New! Horizon and Comet Commuter Cars
  Estimated Delivery - Spring/Summer 2020
Reservation Deadline: November 8, 2019

 IMPORTANT! A DEPOSIT WILL BE REQUIRED FOR SOME CUSTOMERS

 A 40% non-refundable deposit will be required from first-time customers and customers who have not done business with us in more than 2 years.  Deposits must be submitted by a money order that will need to be mailed in.  We are not permitted to accept deposits by credit card unless the item will be available in 30 days or less.  Unfortunately, that will not be the case with this offering. If you are one of our regulars or become one then no deposit will be necessary.  So you may want to consider becoming one our regulars and save yourself the hassle of having to send in a deposit.

Prototype Information - Horizon Cars:

Introduced by Amtrak in April 1989, the Horizon fleet (also known as the Amfleet IIIs) were based on the Pullman-Standard Comet-series commuter cars built since 1970. The new Horizon fleet consisted predominantly of two basic car types - Coach and Dinette - with 86 and 18 cars respectively forming the 104-car order placed with Bombardier. Over the years, the Horizon cars have remained largely unchanged from their as-built appearance, with the only predominant visual differences being the evolution of the Amtrak paint schemes from Phase III through Phase IVb. However, two key changes that have occurred include the replacement of the original power sliding doors with manually-operated parlor doors, and the replacement of the fold-down stairs with fixed steps.

 Prototype Information - Comet Cars:

Introduced by Pullman-Standard as a replacement for aging commuter cars, the soon nicknamed “Comet” cars were frst built between 1970 and 1973 for the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad’s services out of New Jersey.

Given their success with the E-L and then New Jersey Transit, the use of the Comet car quickly spread to other commuter agencies. Boston’s Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority received their first cars in 1978, Metro-North and Connecticut DOT (or ConnDOT) in 1983, Philadelphia’s SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority) in 1987, and Montreal’s AMT (Agence métropolitaine de transport) in 1989. In 2008, SEPTA and Frontrunner of Salt Lake City received original E-L/NJT Comet cars to bolster their fleets. Additionally, LA’s Metrolink leased the Frontrunner cars from 2008 to 2010 due to a fleet shortage.

The original “Comet” cars built for the E-L were designed strictly for low platforms, but evolution of the car design by Pullman and later Bombardier evolved the “Comet” design to support both high- and low-platform boarding, on-board washrooms, accessible seating and, after 1990, a wide center door for high-level platform boarding.

Model Information - Horizon and Comet Cars:

Rapido brings its experience with passenger car models to this long forgotten fleet of cars used for commuter travel across major cities in the United States and Canada. The Rapido cars will feature the same great attention to detail you’ve come to expect, including free-rolling wheels, detailed underbodies, interior lighting and more.

• Coach, Dinette, and Cab Cars (Comet) available

• Full underbody detail

• Correct trucks with turned-metal wheelsets

• Full interior detail

• Accurate painting and lettering

• Tinted windows

• Constant interior lighting in DC and DCC

• Metal side grab irons

Special Note:  Each model is produced in multiple road numbers.  If you order multiples of the same road name we will make sure you receive different numbers.

 New! Turbo Train!
  Estimated Delivery - Spring/Summer 2018

 IMPORTANT! A DEPOSIT WILL BE REQUIRED FOR SOME CUSTOMERS

  A 40% non-refundable deposit will be required from first-time customers and customers who have not done business with us in more than 2 years.  Deposits must be submitted by a money order that will need to be mailed in.  We are not permitted to accept deposits by credit card unless the item will be available in 30 days or less.  Unfortunately, that will not be the case with this offering. If you are one of our regulars or become one then no deposit will be necessary.  So you may want to consider becoming one our regulars and save yourself the hassle of having to send in a deposit.

Prototype Information:

The United Aircraft TurboTrain is an important part of our railroad heritage. The Turbo was a high-speed passenger train that operated in Canada and the United States from the 1960s to the 1980s. To this day, it is the fastest production train in North American history. It achieved the American speed record of 170.8 MPH in 1967 and the Canadian speed record of 140.6 MPH in 1976, both of which still stand today. The TurboTrain was designed and marketed by United Aircraft Corporate Systems Center (later Sikorsky Aircraft) as a gas turbine-powered, high-speed intercity train. Each train was powered by four or five Pratt & Whitney ST-6 gas turbine engines, with an additional gas turbine providing auxiliary power. The Turbo featured a unique pendular suspension over articulated single-axle trucks, which allowed the train to tilt in curves. That feature, combined with the short Intermediate Car length, meant that the Turbo could travel much faster than regular trains on conventional track. It was a high-speed train without the need to invest in high-speed train infrastructure. The American TurboTrain operated first for Penn Central and then toured the United States in 1971 to introduce the nation to Amtrak. The Amtrak Turbo operated mainly between New York and Boston until 1976. In Canada, the Turbo operated first for CN and later for VIA Rail Canada. Operating between Montreal and Toronto (and, for a time, Ottawa), the Turbo became one of the most reliable trains in the country. Sadly, the Turbo era came to an end in 1982. Each and every Turbo was scrapped. The Rapido Trains Inc. N scale TurboTrain is your chance to recreate this important piece of our railroad history on your own model railroad.

Model Information:

• Accurate dimensions scaled from original blueprints

• Two powered Power Dome Cars with smooth, reliable drive systems

• Articulated single-axle trucks with needlepoint axles

• Full interior detail with interior lighting

• Different Canadian and American versions with accurate details

• All wheels pick up power for electrical reliability

• Working headlights, tail lights, and Gyralites

• Prototypically-tinted windows

• CN and VIA customers can add a four-pack of Intermediate Cars to complete their trains

• LokSound models feature a sound decoder and sugar cube speaker in each Power Dome Car

• Sounds are accurate Turbo sounds sourced from original Betamax video recordings

• Sound decoders are custom ESU LokSound with amazing sound quality

Special Note:  Each model is produced in multiple road numbers.  If you order multiples of the same road name we will make sure you receive different numbers.

 New! FL-9 Locomotives!
  Delivery Late 2015

 A 40% non-refundable deposit will be required from first-time customers and customers who have not done business with us in more than 2 years.  Deposits must be submitted by a money order that will need to be mailed in.  We are not permitted to accept deposits by credit card unless the item will be available in 30 days or less.  Unfortunately, that will not be the case with this offering. If you are one of our regulars or become one then no deposit will be necessary.  So you may want to consider becoming one our regulars and save yourself the hassle of having to send in a deposit.

Prototype Information:

Rapido is pleased to announce the production of the EMD FL9 in N scale! These models will feature all-new tooling with our exceptional level of detail, smooth powertrains and accurate paint and lettering. These new N scale locomotives will be available either with factory-installed ESU LokSound DCC/sound decoders or with a factory installed dual mode decoder for DC or DCC (silent) operation. The EMD FL9 has secured a rightful place in North American railroad history. These dual-power locomotives were designed to operate on both diesel-electric and on pure electric power so that they could haul the New Haven Railroad’s passenger trains in and out of New York City’s Grand Central Terminal without the need for an engine change. Built between 1955 and 1960, many of the fleet continued in regular revenue service for nearly fifty years on both long haul and commuter trains. While the last revenue commuter run occurred in 2009, two units remain in regular revenue service today on the Maine Eastern between Brunswick and Rockland Maine. Several others have been preserved and are in use on tourist railroads in both the US and Canada. Rapido’s N scale models will include accurate details for both the first and second delivery groups of locomotives. Decorated units will include the correct combination of details for the scheme.

Model Information:

• Correct details for both delivery groups

• Separate grab irons

• Road-number and era-specific details applied at the factory

• Correct fuel and water tanks, cooling coils, and other details!

• Full underframe details

• Operational headlight and back-up lights

• Full cab interior

• Sound-equipped DCC model with an ESU LokSound sound decoder or dual-mode DC/DCC silent model

• Authentic sounds including Hancock air whistle (where appropriate)

• Will operate smoothly on DC and DCC layouts

• Rapido's proven 5-pole, skew-wound motor and silky-smooth drive system

• Micro-Trains couplers mounted at the correct height

• Several numbers available per paint scheme

Special Note:  Each model is produced in multiple road numbers.  If you order multiples of the same road name we will make sure you receive different numbers.

 New! Meat Reefers
  Delivery Late 2015

 A 40% non-refundable deposit will be required from first-time customers and customers who have not done business with us in more than 2 years.  Deposits must be submitted by a money order that will need to be mailed in.  We are not permitted to accept deposits by credit card unless the item will be available in 30 days or less.  Unfortunately, that will not be the case with this offering. If you are one of our regulars or become one then no deposit will be necessary.  So you may want to consider becoming one our regulars and save yourself the hassle of having to send in a deposit.

Model Information:

• Accurate tooling – never offered before in N scale!

• Prototypical ride height

• Fully decorated and assembled with factory-installed Micro-Trains couplers

• Full underbody with separate brake rods and piping

• Correct roof hatch and latch details

• NEW Rapido Barber S1-A trucks with in-line brake shoes and blackened metal wheelsets

• 9” Minimum radius