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Rapido UK operations


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If you haven't watched the following American video Rapido indicate that they will have a presence in the UK and are looking to develop a diesel loco under their own name rather than for others.

 

 

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Cue a wishlist of every British diesel locomotives including yet more class 24s as the SLW was still not refined enough for everyone.

 

Given the duplication of a large class like the 66 then there must be a market for another 47 - lots to go at in variations, long life and still in use today.

 

Otherwise a Peak

 

Or a 40

 

Or a 37

 

Or a 55

 

..............

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Nah, that's Accurscale.

 

Just because it's a diesel doesn't necessarily mean BR - Rapido do like oddballs - how about an LMS diesel shunter

Or an 1930's SR Diesel shunter with the overhang cab. 

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...looking to develop a diesel loco under their own name...

 That sounds like decision on the 'what' not yet finalised. We had better start lobbying like mad!

 

For me, it breaks one of three ways.

 

Could go after an unusual loco that has no model, and an early incarnation of the 350hp shunter would be a strong choice there, but many other possibilities.

 

Or look for a numerous loco class with really long service history, widespread deployment and many variations and liveries, enabling endless reliveries and versions from a good tooling suite, that currently has a relatively weak model available. I believe if those were the criteria, there are two classes worth going for: EE type 1 (TOPS 20), adequate model from Bachmann, Brush type 2 (TOPS 30/31) significantly inaccurate model from Hornby. (I would like to think the production EE class 5 Deltic would be in the frame, but numerous, not, widespread, not, long in service, not really; all 'sad but true'.)

 

Or, a full diesel train. There's the HST going begging 'done right', as in issued in full train formation. Or one of the DMU's that have been long term much requested, with the BP now having been knocked off.

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They posted a picture of a Peak in a Tweet recently showing possibly one Rapido team member's likes, the HST to me is another possibility.  

 

On the HST prototype thread I said that the Mark 3 coach going through changes with plug and sliding doors leaves open a gap in the market for tooling - Hornby aren't about to retool, Oxford have just done the A version but no-one is doing the Chiltern, Scotrail or GWR door alterations.  Rapido are well known for building their toolings to work on multiple versions - as the basic shell has never been altered then it looks like a Rapido shaped gap - throw in production HSTs and the NRM have a chassis for their prototype.....

 

Having Mk3 coaches in all variants might then also open the Class 86 door and a cascade of other electrics but perhaps that is wishful thinking.

 

It's that or a class 20 but that could equally be said of accurscale.

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As I watch many US model rail road videos there was a comment from the guys at scaletrains.com that they wanted to up the level of detail which has resulted in the likes of Athern to issue different detail levels.  Essentially Hornby have started doing this in the UK with the RailRoad branded items.  Having another maker come into the hobby with additional detail elements will create a new line in the sand for others to detail to.

 

Another post indicated that Rapido are looking to make a diesel that no one else has done.  There are not many BR locomotives that were built in large numbers not already available as RTR, might be a left field thought no one has mentioned industrial!  

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I just hope it's something new instead of a remake of a current model.

 

Yep. It’s often been said that all, or nearly all, diesel classes have been done. You only have to look at the suggestions above to realise that it is not so. Perhaps there aren’t many mainline diesel locomotives left (Class 48, anyone?) but there are, as mentioned, quite a few diesel shunters. There are plenty of DMUs as well.

 

Straying away from diesels, there are AC electrics to be mined and oddballs from DC Class 70s to gas turbines.

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It’s still there, at Connecticut tramway Museum, and at risk. It’s been for sale for quite sometime.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/buses-international/17543739026

If Jason buys it we know what the next model will be, hang on, they're doing it already sort of - isn't Rapido doing the 142 for RealTrack?

 

So a model of Lev1/2 isn't so hard as they have a nice chassis - plus also the 140 as well.

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If Jason buys it we know what the next model will be, hang on, they're doing it already sort of - isn't Rapido doing the 142 for RealTrack?

 

So a model of Lev1/2 isn't so hard as they have a nice chassis - plus also the 140 as well.

They could get three bites of the cherry..

 

If you look at Lev2.. it couldn’t look more like a Leyland National on a wagon if they tried.

 

1. Leyland national bus

2. A flat wagon

3. Lev2

 

There’s a two car one in Malaysia somewhere also... apparently that was a budget version.. i’m Assuming it was made out of cardboard then and dissolved in a monsoon.

Edited by adb968008
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