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Sep 14, 2010 - HO Scale
Rapido Telegraph 27 - Update on "The Canadian" and Other Projects
Unfortunately when we released this announcement we neglected to put in the links to the six “Canadian” train sets. They are in here now. If you are interested in the ”Canadian” get your order in now. These are very popular and will sell out long before they arrive.
Big update on The Canadian
The question we get asked second-most often is: when will The Canadian be ready? Here's the story behind The Canadian and why it's not out yet.
The Canadian was HEPed in 1992, which means that it was converted from steam heat and Genemotor/battery power to head-end power. This involved basically taking a #17 chisel blade to the underbodies and scraping them clean. So we couldn't measure or photograph the prototype, with the exception of one Park Car preserved at Exporail.
We had to work from blueprints. It took almost a year to get these from Bombardier - they had been sitting un-catalogued in a warehouse in Mississauga. Thankfully we have a good friend at Bombardier who managed to get them for us.
But then our troubles really began. Budd had a separate blueprint for every component. We had to hire a draftsman - the great Patrick Lawson - to compile hundreds of blueprints into coherent drawings that our engineers from China could work from. That took about six months.
Finally, the factory started work on the underbody equipment. (When was that? February? I've lost track!) And guess what? After six months or so, we're almost finished. This has been the most complex project we've ever undertaken. We've had to access countless Car Builder Cyclopedias and other sources because the blueprints referred to every component by its number rather than illustrate it. We could have left this stuff off like everyone else does, but then it wouldn't be a Rapido product. More on that below.
To date, there have been more than 3000 hours of work put into this project in Toronto, Connecticut, Victoria and Dongguan. There are just a few more pipes to tweak, a few more bits of steel to bend into shape, and some rivets and other surface details to correct.
The question we get asked second-most often is: when will The Canadian be ready? Here's the story behind The Canadian and why it's not out yet.
The Canadian was HEPed in 1992, which means that it was converted from steam heat and Genemotor/battery power to head-end power. This involved basically taking a #17 chisel blade to the underbodies and scraping them clean. So we couldn't measure or photograph the prototype, with the exception of one Park Car preserved at Exporail.
We had to work from blueprints. It took almost a year to get these from Bombardier - they had been sitting un-catalogued in a warehouse in Mississauga. Thankfully we have a good friend at Bombardier who managed to get them for us.
But then our troubles really began. Budd had a separate blueprint for every component. We had to hire a draftsman - the great Patrick Lawson - to compile hundreds of blueprints into coherent drawings that our engineers from China could work from. That took about six months.
Finally, the factory started work on the underbody equipment. (When was that? February? I've lost track!) And guess what? After six months or so, we're almost finished. This has been the most complex project we've ever undertaken. We've had to access countless Car Builder Cyclopedias and other sources because the blueprints referred to every component by its number rather than illustrate it. We could have left this stuff off like everyone else does, but then it wouldn't be a Rapido product. More on that below.
To date, there have been more than 3000 hours of work put into this project in Toronto, Connecticut, Victoria and Dongguan. There are just a few more pipes to tweak, a few more bits of steel to bend into shape, and some rivets and other surface details to correct.
"The Canadian" - Coach Underbody Detail
Too much detail?
A couple of weeks ago I got a call from a dealer who was upset about the late delivery of The Canadian. He told me that if I left off all of the extra detail that nobody cares about anyway, I could have had the train out by now. His exact words were that it should just be "good enough" like the other passenger train models out there.
Sorry, but that's not how Bill, Dan and I work. To date, Rapido Trains Inc. is the only manufacturer in the world to bring out passenger car models with complete underbody detail. The stuff under a passenger car is what actually made the car function as a passenger car. To represent that equipment by just a few blobs of plastic does a disservice to the history of these fine pieces of industrial and transportation engineering. Would a model of the Jaguar E-Type be complete without a representation of its classic XK6 engine? Obviously not.
Yes, we could have brought out the model a year early if we had left off all of the underbody piping, valves, regulators, etc. But model railroaders have been waiting 56 years for this model. What makes more sense: bring out a barely-detailed, "good enough" model of Canada's most famous train in 2010 or an exquisitely-detailed model in 2011? Are model railroaders really so impatient that they would rather spend the same dollar on a substandard model now than a perfect model a year later? I didn't think so either.
A couple of weeks ago I got a call from a dealer who was upset about the late delivery of The Canadian. He told me that if I left off all of the extra detail that nobody cares about anyway, I could have had the train out by now. His exact words were that it should just be "good enough" like the other passenger train models out there.
Sorry, but that's not how Bill, Dan and I work. To date, Rapido Trains Inc. is the only manufacturer in the world to bring out passenger car models with complete underbody detail. The stuff under a passenger car is what actually made the car function as a passenger car. To represent that equipment by just a few blobs of plastic does a disservice to the history of these fine pieces of industrial and transportation engineering. Would a model of the Jaguar E-Type be complete without a representation of its classic XK6 engine? Obviously not.
Yes, we could have brought out the model a year early if we had left off all of the underbody piping, valves, regulators, etc. But model railroaders have been waiting 56 years for this model. What makes more sense: bring out a barely-detailed, "good enough" model of Canada's most famous train in 2010 or an exquisitely-detailed model in 2011? Are model railroaders really so impatient that they would rather spend the same dollar on a substandard model now than a perfect model a year later? I didn't think so either.
"The Canadian" - Diner overview
Now you can see why a generic Budd diner won't cut it.
The kitchen on The Canadian has just a wee little window and that's it.
Now you can see why a generic Budd diner won't cut it.
The kitchen on The Canadian has just a wee little window and that's it.
Timeline and Cross-Canada Tour
We will finally start cutting the underbody tools in two months' time, which means we'll have plated, pre-production samples of all seven car styles of The Canadian ready in the spring (the CP FP9 and F9B samples will take a little longer).
I will personally be taking these pre-production samples of The Canadian on a cross-Canada tour (by train, of course!) from Halifax to Vancouver in late spring/early summer 2011. Only after everyone has seen the actual model will we close the order desk for The Canadian and take deposits from dealers.
At this time we are about 60% sold out of our 2000-train run. I expect we will still have availability following the tour, so dealers and modellers alike will have the chance to see the model in person before finalizing their orders. A delivery date of late 2011 is a real possibility for the only true model of The Canadian ever produced. After three years of hard work, it's finally coming together.
Thanks everyone for your patience. To whet your appetite, here are a few production drawings.
We will finally start cutting the underbody tools in two months' time, which means we'll have plated, pre-production samples of all seven car styles of The Canadian ready in the spring (the CP FP9 and F9B samples will take a little longer).
I will personally be taking these pre-production samples of The Canadian on a cross-Canada tour (by train, of course!) from Halifax to Vancouver in late spring/early summer 2011. Only after everyone has seen the actual model will we close the order desk for The Canadian and take deposits from dealers.
At this time we are about 60% sold out of our 2000-train run. I expect we will still have availability following the tour, so dealers and modellers alike will have the chance to see the model in person before finalizing their orders. A delivery date of late 2011 is a real possibility for the only true model of The Canadian ever produced. After three years of hard work, it's finally coming together.
Thanks everyone for your patience. To whet your appetite, here are a few production drawings.
"The Canadian" - Coach end view
Note the raised 3D Beaver shield and etched-metal end gate
Note the raised 3D Beaver shield and etched-metal end gate
The Canadian - Coach vestibule close up
Note the diamond texture on the trap doors and the groove texture on the floor.
Note the diamond texture on the trap doors and the groove texture on the floor.
Other manufacturers have made a good effort to hide the seam on the roof where the top of the mold joins the sides - this is called the mold parting line. Anything on the top of the part can only have details that go up and down, and anything on the sides can only have details that go out to the side. Have a look at the extremely simplified diagram below to see what I mean.
This of course makes doing a good model of the Budd roof very difficult, as the Philadelphia-based manufacturer had no such constraints when designing its stainless steel roof. Bill and Huang have beautifully hidden the mold parting line between two ribs on the roof, subtly changing the contour so that it is not obvious without a microscope where this mold parting line is hidden. Have a look below. Please note that in the image, the curve of the roof profile is represented by straight lines - this is just our 3D viewing software. The roof curve will actually be smooth.
Another tricky detail is the corrugation profile. It's more than just a bunch of bumps, as you can see below.
The Canadian - Corrugation profile
The photo on the left is of the real dining car on The Canadian.
The photo on the right is the model.
Note the corrugation design is identical, including the small grooves on top of each bump.
The photo on the left is of the real dining car on The Canadian.
The photo on the right is the model.
Note the corrugation design is identical, including the small grooves on top of each bump.
It's the little things that make a Rapido model stand out, like the Genemotor. The Genemotor is the axle-driven generator that supplies The Canadian with 110V DC power. It charges the batteries which supply the air conditioning, lighting and PA system.
The Genemotor is connected to a junction box. This junction box is not in the same location on every car. I wanted to model the cables connecting the Genemotor with the junction box, so we have tooled the Genemotor in two parts: the body and the end with cables. That way, we can show the cables entering the junction box correctly for each car. Yes, I am completely bonkers.
But seriously, this level of detail is possible in the 21st century. Why is it completely unacceptable to leave a single pipe off a freight car model but underneath a passenger car it is still accepted to omit almost everything? Can you imagine a new model boxcar coming out with no brake gear? It would be ripped to shreds on the online forums in five minutes. But most passenger car models don't even have the steam trainline, which is a massive, 6-inch wide insulated pipe! As a passenger car fan, modeller and one-time owner, I have a real problem with this. And that is why I will not settle for a "good enough" model of a passenger car.
The Genemotor is connected to a junction box. This junction box is not in the same location on every car. I wanted to model the cables connecting the Genemotor with the junction box, so we have tooled the Genemotor in two parts: the body and the end with cables. That way, we can show the cables entering the junction box correctly for each car. Yes, I am completely bonkers.
But seriously, this level of detail is possible in the 21st century. Why is it completely unacceptable to leave a single pipe off a freight car model but underneath a passenger car it is still accepted to omit almost everything? Can you imagine a new model boxcar coming out with no brake gear? It would be ripped to shreds on the online forums in five minutes. But most passenger car models don't even have the steam trainline, which is a massive, 6-inch wide insulated pipe! As a passenger car fan, modeller and one-time owner, I have a real problem with this. And that is why I will not settle for a "good enough" model of a passenger car.
The Canadian - Coach Genemotor and power cables
The arrow on the right points at the Genemotor.
The arrow on the left points to the power cables.
The arrow on the right points at the Genemotor.
The arrow on the left points to the power cables.
The Canadian - Diner Genemotor and power cables
You can see how the junction box and power cables are on the
opposite side of the Genemotor compared to the coach.
The Canadian - Trane AC Condenser and Compressor
Check out the TRANE logo on the compressor!
Check out the TRANE logo on the compressor!
And this image will warm the heart of anyone with a bit of maple syrup in his veins... check out the Canadian Car & Foundry logo on the truck!
The Canadian - Can-Car 41-NDO-11 Truck
I hope you have enjoyed this preview of The Canadian. As I mentioned above, we start cutting the underbody tools in just two months and we'll have fully assembled samples in the spring.
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Upcoming order deadline - three weeks away!
October 1st is the final order deadline for our other Pullman-Standard Post-War 6-4-6 Sleepers and our Pullman-Standard Grill-Parlors. Please reserve with your dealer by the 1st to ensure you don't miss these.
October 1st is the final order deadline for our other Pullman-Standard Post-War 6-4-6 Sleepers and our Pullman-Standard Grill-Parlors. Please reserve with your dealer by the 1st to ensure you don't miss these.
Update on the (real) LRC Locomotive
Congratulations to everyone who contributed their time and money to the Save the LRC campaign! With the help of donations from almost 90 individuals, the Toronto Railway Historical Association managed to complete the purchase of LRC locomotive #6917 from VIA Rail Canada!
Now the TRHA is raising funds to move the LRC to a local shortline where it will be fully restored to operation, likely within a year or two. Eventually it will be moved to the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre at the John Street Roundhouse. The TRHA needs your help to cover the costs of painting the locomotive and restoring it to operation. It just received a full inspection and the diagnosis is good, though it may need a new traction motor. Please click here to visit the LRC campaign web site and please spread the word around.
Congratulations to everyone who contributed their time and money to the Save the LRC campaign! With the help of donations from almost 90 individuals, the Toronto Railway Historical Association managed to complete the purchase of LRC locomotive #6917 from VIA Rail Canada!
Now the TRHA is raising funds to move the LRC to a local shortline where it will be fully restored to operation, likely within a year or two. Eventually it will be moved to the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre at the John Street Roundhouse. The TRHA needs your help to cover the costs of painting the locomotive and restoring it to operation. It just received a full inspection and the diagnosis is good, though it may need a new traction motor. Please click here to visit the LRC campaign web site and please spread the word around.
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