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The Official Rapido APT-E Thread


rapidotrains
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Well, I got my email today saying I can now pay the balance, so I duly went to the website and did just that. I presume that Locomotion's internal systems will correctly link my balance payment to my deposit based on my address. 

 

I'm looking forward to getting it; it's completely outside the era I'm modelling at the moment but it's such an iconic train that having one was a must, really.

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It can't be far away now, I phoned Locomotion within five minutes after the announcement was made and somehow ended up with No 18, how did that happen ?.

I have remained calm ever since the APT-E was announced and have only  been twiddling my thumbs now and again waiting for its arrival..............no I haven't, I'm lying, I'm starting to go mad, I'm only a few day's away from being put in a bloody straightjacket ! :jester: 

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All I'll say is will I be brave enough not to weather mine when it arrives  :jester:

 

Many thanks to Sandra yesterday btw

 

 When E-Train was new it was very clean indeed, the pic below was taken on launch day in 1972.

 

u52waj.jpg

 

 

But during test runs it could get quite dirty, and Ron Puntis' E-Train Support crew would descend upon it with ladders, brooms and mops when we returned to the RTC and clean it  all up. We couldn't run it through the Etches Park carriage wash plant as the water spray would get in through the turbine intake grilles and the turbines would flame out.

 

But sometimes there just wasn't enough time to give it a wash and brush up and the poor thing stayed grubby. The pic below was taken on its last run to the NRM York on 11th June 1976 and you can see that it's not exactly pristine.

 

M7t1yL.jpg

 

 

The roof of the Power Cars was especially prone to exhaust stains, as you can see below.

 

V1v1AB.jpg

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Generally we tried to keep them looking pretty spruce, yes.

 

It helped that most test programmes didn't involve miles and miles of track running, and the vehicles spent much of their time sitting in the yard or the labs undergoing multiple modifications.

 

Oddly the APT programme did almost the opposite as we crammed in miles whenever we could. That's because we were always running at higher than normal line limits and the negotiations to let us do that were complex and time consuming so we made the most of it when we'd sorted out such track allocations.

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Ordered and paid deposit with free postage 26 June 2014 and paid balance plus £9 postage 7 January 2016 - no mention of an allocation or sequence number. I did inquire about upgrading to a sound fitted version but was met with a wall of silence so eventually gave up..... Not had any communications from Locomotion other than the original e-mail confirmations of deposit and balance paid.

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I asked for my order number on the 15th of January and got the following reply:

 

Hello John


Thank you for your email

The way the certificates are being issued has changed since we first announced the models so unfortunately at the moment I cannot say what the numbers will be.

If I can help with anything else please let me know

Cheers


Sandra

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how do you guys know what number you are ? did you ring locomotion?

my email has only got the date I payed for it and I dint think it was that long ago but it was 25/7/2014 wow !!!

You have to ask Sandra.

Sandra could have been saved a lot of work if they had only put the numbers on the orders at the start.

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You have to ask Sandra.

Sandra could have been saved a lot of work if they had only put the numbers on the orders at the start.

 

TBH, does it really matter what number you get? (Apart from 1-10 maybe)

 

I'm just glad to be getting an APT-E.......

 

Cheers,

Mick

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Why not wait until it arrives to find out the number, it will not change by ringing up and people are unlikely to cancel if they are number 21 or 27. Ironically as so many are saying they cannot wait for it to appear, ringing up Sandra might slow the whole process of packing etc down and delay when people get their models.

I have waited a year and a half so what is a few more days? I know locomotion will be doing their utmost to get orders out. Can we ask any more of them than that? I think not after all it is their job, but that is it, it is just their job. They have a right to a home life too as we all are. So I would say to them, pack for the eight hour working day, go home and enjoy your homes, come in the next day rinse and repeat. If it means my model arrives a little later so be it. It is after all not a matter of need, it is only a want....a fantastic want but a want never the less.

Richard.

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