Rapido N Gauge Dynamometer Car

[AY Mod]

LNER Dynamometer Car in ‘N’!

 

·       ‘OO’ model scaled down to ‘N’

·       Highly detailed

·       FOUR to choose from

 

 

Rapido Trains UK is delighted to unveil its first ‘N’ gauge carriage and what better subject is there than the LNER Dynamometer Car?

 

The ‘OO’ gauge version of this model was lauded for its highly detailed interior and underframe. Rapido UK has done its best to include as much of this detail on the ‘N’ gauge version, albeit with the compromises that come with working in a smaller scale.

 

The new ‘N’ gauge Dynamometer Car features a detailed interior while, externally, it features many fine separately fitted parts. Look underneath and you’ll see that all the details and parts associated with the ‘recording wheel’ have been included. Sprung mounted NEM coupler pockets help the model negotiate 263.5mm radius curves.

 

 

To re-cap its history, No. 23591 was originally built by the North Eastern Railway in 1906. Rapido’s model depicts it in its post-1928 condition, which makes it suitable for re-creating the LNER’s high speed trials of the 1930s which culminated in Mallard’s record run in July 1938. As with the ‘OO’ model, the Dynamometer Car will be offered in post-1946 livery (perfect for re-creating the 1948 Locomotive Exchanges) and in post-1949 condition (when it was used on trials with Bulleid’s infamous ‘Leader’).

 

Rapido is also offering a spoof version in Railway Technical Centre livery. This will be the perfect accompaniment to Rapido’s RTC-liveried Class 28. A fifth version in BR lined maroon as E902502 is available exclusively from Rails of Sheffield.

 

Tooling work is expected to start soon with an anticipated delivery late 2023/early 2024. The order book is now open and the ‘N’ gauge Dynamometer Car can be order through Rapido UK stockists or direct from www.rapidotrains.co.uk

 

Model Factfile: ‘N’ gauge LNER Dynamometer Car

What liveries are we making?

955001: No. 23591, LNER livery (1928-1938 condition)

955002: No. 902502, LNER livery (post-1946 condition)

955003: No. E902502, BR livery (post-1949 condition)

955004: DB905202, RTC red/blue (spoof livery)

955005: No. E902502, BR lined maroon (spoof livery) EXCLUSIVE TO RAILS OF SHEFFIELD

Price? £99.95

What stage is it at? Ready for tooling

When’s it due? 2023/2024

Where can I find out more? www.rapidotrains.co.uk

[CF MRC]

Will look good (modified) on CF. 

 

Tim

Edited November 26, 2022 by CF MRC

[bmthtrains - David]

I’m never normally one to join the ‘too expensive’ brigade but £100 for a coach (a very nice one admittedly) is quite an astonishing threshold for N gauge to pass!

 

David

[CF MRC]

Worth every penny. 
 

Tim

[Helmdon]

28 minutes ago, bmthtrains - David said:

I’m never normally one to join the ‘too expensive’ brigade but £100 for a coach (a very nice one admittedly) is quite an astonishing threshold for N gauge to pass!

 

David

Owning an OO one (in my house for all of 24 hours before going back for surgery) it will be about the best piece of rolling stock (RTR) on many layouts. Totally new ballgame. Ok, it’s a price to match, but stunning.

[grahame]

I'd imagine the £99 RRP will be around £80 - £85 in shops after discount.

 

[Gareth Collier]

Great to see this being reduced to 'N'. Sure it's a niche item and nearing £100 but so what? No one is forcing anyone to buy it but already complaints about the price. Unfortunately everything is going up and it's only a hobby not a necessity but Rapido so far appear to know what they're doing and their market.
If it's too much you can always order one from Shapeways, £30-£42 depending on print quality plus £15 postage then you need to prep it, paint it and source the interior and bogies......
You'd think people would be happy another manufacturer is risking their own money in the 'N' gauge market.

[Roy L S]

47 minutes ago, grahame said:

I'd imagine the £99 RRP will be around £80 - £85 in shops after discount.

 

Hattons and Rails are both quoting £84.95, I can't see that Rails have yet provided any price details for their spoof BR maroon one.

 

Regards

 

Roy

[Bucoops]

3 hours ago, Helmdon said:

Owning an OO one (in my house for all of 24 hours before going back for surgery) it will be about the best piece of rolling stock (RTR) on many layouts. Totally new ballgame. Ok, it’s a price to match, but stunning.

 

I have the original, which I one day was going to pluck up the courage to line. Then Rapido did it for me so I broke the cardinal rule - only one of a unique item 🤣

 

Anyone want an unlined one? :D

[maq1988]

£100 is quite a lot but I'm torn between a what if RTC or a BR livery in Teak

[Brian-1c]

What decoder socket is factory fitted please ?

 

[RichardT]

5 hours ago, bmthtrains - David said:

but £100 for a coach (a very nice one admittedly) is quite an astonishing threshold for N gauge to pass!

1. Take a look at the RRP for Rapido’s North American N scale rolling stock.

 

2. The Dynamometer Car was/is unique. No-one needs more than one*, and Rapido have to recover their costs somehow. 

RichardT

 

*Which is why I’m ordering two! (pre and post-1946 LNER liveries)

[RichardT]

And in connection with this, just a bump to the Isinglass Models announcement yesterday that he’s now in a position to shrink his LNER Gresley carriage kits to N (to fit onto Dapol Gresley chassis):

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/topic/175753-isinglass-models-new-kits-in-n-gauge/

 

RichardT

[D9020 Nimbus]

I would rather Rapido risked their money on something much more useful. This is really a collector's item rather than a modeller's one and such items have never done well in N gauge in the past.

 

I wouldn’t buy this at even a quarter of the price. I suspect the only people who buy this will be the contributors to this thread who say they will—and not even all of them once next year's energy bills come in. I think it's significant that neither Rails nor Locomotion have claimed this as an exclusive.…

[Brian-1c]

Revolution's Caroline is similar level pricing. It's about right for a speciality coach. I do remember seeing a pic somewhere of this car in a train on the LMR going through Crewe on a test train, so it has a wider range of operation than generally assumed.

 

[bmthtrains - David]

4 hours ago, Gareth Collier said:

Great to see this being reduced to 'N'. Sure it's a niche item and nearing £100 but so what? No one is forcing anyone to buy it but already complaints about the price. Unfortunately everything is going up and it's only a hobby not a necessity but Rapido so far appear to know what they're doing and their market.
If it's too much you can always order one from Shapeways, £30-£42 depending on print quality plus £15 postage then you need to prep it, paint it and source the interior and bogies......
You'd think people would be happy another manufacturer is risking their own money in the 'N' gauge market.

I’m not complaining, merely observing this key price point is being crossed in the same way that £200 is approaching for locomotives.

 

David

[Ed-farms]

On 26/11/2022 at 09:19, bmthtrains - David said:

I’m never normally one to join the ‘too expensive’ brigade but £100 for a coach (a very nice one admittedly) is quite an astonishing threshold for N gauge to pass!

 

David

 

You have to think logically here, a Mark 1 SO for example would sell by the truck load - you need 2 or 3 in a train say and most modellers would have 2 trains. Thats 6 coaches per modeller, plus you get extra liveries out of it so repeat runs are doable. Your production run costs can be covered over a long period.

 

The Dynamometer Car is a one off, ok you get 5 liveries here (2 fictitious granted) but how many of us will buy more than one? I am going to get the 1938 version and that will probably be it. I will be amazed if they get a 2nd run off this tooling so all costs have to be covered in one run.  

[Steven B]

Revolution's Caroline is £130 so not the first £100 coach but certainly in the same ball-park.

 

For a one off vehicle where you're not going to get (many) multiple purchases it's an understandable price - even if it's hard on the wallet.

 

Hopefully it'll make a profit and allow Rapido to justify some further N Gauge tooling. Suburban/non-corridor coaches are almost noticeable by their absence in N. Are there any that would be suited? Something along the lines on a brake, second & composite that share the same underframe and could sell as a three or four coach set. Perhaps a LNER N7 and quad arts might be a way forward for Rapido?!

 

Steven B.

[D9020 Nimbus]

15 minutes ago, Steven B said:

Perhaps a LNER N7 and quad arts might be a way forward for Rapido?!

The quad-arts are GN, the N7 essentially GE. For an N7  I'd have thought the Gresley and Thompson non-corridor coaches that Hornby do in OO might be more useful — quad-arts are only really suitable for suburban services from Moorgate.

[Bucoops]

40 minutes ago, D9020 Nimbus said:

The quad-arts are GN, the N7 essentially GE. For an N7  I'd have thought the Gresley and Thompson non-corridor coaches that Hornby do in OO might be more useful — quad-arts are only really suitable for suburban services from Moorgate.

 

GN Quad-Arts were out of KX - the "Hertford" Quads were out of Liverpool St with N7s - and the Quints of course. GER suburban stock would be VERY welcome to go with them as they lasted well into BR days (the 54ft bogie versions at least).

[CF MRC]

In its natural environment. 

This will be very special. 
 

Tim

[jjb1970]

An interesting choice, we can argue over whether it's what we'd have liked to see but I'm sure it'll be nicely done and please LNER modellers in N. On price, it's expensive but it's probably got to recoup costs from a single run given the niche nature of the prototype and most people are only going to buy one. Whether or not it is 'worth it' is an entirely personal and subjective decision, depending on position the answer could be yes or no and be entirely true for the individual.

[RichardT]

4 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

it's probably got to recoup costs from a single run given the niche nature of the prototype

See also the Heljan U1 Garrett in 4mm.  For whatever reason, at the moment niche seems to sell, rather than more everyday items which you’d assume modellers would want in multiples. I still have no idea why Sonic haven’t shrunk their 4mm A5 to N (used from London to NE England for 30+ years, no outside motion and a big body suitable for hiding a chip - couldn’t be a better proposition for filling the obvious gap for a large LNER tank loco in N left by Bachmann not shrinking their V1/3). 
 

Changing the subject completely, I have two Dynamometer Cars on order as a grand finale to my pre-ordering days…

 

RichardT

[jjb1970]

I think in many fields people drift to the exotic and different in preference to the prosaic. It's not just found in British outline, nor just model railways. I'm an aviation enthusiast and like model airliners, over the years I've seen model airline producers prioritise one off (sometimes short lived) special liveries over regular liveries seen in quantity all over the world. I find it odd but I have to assume these companies know what sells, or at least what works best for their figures. I think in British trains the ones who demonstrated the viability of unique types in model form was Heljan, they pretty much carved out a niche in OO by making various one off prototype locomotives that conventional wisdom of the time claimed could never be viable in RTR form. That seemed to open a flood gate.