mdvle Posted February 27, 2021 Author Share Posted February 27, 2021 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted March 4, 2021 Author Share Posted March 4, 2021 Rapido Trains Facebook Q&A - March 3rd 2021 Jordan, Bill, John - PRR H21 hoppers - order lots of GLa hoppers, then would be on Bill's shortlist - E44/E33 - John would love to do, NH had them - BC Rail M420 - all new tooling (BC Rail's were unique) - soft launch - Rapido is doing coal loads for the GLa hoppers, cast resin, will be in next newsletter - CP Chateau / CP Diner - maybe next year - X72 - single Conrail blue car in next run - EP-5 in production, shipping July/August estimated - CP Hudson - design work almost done, maybe announced late this year - all electrics are now possible with the pantograph so many possibilities - NH County cars - waiting for a production slot, watch newsletters for order deadline - future comet car variations - by more now, makes other variations possible - CP D10 - waiting for second samples with some tooling updates, video maybe by end of April - B100 roof being retooled, looking for good quality photos of the roof - Jason 1:1 VIA car in his basement features in current Model Railroader - passenger cars, deluxe version with passengers - unlikely, would be very, very expensive to do (tooling people, painting them, inserting them much labor involved) - Matt Gentry has a product review session coming up - F59PH update - Metrolink Ph2 now okay, the 2 other paint schemes still lack sufficient orders as does TRE. - F59PH update - production starts maybe mid-year - Rapido helped the Texas restoration of the PA, they were asked if the FPA-4 roof was the same, Rapido checked their scan data and confirmed it http://railfan.com/new-roof-will-push-santa-fe-pa-restoration-forward/ - CN H6 - still taking orders, still no quite sufficient orders yet. - Icons of Steam - Bill would still like to do it... might need to be one at a time going forward - Icons of Steam - CP H1 a/b next after D10 - Bill would like to do some US steam - AC4400/SD70ACe - April 1st announcement in N, HO, S, O, and G - each project manager has about 4 to 6 unannounced projects being worked on - busy spring for new tooled announcements - March / April / May - new project suggestion form going live on website Friday, based on Rapido UK form - Jordan wants more SP boxcar drawings, particularly for 1980 in Fullerton. - Matt took over the trailers, update soon - next newsletter in about a week. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted March 7, 2021 Author Share Posted March 7, 2021 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted March 20, 2021 Author Share Posted March 20, 2021 Athearn showing just arrived decorated samples of their Genesis 2.0 Dash-9 locos from the August 2020 announcements 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allegheny1600 Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 I have to say, that C&NW unit really looks the business! The Stotch Tape line looks just right, I wonder if it is actually reflective? Cheers, John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GEOEng03 Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 I am looking forward to how Athearn's Dash-9 stacks up against the ScaleTrains version. They're already showing differing cab versions, but the real part will be the level of detail when compared to ScaleTrains version, they look better on a number of fronts and they do look fab, they really do. I have my eyes on the NS/BC rail version. Cheers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted March 26, 2021 Author Share Posted March 26, 2021 In a Q&A during their monthly announcement video Athearn mentioned they are aware many people are experiencing a problem with missing bearing caps on their SD60M models and are working on a solution. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted March 31, 2021 Author Share Posted March 31, 2021 Putting this here because they don't have an official announcement yet, but there is a company in Detroit planning on making the GT GP9R using 3D printed shells and etched detail parts using an Athearn Genesis mechanism. Those interested in the model may want to keep an eye on them - they are aiming for about 50 units. https://www.motownmodels.com/gp9r 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted April 1, 2021 Author Share Posted April 1, 2021 Hand painted samples of the Rapido PA1 on Twitter, order deadline coming in just over 2 weeks and video should be soon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted April 6, 2021 Author Share Posted April 6, 2021 The mean Alco PA bullied the innocent steam engine Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted April 6, 2021 Author Share Posted April 6, 2021 Athearn have put in place a process to deal with SD60M models that have missing bearing caps. Anyone with the model and missing bearing caps will need to email Athearn at athearnhelp@horizonhobby.com Subject line should be something like "SD60M Bearing Caps" In the body of the message include: - item number/description (roadname, etc) - proof of purchase (image of the receipt, etc) - number of bearing caps needed - your mailing address for shipping Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted April 15, 2021 Author Share Posted April 15, 2021 (edited) Rapido Trains - Q&A - April 14th 2021 A rambling, often off topic, but fun almost 2 hours with lots of non-model train stories. recording available on Facebook, an edited version will be put on YouTube at some point. - Alco fans, get your PA orders in by tomorrow if you want to show the EMD fans who's the boss (the E8 is easily outselling the PA) - top selling roadnames (not in order) - SP, SF, Rio Grande - PA, SW1200 biggest seller for each is SP - PA - Freedom Train - only has 50% of required orders so far, they hope dealer orders as they come in over the next couple of days will make it possible. - reminder - the PA was switched to using an ESU sound decoder, ESU fans who ordered DC can still switch. - B-100-40 - still looking for photos of two more road numbers to go with the 4 announced in SP/UP Shield repaint - possibility of a free car if you can come up with one of the 2 needed numbers - Rapido TCS decoder - still in the works, just not ready yet - more cabooses - yes - several cars they would like to do but don't have complete drawings, particularly underbody. - GM fish bowl buses - left factory, about a month away. - buses - factory never wants to do buses again, but Rapido will do buses again but likely with a higher retail price - SWAG - CP Rail pacman best selling - undecorated FL9's - due to an order error they have lots available, possibility of a discount if order multiples - Jason thinks Rapido and Athearn should photobomb each others live streams - CC&F coaches / E-Series Sleeper rerun - likely in a couple of years - Turboliner samples - hopefully about 6 weeks - Jason wants a muppet version of Jordan for videos - container shortage in China has caused shipping problems - VIA Historical Association - Rapido donated all of their VIA equipment, VHA will have it own YouTube channel soon - new product request form - 1,000 request so far, but over 400 suggestions - leading request so far is the GP40TC with a huge 3 requests - post Covid plan is to have all the Rapido staff take the VIA Rail Ocean, once booked would likely make it public for others to try and book same trip if they wanted. [edit] and now on YouTube Edited April 15, 2021 by mdvle Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted April 15, 2021 Author Share Posted April 15, 2021 ScaleTrains weekly email indicates that they will be announcing later this year the CN heritage Tier4 Gevos (BC Rail, IC, EJ&E, WC) as well the 2 military tribute units (#3015, #3233), with arrival sooner than later. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted April 17, 2021 Author Share Posted April 17, 2021 Atlas has pre-announced that they will be doing the MPI MP36 loco. They have several paint scheme licenses, working on getting others, full details of first Atlas release to come in the next couple of months. Atlas also announced they have purchased the tooling for vehicles and accessories in HO and N from River Point Station. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted April 17, 2021 Author Share Posted April 17, 2021 ScaleTrains - April 17th (WGH Online Show) announcements coming this Thursday: next run of SD45 next run of PS 4785 Covered Hopper surprise! 2 roadnames of coil car will be announced with immediate availability part 1 of their "how models are made" video next online session - soon on Drew Warrington's live show on YouTube on a Friday night Rio Grande SD45's? - not in next run (announcing this week), but definitely coming they have done a total of 39 different versions of the ES44 so far, H1 BNSF coming in one of the next several runs would you reconsider previously abandoned projects? - SD60E stopped just before tooling with Athearn announcement, might consider doing it as part of a SD50/SD60 platform. AC4400 + rebuilds? - definitely in the works, no timeframe new versions of the SD40-2 in tooling - announce later this year for 2022 delivery SDL39, why? - sales better than expected, well enough other niche locos might be possible, say one every 12 to 24 months undec locos? - problematic getting factory to make, have a very high (up to 50%) cancellation rate, often only about 20 orders do narrow gauge, White Pass Alcos? - not in short term, possibly long term early summer - new logo, new website, possibly things like hats, etc. EOT device? - have talked about it ES44AC - early summer announcement, around Feb 2022 arrival - UP, Ferromex likely options working on a loyalty program MTH - 10 rivet counter transition era freight cars coming from MTH designs MTH - considered buying all of MTH, decided it would be too much for them at this time MTH - first announcements Trainfest, likely steam first MTH - MTH also provided steam designs Shane working on a layout design - 2 deck with continuous climb (no helix), a bridge line in the Appalachia's between NS and CSX, coal hauling, mid-80s era Amtrak - not on short list will be attending Collinsville RPM, Trainfest Gunderson 5188 - early to mid-summer announcement slide photo collections of locos? - would love to scan, provide you with a digital copy along with return of originals if they get to keep a digital copy minimum quantities for a project? freight car 3k to 5k, 2k to 3k for a loco with expansion of their facilities want to have 3 layouts (N/HO/S) 4-axle loco in tooling now fallen-flags on modern locos? would like feedback, other manufacturers have indicated they often outsell real paint schemes 3 more kit-classics in design, likely to be the last of them - trouble finding "simple" models that can be done with few parts to maintain price Bethgon started out as kit-classic put part count pushed it up into operator price range, so it changed to an operator model despite Covid they had a great year when Life Like converted their kits (like Mathers Stock Car) to assembled models LL sales went through the roof NW2? - on list of possibilities another autorack? - likely modern hi-cube boxcar? - they would like to do, but they can't find a prototype that is common to multiple roadnames - they all seem to be specific to an owner, making model problematic GP30? - Shane's favorite diesel. more things planned in the vehicle department, working on a trailer(?) 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted April 24, 2021 Author Share Posted April 24, 2021 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted May 3, 2021 Author Share Posted May 3, 2021 (edited) Rapido Barrel Ore Hoppers - hand painted pre-production samples. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pls4x_bTRAA Edited May 3, 2021 by mdvle Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted May 13, 2021 Author Share Posted May 13, 2021 In the newsletter sent out today Rapido have the following update for anyone who has ordered any of the freight cars that were supposed to come with Kadee couplers: Quote Kadee Couplers and Rapido Models Recently we announced that several upcoming Rapido freight car models would include Kadee #158 couplers installed at the factory. Unfortunately, discussions with Kadee have revealed that, due to production restrictions in part due to Covid-19, they will not be able to supply us with the quantities that we need for these models until close to the end of the year. As a result, we have created our own semi-scale coupler that will be included on these models. However, our coupler boxes are still completely compatible with the #158 whisker couplers from Kadee for those that want to use them. We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause, and we look forward to working with Kadee in the future. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted May 14, 2021 Author Share Posted May 14, 2021 Rapido Trains - Facebook Live - May 13th 2021 2 products arriving next month as surprises, may sell out quick ATSF Reefer in tooling RS-18u and RSC-14 - samples should be soonish Turboliner in tooling - samples hopefully end of June / early July more freight cars coming, including more modern stuff tank car sales exceeded expectations in background of Matt's image - modular layout he is building of a AutoFlood III coal loading facility... more stuff coming in weeks ahead to the swag store E8 - in tooling F59PH - only paint schemes still at risk are the Metrolink ribbon and as delivered, order deadline June 15th Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted May 18, 2021 Author Share Posted May 18, 2021 Athearn Train Tuesday - May 18th 2021 0:03 - Genesis - FEF steam locos 0:20 - RTR - 40' Superior Door Boxcars 0:32 - Roundhouse - 34' Offset Hopper 0:40 - Athearn News featuring "Photos by Janek" 0:42 - Rock Island FP7A's (2 paint schemes) arriving July 0:44 - cab over trucks 0:47 - containers arriving late July 0:49 - ICG (2 paint schemes) GP38-2 - arriving September 0:55 - BA Railsystems video reviewed (with son) RTR 40 Boxcars 0:57 - Official Statement by Athearn regarding the SD60M 1:03 - Q&A - Virtual Railfan - Revelstoke BC featuring the most patient driver - another run of P40/P42? - think about anniversary paint schemes... - F59PHI to go with Surfliners? - good suggestion, makes sense - more heritage paint scheme diesels - a given - HO Genesis Viewliners? - a good suggestion - more HO models in N - see increase in sales in N so maybe - ES44 G2.0 upgrade? - definitely a possibility, biggest problem is product developer time - commenters running pool on how long F150 will stick around... - Genesis GP30? - Jim would love - return of the Roundhouse Boxcab? - anything is possible (so, for the record, the pickup truck arrived at 1:09 and was still there at 1:28 when session ended - enduring a train stopping, moving again and clearing crossing only for second train to come, stop, and then get moving again...) 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted May 19, 2021 Author Share Posted May 19, 2021 Athearn statement from Facebook regarding an issue some are experiencing with their recently released Genesis SD60M models: Quote At Athearn, our team of developers are currently engineering a solution that will bring the model in-line with the quality Athearn promised. We have heard your concerns, and this prompted an immediate audit of our inventory confirming the issue. The production flaw is causing derailments and the rotating bearing caps to separate from the locomotive. Not every locomotive displays symptoms, and the previously tested development samples were produced correctly, however a complication occurred during production that needs addressing. Athearn is working towards that fix as well as putting in place additional resources to make sure it does not happen again. We at Athearn, are committed to supporting the model railroading hobby and appreciate your past business. We are taking these complaints seriously and actively working towards a satisfactory solution. When we have a fix that has been thoroughly tested, we’ll implement a service plan to get these locomotives repaired with the least amount of hassle to the owner and under warranty. If your locomotive is working as expected, continuing to use it will not affect the future repairability. Athearn is not advising any specific DIY repairs to these locomotives currently. Primarily because we do not want you to inadvertently damage the locomotive’s fine details, but also because we’re expecting the forthcoming solution to be a better fix requiring very minimal effort. Once our solution is finalized, we will make available helpful information explaining the problem in detail and what steps Athearn will be taking to correct it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted May 19, 2021 Author Share Posted May 19, 2021 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted June 4, 2021 Author Share Posted June 4, 2021 Kato Instagram - some CAD of their upcoming Viewliner II Baggage car, official announcement in a couple of months https://www.instagram.com/p/CPq8h7LBNLC/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted June 9, 2021 Author Share Posted June 9, 2021 Kernow Model Rail Centre have an update from Peco, of possible interest to those in this part of RMweb will be: they are focusing on their core track ranges to try and meet large demand, that includes the Code 83 line the long promised Code 70 switches are now promised for this summer https://www.kernowmodelrailcentre.com/pg/201/KMRC-Skrifra---PECO-News-Update---Summer-2021 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted June 9, 2021 Author Share Posted June 9, 2021 Jordan, claimed President of Rapido Trains, is branching out into car sales: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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