Rapido announces RDC-2 and RDC-3

[thomasjmdavis]

Torn on these.  They are within my modeling era.  But, they replaced the last steam-powered mainline passenger train on the B&O, and I want to model THAT!

Still, they seem to be nice models that run well.

Model the reality- ie- both.  Every month, run the steam train until the 15th, then for the rest of the month, run the RDCs.

Having said that, I need to model the Meadowlark with an E7 and coaches for half the time, and an RDC and trailer after... (not a steam v RDC, but a passenger diesel v RDC)

[gelboy45]

I was hoping the Missouri Kansas Texas RDC 3 would have the fluting across the doors and with the lettering in red but according to Rapido it seems not. So close........
Gerry

[gelboy45]

Model the reality- ie- both.  Every month, run the steam train until the 15th, then for the rest of the month, run the RDCs.

Having said that, I need to model the Meadowlark with an E7 and coaches for half the time, and an RDC and trailer after... (not a steam v RDC, but a passenger diesel v RDC)

Pioneer Trains are doing a BLI E7 in the original C&EI colors!
Gerry

[High Hood]

According to the latest Rapido newsletter, the RDC-2 and RDC-3 are not selling well:

“ While we sold an Imperial Gazillion RDC-1s and heard mostly great things about them from you guys, we've only sold a handful of RDC-2 and RDC-3 models.”

[lock4244]

According to the latest Rapido newsletter, the RDC-2 and RDC-3 are not selling well:

“ While we sold an Imperial Gazillion RDC-1s and heard mostly great things about them from you guys, we've only sold a handful of RDC-2 and RDC-3 models.”

Yeah, when you look at the production numbers it makes sense, the RDC-1 was by far the leader. Somewhere near 239 RDC-1, 67 RDC-2, 48 RDC-3, 14 RDC-4, and 30 RDC-9. Given that, lower sales should be expected. Personally, I'd be happy to get the RDC-2 and can live without all the other variants.

I suppose doing the RDC-2 and RDC-3 makes sense from the perspective of offering the most popular models in the line, but there's so many other items in their HO line-up that I feel would do better than more RDC's this close to the RDC-1 launch. The C30-7 for one, and the U30/33/36C on that chassis as well. The SW series (SW1200RS in particular), the GP9RM and GP9u (which could naturally lead to some road specific GP9's). Personally, the M-420 and road specific C-424's would be a dream.

[thomasjmdavis]

I went to the Rapido N scale RDC link https://rapidotrains.com/n-scale/passenger-car-74/budd-rdc.html?p=2
 and you have to look over to the left, in small type (at least, as my firefox presents it), and click a check box under 'category' to get to the page with RDC2s and -3s.  I didn't find it until after I had paged through all 3 pages of RDC1's (which is the page the home page directs to).  For a couple minutes, until finding that little link on the left column, I thought they might have been canceled already.  Making the pre-order page more obvious and easier to find might help them secure a few more pre-orders.  When I owned a company, one great piece of advice I got from a mentor was 'Always make it as easy as possible for your customers to give you their money.'

I do give them credit for NOT doing an ATSF "RDC-2".  Regardless of wiki level information, the ATSF unit that was rebuilt had a much larger baggage section (only 5 full size windows left in the coach section), a larger baggage door and different placement.  So, kudos to Rapido for passing on a 'foobie' of what I understand was referred to as an 'RDC-1m".
https://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=949197

[Angus Shops]

Well I’ve done my part - I’ve just ordered a RDC2 in Canadian Pacific Tuscan (or ‘classic’ as I refer to it) even though RDC’s don’t fit my operational niche. I’m pretty disciplined about buying only what I can use on my layout and I don’t know what I’ll do with this when I get it. I would have bought a RDC1 if they’d offered it in CP ‘classic’ - I wasn’t going to go to the effort of repainting something I wasn’t really needing even though I have no hesitation to repaint things I DO need, and I was guessing that they’d eventually do a second run and include this fairly obvious scheme. Then they offered the 2’s and 3’s so eventually I decided I’d get my ‘classic’ unit and be happy. CP had almost as many 2’s as they did 1’s. Maybe I’ll establish a non prototypical passenger service - Calgary to Cranbrook utilizing the Windemere sub. south from Golden BC…

[Missaberoad]

They had to get to the island somehow  be a good deadhead move on a passenger train if nothing else.

[lock4244]

Well I’ve done my part - I’ve just ordered a RDC2 in Canadian Pacific Tuscan (or ‘classic’ as I refer to it) even though RDC’s don’t fit my operational niche. I’m pretty disciplined about buying only what I can use on my layout and I don’t know what I’ll do with this when I get it. I would have bought a RDC1 if they’d offered it in CP ‘classic’ - I wasn’t going to go to the effort of repainting something I wasn’t really needing even though I have no hesitation to repaint things I DO need, and I was guessing that they’d eventually do a second run and include this fairly obvious scheme. Then they offered the 2’s and 3’s so eventually I decided I’d get my ‘classic’ unit and be happy. CP had almost as many 2’s as they did 1’s. Maybe I’ll establish a non prototypical passenger service - Calgary to Cranbrook utilizing the Windemere sub. south from Golden BC…

I ordered two Via RDC-2's, one Via RDC-3, one each CN noodle and CP Rail RDC-2's. I will grab more once they hit the shelves, same as I did with the RDC-1's... ordered 5 Via, picked up three CN noodle and two CP Rail after they were in stores. I'm late 1980's in southern Ontario, so I need only the Via cars (and maybe a CP Rail to represent CP 90, which one might catch puttering around Agincourt yard once in a while). I bought the CN and CP cars to 'do my part'. Hopefully one day Rapido will thank me with N scale M-420's, SW1200RS's, Canadian pig flats, and a few other HO goodies 'right sized' to N.

I won't get into just how much I did my part with the barrel ore cars.

[OldEastRR]

According to the latest Rapido newsletter, the RDC-2 and RDC-3 are not selling well:

“ While we sold an Imperial Gazillion RDC-1s and heard mostly great things about them from you guys, we've only sold a handful of RDC-2 and RDC-3 models.”

Uh-oh .... get ready for the "N scale isn't worth it" refrain soon from Rapido.

[PiperguyUMD]

Reading and Northern has RDC1(s?) and 3(s?). I would have sprung for a pair of those!

[basementcalling]

Yeah, when you look at the production numbers it makes sense, the RDC-1 was by far the leader. Somewhere near 239 RDC-1, 67 RDC-2, 48 RDC-3, 14 RDC-4, and 30 RDC-9. Given that, lower sales should be expected. Personally, I'd be happy to get the RDC-2 and can live without all the other variants.

I suppose doing the RDC-2 and RDC-3 makes sense from the perspective of offering the most popular models in the line, but there's so many other items in their HO line-up that I feel would do better than more RDC's this close to the RDC-1 launch. The C30-7 for one, and the U30/33/36C on that chassis as well. The SW series (SW1200RS in particular), the GP9RM and GP9u (which could naturally lead to some road specific GP9's). Personally, the M-420 and road specific C-424's would be a dream.

While I'm sure Rapido knows those numbers, they seem to struggle with the saturation point of N scale. It takes fewer models and variations of one to fill the need for N scale than HO. Just like Scale Trains will find out if they offer their new RD-6 hoppers in N as they are now doing in HO.

While we might be more numbers of a certain car or engine than HO folks because our trains tend to be longer, that doesn't always translate to variations. That said, I wish someone would do a phase III GP 9 instead of more of the same phase 1 or II offerings everyone makes.

[squirrelhunter]

I was hoping the Missouri Kansas Texas RDC 3 would have the fluting across the doors and with the lettering in red but according to Rapido it seems not. So close........
Gerry

I shot them an email to confirm- hopefully the lettering will be red...

[dem34]

While we might be more numbers of a certain car or engine than HO folks because our trains tend to be longer, that doesn't always translate to variations. That said, I wish someone would do a phase III GP 9 instead of more of the same phase 1 or II offerings everyone makes.

Think they also ran headfirst into this as well with the Procor hoppers and Tropicana Reefers. They keep doing these big extravaganza launches that always tag. "Its a different model than those other guys's" Which seems to forget that the average Joe N scaler is sees two things on the shelf but one is $25 with 90% of the detail and the other is $50 with every rivet on the discharge modeled. Guess what he's probably going for when you launched the product a week after the former.

Honestly I wish they just did a second run of RDC-1s and did stuff like CNJ or PRSL. Hell PRSL could probably float a whole run. But with their track record idk, they might decide to never do the 1s again.

[GaryHinshaw]

Think they also ran headfirst into this as well with the Procor hoppers and Tropicana Reefers.

Rapido did a Tropicana Reefer?