Rapido RTL Turboliner - TRAINS ARTICLE

Cross-posting to Amtrak, then Modeling: https://www.trains.com/mrr/news-reviews ... urboliner/

Rapido Trains HO scale RTL Turboliner

The Rapido Trains HO scale RTL Turboliner paid a visit to our Milwaukee, Racine & Troy staff layout recently. Join Model Railroader editor Eric White and senior editor Cody Grivno as they take a look at the features on this ready-to-run model and take it for a tour of the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy. How fast will the five-car train go? Stay tuned to find out.

Rapido Trains offers the HO scale RTL Turboliner in a five-car set (Amtrak phase 3 early, phase 3 late, and phase 5) and a two-car set (Amtrak X2000 Demonstrator). Single coaches and coach/snack bar cars are also available.
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https://rapidotrains.com/ho-scale/compl ... __store=us

In the 1970s – with Amtrak still reeling from inheriting a proverbial mixed bag of equipment from the former passenger carriers – efforts were made to improve passenger services along key corridors. Following the success of the French-built RTG Turboliners in the mid-1970s in the Midwest, Amtrak turned to Rohr Industries in California to build modernized Turboliners for use along the Empire Corridor.

Entering service starting in September 1976, these new RTL Turboliners quickly proved their value, bringing passengers back to the rails. Equipped with third-rail shoes, they operated on electric power through New York’s Grand Central Terminal (and later Penn Station), switching to gas-turbine power once out of New York City. Painted in Amtrak’s stunning red, white and blue Phase III paint scheme, they operated on most Empire Corridor services, as well as regular appearances on the Adirondack to and from Montreal in the early years. Occasional equipment needs even put the Turbos on other rare adventures outside their normal call of duty, including the Niagara Rainbow to Detroit via Southwestern Ontario, and the Maple Leaf to Toronto via Niagara Falls.
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Wonder if Rapido included a figurine named "Tink" this was an actual nickname of a turbo tech with about 35 jumper wires around his neck. A great Easter egg which Rapido was known for doing would be the opening and closing of electrical closet doors and loud mumbling something similar to Ralphie's father fixing the boiler in A Christmas Story. Actually suggested it to them for prototype fidelity.

Hopefully the run better than the real ones did.

Cause the tin lizards were JUNK.

JS: I found the two power unit set interesting - Amtrak used a pair of turbo cabs to tow the X2000 on its North
American tour back in 1993 outside of electrified territory. The Swedish X2000 was a push-pull trainset with a
motor on one end and a cab car. Has any modeller ever offered an X2000 trainset in HO scale?
https://railpictures.net/photo/692923/
Found a picture of the X2000 being led by two F40PH locomotives and a Heritage baggage car - Joliet, IL
https://railpictures.net/photo/310521/

In 1993-94 Amtrak leased a German ICE Train set which also toured North America - Amtrak used the only two
EMD F69PH units (450,451) which were painted to match the ICE Train color scheme - which was white with
a pinkish red stripe outside of the Northeast Corridor electrified testing area...Testing these two trains led to
the development of Bombardier's Acela high speed equipment about six years later (2000)
https://railpictures.net/photo/167854/
https://railpictures.net/photo/819787/

The Phase 5 set is interesting being that these NYS-rebuilt trains ran only briefly in service - two sets are now
at the Amtrak maintenance facility in Adams, NJ in storage wasting away...
https://railpictures.net/photo/673033/

Back in the 90s one RTL 2 Turboliner set got a one-of-a-kind color scheme - USDOT and Morrison-Knudsen...
Surprised that Rapido did not offer this one variation in their research or for sale...In and out of service photos:
https://railpictures.net/photo/502957/
https://railpictures.net/photo/379648/

RJ: At some point Conrail banned the Turboliners from operating west of Schenectady am I right?
I never heard the term "tin lizard" as a description either ...MACTRAXX

It's a very pretty model, I received my pre-order a couple weeks ago

MACTRAXX wrote: ↑Fri Jun 16, 2023 11:02 am JS: I found the two power unit set interesting - Amtrak used a pair of turbo cabs to tow the X2000 on its North
American tour back in 1993 outside of electrified territory. The Swedish X2000 was a push-pull trainset with a
motor on one end and a cab car. Has any modeller ever offered an X2000 trainset in HO scale?
https://railpictures.net/photo/692923/
Found a picture of the X2000 being led by two F40PH locomotives and a Heritage baggage car - Joliet, IL
https://railpictures.net/photo/310521/

In 1993-94 Amtrak leased a German ICE Train set which also toured North America - Amtrak used the only two
EMD F69PH units (450,451) which were painted to match the ICE Train color scheme - which was white with
a pinkish red stripe outside of the Northeast Corridor electrified testing area...Testing these two trains led to
the development of Bombardier's Acela high speed equipment about six years later (2000)
https://railpictures.net/photo/167854/
https://railpictures.net/photo/819787/

The Phase 5 set is interesting being that these NYS-rebuilt trains ran only briefly in service - two sets are now
at the Amtrak maintenance facility in Adams, NJ in storage wasting away...
https://railpictures.net/photo/673033/

Back in the 90s one RTL 2 Turboliner set got a one-of-a-kind color scheme - USDOT and Morrison-Knudsen...
Surprised that Rapido did not offer this one variation in their research or for sale...In and out of service photos:
https://railpictures.net/photo/502957/
https://railpictures.net/photo/379648/

RJ: At some point Conrail banned the Turboliners from operating west of Schenectady am I right?
I never heard the term "tin lizard" as a description either ...MACTRAXX

I believe your correct on Conrail banning them I will double check that with someone a little more knowledgeable than I with that sort of stuff. As for "Tin Lizard" it was a term a engineer instructor I had hung on them. He hated the things. But I also had instructors who loved running them, myself not so much. They did go like a scaled cat when they ran right which wasn't often.

MACTRAXX, a quick internet search reveals that HO scale X2000s were produced by at least two manufacturers, Heljan and Jeco. I've never seen an example of either model on this side of the pond, nor anything that I could find quickly on eBay or elsewhere. Interesting that Rapido would choose to include the X2000 demo scheme and configuration if the rest of the train is seemingly unobtanium.