Timetable #10 Issued July 30, 2010
Dear Rapido Customer,
Three men in a rental truck. That will likely be the lasting memory of this year's National Train Show for the Rapido crew! On a positive note, we did have plenty of time together to run through some new product ideas, compare notes on the hobby and business, and listen to Jason's singing. OK, two out of three were positive....
Seriously, although we felt that show attendance was lower than we had hoped, the show was a great opportunity for us to get to talk with many of our customers. Thanks to everybody that stopped by the booth, even if just to relax in the lounge!
So, lots of news to bring you up to date on, so read on while I dust off my soapbox for later.....
In this Timetable:
- Final Osgood Bradley shipment arriving
- Other arrivals
- Order deadlines coming fast
- Glen Fraser lounge car
- 2nd run N scale cars leaving the factory
- And more...
Final Osgood Bradley Shipment arriving
The final batch of the first run of HO scale Osgood Bradley 10 window coaches are arriving this coming week. All of these cars have been pre-sold, and we will be shipping them out to our distributors as quickly as possible.
Coming in this group are the New Haven Pullman green and New Haven 401 green schemes as well as Undecorated.
This will complete the delivery of the first group of cars. We have announced a new body style and additional paint schemes for a second run, as outlined in Jason's recent Telegraph. You can find the full details on our web site.
Other Arrivals...
The HO scale Super Continental Line VIA-CN Coaches and "E" Series sleepers are also arriving in this shipment and will also be sent to customers this coming week.
Also arriving this week will be the long-awaited HO scale Super Continental Line Cafe-Bar-Lounge cars in Ontario Northland's colorful modern scheme.
Upcoming Order Deadlines
HO scale Steam Generator Cars
HO scale Wide-Vision Cabooses
The FINAL order deadline for the second run of Oh, So Steamy! Steam Generator Cars and Wide-Vision Cabooses is only two weeks away - August 15, 2010. We are ready to go into production now, and our factory is already making the printing plates and paint masks in order to be ready to go once we give them the final quantities.
OK, you've all heard this before, but some things bear repeating. We build to order. This means that if we have orders for 350 cars, we'll make 350 cars (plus a few that we keep for warranty issues). That's it. Period. Really. We mean it.
We are STILL having to turn away requests from dealers and consumers for cars from the first run of cabooses. You can imagine our frustration at having to turn away business for both ourselves and our dealers in these... ummm.... interesting economic times, but we have no choice. We just can't stop the factory to make another 25 cars.
Dealers, please. If you see schemes that you know to be popular in your area, order a few extra! You know that you won't be stuck with them. We promise!
Here then are the next batches of road names:
HO scale Steam Generator Cars - $59.95 MSRP
(Remember, you can also order replacement Rapido Steam Fluid, product #102007 - MSRP $4.95 for when the steam fluid provided with the Steam Generator runs out. We'll have it back in stock in a couple of months.)
| Undecorated |
New York,
Ontario & Western |
| 107159 |
Undecorated |
107172 |
Ht-1 |
|
|
107173 |
Ht-2 |
| Algoma
Central |
|
|
| 107160 |
72 |
Ontario
Northland |
| 107161 |
74 |
107174 |
200 |
| 107162 |
75 |
107175 |
201 |
| 107163 |
77 |
107176 |
210 |
|
|
|
|
| Denver &
Rio Grande Western |
Southern |
| 107164 |
250 |
107177 |
HC-5 |
| 107165 |
251 |
107178 |
HC-6 |
| 107166 |
252 |
107179 |
HC-7 |
| 107167 |
253 |
107180 |
HC-8 |
|
|
|
|
| Milwaukee
Road (1950) |
Western
Pacific |
| 107168 |
70 |
107181 |
591 |
| 107169 |
71 |
107182 |
592 |
| 107170 |
72 |
107183 |
593 |
| 107171 |
73 |
107184 |
594 |
HO scale Wide-Vision Cabooses
All prices MSRP.
|
| Chicago,
Burlington & Quincy |
Denver & Rio
Grande Western |
| Single
Cars - $59.95 |
Single Cars -
$59.95 |
| Item # |
Car # |
Item # |
Car # |
| 110080 |
13604 |
110096 |
1500 |
| 110081 |
13611 |
110097 |
1503 |
| 110082 |
13629 |
110098 |
1512 |
| Three Pack
- $174.95 |
Three Pack -
$174.95 |
| Item # |
Car # |
Item # |
Car # |
| 110083 |
13607, 13618, 13625 |
110099 |
01502, 01506, 01513 |
|
|
|
|
| Conrail |
Essex Terminal
|
| Single
Cars - $59.95 |
Two Pack -
$118.95 |
| Item # |
Car # |
Item # |
Car # |
| 110084 |
22131 |
110100 |
1600, 1610 |
| 110085 |
22135 |
|
|
| 110086 |
22139 |
Missouri-Kansas-Texas |
| Three Pack
- $174.95 |
Single Cars -
$59.95 |
| Item # |
Car # |
Item # |
Car # |
| 110087 |
22130, 22133, 22138 |
110101 |
100 |
|
|
110102 |
101 |
| CP Engineering Services
|
110103 |
109 |
| Single
Cars - $59.95 |
Three Pack -
$174.95 |
| Item # |
Car # |
Item # |
Car # |
| 110088 |
420985 |
110104 |
104, 107, 111 |
| 110089 |
420989 |
|
|
| 110090 |
420990 |
New Brunswick Southern
|
| Three Pack
- $174.95 |
Two Pack -
$118.95 |
| Item # |
Car # |
Item # |
Car # |
| 110091 |
420983, 420984, 420991 |
110105 |
422990, 434919 |
|
|
|
|
| Delaware & Hudson
|
Undecorated |
|
| Single
Cars - $59.95 |
Single
Cars - $59.95 |
|
| Item # |
Car # |
Item # |
|
| 110092 |
35710 |
110078 |
|
| 110093 |
35714 |
|
|
| 110094 |
35715 |
|
|
| Three Pack
- $174.95 |
|
|
| Item # |
Car # |
|
|
| 110095 |
35711, 35713, 35718 |
|
|
HO scale Glen Fraser Lounge Car
We announced this quietly alongside our other HO scale "Oddballs" in late 2008. VIA's Glen Fraser lounge car is a rebuilt coach used for special charters and on summer runs in the Corridor. It has travelled on almost every route system-wide, from east coast to west coast. Our model is a close stand-in for this car. We have taken the Dayniter body and tooled a new, accurate resin interior, fully assembled and painted at the factory. This is the closest you will come to ever having an accurate model of VIA's unique lounge car.
Jason has re-opened the order desk for Glen Fraser for a very limited time. The FINAL order deadline for this unique and colorful car (item #105058) is just two weeks away - August 15, 2010. All you VIA guys had better call your hobby shop and reserve this beauty ASAP.
HO Scale Club-Deluxe Cars
CN rebuilt several of its parlor cars into Club Galley cars with spacious 2+1 seating and delicious meals served from the on-board galley. (In Canada, "Club Car" means a first class coach, and "Lounge Car" means a club car. You gotta love those wacky Canucks!) A generation ago, the VIA/CN Club Deluxe was the finest way to travel on day trains in North America. Your HO scale Club Deluxe passengers will enjoy delicious hot meals served at their overstuffed, reclining chairs. Before dinner, they can enjoy a complimentary beer or cocktail. After the four-course meal, the Club Deluxe attendants will pamper your passengers with chocolates and liqueurs. Not a bad way to travel...
Available in Canadian National's 1954 scheme and VIA Rail Canada, the FINAL order deadline for these cars is also August 15, 2010. MSRP is $69.95.
| VIA Rail |
CNR
(1954) |
| 112001 |
650 |
Club St. Denis |
112007 |
650 |
Club St. Denis |
| 112002 |
651 |
Club Richelieu |
112008 |
651 |
Club Richelieu |
| 112003 |
652 |
Unversity Club |
112009 |
652 |
Unversity Club |
| 112004 |
654 |
St. James's Club |
112010 |
654 |
St. James's Club |
| 112005 |
655 |
Hamilton Club |
112011 |
655 |
Hamilton Club |
| 112006 |
NO # |
|
112012 |
NO # |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Undecorated |
|
|
|
| 112013 |
|
|
|
|
|
2nd run N scale cars leaving the factory
Our factory is just finishing up packing the new run N scale Panorama Line passenger cars. They are scheduled to depart on August 5th. Arrriving early September are ACR, ERIE, IC, MILW, CPR and D&H. The rest will follow a few weeks later.
Please note that these cars are sold out at Rapido trains, but dealers and distributors may still have some available. Click here for a complete run-down of road names.
We also have another batch of our popular Easy-Peasy Lighting Kits coming back into stock in both HO Shorty and N versions.
The Joys (?!) of our Information Age...
Ah, the soapbox is nice and shiny now, so up I go...
As some of you know, I am somewhat active in a few of the internet chat groups, and I "lurk" on many others. Jason and Dan run and moderate a group. The internet, and specifically many of these internet chat groups and forums, can be a great place to find and share information.
However, on occasion common sense or even common courtesy is ignored in the haste to get something posted to a forum. Not too long ago a thread on one of the lists that I frequent started when a poster blasted a manufacturer because he had bought an item that was defective, and wondered to the list what could be done about it. Many suggestions ensued, along with some attacks on the character of the manufacturer, its owners and their offspring.
It was at that point that I posted one simple line... "What did they tell you when you called them?" Shortly afterwards the original poster replied that he hadn't called the manufacturer, but that when he did he was sent a replacement item, no questions asked. Wasn't that easy?
Rapido is often the subject of discussion on several of the chat groups. Happily, the vast majority of the discussions are positive - thanks! Occasionally though somebody has an issue with one of our products or questions a design choice that we've made and chooses the forums as a place to vent before, or instead of, contacting us.
Folks, we're all human. (Well, except for Jason - Dan and I suspect that he is part Dalek.) Mistakes will happen from time to time. When things do go wrong we do our best to address them in a manner that will best satisfy our cutomers. In fact, we pride ourselves in providing a very high level of customer service.
We always try to respond to emails within a day or two, so please don't be shy! Give us a shout if you ever have a problem with one of our products and we'll do our best to make you a 100% satisfied customer. You can also call. Our toll-free number is 1-877-738-6445. Ask for Dan. He knows our products inside and out and is happy to help. Even if you accidentally send a Rapido product to the layout room floor, we'll still try to help with replacement parts if we can.
On an entertaining internet note... As we have discussed before, we have completed the design work on our first freight car. Unfortunately, the tooling is not ready yet, so we've been posting teaser images in our various newsletters. These included part of a truck, a brake wheel and a corner step.
Well, Jason asked if anybody would be able to guess it based on what we had shown and I told him that they'd have to be really good to do so.
So, to my friends on the Steam Era Freight Car List: one of you is really good!
I'll be in touch in about a month.
Thanks for sticking with us,
Bill
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