by timberley
Hi folks,
I just received my long (and I mean LONG) awaited RTR LRC coaches from Rapido Trains yesterday, and I thought I'd share my thoughts on them with everyone, so perhaps some of you you are still waiting for yours will know what to expect, and those of you who may have some interest in the cars will have a better idea of how they are.
(I also posted this same review on the trains.com forums, so some of you who frequent those may have seen it there as well)
For those of you who don't know, the LRC coach was built by Bombardier for VIA Rail in the early 1980s, and is still running today. VIA has 72 LRC coaches and 26 Club cars (modified coaches for first class service) still in service, which will all be getting rebuilt over the next 2-3 years for a 20+ year service life extension. Amtrak also tested the coaches in the early '80s, with them painted in Amtrak colours, but didn't buy the sets. More info on the real thing can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LRC_%28train%29
Every coach model comes with a detailed information booklet, giving extensive background info on the LRC, and lots of info about the model itself, including a comprehensive parts diagram and instructions for the lighting, operation, etc.
Now, about the model! The Rapido LRC coach is modelled after the VIA Rail design, and is decorated in the original 1980s livery. It also has the brown interior seats as seen pre-1992, although the seat arrangement is modelled in the post-1992 configuration, due to the many variations on the seating arrangement before that time.
Here's an overview of the left side of the car:
And a few more detail shots to get you interested:
When I pulled the first coach out of it's packaging, all I could say was "WOW!" These cars look absolutely fantastic. I don't know if there's a single detail missing, anywhere. The paint is clean and crisp, and the printing is super fine down to the tiniest numbers, and even the HEP diagrams on the ends! Take a look:
Every bit of end detail from the real thing is there: grab irons, stirrups, HEP receptacles, cables, uncoupling levers, the end gate, and all the detail on the door. The other end of the car has an end bar instead of the end gate.
The diaphragms are silicone-rubber with a metal striker plate (painted exactly as they look in the photo above), and are included in the packaging. They're a different design from the traditional Rapido diaphragms, necessitated by the unique end design. The diaphragms slide down over mounts on the end of the car, and are held in place by a friction/gravity fit. I suppose you could glue them if you wanted.
The cars are very close coupling, so long-shank couplers are included for tighter radius operation. When you see just how close-coupled they are, you'll see why:
Again, the exterior detail of these cars is beyond exquisite. Jason and the folks at Rapido have truly outdone themselves once again. Of course no look at a Rapido car would be complete without turning it over and opening it up! The LRCs have an enclosed underbody, so there isn't a lot of opportunity for detail there, but everything is still just like the real thing. The detail on the trucks is also fantastic.
Opening up the car is slightly more challenging than other Rapido cars, as the body is all one piece. You have to remove the underbody pieces at the ends over the couplers, take out the couplers, and then gently pry the frame out. It's a little tricky at first, but easy to get the hang of. The interior is, as with every Rapido car, above and beyond. The seats are faithfully reproduced, and every detail down to the sink drains and toilet bowls, galley equipment, and the even the little light (non-functioning, unfortunately), that turns on to show the banking system is activated! (unfortunately the active tilt system is not included..wouldn't that be cool though?
) If it's there inside the real LRC, it's there inside this model. I didn't take a photo of the interior, but you can see inside in some of the next photos.
The next thing to do was to test out the lighting. Unlike other Rapido cars, which have battery powered lighting, the LRC has track-powered interior lights. Jason explained this was because the marker lights operate and would always be on on the end of the last car, even in daylight operation, which can drain a battery quickly. There were also issues getting the traditional lighting system fitted into the roof. Plus, getting these cars open to replace bateries wouldn't be as easy as popping off the roof in other cars. So the interior lights are track-powered, and cannot be turned off. This is actually prototypical, because the real LRCs always have their interior lights on (as long as they are connected to power.
I hooked up some powered track to test them out, and the interior lighting looks amazing! They've managed to very accurately match the look of these cars when lighted at night, and looking at the scale model reminded me so much of standing on a station platform at night next to these cars.
Check it out:
The marker lights on each end of the car also work (track powered), and these can be turned on or off at either end using the magnetic wand just as with the easy-peasy lighting in other Rapido cars. The marker lights are bright and red, and look great in the dark or light.
Check it out:
Beautiful, eh?
I unfortunately don't have anywhere set up right now to test running the cars, but I can attest to what others have told me. Apparently they track very well, but are not the smoothest runners (due to the difficulty with the inside-bearing truck design, and the lighting pickups). That's really the only issue I have with the coach. Still, an F40 or P42 (or Rapido's upcoming LRC locomotive) should easily be able to pull the prototypical 3-4 car consists with no trouble.
Now I just can't wait for the Club cars, which are due by January, along with the rest of the coach numbers and the Amtrak cars. These cars are amazingly faithful representations of the prototype, and I highly recommend them to anyone interested in the LRC. I plan to order at least a dozen more of these cars when Rapido does the next run in the modern VIA scheme (and I will be adding decals to these cars to modernize them as well). I, as many others, have been waiting a long time for an accurate (or even any RTR) model of the LRC, and we finally have it. Who better to do it than Rapido? They have outdone themselves once again. This coach is worth every penny, and does perfect justice to what is, in my opinion, the coolest passenger car out there today.
I hope this is helpful to some of you.
Cheers!
I just received my long (and I mean LONG) awaited RTR LRC coaches from Rapido Trains yesterday, and I thought I'd share my thoughts on them with everyone, so perhaps some of you you are still waiting for yours will know what to expect, and those of you who may have some interest in the cars will have a better idea of how they are.
(I also posted this same review on the trains.com forums, so some of you who frequent those may have seen it there as well)
For those of you who don't know, the LRC coach was built by Bombardier for VIA Rail in the early 1980s, and is still running today. VIA has 72 LRC coaches and 26 Club cars (modified coaches for first class service) still in service, which will all be getting rebuilt over the next 2-3 years for a 20+ year service life extension. Amtrak also tested the coaches in the early '80s, with them painted in Amtrak colours, but didn't buy the sets. More info on the real thing can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LRC_%28train%29
Every coach model comes with a detailed information booklet, giving extensive background info on the LRC, and lots of info about the model itself, including a comprehensive parts diagram and instructions for the lighting, operation, etc.
Now, about the model! The Rapido LRC coach is modelled after the VIA Rail design, and is decorated in the original 1980s livery. It also has the brown interior seats as seen pre-1992, although the seat arrangement is modelled in the post-1992 configuration, due to the many variations on the seating arrangement before that time.
Here's an overview of the left side of the car:
And a few more detail shots to get you interested:
When I pulled the first coach out of it's packaging, all I could say was "WOW!" These cars look absolutely fantastic. I don't know if there's a single detail missing, anywhere. The paint is clean and crisp, and the printing is super fine down to the tiniest numbers, and even the HEP diagrams on the ends! Take a look:
Every bit of end detail from the real thing is there: grab irons, stirrups, HEP receptacles, cables, uncoupling levers, the end gate, and all the detail on the door. The other end of the car has an end bar instead of the end gate.
The diaphragms are silicone-rubber with a metal striker plate (painted exactly as they look in the photo above), and are included in the packaging. They're a different design from the traditional Rapido diaphragms, necessitated by the unique end design. The diaphragms slide down over mounts on the end of the car, and are held in place by a friction/gravity fit. I suppose you could glue them if you wanted.
The cars are very close coupling, so long-shank couplers are included for tighter radius operation. When you see just how close-coupled they are, you'll see why:
Again, the exterior detail of these cars is beyond exquisite. Jason and the folks at Rapido have truly outdone themselves once again. Of course no look at a Rapido car would be complete without turning it over and opening it up! The LRCs have an enclosed underbody, so there isn't a lot of opportunity for detail there, but everything is still just like the real thing. The detail on the trucks is also fantastic.
Opening up the car is slightly more challenging than other Rapido cars, as the body is all one piece. You have to remove the underbody pieces at the ends over the couplers, take out the couplers, and then gently pry the frame out. It's a little tricky at first, but easy to get the hang of. The interior is, as with every Rapido car, above and beyond. The seats are faithfully reproduced, and every detail down to the sink drains and toilet bowls, galley equipment, and the even the little light (non-functioning, unfortunately), that turns on to show the banking system is activated! (unfortunately the active tilt system is not included..wouldn't that be cool though?
) If it's there inside the real LRC, it's there inside this model. I didn't take a photo of the interior, but you can see inside in some of the next photos.The next thing to do was to test out the lighting. Unlike other Rapido cars, which have battery powered lighting, the LRC has track-powered interior lights. Jason explained this was because the marker lights operate and would always be on on the end of the last car, even in daylight operation, which can drain a battery quickly. There were also issues getting the traditional lighting system fitted into the roof. Plus, getting these cars open to replace bateries wouldn't be as easy as popping off the roof in other cars. So the interior lights are track-powered, and cannot be turned off. This is actually prototypical, because the real LRCs always have their interior lights on (as long as they are connected to power.
I hooked up some powered track to test them out, and the interior lighting looks amazing! They've managed to very accurately match the look of these cars when lighted at night, and looking at the scale model reminded me so much of standing on a station platform at night next to these cars.
Check it out:
The marker lights on each end of the car also work (track powered), and these can be turned on or off at either end using the magnetic wand just as with the easy-peasy lighting in other Rapido cars. The marker lights are bright and red, and look great in the dark or light.
Check it out:
Beautiful, eh?
I unfortunately don't have anywhere set up right now to test running the cars, but I can attest to what others have told me. Apparently they track very well, but are not the smoothest runners (due to the difficulty with the inside-bearing truck design, and the lighting pickups). That's really the only issue I have with the coach. Still, an F40 or P42 (or Rapido's upcoming LRC locomotive) should easily be able to pull the prototypical 3-4 car consists with no trouble.
Now I just can't wait for the Club cars, which are due by January, along with the rest of the coach numbers and the Amtrak cars. These cars are amazingly faithful representations of the prototype, and I highly recommend them to anyone interested in the LRC. I plan to order at least a dozen more of these cars when Rapido does the next run in the modern VIA scheme (and I will be adding decals to these cars to modernize them as well). I, as many others, have been waiting a long time for an accurate (or even any RTR) model of the LRC, and we finally have it. Who better to do it than Rapido? They have outdone themselves once again. This coach is worth every penny, and does perfect justice to what is, in my opinion, the coolest passenger car out there today.
I hope this is helpful to some of you.
Cheers!
Tim
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Can't
Beat
Canadian Railways
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Can't
Beat
Canadian Railways
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