Rapido HO 40' USRA boxcar: Frisco

Discussion in 'New Products' started by rjthomas909, Jun 10, 2019.

  1. patrick flory

    patrick flory Member

    I found the Accurail equivalent on eBay. I’m happy.
     
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  2. frisco1522

    frisco1522 Staff Member Staff Member

    Fiddy bux is too rich for my blood for a plastic boxcar. I know they're nice, but geez.
    Happy Easter
     
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  3. patrick flory

    patrick flory Member

    Wait till they come out on eBay for 20 or so. Notify us when
     
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  4. patrick flory

    patrick flory Member

    Maybe 30 even . Check intermountain on eBay. These rapido cars are direct equivalents.
     
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  5. meteor910

    meteor910 2009 Engineer of the Year Staff Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Wonder what it is that makes Rapido think their car is worth fiddy bux, as Don described it? Looks like a nice model, but gee whiz!
    K
     
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  6. gna

    gna Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Like it or not, the RTR $50 (and more) freight cars are here, from Rapido, Scale Rails, Tangent, Intermountain, Atlas Master, ExactRail, Fox Valley, Athearn Genesis, etc. While I am happy with Accurail, Tichy, and old MDC and Walthers/Train Miniature cars, there is an entirely different hobby out there.

    If you peek in at some other Model Railroad forums, plenty of people spend most of their time buying high end cars, grousing about a car they want not being made, complaining about high end cars, etc. The reasoning seems to be (choose one or more):
    1. Operating layouts: Buying RTR leaves more time to build and scenic an operating layout
    2. Buy the common cars RTR, leaving time to scratchbuild or kitbash the oddball stuff
    3. The RTR cars are so much better than what your average Joe can build and detail
    4. My time is worth more to me
    All are valid reasons, certainly. There are many ways to enjoy the hobby. But when I read that someone is buying a $89 freight car, or has 70 $45 hopper cars...well, it seems excessive.
     
    Last edited: Apr 13, 2020
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  7. rjthomas909

    rjthomas909 Member Frisco.org Supporter

    I grabbed one, and perhaps a MoPac one, if I recall correctly. I do prefer the Accurail cars, especially for operation without breaking details. I certainly would not fill my layout with $50+ cars.

    My reasons were:
    1. Better that I can do for the most part for a detailed car.
    2. I enjoy taking photos, and these kind of cars are usually good to save for that purpose.
    3. For the sake of collecting models of the Frisco.

    -Bob T.
     
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  8. klrwhizkid

    klrwhizkid Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    There is no price break: single price $49.95 x 4 = $199.80 4 pack price =$199.80
     
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  9. patrick flory

    patrick flory Member

    The Kadee tank cars in particular are ultra extremely fragile. I won’t get any more. You have to pick them up the way they say or they will disintegrate. I bought Some of the intermountain 10,000 gal tank cars. Picked one up by the running boards, the ladders squeezed off and flew.

    Plus I’m tired of finding in particular broken off stirrups on the ROW and trying to figure out what car it came from. No more of that stuff. Moulded on detail is fine with me.
     
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  10. meteor910

    meteor910 2009 Engineer of the Year Staff Member Frisco.org Supporter

    I agree with what you are saying. But, without seeing the Rapido car up close, is a simple box car like that equal in detail and quality to Tangent, ExactRail, Fox Valley, Genesis, Kadee, etc? Those, and a few others, are really, really good, and worth the $$$. A single sheathed boxcar, nah. For those, Accurail quality (though compromised detail), and a step up to Intermountain, Atlas, Athearn, et al, is good enough for me. Remember the Proto 2000 stuff? - nice, and affordable (now Walthers, sort of)
    But, assuming we can continue to afford it, it is very encouraging to see the quality rolling stock and locomotives we are getting today, from all of these suppliers.
    Although I loved building them, I don't want to go back to Silver Streak, Mainline, Ambroid, etc we had way back, or the days of Athearn Blue Box, MDC, early Walthers, PennLine, AHM, etc, etc.
    No complaints here.
    K
     
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  11. meteor910

    meteor910 2009 Engineer of the Year Staff Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Agree! I have a Kadee Warren tank car that fell apart during shipment to me from one of the discounters where I had been a steady customer for several years. I've yet to be able to get it back together (well, I haven't tried real hard), the dealer won't stand behind it as he is out of them (I'm out of him!), and I have yet to talk with Kadee (I know at least they will tell me in what order reassemble it). I received this about a year ago. All the other Kadee rolling stock I have was very well done.
    I can't recall if it is Tangent or ExactRail, but the tank cars they have done are very, very nice to my eye, and they don't fall apart. As an old chemical industry guy, I like tank cars!
    K
     
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  12. gstout

    gstout Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Actually, if you have an operating railroad you're just as well off with old Athearn "shake the box" equipment as long as it fits your era. Cars on operating layouts tend to get handled a lot and all those "contest quality" details inevitably get broken off. Moreover, if your operators are distracted by a lack of detail on your cars, then the layout has failed in its basic mission of keeping them interested enough in the operation to keep their minds off whether a car has separately-applied grab irons or undercar detail (and who looks under the car, anyway, at least until it falls on the floor?)

    GS
     
  13. patrick flory

    patrick flory Member

    Tank cars are the ones that really shine in the mega high detail RTR world. So much brake system related details are visible from every angle.

    I have a bunch of Tangent tanks and you can’t beat the finely feathered see through walkways, minute lifting eyes, and such. But I’m afraid to breathe on those cars and rarely use them on my local freight very operation oriented layout. The Atlas and Walthers proto cars, even with nice detail, seem to be more rugged and able to handle operating.

    I’m spending the crisis time at another place, haven’t seen my layout and good stuff for a month now. I have a carrier for my traveling club train with some engines and about 60 cars here, an NCE Powercab, and a little switching layout I’m building to stay busy. All the cars are blue box, TMI, or $5 rescue dogs from train shows. No worrying with these babies!
     
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  14. Coonskin

    Coonskin Member

    Absolutely no way on God's green earth am I going to sink that kind of money into rolling stock that is intended to be pushed, shoved, spotted, uncoupled with a pick (occasionally getting knocked over in the process) GHA'd to uncouple/picked up, dropped, re-railed, moved to/from storage boxes, etc, etc.

    Further, I'm not a photographer that will EVER be skilled enough to capture superb images like I see here and other MR forums/pages... so I don't even need the pretty stuff for those purposes. In addition, my rolling stock roster is nearing 200 pieces, and I still need more for the complete operational picture.

    I agree with Greg: If my layout doesn't engage visiting operators into being entertained via running trains to the point that they begin to mentally critique my rolling stock, or staring at my white ceiling, or fascia, etc... then it fails in its intended purpose anyway. Fancy rolling stock ain't gonna' help it.

    What I'm not understanding is why I see folks asking Kadee prices for Athearn BB stuff (and older MDC, etc)?

    Of course, with the economy having been torpedoed to Great Depression levels (or lower?), along with the "New Awareness" of doing business with China... it will remain to be seen how long big spending in the hobby can continue as a whole as well as the flow of detailed model train toys from China. In fact, we all could be in for quite a readjustment to this "New Normal" the MSM keeps crowing about, to say nothing of the need to be very concerned about the very opressive ideologies being espoused now. Ideologies that us freedom loving Americans need to genuinely view as a serious threat to our way of life.

    Andre
     
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  15. meteor910

    meteor910 2009 Engineer of the Year Staff Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Andre -
    Agree! In addition to pharmaceuticals and other critical things, who is going to supply model railroad models? I think almost all the model suppliers (Kadee being one exception), China is the source.
    We just received a box of medical gloves yesterday. The packing box had all sorts of Chinese hieroglyphics (sp?) on it. Must have come straight over from China via Amazon. They fit though!
    K
     
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  16. Kinda funny, for me I am just the opposite of most of you. I don't have a layout at my house so all I ever do is just photos and the such. Once in a great while I will take stuff to my dads club or house to see it run. But really I have the shelf queens most people laugh at for the most part. Just kinda my taste. If there were Scale Trains or Genesis dummies I'd be all over them.:D I enjoy painting more than running.

    My friend in Toledo I do a lot of paint work for has a nice layout with all high end rolling stock and motive power. but he is the only one running trains, never a group operating session where they get handled rough.
     
  17. meteor910

    meteor910 2009 Engineer of the Year Staff Member Frisco.org Supporter

    I agree with Steve in the way we enjoy our hobby. I am a "railroad modeler" more than I ever was a "model railroader". My main enjoyment was in building, finishing and detailing the models, Frisco mainly, but other roads also to a lesser extent - GM&O, RI, and PRR, and a bit of ATSF. I received great pleasure from that. About 90% of them have been sold, but I remember all of them. I did have a layout of sorts - a low key 4'x 8' layout I built for son Kurt in Cincinnati when he was in first grade, way back in 1976. That eventually grew into a half-again bigger layout, with a yard, etc, but still somewhat minor league. I used it to test locomotives and cars I built, and for having fun running trains with our three granddaughters. They loved my Frisco heavyweight passenger train pulled by two E8's, SLSF 2016 and SLSF 2020. Sometimes a GM&O DL and PA took the lead, or often a RI E6 showed up. The train consist also often had a GM&O coach included, with the name of "Webster Groves", which is where my wife grew up. She still can be seen riding in one of the vestibules.
    It's a wonderful hobby! With a few exceptions, I'm pretty much of an armchair railroad modeler now. I still love it.
    K
    ps - Sometimes a most unlikely set of locomotives took charge of the passenger train. SLSF 2003, my Texas Special E7 took the lead, followed by my austerity E8, SLSF 2006. How's that for a strange team!
     
    Last edited: Apr 14, 2020
  18. gstout

    gstout Member Frisco.org Supporter

    "K" has it exactly right. There are model railroaders and there are railroad modelers. It's possible to be both, but as the layout gets larger and the op sessions more frequent, you pretty much have to invest the majority of your time more time in the layout rather detailing the individual models, 'cause if the layout (the railroad) doesn't function reliably, nobody will be distracted for long by how good the models look.

    GS
     
  19. William Jackson

    William Jackson Bill Jackson

    I really do not care for the operating side, too much railroad time. I do like to make the layout look as real as I can make it. I also like running the best quality cars I can get. We kinda forgot Moloco cars, which I find very detailed. I like the quality engines, but don't care for brass. I have all the engines and cars I need for my medium size railroad.
     
  20. geep07

    geep07 Member

    There is much to say about highly detailed RTR cars. They are pricey and look good too.
    I purchased a Tichy Train Group cement box car kit. Needles to say I did not have all the required items to finish the kit.
    1. Paint
    2.Decals, had to print my own. For my local industry.
    3. Decal paper
    4. Decal sealer
    5.Ran out of Kadee couplers
    6. Ran out of metal wheels
    7. Did not have the correct size drill bit for the grabs
    8. Ran out of Decal set solution

    By the time I bought all this stuff, and the amount of money spent, I could have probably bought a highly detailed car.
    But noooo, I had to have that cement box car, because no highly detailed cement box car was available by no one.

    Oh,! I also needed a can of Testor's dull coat!

    John
     

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