The Official Rapido APT-E Thread

[maq1988]

Mine arrived today, DCC Ready. Haven't fully taken it out of the box (but what a large box it is!). Very nicely presented.

 

A big thank you to everyone involved in making this, Locomotion, NRM, Rapido and not forgetting everyone in-between from the folks doing the laser scanning to people the other side of the world on the assembly line.

 

Now... where did I put that shrink-ray? (N gauge APT-E please)

Edited April 1, 2016 by maq1988

[Fenman]

God. I have sausage fingers and the engineering ability of a fruit fly: I am now very apprehensive about even taking the damn thing out of the box (when/ if it arrives).

 

All this talk about the delicate and precise connections that need to be made, how you can't really disassemble it, and now apparently it's been designed so that the bogies can be 180 degrees wrong. This is beginning to look to me like something unsuitable for ham-fisted goons like me, and only suitable for highly skilled, er, modellers.

 

B.u.g.g.e.r it. Maybe I'll save myself the stress and avoid the risk of wrecking it by just putting the damn thing on eBay. That would be very disappointing.

 

Paul

 

 

Edit to mess up the nannybot

Edited April 1, 2016 by Fenman

[Gordonotron]

You'd have to have one E1T bogie at the rear of PC1 or it would fall down on the track........... 

 

Perhaps it's possible for that bogie to be 180 deg. out too?

 

 

Well it was an experimental train.... 

[newbryford]

You'd have to have one E1T bogie at the rear of PC1 or it would fall down on the track........... 

 

 

I thought they also developed Maglev at the RTC.....?

 

Cheers,

MIck

[b33fy]

It would be a pleasure, I'll even drag my son along too,

 

Pm sent.

I'll remember this statement.....I may just take you up on that next time around!

It would be a pleasure, I'll even drag my son along too,

 

PM sent.

Edited April 1, 2016 by b33fy

[Jitmen]

enjoyed running my APT-E the last two days,put it safety into my self made 4 foot B+Q box all left connected ,back to work tomorrow then get the train back out Tuesday for more trials.Ordered this train about one and a half year ago and its been well worth the wait and money.my favourite part is the lights on the computers .

[charliepetty]

Hi

I received the non-sound version yesterday (and in some ways regretting not getting the sound version) but am intrigued- what does F-16 do?

Thanks

Mark

Sound & speakers are available from Legomanbiffo.  Charlie

[reevesthecat]

Sound & speakers are available from Legomanbiffo. Charlie

Thanks Charlie something for the future but will one of you tell me what the f16 does and why it's a bleeding secret?

 

Edited as I found a rude word the filter doesn't know!

Edited April 1, 2016 by reevesthecat

[Gordonotron]

Thanks Charlie something for the future but will one of you tell me what the ###### f16 does and why it's a bleeding secret?

 

Edited as I found a rude word the filter doesn't know!

 

 

I'll PM you - as I think most of us here are keeping it for those who haven't got it yet.

[Mr_Tilt]

I thought they also developed Maglev at the RTC.....?

 

Cheers,

MIck

 

We did, but it wasn't for holding up the ends of bogie-less Power Cars. The Maglev prototype still exists and it's at the Science Museum outstation at Wroughton nr. Swindon, but they never open the place these days. 

 

We did have some folding handling dollies to hold up bogie-less Power and Trailer Cars, but they were hardly much use for anything other than VERY low speed movements. You can see one of them under TC2 when we moved it to Shildon in 2005, and we still have three of them up there now. 

 

[newbryford]

I knew I should've bought a spare centre coach and one of these.

 

 

Cheers,

Mick

[lyneux]

Sorry Mick, wheels don't match! ;-)

[piranha230]

I have noticed on the earlier model photos, they had silver separate pipes on the bogies, but on the most recent pics they are blue like bogie frame, on the real train where they silver or blue?

[Flood]

Picked up mine from a UPS drop-off point this afternoon. Ran on the Mickleover club layout this evening like a dream.

 

Put it all together, took it all apart...What's the problem??????? Oh yes I forgot, I read the instructions and did what they told me to do.

 

Perhaps it's my age but I: 1. Don't expect everything to arrive sooner just because a shout and scream like a baby and 2. realised along time ago that the only way to achieve anything in life is to actually try to do things I've never done before.

[Ramrig]

As Flood mentions above.

 

You wait long enough by Duffield Signal box .............................

 

 

....................... and look what appears....................

 

 

on a test run working south back to the RTC at Derby mid 1970's .......................

 

 

I'm sure I spotted Kit on board 

 

 

[Kelly]

It looks a lovely model, I'd have ordered if I had the remotest need for it (or the funds at the time). When searching for other items on that well know auction site I noticed a few listed at £550+!

 

Some people really are crazy or despicable, or both!

[Flood]

One starting price on ebay of £225.00, one of £99.99 and two of 99p. The maximum order quantity was 2 per person so absolutely anyone could have bought one for themselves and one to resell.

 

So basically, in this instance, people are crazy.

 

BTW I have certificate no. 59. If I was going to send out a batch of models I would do it alphabetically by buyers surname to make sure I did not miss anyone.

Edited April 2, 2016 by Flood

[Spannerman]

I've got to agree with Kelly this does look a superb model.

I held off ordering as I didn't really need one for my planned southern based layout and couldn't justify the expense.

Now I'm exceptionally jealous of you guys receiving such a mouth watering model, this has got to be an early contender for model of the year.

 

Well done to all involved with bringing such a fantastic project to fruition.

 

Atb

Nik

[Pete the Elaner]

 this has got to be an early contender for model of the year.

It will certainly take some beating.

 

...unless the awards are like the Oscars where an average movie released 3 weeks before the awards beats last summer's blockbuster.

[Titan]

 

 

BTW I have certificate no. 59. If I was going to send out a batch of models I would do it alphabetically by buyers surname to make sure I did not miss anyone.

 

That would only work if people pay the balance in alphabetical order!!!

[Colin_McLeod]

Thanks Charlie something for the future but will one of you tell me what the ###### f16 does and why it's a bleeding secret?

Edited as I found a rude word the filter doesn't know!

Perhaps it's a passenger throwing up after taking a bite from the infamous sandwich!!

 

Hat, coat and gone.

[Mr_Tilt]

I have noticed on the earlier model photos, they had silver separate pipes on the bogies, but on the most recent pics they are blue like bogie frame, on the real train where they silver or blue?

 

I think you're talking about the HK Brake hoses on the ends of the E1T articulated bogies are you?

 

 

On the real train they started out painted Rail Blue, like the rest of the bogie, but as they were made with stainless steel outer coverings they ended up silver if they were replaced without being painted. Currently the hoses  on the E1T bogie under the outer end of the TC2 have been painted silver and they look very smart indeed. Jason and Co. modelled the train as it arrived at York in 1976, or as close as they could get anyway. 

 

You could re-paint your hoses silver and they'd be just as authentic as if they were blue. 

 

If that's not what you meant, please explain further.

[Mr_Tilt]

As Flood mentions above.

 

You wait long enough by Duffield Signal box .............................

 

Resize 3.jpg

 

....................... and look what appears....................

 

Resize 2.jpg

 

on a test run working south back to the RTC at Derby mid 1970's .......................

 

IMG_1684 Re.jpg

 

I'm sure I spotted Kit on board 

 

 

You'd have needed X-Ray eyes to have seen me aboard E-Train on the only occasion we really did pass Duffield. That was on the very first test run in 1972 and I was lying flat on the floor of the Joint Module between TC1 and TC2 with my head out underneath the module watching that the wheelsets on the SA bogies didn't start hunting! Comfortable it was NOT! 

 

We'd experienced hunting on the SA wheelsets on POP-Train some months before and I was the lowest graded person aboard E-Train who'd also been aboard POP-Train on that occasion, so naturally I got the job..............

[Southernman46]

#289 (no DCC no noise) now here - love the instruction book - like have a chat over a pint or two - refreshing ...............

[northendboy]

Morning all. Assembled mine, having fitted a decoder, but after a brief period of running with both power cars working, PC2 now refuses to move and the lights don't work. Obviously there is a gap in the DCC signal getting from one end of the train to the other, but is it possible to check which joint is at fault? There seems to be nothing DCC controlled in the coaches as the lights stay on all the time.

 

To be honest, it's a bit of a moot point as the brief period of running proved that it collided with pretty much every bridge, platform and passing train, so if I get it running it will be confined to a 'test track' on the adjacent line.

 

Edit: And it turns out that for once in my life, I was right! A tiny bit of contact cleaner on the TC1/TC2 joint fettled it and now it's off and running. As you were chaps...

Edited April 2, 2016 by northendboy