and the hopefully the RDCs too, especially Boston & Maine and New Haven- and C&EI for me!).

Gerry

Rather than waiting several years, why not just pick up a Kato and get the dark blue N scale decal set from the CEIHS? 

[wcfn100]

PCC trolleys.  Canada had them, and it's like a bus.


Jason

[johnb]

PCC trolleys.  Canada had them, and it's like a bus.


Jason

we have a PCC from Toronto in Arizona....for a while, Phoenix was planning on buying all of Toronto's PCC's for our light rail...they stopped at 1.

I would want a Pacific Electric double ended PCC car...

[nickelplate759]

Well, here's why I am not buying any VIA F40PH



Life-Like units with small modifications and VIA paint and decals.  Rear handrails are missing in this picture.

[railnerd]

So now they will have multiple brands of sound decoders?    TCS?   

I don't know . . . to me seems like sticking with a single brand of sound decoders would be better than using multiple brands (and each has a totally different way of programming).   Not a wise decision (from this modeler's perspective).

ESU Decoders didn't fit inside of an upcoming engine.

-Dave

[peteski]

ESU Decoders didn't fit inside of an upcoming engine.

-Dave

Interesting, since up to this point TCS has not made sound decoders small enough for N scale (only H0).  I'm also surprised that there is no ESU decoder small enough, since they made a variety of decoders for narrow hoods, Atlas S2 and their standard Micro decoders.  None of the existing TCS decoders came even close to matching their size.  I guess I have to wait and see what they conjured up.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

On the F40s:
They are running multiple versions in HO along with paint schemes to match their Comet II commuter cars. I am guessing this would make up a very large chunk of their N scale reservations if they had announced them. I was told the Comet sales were very good. I imagine they would be even better if they made matching train sets.

Anyway I did my part on the Comet sales, I pre-ordered $1200 of them. I don't even remember how many I got... 16 coaches and 5 cab cars maybe? I would have ordered 3-4 F40s too had they made them in MBTA.