The Official Rapido APT-E Thread

[jonklein611]

I think the poor economics of Concorde were more as a result of very high fuel consumption and operating costs and its introduction almost coinciding with the oil shock of the early 70's and the paradigm shift in airline operations and economics resulting from the introduction of widebody airliners.

 

Sadly one of the things that really killed off the Concorde was 9/11.  I remember watching a documentary where they said the Concorde lost over 50% of it's normal clients (investment bankers) in the attack.

[JSpencer]

Sadly one of the things that really killed off the Concorde was 9/11.  I remember watching a documentary where they said the Concorde lost over 50% of it's normal clients (investment bankers) in the attack.

 

Actually it was a crash on the 25th of July 2000, near Le Bourget. I lived there at the time and I was about a mile or so away. My wife drove past the site twice, on her way to work and back.

 

Extra safety was built into the aircraft tanks, but people lost confidence by this and the later 2001 event.

[Anthony566]

I know i said i would do this a while ago but i really must get mine out of the box ... i have no idea if it works. It is the sound fitted version so i am looking forward to how this sounds.

 

I know this is covered here but any tips on conecting everything together i seem to remember coments about once connected together leave it that way if possible is that still the advice ?

[Mr_Tilt]

I know i said i would do this a while ago but i really must get mine out of the box ... i have no idea if it works. It is the sound fitted version so i am looking forward to how this sounds.

 

I know this is covered here but any tips on conecting everything together i seem to remember coments about once connected together leave it that way if possible is that still the advice ?

 

It certainly is.

 

While it's possible to uncouple and couple the 4 vehicles you need 'the knack' to get it right, and the more you do it, the more likely it is that the multi-pin plugs in each joint module will become worn with time.

 

'The knack' is to lift one end of one of the vehicles up while coupling, then the wide, tan tongue that slides under the adjoining vehicle moves into position more easily and the plugs and sockets align more easily too. 

[Anthony566]

It certainly is.

 

While it's possible to uncouple and couple the 4 vehicles you need 'the knack' to get it right, and the more you do it, the more likely it is that the multi-pin plugs in each joint module will become worn with time.

 

'The knack' is to lift one end of one of the vehicles up while coupling, then the wide, tan tongue that slides under the adjoining vehicle moves into position more easily and the plugs and sockets align more easily too.

 

Thanks for the advice ill try and sort it out on Thursday night as i am off work for 6 days after tomorrow ....... Edited April 11, 2017 by Anthony566

[Anthony566]

So as i had said above i set out with best intentions. ..

 

 

 

 

Once i arrived at this point my eye was drawn to this ....

 

 

 

So as it is really late and the euphoria of being able to turn off my laptop and works phone for the next six days was slowly being over taken by the need to sleep i called a hault to the pending engineering works until the above document had been read at least twice ....

[RedgateModels]

I have found that a little silicone grease on the pegs that click into the slots (those who have connected up the APT-E will know what I mean) greatly eases the assembly of it

[UP 4000]

It's not really too bad, looks and sounds more daunting than actually is, Yes there will be one that's a right swine to do, but does get easier.

 

Although E-Train is permanently connected and on display and Service Use is in the travel tube fully connected, I can disconnect/reconnect all the coaches very quickly, on track and with the centre covers on,

Like Kit said it's just getting the knack of it,

[Anthony566]

Thanks for the advice guys ....

 

I have put this together and without sounding to confident it was reallt easy the hard part is pushing the conectors together

 

 

[UP 4000]

Always nice to see another one out of the box,

 

Running loud and proud, (even the non sound ones sound sweet as a nut,)

[Jitmen]

APT-E looking good and Shildon the other week next to BR class 71

[adb968008]

The Russians did indeed delvelop a SST similar in shape to Concorde but with 2 small winglets at the front end , unfortunately one crashed whilst displaying at the Paris airshow, It went into service 2 years after Concorde in '77 but only did 55 flights as another one crashed so there were no further passenger flights but I seem to remember that they were used within the USSR for a while carrying freight.

Some were sold to NASA America where I think they were used as test beds for future development of SSTs Its worth Googling if you are interested.

 

Known as the Tupulev TU 144 a total of 16 were built There is lots of info on Wikipedia and films on You Tube

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

As a Concorde flyer I was very disappointed when Concorde was grounded,,

The Russian Concorde is similar but also different, I got to go on a TU144 in Russia, (only on the ground), communism and comfort isn't the way to describe it, it's not sound proofed either, nor does it have long range legs. NASA hired the tu144 for performance testing in the 1990s but the engines are still used in the soviet military, so there definitely was no question of a sale, indeed the one in Germany at Speyer was only taken on condition of no engines. It's liked to believe it could fly again, but it's too far a remote possibility, but if there was the money and someone prepared to take a lot of risks in a land with less litigation.. it could happen.

 

As for Concorde it wasnt just 9/11 or AF4590 that ended it, the AF operation hadn't been profitable for years, an early event had damaged one Concorde in the AF fleet and post the 11/01 restart of operations another near critical fuel event occurred with AF (similar in nature to what ended tu144 ops), at which point the economics of the AF operation were beyond question...

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2781275.stm

 

I Believe it was this incident that sealed the AF (and ultimately entire fleets) fate, the timeline of other issues doesn't help.. for a fleet of 9 operational aircraft (post 2001) across two airlines with only 4 Concorde flights per day for the whole fleet to share and in the case of this example flight..only 47 passengers (47% full).. compare to your average 747 each aircraft of which would do 2 flights per aircraft per day, with loads up to 100% full.

Of course the AF001 rudder incident 8 days later didn't help, and that only had 37 passengers...

Edited April 13, 2017 by adb968008

[Anthony566]

I feel stupidly late to the APT-E party bearing in mind i have had this sitting in a box for ever .... the is truly the BEST EVER OO gauge loco produced to date .... i just couldn't stop saying oh my god ....

 

 

 

 

 

The detail on this loco is truly amazing and im sure lots of people have posted thanks to the team of people that made this happen but i just want to say my sincere thanks to them all as this is an amazing project and true example of how when the right people come together amazingly complex things can happen.

 

Also the sound is extremely well implemented and adds that extra touch to the loco.

[Mad McCann]

Now that I'm about to be able to earn a bit of money again I'm pretty gutted I missed the boat with this one! What a beauty!

 

Dave.

[UP 4000]

Now that I'm about to be able to earn a bit of money again I'm pretty gutted I missed the boat with this one! What a beauty!

 

Dave.

 

It is a shame, the prices on Ebay are nearly double and as of late not many about at all, (none listed at time of this post)

 

Even the Hornby APT-P is easing off a little,

[Anthony566]

Made a small running video of my APT-E I'm sure you have seen may of these so didn't do any unboxing or anything else .... I did run it in for a few hours

 

One set of wheels needed adjusting as they didn't like any points but this took no more than 2 minutes to sort out other than that it runs really really smooth.

 

https://youtu.be/q0H5_pd4Vyk

Edited April 15, 2017 by Anthony566

[Mr_Tilt]

That's absolutely splendid! 

 

I like the way you shot much of it from a scale standing height, it looks just like the real thing passing by. It's still a bit weird watching my own control station whizzing past though. 

 

That's some layout you've got as well, most impressive. 

[ColinK]

Great video. Great layout too, perhaps someone from BRM will see the video and we'll have an article in your layout in due course.

[Anthony566]

Thanks for the feedback Mr Tilt im really glad YOU liked it ... i do like recording from ground level

 

Colin as far as my layout goes its a long long long way away from that but i really appreciate the coments. I have four sections about that size and the one im recording on is only about 50% done. I need some weekend helpers to speed things up.

Edited April 15, 2017 by Anthony566

[47137]

APT-E Easements

 

I have finally cut away an obstructive baseboard support on "Shelf Island" (layout on its back on the floor here):

 

So the train will run through the tunnel and can get from one end of the layout to the other:

 

This is what happens on the 24-inch curve outside the tunnel:

 

I dread to think what the model looks like on the 18-inch curve inside the tunnel but this is hidden from view . . . the design of the bogie and articulation and tilting, and the ability to uncouple the model, must stand as evidence of a seriously good design by Rapido.

 

I don't honestly expect to run the train through this part of the layout very often, and I still have to lift off the tunnel mouth, but it is good to know the train will pass through without hitting a rigid obstruction. I am planning an extension to the other end of the room.

 

- Richard.

 

 

[Sam Kennion]

Could not believe my eyes when I stumbled across this quite by chance. Many, many, years ago I planned to make one for my Metalwork 'O' Level project until I was talked out of it!! And that was after I took lots of pictures at the NRM, printed them to scale to help create the drawings I needed.

 

Anyway, read all the comments (well most, there is a lot here :-)) and looked at Rapidos fine models, and I've just taken the plunge....

 

....it's the only way I'll ever have of owning a model of this fabulous train.

 

Hi Moschops,

 

Is there any possibility of the drawings you did being made available please.

They would be interesting and might be of use to those of us working in scales other than 4mm who are unable to benefit from Rapido's good works.

 

Best regards,

 

Sam K.

[Moschops]

Hi Sam,

 

I will have a look to see if I can find the negatives / drawings etc. It is something I always meant to do after writing that post, and even find the nose I made out of balsa wood :-)

 

But don't hold your breath! I've moved a few times, and there's no telling if I still have that box with that part of my life in anymore :-(

 

Mike (Moschops)

[47137]

I went to Shildon a few days ago, here are some photos of the lady in her current bisected form. I am pondering whether to rub a little weathering powder into the details of my own model.

 

PC2 and TC1 are nearest the doors of the museum:

 

TC2 and PC1 are several metres away:

 

 

 

I wonder if the custodians of the train could let the museum staff have a key? So visitors could have look inside. Shildon is a 500-mile round trip for me, and I guess a long trip for many in the UK.

 

- Richard.

[Mr_Tilt]

The large gap between TC1 and TC2 is due to a mis-reading of the fire regulations when the train was moved to Shildon. At the time the museum authorities said there had to be a 30 ft (I think....) gap in any one complete train on show there, but it seems that's not really the case. 

 

As it is it's enabled us to have the last remaining SA bogie on show, the one under the outer end of TC1, and it makes theoretical access to the Trailer Cars so much easier, via the stairs that we've installed at the ends of the vehicles.

 

However, getting free access to the train is not easy. As it is at the moment it's not safe to go through the Power Car unless you have a guide showing you the way, and the Trailer Cars need guides as well because light fingered characters are likely to remove some of the components, sad to say.

 

Relations with us and the Museum staff are not all that good just now, and haven't been for some time. There's very little interest on their part to learn about the train so they could provide knowledgeable guides, and there's little trust on our part due to quite an amount of our equipment having mysteriously vanished and then re-appeared on nearby exhibits.

 

Frequently, even though we've pre-planned work weekends and open days on the train, we've been told we can't carry out our plans because of other activities taking place at Shildon. Until things improve on this front I can't really see any way we can grant free access when Support Group people aren't on the site. 

[Shovelto]

The large gap between TC1 and TC2 is due to a mis-reading of the fire regulations when the train was moved to Shildon. At the time the museum authorities said there had to be a 30 ft (I think....) gap in any one complete train on show there, but it seems that's not really the case. 

 

As it is it's enabled us to have the last remaining SA bogie on show, the one under the outer end of TC1, and it makes theoretical access to the Trailer Cars so much easier, via the stairs that we've installed at the ends of the vehicles.

 

However, getting free access to the train is not easy. As it is at the moment it's not safe to go through the Power Car unless you have a guide showing you the way, and the Trailer Cars need guides as well because light fingered characters are likely to remove some of the components, sad to say.

 

Relations with us and the Museum staff are not all that good just now, and haven't been for some time. There's very little interest on their part to learn about the train so they could provide knowledgeable guides, and there's little trust on our part due to quite an amount of our equipment having mysteriously vanished and then re-appeared on nearby exhibits.

 

Frequently, even though we've pre-planned work weekends and open days on the train, we've been told we can't carry out our plans because of other activities taking place at Shildon. Until things improve on this front I can't really see any way we can grant free access when Support Group people aren't on the site.

 

Very sad to hear about the relationship problem. It is a wonderful exhibit and I am sure there are loads of folk that would love to go inside. Is there any way of bringing about a "meeting of minds"?