Fredashay

Thanks for all your feedback (I gave both of you "Likes," UP4000 and MrTilt)! Since the APT-E never entered revenue service, I'm not gonna worry about being uber realistic. Like I said, I've left one train true to the prototype, and I want to run the 2nd train as a real passenger train and I just want to add several more coaches and not use the computer car; i.e. the consist will be: PC-1, a bunch of TC-1 coaches, and PC-2. Since TC-2 is the computer car, I'll not be running it on the 2nd train. Look back through this thread? Uhm, you do realise this thread is 171 pages long, eh? Do i plan on adding coach seats to the interiors of the TC-1s? No. Since this is such a rare and expensive train, I don't plan to make any destructive modifications to them or even weather them. I'm impressed at the detail that Rapido put into these trains as they are! Get rid of the tilt mechanism to make the model more authentic? No. I'm not gonna try to remove, modify, or disable the tilt mechanism (I wouldn't even know how to begin to do that -- you're a braver man than I to even plan to make such changes to your train). Though I am tempted to take one of my extra TC-1 coaches and turn it into a cafe or dining car by removing a window or two (if only I could match that blue paint exactly). And I also saw a video where someone installed a disco lighting system in an APT-E coach, lol. One of these days, I'd love to go to the NRM and learn more about the history of this train, though that picture book that came with my 2 trains was fascinating to read!

I had purchased two Rapido Locomotion APT-E trains. I've kept one true to the prototype with PC-1, TC-1, TC-2, and PC-2 in that order. The 2nd train is still in the box unused. I'd also ordered several extra TC-1 coaches and plan to assemble the 2nd train into a full passenger consist in revenue service. I would like to run the 2nd train without the "computer car," but the way the model is constructed I'd have to remove one of the "pancakes" from one of the TC-1 coaches to eliminate the "computer car" from the consist (otherwise I have an extra bogie where two carriages join together which obviously can't work). Anyone who owns one of these trains knows what I mean by all that. Are the "pancakes" bi-directional and can one be removed from one of the carriages entirely and set aside? Or are the "pancakes" built into the ends of the carriages? I don't want to sacrifice one of my coaches to find out the hard way.