Model Railroading > The first Rapido B36-7 on the Onondaga Cutoff

Conrail B36-7's have arrived on the Onondaga Cutoff! 

Initial impression:  wow.  Incredible.  The color looks excellent.  I checked a few dimensions that I could verify using my Conrail reference books (Withers Publishing Conrail Motive Power Review 1986-1991 by Paul K. Withers in particular) and I am really happy overall.  There was some concern voiced on several forums about the Conrail-specific marker lights and their location, but those seem to be unfounded as these are located where they belong.  The steps, anticlimber, cab, and body dimensions match the prototype photos I reviewed and, to my eye, are very well done. Couplers are metal and painted brown.  Conrail installed ditch lights beginning around 1994 on their fleet, and this locomotive would have been retrofitted with them at the shop during an overhaul.  

In their product release video Rapido mentions that the factory may have applied too many snubbers on some models.  The GE FB-2 trucks are excellent on this, but indeed while NS and others had snubbers on all axles, Conrail only had snubbers on one.  A quick twist with a hobby knife popped those right off.  

The sound is really nice too, nicer than expected.  These are ESU Locsound V5 decoders, and the GE FDL sound in them has lots of nice staccato base sound considering the size of the speaker.  This first one runs smoothly and sounds great!   I need to add some weathering and perhaps adjust the speed table to match my other decoders but it's close out of the box.  

Here's a few quick images of the first to be unboxed.

1.  Overall view, with the snubbers removed.  Conrail specific details like the cab signal box behind the cab on the long hood walkway are very well done.  This model captures nicely the husky-but-rounded GE look.  The handrails, with the new metal handrail/plastic stanchion feature, are the best I've seen modeled from a factory.  

2.  Here we have the headlight and ditch lights lit, and again I am very happy.  The glow is about the right color to my eye. Some have said 'too blue!' but I don't see that; if others look that way I can adjust it with a little drop of translucent yellow paint to warm things up a bit.  Running with the lights off will be awesome with these.

3.  Working marker lights is something that is becoming more common and I am thrilled with these.  The color is fantastic!  My only suggestion to Rapido on these is that Conrail's  marker lights and headlights were not directional.  I'd prefer if out of the box these models came with each of the lights as simple on-off functions on the decoder, staying on in either direction at the engineer's discretion which is how the prototype works.  I will work with Locsound to come up with the CV's to change to accomplish this for my models.

Overall I am thrilled and find these well worth what I paid for the models - about $280 each all told including shipping.  I saw well done Rapido!  

~RGDave (Dave Abeles)
https://onondagacutoff.blogspot.com/


 

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Gorgeous engine. Enjoy.  Bruce

Not the best picture for sure but here she is in Manville NJ   11/27/97. shot by me.  Manville yard quiet for thanksgiving.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/25/19 06:43 by brfriedm.

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 What a positive and open-minded review---thanks so much! Please post more when you have it weathered.

My Seaboard units have arrived and when I get home later this week I will program them. Can’t wait to see these units. My first Rapido

Gary

Posted from iPhone

mully Wrote:
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> My Seaboard units have arrived and when I get home
> later this week I will program them. Can’t
> wait to see these units. My first Rapido
>
> Gary
>
> Posted from iPhone

Seaboard System. Not Air line.
Uncle Joe

Thanks Dave! Looking forward to my SP units arriving.

beautiful, put `em on TVLA

tom

Over the weekend I pick up 3 units and  waiting on the 4th one that I just order. These were my favorite units on the TV Trains beside the GP40's.  The only issue I have with the unit is the view of the heater unit in the front engineer side of the model, other then that the model meets up to the Rapido standard
 

Looks right at home on the Onandaga Cutoff, Dave.

Jim

Here a picture that I took many many moons ago down in Lewistown back in the mid 80's

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Curt,

For me, I’d accept them, take some styrene strip and rough them in enough to suggest the difference. It’s frustrating, of course! Especially since so many other details are done perfectly, but given the issue I’d just make the adjustments myself. Same with the handrail paint.

If it was a frame length or axle spacing issue or something I’d be more upset - I can’t easily adjust those! For me changing some details is part of the hobby. We’ve all had to do much more extensive changes than this. It’s a mistake, plain and simple, but one that is pretty easily adjusted.

I’m thankful for such an amazing model of a unit I’ve needed for the operation for so long! The consisting on my NCE system is not working as expected due to the new V5 Loksound decoders, but once I learn how to handle that we are good to go. These are going to be fun!

Happy Thanksgiving all!
~RGDave

Dave, I’d be interested in hearing what you find out about consisting. Particularly if you are advanced consisting as I’ve found little to nothing regarding CV’s 21 and 22 in the Loksound V5 manual.

Very nice to see positive review by someone that actually has the model. From all the bitching and whining and screaming over, uh issues by people that do not even own the model you would think these were the biggest POS ever. 

Thanks