Have your say with Rapido

[Dunsignalling]

Early on in this thread, there's a photo of Rapidoandy perusing the "Big Book of GWR Wagons".

 

I doubt it will only have been the Iron Mink to catch his eye.....

 

John 

[Wickham Green too]

On 14/04/2022 at 15:36, SteveyDee68 said:

......- only a single coach type is needed together with a single fourgon wagon, .......

Not QUITE that simple - they'd have to they'd be wise to tool up for early and late fenestration on the sleepers then fourgon with and without guard's compartment ( the latter with or without birdcage ) and, again, changes in fenestration ! ........................ then Ramsgate would have to be persuaded to produce the appropriate Buffet & Dining Car variants - and whatever else formed the tail of the train that NEVER appears in photos !

[Dunsignalling]

Sorry, I just can't help myself. 

 

Would what was at the back of the train perhaps be a Fourgon conclusion.

 

Hat, Coat, etc.

 

John

Edited April 15, 2022 by Dunsignalling

[Wickham Green too]

It would, indeed - on the Paris-bound service which always ran in the dark so never got photographed at all ! ...................... in the opposite direction, the vans were at the leading end between the loco and sleepers where all the Kodak was exposed.

[Covkid]

On 14/04/2022 at 16:37, wombatofludham said:

Here's an off the wall suggestion - a BRUFF road-railer, and some Leyland-Daf trackside lorries and crew buses from the late 80s and 90s.  Base Toys have the 60s and 70s covered with their Leyland FG "Parrot" trucks and crew buses, and have a Leyland Redline flatbed and Ford A series truck in BR Yellow, but there's very little for the late 80s to 90s.  Oxford haven't done anything since the Bedford TK and Sherpa crew bus so given Rapido like their quirky and buses, perhaps they might consider these.

The BRUFF could, with some clever design, even be made to run on rail, and there's one over on the Downpatrick railway that was built for NIR which could be scanned.

Really good call.

I have had high hopes of Oxford for a few years, but the new announcements seemed to have dried up since their closer association with the company from Margate.  

[RANGERS]

21 hours ago, Covkid said:

Really good call.

I have had high hopes of Oxford for a few years, but the new announcements seemed to have dried up since their closer association with the company from Margate.  

Fair to say the decline in volumes of new product from all manufacturers compared to ten or fifteen years ago is down to market conditions and production capacity/ costs and not just Oxford’s association with Hornby.

 

Bottom line is China ain’t as cheap for production as it used to be and there’s more competition for capacity. Add to that a market that’s expanded to a point where it’s approaching saturation and the business case for putting anything into production, let alone investment in tooling a new model, is a hard one to prove.

 

 

[mdvle]

7 hours ago, RANGERS said:

Fair to say the decline in volumes of new product from all manufacturers compared to ten or fifteen years ago is down to market conditions and production capacity/ costs and not just Oxford’s association with Hornby.

 

Yet despite your doom and gloom in the last approximate year Rapido have announced 14 new project in OO (plus 2 in N) with at least another 5 projects yet to be announced.

 

https://rapidotrains.co.uk/delivery-schedule/

 

And Accurascale have commented that they have a lot of stuff to announce this year now that they have a better handle on the complexities of bringing locos to market.

 

That doesn't sound like the problem for Oxford is market conditions or costs in China...

[RANGERS]

3 hours ago, mdvle said:

 

Yet despite your doom and gloom in the last approximate year Rapido have announced 14 new project in OO (plus 2 in N) with at least another 5 projects yet to be announced.

 

https://rapidotrains.co.uk/delivery-schedule/

 

And Accurascale have commented that they have a lot of stuff to announce this year now that they have a better handle on the complexities of bringing locos to market.

 

That doesn't sound like the problem for Oxford is market conditions or costs in China...

No doom and gloom from me, just facts, both of which are true! Oxford aren’t in the premium end where there’s less sensitivity to price so more room for those that are to absorb the increased costs.

 

These tend to work on Shorter runs which need that margin to amortise the higher development and unit costs, so the unit selling price is higher.

 

Despite the seeming saturation point, there’s still plenty of prototypes with mainstream attraction (first generation DMUs for instance) and even more with niche appeal (which in the main, though not exclusively, is where Accurascale/ Rapido et al are) but it’s a bigger risk than its ever been to build a business case that justifies it. One thing that is apparent, careful choice of prototypes can expand that market, as the explosion of industrials in all scales has proved.

 

Hats off to those that do pursue this line with new products, our hobby would be the worse for it, though my bank balance might be much healthier.

[MartinM]

We need Rapido to do a decent SE&CR loco to go with all the rolling stock? How about a SE&CR R or R1 0-6-0 like the old Wren Hornby Dublo one but to a modern standard.... 

 

[Wickham Green too]

Never very numerous, LOTS of variations and quite limited geography - but I wouldn't say no ......... the O/O1 might be a better choice, tho'.

[Covkid]

Right then

Whilst browsing through my collection of odd wagons I picked up my Triang Murgatroyds bogie tank wagon and had a good look at it. At this point I would put it back in the box for another couple of years then probably repeat. 

I am sure I am not the only one with such a beastie, but what is one to do ?  Keep it hidden in a box, hope someone like RapidoAndy might take pity, or get out the saws and files and try and bodge it into something a little more authentic ? It is actually an ICI tank that I need for traffic to and from Courtaulds, and they do look very slightly different.

 

So come on RapidoAndy.  I have thrown the gauntlett down as one of your ticklist items or 2023 or 2024 !!!!!!      

[Covkid]

Took a screwdriver to the Murgatroyds tank wagon last night and dismantled it. The barrel seems pretty much the same diameter as a Steradent tube which I happen to have in stock !!! 

I really think Rapido would do a better job of the 40T bogie tank than me though.

[Pmorgancym]

As your tooling up the Leyland National sides, how about an all singing and dancing 153, lights, sounds, destination blinds, opening doors??  Lotsa liveries, possibly a 155?

[Delta_Who]

Love Rapido as a company.... but I'm a modern image person. So maybe in the future Rapido UK will venture into that territory.

But if we're putting suggestions down... I would love to appeal to Jason's Whovian side and pitch a Rapido 18" Dalek lineup with all-singing and dancing effects (moving plunger, gunstalk, PTT Modulator). 😉

[Tim Dubya]

I wouldn't mind an SECR Long Ten if you get bored chaps 👍

 

Cheers

[Wickham Green too]

6 hours ago, Tim Dubya said:

I wouldn't mind an SECR Long Ten if you get bored chaps 👍

Which variant ? ..... only four to choose from ( ignoring Pull & Push or not, as the case may be ).

[GernBlanstonShow]

Recently learned about the Southern/BR D3/12. If a DCC Ready version can be had for around £150-£160 that would be extremely appealing and compete well with Bachmann and Hornby's Class 08. 

 

 

[Bucoops]

An interesting prototype, and they travelled a lot in their lives - but only 3 were built compared to about 1000 08s so I don't think it's right to compare those two?

[GernBlanstonShow]

Prototypically yes not the most direct comparison but I'm more thinking of how they would be used on a railway, both low-speed diesel shunters.

[Bucoops]

Sorry what I mean is the model - 08s would presumably sell an awful lot more as there were and still are so many, so you could get better economies of scale or whatever the phrase is for it :)

[Dunsignalling]

8 hours ago, Bucoops said:

Sorry what I mean is the model - 08s would presumably sell an awful lot more as there were and still are so many, so you could get better economies of scale or whatever the phrase is for it :)

Though there are already an awful lot of Bachmann and Hornby 08s out here which many of us wouldn't consider in urgent need of replacement.

 

If anybody did want to do a "different" diesel shunter, I'd think the rod-driven LMS sort would tick more boxes.

 

John

 

Edited May 22, 2022 by Dunsignalling

[Covkid]

1 hour ago, Dunsignalling said:

Though there are already an awful lot of Bachmann and Hornby 08s out here which many of us wouldn't consider in urgent need of replacement.

 

If anybody did want to do a "different" diesel shunter, I'd think the rod-driven LMS sort would tick more boxes.

 

John

 

Agree John. The LMS "Jackshafts" Started with LMS 7080 in May 1939 up to LMS 7119 delivered in June 1942.  These became British Railways 12003 - 12032 after 1948 and the last ones left service in 1967.

 

A very important shunting loco as a precursor to the "standard" 350hp 0-6-0. 

 

Yes please to 12004 and 12013  !!

[Nova Scotian]

With their blossoming relationship with Studiocanal, how about a L&Y Class 25?

 

A long tank MSC Hudswell Clarke probably a bit too much to ask for...

[peterfgf]

54 minutes ago, Nova Scotian said:

With their blossoming relationship with Studiocanal, how about a L&Y Class 25?

 

A long tank MSC Hudswell Clarke probably a bit too much to ask for...

Absolutely spot on with the L&Y Class 25.  They can even do a 3D- scan of the real thing.

Peterfgf

[rapidoandy]

2 hours ago, Nova Scotian said:

With their blossoming relationship with Studiocanal, how about a L&Y Class 25?

 

A long tank MSC Hudswell Clarke probably a bit too much to ask for...

Hmmmm….. I passed my firing test on an MSC long tank and even organised an MSC themed gala once…