The Official Rapido APT-E Thread

[Brian Hawkins]

Thanks for your comment Jason, can't make York :-( I'll try e-mailing Dan next week.

[Mr_Tilt]

Where do I join?

 

How could we not want to follow a man involved in the production of the Deus ex Machine, so to speak!

 

Luke

 

I think if you're on here you already ARE a member Luke. 

[rapidobill]

I have finally put my sound  APT-E together, after laying off the beer today, it wasn't simple to do by any means, but I have a BIG problem, it has a short and I really do not have  a clue how to clear it, I put it together by reading the instruction book first, any help on this problem would be greatly appreciated :-(

Brian,

 

We can try a quick diagnose process... try PC1 on it's own (it will run) then add one of the trailing cars, then the other, then finally PC2 until the short occurs again. This will identify which unit has the issue and I can walk you though a couple of things to quickly check.

 

Bill

[Mr_Tilt]

Brian,

 

We can try a quick diagnose process... try PC1 on it's own (it will run) then add one of the trailing cars, then the other, then finally PC2 until the short occurs again. This will identify which unit has the issue and I can walk you though a couple of things to quickly check.

 

Bill

 

Spoken like a true engineer. 

[newbryford]

 

Spoken like a true engineer. 

That's the old-fashioned way.

 

Have you tried turning it off and then back on again?

 

 

Cheers,

Mick

Edited March 25, 2016 by newbryford

[royaloak]

I will be at my desk bright and early in the morning if you can ring about 8.00am, we'll sort it out.

I was at work at 05:00 so didnt see your message until now, I will try ringing you on Tuesday morning, enjoy the long weekend.

Edited March 26, 2016 by royaloak

[brenn]

Ok - just got home now from setting up the stand at York show for this weekend so I won't be at the museum until Tuesday .

 

We managed to get some of the sound versions out this week and the priority, starting Tuesday is to start sending out the dcc ready versions.

 

Please be patient...I haven't had a day off in nearly 3 weeks and both Stuart and I have been at work from 7.00 am trying our best to keep up with balance payments and upgrades as well as preparing for shows and sending out models as best we can.

 

You will get your models as quickly as possible.

 

Cheers

Sandra

Hi Sandra

I've  paid the balance for my sound version but not in a  rush so when you can drop me a line to let me know whats happening with my order

 

Ta

 

ON a side note has this project been a commercial success or not? I recently read an piece in rail express ( I think) stating that crowd sourcing for models seem to have reached it's limit with a lot of project failing to break even and as a result this may lead to less projects like this one in the future. I hope not as i suspect that we wouldn't have seen an APT at all from the major manufacturers ever!

 

Brenn

[No Decorum]

ON a side note has this project been a commercial success or not? I recently read an piece in rail express ( I think) stating that crowd sourcing for models seem to have reached it's limit with a lot of project failing to break even and as a result this may lead to less projects like this one in the future. I hope not as i suspect that we wouldn't have seen an APT at all from the major manufacturers ever!

 

Brenn

That’s an interesting point. When the subject was still a matter for speculation, I was convinced that it wouldn’t be the APT-E because of the price Rapido would have to charge, based on its high standards. I was very pleasantly surprised astonished by the price when it was announced. Those in the know had guessed a much higher price.

 

Reading about all the tribulations along the way about connectors, tilting and what not, I don’t see how Rapido can have made a profit and suspect that it might have come to be regarded a loss-leader to get into the UK market, which was one of the objects of the exercise.

 

Mind, all that is no more than gut feeling and if I allow myself to wallow in speculation, I’d say that some costs will be recovered by the Stirling Single.

[No Decorum]

I think if you're on here you already ARE a member Luke. 

That makes me one too!    Do we get numbered certificates?

[loickebros]

 

 

ON a side note has this project been a commercial success or not? I recently read an piece in rail express ( I think) stating that crowd sourcing for models seem to have reached it's limit with a lot of project failing to break even and as a result this may lead to less projects like this one in the future. I hope not as i suspect that we wouldn't have seen an APT at all from the major manufacturers ever!

 

Brenn

I also had this thought and suspect very little profit if any at all.

I suspect that is the reason for no mention of prices for HST-P they are probably waiting to see exactly what APT has cost them.

I would imagine costing of HST-P will be looked at a lot more carefully and will be considerably higher than APT=E.

Dave

Edited March 26, 2016 by loickebros

[Mr_Tilt]

That makes me one too!    Do we get numbered certificates?

 

NO chance! 

[wombatofludham]

Whether Rapido made a profit out of the model we'll almost certainly never know but I doubt the NRM are legally allowed to sell models if they end up costing the NRM money.  The whole point of Locomotion is to raise funds for the charitable activities of the Museum, so (and I'm not someone who gambles) I'd lay money on the NRM having raised enough to plough some profit into the upkeep of the Museum through this project.

 

To be honest "crowd funding" and "pre-ordering" are two different things, and whilst "crowd funding" (funding calls generated by members of the public to support ideas) hasn't had a good record in the UK and is probably effectively dead, pre-ordering of models (where commissioned by a retailer or organisation like Locomotion, or well organised outfits like Revolution) seems to be slowly catching on presumably because it gives customers a bit more confidence, so I expect retailer type pre-order scenarios for niche models will continue and grow.  Individual-led schemes using "crowd-funding" websites has already proven effectively a dead end.

[87004]

Got some courage together this morning to assemble my APT.

 

It all went OK eventually, but there were a few squeaky bottom moments on the way!  Managed to assemble the four units OK.  Very cautiously at first, but eventually got the 'knack'.  Or so I thought!   PC1's motor was running but it didn't have enough 'umph' to pull the dead PC2 along. Oh dear...  Unmade and made several of the joints, several times.  Even when you think they are connected they aren't! :-)  It probably took an hour and an half all told but time flew!

 

Thanks to e-link and Railmaster I thought I'd blown the whole unit at one point.  But I'd had issues with them not providing power to the track before and it turned out to be all OK after I switched it all off and on again!

 

Very, very pleased with the APT, had it racing around my temporary attic loop for quite some time earlier this afternoon, it's quite nippy!

 

Finding all the talk of whether Rapido made a profit or not a bit crass?  I'm sure that's confidential to them and probably won't be revealed in a hurry.

[amwells]

I'm sure the discussion of profit for Rapido is not intended to be 'crass'. To me it means that we are all more aware now that companies need to make profits to survive / progress.

 

The way I read these comments is that everyone wants Rapido to make a profit so that they will make more great models for us. I welcome that! In fact, if Rapido can make a profit at the price of the APT, then we are in for more good times... If not, prices will need to rise (that isn't a cue to go into a pricing discussion like other threads!), or we won't get anymore.

 

Now did someone mention APT-P??

 

PS thanks Sandra for all your efforts.

[brittannia]

Found the perfect way of setting  up APT-E , get the grandson to do it , 5 minutes flat! amazing ,tested it on my layout just need to shorten one platform end on a terminus station , sound is LOUD. but great, runs extremely well.

Edited March 26, 2016 by brittannia

[Jitmen]

£310 now on eBay

[Wolf27]

£310 now on eBay

 

To quote

and is only for sale due to a change in circumstances since I paid for it (£325) some time ago.

 

Could you not have just cancelled your order and let someone else pay the going rate, but I guess that you wouldn't have been able to profit from this then?

[tgvfan]

£310 now on eBay

I did say earlier in this thread that it`s going to fetch far more than the original purchase price

 

No doubt a few more will crop up over the coming months , But I don`t think there will be a glut of them like the APT-P`s on ebay

 

They seem to come in 3`s lol

[Vistisen]

That makes me one too!    Do we get numbered certificates?

Yep. but are with or without sound?

[piranha230]

He will have to pay Ebay 10% of its final selling price plus I think its around 4% to paypal, so even if it sells, he has them fees to contend with.

[Vistisen]

To quote

and is only for sale due to a change in circumstances since I paid for it (£325) some time ago.

 

Could you not have just cancelled your order and let someone else pay the going rate, but I guess that you wouldn't have been able to profit from this then?

That's what I did, when I came to my senses and decided that as a non collecter who wants to actually run trains, it simply would not run on my present layout. I found someone on this forum who had missed out on ordering, I hope he is very happy with my/his  model.

[Revolution Ben]

To be honest "crowd funding" and "pre-ordering" are two different things, and whilst "crowd funding" (funding calls generated by members of the public to support ideas) hasn't had a good record in the UK and is probably effectively dead, <snipped>

Hi there,

 

The Revolution crowd-funded TEA is now being manufactured for backers, the Pendolino is at the sampling and testing stage (and was on show and working at York this weekend), the TEA in 4mm and KFA container flats in N are at the CAD stage and the 320/321 units are going forward.

 

So crowdfunding here is not completely dead!

 

Cheers

 

Ben A.

[luke_stevens]

We should start a thread of pics showing E-Trains in unlikely places. 

 

Clapham Junction, perhaps?

 

 

Too windy and starting to be wet, to do a better photo.

 

Luke

Edited March 26, 2016 by luke_stevens

[Jitmen]

^{I`ll sell mine for 1 million dollars}

Edited March 26, 2016 by Jitmen

[rapidobill]

You have a fan club?

Well, it would have at least one member... ;>)

 

The APT-E project could not have been such a success without the help of Kit & Co. (The APT-E group).

Bill