Come join us for our British bus launch! This is a chance to chat with Jason and Gareth from Rapido about our upcoming railway and bus projects, the hobby in general, and the weather in Canada.

Rapido UK News Vol. 12
©2017 Rapido Trains Inc.
Have we got news for you... and it's not just about buses!

In this issue of Rapido News: 
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Gareth Bayer
Introducing Gareth Bayer!
Introducing new Rapido employee Gareth Bayer!

It is with great pleasure that I am able to introduce you to Rapido's latest full-time employee, Gareth Bayer.

Gareth is well known to diesel and electric era modellers in the United Kingdom as he is regarded as one of the country's experts on modern wagons. He writes tonnes of articles for the railway press, he has created scale drawings of countless models for publication, and he was even the editor of Rail Express / Rail Express Modeller magazine. This guy knows his stuff.

Gareth's not just into British trains. On nice days after work Gareth often heads to the bridge over Canadian National's York Subdivision beside our office and photographs mainline freight. He doesn't just photograph the power; he photographs many of the freight cars too! He is the real deal. He has photographed trains all over the world and his photos have appeared extensively online and in print. Click here to visit Gareth's Flickr Photostream, with over 6000 train photos!

Here's one he took of a Class 37 and Mk II stock on the Cumbrian Coast:
Gareth Bayer Photo
37402 at Bootle, Cumbria, on 29 September 2015
Photo by Gareth Bayer.
Gareth is one of our lead project managers, responsible for all of our modern British models and a lot of our North American models as well. He has very quickly become an indispensable member of our team. Welcome aboard, Gareth!
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Rapido Bus Scanning Event
The Rapido Bus 3D Scanning Event
Please join us in Brum on 16 July!

I hope you can join Gareth and me at our Rapido Bus 3D scanning event at the Transport Museum, Wythall on Sunday 16 July, rain or shine. OK, it's not technically in Birmingham but it's pretty close. You may have noticed that I have a penchant for all things Brummie. I used to live there. Like a trans-Atlantic yo-yo, the West Midlands keep calling me back.

This event promises to be a lot of fun, whether or not you are as nuts about classic buses as I am!
  • 3D scanning of an historic bus with a strong Birmingham connection
  • Free bus rides on BCT MOF 9 and Trent PD2
  • Complimentary hot drinks (useful during a heat wave)
  • Exclusive merchandise for sale
  • Complimentary collectable die-struck metal badges
  • Presentation of 3D scan and modelling techniques from Gareth and Jason from Rapido Trains Inc.
  • Miniature train rides

Gareth and I will also be blogging about the trip on RMWeb. You can visit the topic and join the discussion here

Wythall Transport Museum
The Transport Museum, Wythall
No, we're not doing the Routemaster.
Not yet, anyway.
Admission is at the normal prices, which is a mere £4.00 (adult), £2.00 (child) and £10.00 (family).

Normal opening hours are 11-5, and the scan will be taking place between 12:00 and 3:00pm. Though I may nip away to ride in MOF 9 at some point...

Click here for the museum web site, including directions. Click here for our UK bus web page, which will be updated on the day with information about the bus model.

We will also be posting an update on the day to our Facebook page and Twitter feed. We are hoping for good press covfefe.

We hope to see you on Sunday!

Now I'll pass you over to Gareth for project updates. I'll be back at the end of the newsletter.
Gareth Bayer
Gareth brings a little piece of the United Kingdom to our Canadian office...
Hello! Gareth here. I know many of you in the British railway modelling community, and I look forward to seeing you again, this time in my new role with Rapido. I am very proud of the accolades Rapido has received so far in the British market. I am delighted to let you know that, in addition to working with our partners in the UK, we have started the design work on some new models which will be produced under our own name. We have a huge list of British outline models we want to get done. It's just a matter of how quickly we can design and tool them.

Meanwhile, I have lots of updates for you on our current projects.
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Rapido Pendolino
Pendolinos in production!
N gauge Pendolinos have taken over the Rapido factory!

As can be seen from the photos, the N gauge Pendolino is really starting to look the business now. With over 11,000 individual cars to manufacture, progress can seem glacial at times. However when you break it down it's easy to see why. Using bogies as an example, we need around 22,000 of them, each of which is constructed from 14 separate parts!
N Gauge Pendolino
More Pendo photos. I think it's worth zooming out on that photo of bogies...

Pendolino bogies
Pendolino bogies. We've got boxes and boxes of Pendolino bogies.
Production is now well into the interesting stage, when tampo printing and final assembly begin and the models are recognisable. The Pendo is still on course for an August completion date, which means that the models will be arriving in the UK (for Revolution customers) and North America (for Rapido direct customers) in October or thereabouts.

Click here for the Pendo UK web site. Click here for the rest of the world web site.
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Rapido Class 92
Our first sample of the Rapido/Revolution Class 92 in N gauge
N gauge Class 92 news

Almost all of our Revolution Trains projects have hit major milestones during the last couple of months, the most exciting of which was the arrival of the first sample of the N gauge Class 92 locomotive. That's just nine months from announcement to first plastic samples.
 
We're not exaggerating when we say we were incredibly impressed with this model when it arrived at Rapido HQ. The only disappointment was that it just missed the DEMU Showcase Event - the most important event in the diesel and electric era modeller's calendar - by a couple of days.
We're very impressed with the undercarriage detail, if we don't say so ourselves.
The Class 92 doesn't just look pretty; it's a runner too! We've had this locomotive pounding around our test track for a few days with a number of vehicles in tow and our first impressions are pretty good. The only things missing are the lights and PCBs.
 
As ever, Revolution Trains presented us with a formidable specification. It has been a lot of fun designing an N gauge model that accommodates all the features that modellers are demanding nowadays.

Detail we can do; we're known here at Rapido for the carefully researched extra bits that we add to our models and we think the roof and bogies in particular will more than meet the increased expectations of modellers that enjoyed our award-winning N TEA tank wagons. You can even choose to run your Class 92 with third rail pickup shoes down or retracted!
N gauge Class 92
Cracking roof detail!
The real challenge has been inside the body, where somehow we've managed to pack in a working top headlight; full cab interior with lighting; day/night headlights (sleeper locomotives only); working marker lights (original or modified versions); tail lights (which can be turned off with a switch under the body); ESU LokSound decoder and a speaker.
Left: Legomanbiffo recording the Class 92
Right: Our Class 92 on a Class 92.
Meanwhile in the UK, Revolution Trains and sound specialist Legomanbiffo (Ian Bishop) headed up to Polmadie Depot, Glasgow, at the end of June to record a Caledonian Sleeper Class 92 courtesy of Alstom, GBRf and Serco.
 
We don't anticipate much difficulty in moving this project to the next stage. This will see samples of the PCBs for the lighting and decoder functions produced and assembled into a new locomotive sample for final testing.
 
You can still order this model from Revolution Trains. Click here to visit their web site.
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Rapido Class 156 OO
Rapido/Realtrack Class 156.
WCML diorama built by Canadian Ron Pare. Nice, isn't it?
We just need to get some knitting up.
First OO gauge Class 156 models have arrived!

After something of an extended development time (at least compared to our original estimates!), we're happy to announce that the first batch of 4mm Scale/OO gauge Class 156 DMUs are now safely in the hands of Charlie and Arran at Realtrack Models.
Realtrack Class 156
Rapido/Realtrack Class 156 - Close up of the Saltire scheme
We're very pleased with the way that the Class 156 introduces a number of new features to British railway modelling. For example, as well as Rapido's typical high standard of underframe detailing, it has a completely hidden motor prototypically driving the inner bogie of each car.
 
That's not hidden as in "the motor enclosure is just below the window level." It's properly hidden. You'd be hard pressed to work out exactly where it is at all! This design riffs off our successful Budd RDC-1 diesel railcar for the North American market, although that was actually easier because the RDC engines are contained in large compartments under the floor.
 
The modern "Met-Camm" was designed for DCC operation first, although it will work beautifully in DC as well. DCC modellers can enjoy day or night lighting features, working orange door warning lights (sure to be the next big thing in the hobby), cab and interior lighting, high quality Legomanbiffo sound and numerous tail light configurations (for running in multiple, stabled, and so on).
Rapido Class 156
Rapido/Realtrack Class 156.
We love the etched exhaust stacks!
The first to arrive are part of the Saltire-liveried batch and these will begin to be shipped to customers (on a first-come, first-served basis) in the next few days. The remainder will be shipped by ocean in early August and will comprise the rest of the Saltire units and the "Barbie" liveried sets.
 
The ScotRail Saltire and First "Barbie" Class 156s have proven to be a huge challenge for our LRC factory, which is used to producing much simpler North American paint schemes. Without a doubt the "Barbie" liveried batch has been the most complex scheme that we've ever tackled.
 
We looked around at other models in this livery and we found that we're not the only company that struggled with those complicated fades. None of them really impressed us so we knew we had our work cut out. However, after many discarded printing plates, we think our team in China has done a fantastic job. We reckon that this is the best reproduction of this difficult livery ever achieved in 4mm scale, but of course you will be the judge of that.
 
The second batch will be arriving with Realtrack in September. There are a small number left that are not pre-ordered and these can be purchased here.
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Rapido J70 Toby
Rapido/Model Rail J70 - Final CAD
OO Gauge J70 is at the tooling stage!

The design for the OO gauge LNER J70 loco for Model Rail has been completed. Two versions have been tooled - both with and without skirts. Two styles of buffers, two different ends and removable cowcatcher allow for each model to be an accurate depiction of its prototype. Tooling is starting this week. Look for an update with first samples in the late summer/early Autumn.

Click here to reserve yours.
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OO Gauge Stirling Single
Locomotionmodels.com Stirling Single
OO gauge Stirling Single production is starting

The OO gauge Stirling Single project for locomotionmodels.com is in the final function and livery sample stage. Richard Pearson and the team at NRM Shildon found some remnants of leftover paint from the restoration of No. 1's tender and kindly provided samples of these to the factory to match! Production is ready to begin as soon as these samples are approved.

Click here to order yours.
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Dynamometer Car
OO gauge Dynamometer Car
Rails of Sheffield Dynamometer Car

Our OO gauge LNER Dynamometer Car model being produced for Rails Limited is also through the design stage and is currently in the tooling workshop. Two liveries will be offered. The first is as the car appeared when it took part in LNER A4 4-6-2 Mallard's record breaking speed run. The other represents the car when it took part in the 1948 BR locomotive trials. First samples should be arriving late summer.

Click here to order yours today.
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Rapido Class 321
N gauge Class 320/321 - first CADs
We still have a long way to go. These are very preliminary.
If you rip them to shreds on RMWeb, someone who read this caption will mock you.
N gauge Class 321 and HOA designs in progress

While the Class 92 sample may have just missed the DEMU show, Revolution was able to show off the first 3D CAD images of its highly anticipated N gauge Class 320/321 EMU and HOA aggregates hopper.
 
The Class 320/321 has spent an unusually long time in design here at Rapido, and that's not just because a four-car EMU is essentially four different trains in one. Although Eversholt Leasing kindly provided a large number of official works drawings for this project, they were almost entirely related to the body.
 
This means that the underframe and interior had to be drawn using field measurements. Rapido and Revolution visited two different units at Asfordby in Leicestershire and Wabtec in Doncaster to get the required information and we're very happy with the initial results.
 
There is still a long way to go on these designs. The couplers illustrated are just to show what a coupler might look like. There will actually be an NEM coupler on the ends of the units which can be swapped out for a replica BSI coupler. Meanwhile the inter-car connector will take its inspiration from the Pendolino and will feature close-coupling and electrical connections.
 
We aim to continue our policy of hiding as much of the motor, flywheels, decoders and speakers as possible although that is proving extremely challenging on this model!

Click here to order yours today.
N gauge HOA
N gauge HOA - first CADs
This is very preliminary as well...
N gauge HOA
N gauge HOA - first CADs
This is very preliminary as well...
As for the HOA, this is further advanced, mostly because it's a relatively simple freight wagon. Both versions are pictured here, EWS/Tarmac and Mendip Rail.

Click here to order your HOA fleet.
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Rapido SW1200RS
Our latest Canadian locomotive: the SW1200RS
Buy our North American models in the UK

It's Jason again. Good day, eh!

We are pleased to inform you that you can now order our complete North American line from Rails of Sheffield. Click here to visit their web site.

We still sell direct to the UK, and you can place a direct order from our web site. But for those of you who like to see and feel a model before plonking down £300 or so, you can now do so at Rails. Do bear in mind that our models are still made to order, so if you wait until a model arrives you may in fact miss it. Rails isn't ordering a hundred extra pieces for their shelf - more like one or two.

We made 150 extra GMD-1 locomotives in our most recent production run. They all sold within two days of the models arriving in our warehouse. Our models generally don't hang about. So please try to order your Rapido models - either from Rails or from us - before the posted deadlines.

That's all for now. Remember to check in with our travel blog on RMWeb over the next couple of weeks. Because Gareth does not qualify for a BritRail pass, I will be driving us around the United Kingdom. Heathrow-Birmingham-Wythall-Sandtoft-Sheffield-Peterborough-Swamp-Heathrow. Possibly London as well. In one week.

As I am doing the driving, you should be able to smell melting/burning clutch all the way across the Midlands.

Best regards,

Jason and Gareth
Rapido Trains Inc.

P.S. I'm sure you liked that patriotic photo of Gareth in front of the Union Flag. There is always a story behind every photograph. The Union Flag is a bit high on his office wall, so...
Gareth and Jason
Horsing about at Rapido HQ...
Rapido Trains Inc. | 1-855-LRC-6917 | www.rapidotrains.com
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