The Official Rapido APT-E Thread

[Jitmen]

Snap! First visit to Crewe yesterday, mainly to see the APT-P, but had a great time also in the Exeter West signalbox watching the guys responding to tricky scenarios thrown at them by the railway simulator.

In the last couple of years we've now been inside an APT-P, the prototype Deltic, and a Vulcan; and stood next to the APT-E (OK, one of those is an aeroplane not a train, but all great British engineering marvels!)

Last year they had open days once a month on the apt-e,got to sit in the cab,see the engine and sit in the VIP coach but did not get in the control room coach,wonder if they still have open days?

[Mr_Tilt]

Last year they had open days once a month on the apt-e,got to sit in the cab,see the engine and sit in the VIP coach but did not get in the control room coach,wonder if they still have open days?

 

Last year the APT-E's open days co-incided with the Conservation & Support Group's Work Days, which then were fairly regular. This year it's not been so easy to manage that but we do try. Quite often the train's open when some of the team are working there on a non-official Work Day too. 

 

The Museum staff aren't technically qualified enough to act as Train Guides, so that's why it's only open when some Group members are there, but in general we'll try and open the train when the Museum has special events, such as the up-coming Shed Bash days.

 

TC2, the Instrumentation and Control Coach, wasn't fully restored last year, but it should be open this year when the rest of the train is, assuming there's enough Group staff on site that is. 

Edited May 30, 2016 by Mr_Tilt

[Mr_Tilt]

Has anyone else made their own storage and carry case for an APT-E model? Faced with the prospect of getting mine up to Burton for the DEMU Showcase next weekend, and bearing in mind Jason's dire warnings about plugging and un-plugging the model I decided to make my own, not having the sort of money needed for the very pretty German 'see-thru' tubes.

 

I went to my local electrical suppliers to get some of that square plastic conduit that they run cables through in the fond belief that i could just buy 4 ft of it. NO chance, it comes in 2 meter lengths so I had to drive back through the Forest with the end of sticking out of the open tailgate of the car! 

 

Having got it home and sawed it down to a suitable length i worked out how to get the top off, NOT an easy task, but doable with the aid of a decent screwdriver, and laid a couple of lengths of Peco Flexitrack on the bottom of the box bit. Then chopped up some lumps of foam, not easy unless you use a BIG knife, and Evo-stuck them to the side walls of the box. Then did the same with some more foam onto the underside of the lid bit. Blanking off one end wasn't too easy as finding the correct glue to stick the conduit wasn't easy, but some FlexiBond super glue did the job eventually. I made up a foldable cap for the other end with some 50 thou styrene, and added a handle on the lid. Then I primed and painted it silver naturally............... 

 

You may have noticed that the end cap is slanted a bit so you can predict what it's going to look like when it's done, can't you? 

 

 

[UP 4000]

Has anyone else made their own storage and carry case for an APT-E model? Faced with the prospect of getting mine up to Burton for the DEMU Showcase next weekend, and bearing in mind Jason's dire warnings about plugging and un-plugging the model I decided to make my own, not having the sort of money needed for the very pretty German 'see-thru' tubes.

 

I went to my local electrical suppliers to get some of that square plastic conduit that they run cables through in the fond belief that i could just buy 4 ft of it. NO chance, it comes in 2 meter lengths so I had to drive back through the Forest with the end of sticking out of the open tailgate of the car! 

 

Having got it home and sawed it down to a suitable length i worked out how to get the top off, NOT an easy task, but doable with the aid of a decent screwdriver, and laid a couple of lengths of Peco Flexitrack on the bottom of the box bit. Then chopped up some lumps of foam, not easy unless you use a BIG knife, and Evo-stuck them to the side walls of the box. Then did the same with some more foam onto the underside of the lid bit. Blanking off one end wasn't too easy as finding the correct glue to stick the conduit wasn't easy, but some FlexiBond super glue did the job eventually. I made up a foldable cap for the other end with some 50 thou styrene, and added a handle on the lid. Then I primed and painted it silver naturally............... 

 

You may have noticed that the end cap is slanted a bit so you can predict what it's going to look like when it's done, can't you? 

 

 

 

Good going Kit, The German 'see thru' tube is the vision, great for display, not for transport though, You would need the travel for that. At 99.00euros and 22.00euros for the track adapter (about £95.00 +p&p) not the cheapest but worth it if your moving E-Train about a lot.

 

With the trunking, when you remove the cap, just squeeze under the lid and it comes off a lot easier, also I wouldn't recommend the handle on the lid, when the trunking gets warm it can loosen up and that means one thing, Bye Bye E-Train.

 

I'm not an electrician but do work with this trunking and I have seen it attached to the ceiling and the lid peel off with only single wire cores in it, no weight really.

Edited May 31, 2016 by UP 4000

[Wolf27]

P4'd my APT-E last night....

 

Cheers

 

Shane

[newbryford]

 

 

 

 

 

It really needs a blue stripe.......

 

Cheers,

Mick

[Mr_Tilt]

Good going Kit, The German 'see thru' tube is the vision, great for display, not for transport though, You would need the travel for that. At 99.00euros and 22.00euros for the track adapter (about £95.00 +p&p) not the cheapest but worth it if your moving E-Train about a lot.

 

With the trunking, when you remove the cap, just squeeze under the lid and it comes off a lot easier, also I wouldn't recommend the handle on the lid, when the trunking gets warm it can loosen up and that means one thing, Bye Bye E-Train.

 

I'm not an electrician but do work with this trunking and I have seen it attached to the ceiling and the lid peel off with only single wire cores in it, no weight really.

 

It may be worth it, but I don't have that kind of money I'm afraid. 

 

That squeeze technique didn't work worth a light for my trunking, my neighbour suggested that too and he's in the electrical trade. When I showed mine to him he said it must be the MilSpec version. 

 

Mine won't get that warm I'm sure, and I'll test it before each 'lift'.

 

 

It really needs a blue stripe.......

 

Cheers,

Mick

 

 

Just wait a tad Mick, finding an acceptable shade takes time..............  

Edited May 31, 2016 by Mr_Tilt

[Stanley Melrose]

How about a couple of rubber bands around the conduit when moving it holding the handle - better to be sure than sorry . . .

 

Stan

[Riddles]

Lidl are selling re-usable plastic cable ties this week. (100 for £2.79). Could be safer than rubber bands.

[Removed a/c]

Well mine is winging its way to Rapido HQ as we speak. There is a stray wire in PC1 the headlights work but the cab and rear lights do not so assume this is the issue. 

[Salmotrutta]

Well finally got mine out of its box today - nervously clipped the sections together. Seemed to need a surprising amount of force - double checking that I wasn't breaking anything. It all works wonderfully - I have been running it for several hours with the sound off as my wife was trying ot work in the next room! Currently running on Roco Geo-Line circuit on the dining room table as my 8 x 4 layout has way too many things on it that it would hit. It is a fabulous bit of engineering as a model (and the real thing). The "Easter Egg" is fun too!. So far I have dropped the volume on some of the CVs to about 80 (out of 128) - particularly the gas turbines.

[BR60103]

Kit:

Could you fit a Peco LocoLift in one end to be able to roll the train out of the tray and onto the tracks? or just fit one in when needed?

[Mr_Tilt]

Kit:

Could you fit a Peco LocoLift in one end to be able to roll the train out of the tray and onto the tracks? or just fit one in when needed?

 

I've been working on something like that, yes.

 

The tracks at the end of my Carry Case (maybe that should be Karry Kase.....  ) protrude by about 3 mm and I've used a PECO 00 Railer with small cutouts in the high end to get my E-Train out of the Kase so far, but the Railer isn't electrified whereas the LocoLift is. My local model shop had never even seen a LocoLift when I was there last but maybe I'll get one at Burton at the weekend. 

[Jitmen]

• APT-P AT Crewe

[47137]

I have assembled my train as a 3-car set and kept it in a display cabinet. The short formation fits onto a yard of track, this sat on a glass shelf in the cabinet. For operation, I slid the shelf out of the cabinet, carried it to the layout and rested it down on a level section of track. Then a Peco "Loco Lift" to bridge the gap and trundle the train out.

 

This was a stop-gap but it worked well enough even though the glass shelf seemed to flex alarmingly. I now have a "Vision" tube suspended from the ceiling on hangers.

 

- Richard.

 

[Jitmen]

APT-E at Shildon

[grandadbob]

This was my solution but mine is not intended to leave the house.

 

Don't know if this is any help to anyone but following a suggestion earlier in the thread I was looking for some cable trunking to make a cassette. However my local Wickes didn't have any but the very nice man there found me some copper tube cover.

 

http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Double-Copper-Tube-Pipe-Cover-15mm-x-2500mm/p/420300

 

It also comes with some pipe clips, one of which I fixed to the end with a bit of foam to make a buffer stop.

 

With a little bit of cutting, adding some track and the help of a Peco Loco Lift I ended up with this.

 

IMG_3148-1.jpg

 

IMG_3146-1.jpg

 

IMG_3141-1.jpg

 

IMG_3147-1.jpg

[srihaggis]

Wish my DIY skills were better, generally when I try to save money making something like this, I end up spending loads more, so I've bought the trainsafe travel (with electrical connection throughout). Safe to say I took my apt-e for a 150mile trip on Monday; it got there in one piece.

[UP 4000]

Wish my DIY skills were better, generally when I try to save money making something like this, I end up spending loads more, so I've bought the trainsafe travel (with electrical connection throughout). Safe to say I took my apt-e for a 150mile trip on Monday; it got there in one piece.

 

It does work a treat, Drive in, Drive out, You don't even need to touch E-Train, Ironically my 3 metre one turned up this morning for 'service Use' after over a month on order. 

 

Looks monstrous when you see it.

[srihaggis]

3 Metres? blimey. you'll need a lorry to transport your case anywhere haha. 1 month isn't too bad, mine took 2 weeks for a 1.2M version.

 

Must admit being able to just drive it in is an advantage.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aL2fJF9jCrs

Edited June 1, 2016 by srihaggis

[Mr_Tilt]

Kit:

Could you fit a Peco LocoLift in one end to be able to roll the train out of the tray and onto the tracks? or just fit one in when needed?

 

Thanks for the tip about the LocoLift, I managed to get one today and it works a treat.     

[BR60103]

Only problem now is finding 4+ feet of space down the track for the carrier.

[UP 4000]

Only problem now is finding 4+ feet of space down the track for the carrier.

 

You could always get a 2nd track adapter and run straight through it, not at high speed though.

[Mr_Tilt]

Phew, finished the Karry Kase in time for DEMU tomorrow. 

 

Now it has blue stripes, OK not EXACTLY the correct blue, but close enough for Government work, and a set of doors, turbine grilles, 25 kV warning signs and some 'Danger this gap may close' signs. It's also got one windscreen wiper so it must be PC2. 

 

The last pic shows the LocoLift in position to load or unload the train, an excellent piece of work for sure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 3, 2016 by Mr_Tilt

[Jitmen]

Phew, finished the Karry Kase in time for DEMU tomorrow. 

 

Now it has blue stripes, OK not EXACTLY the correct blue, but close enough for Government work, and a set of doors, turbine grilles, 25 kV warning signs and some 'Danger this gap may close' signs. It's also got one windscreen wiper so it must be PC2. 

 

The last pic shows the LocoLift in position to load or unload the train, an excellent piece of work for sure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

that's fantastic I would buy one of those.