Model Railroading > Rapido's HO Scale BC Rail M420-M420B models

Just got my order, yep, 5 of them. Three with LokSound/DCC, and a pair without, (still waiting for a couple 21 pin decoders to arrive this weekend). BCOL 641, 643, 645, and RCL "B-units" 681, 687. Only modifications so far were to swap the Rapido "Kadee clones" with shortshank / semi-scale Kadee #153s. (edit) and to install the open door option on the 641...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/19/24 22:44 by MrMRL.

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Photos also here...
https://pbase.com/mrmrl/bc_rail_action

~ Mr. BCOL

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Very nice looking units. 
did you make the b unit or did it come that way ?

Jon Fink
Schenectady, NY

I believe he said he got his order of M420 and M420B models, the "B"s being RCL units.

Highhood Wrote:
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> Very nice looking units. 
> did you make the b unit or did it come that way ?

Those are gorgeous! Really love that night shot into the open door! The layout looks great. Thanks for sharing.

Brian

Is the open nose door a first for an RTR?

Great shots !! Enjoy operating them .

They look decent.  Other then my eye goes right to that grossly oversized diamond plate.  The silver really makes it stand out.  

Good to see them delivered, thanks for posting.
Lots to look at.
t4p,

Nice bunch, for a dude who grew up thinking out-of-the-box Athearn SD40-2s were the bomb compared to what I used to have these newer out-of-the-box models have fantastic features and details. Just too old and unmotivated to get back into modeling these days...

JG

OMG!!
I have a pair (A+B red/white/blue) set on order.
My dealer takes forever to get my Rapido stuff.  So it may be a while.
It comes thru Horizon Hobby and  for some reason going thru them as a wholesaler is 
just a drawn out process.
I will be drooling till then. Thanks for sharing  (I think)  and great images.

Lighter Wrote:
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> Is the open nose door a first for an RTR?

I remember Spectrum had operating cab doors on their GP18's. 

My models of the Rapido's BCR M420Ws, 646 and 643, in the last green scheme, and M420B 682 in the the last green scheme were just deliver today.  The models of the two M420W have a big error.  There should be a snow plow on the front of both 643 and 646 but instead the model has the same bumper that is on the rear of the engine on the front of the engine.  You can clearly see this error on the above photos of the model of 643.   The snow plow on the front should just be like the snow plow on the r/w/b unit shown on the photos.

I did not order a model of Rapdio's r/w/b BCR M420W but if you did please check to see if the rear radiator grills/screens are the same as on green paint units.  If it is that is a error.  When all the BCR M420Ws and M420Bs were paint in one of the two r/w/b paint schemes the rear radiator grills on both sides were replaced with screens.  This same thing was done to the radiator grills on BCR C630Ms, M630s, and M630Ws.  A few of these units received this radiator grill change when they were repaint in the last green scheme but all these received this change when they were painted in either of the two r/w/b paint scheme.  It is interesting that Bows er picked up on this change on their VCR M630s painted in the r/w/b paint schemes.

I hope that Rapido reads this discussion and has a fix for the missing plows on the front the M420W in the green schemes.  It is a shame to pay $300 plus dollars for a model and have this kind of error on the model.  Please note the photos on Rapido's website of the sample model of BCR M420W number 646 in the last green scheme clearly show the sample model with the plow on the front . Yes, I can fix the problem if I can get the correct plow from Kaslo Shops and match the paint on the model but I should not have to this on a $300 plus model.

Reply to DGOLDE:

Don. 

The models come with a "goodie bag" that includes the plow.

Brian E



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/20/24 19:37 by M-420.

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Good info, was wondering what the snowplow story was. The R/W/B scheme is not my 'era' so we're good there. It does amaze me how they worked through all the time frames and came up with that combination of paint schemes, the flat hood stripe and black roof with the nose stripes for example. Then there's the concern about the rebuilt steps, apparently that was the original reason to hold off on a BCR version.

Ran across some interesting details and explanations in a BCR M420 kitbash article, Fall 1999 issue of the Cariboo.

t4p.

+ any comments or observations of the sound files? Anybody know if they are stock ESU or custom Rapido? Anything special on them?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/20/24 19:53 by TCnR.

Brian,
I was really disappointed to open my package with the Rapido M420s to see that the snow plow was missing.  At first I thought maybe just my models were wrong but then I said the post and photos on Train Orders and so I wrote my reply. 

After writing by reply I also wrote an e-mail to a friend who works for Rapido about the bumper pilot instead of the snow plow.  But then I thought maybe someone caught the error and so I reopened the model box and I saw that extra package includes the snow plow so now all I have to do is take off the bumper pilot and replace with the correct..

Thanks pointing out the plow in parts package and for confirming that the last green scheme has the correct grills.  About a month ago Rapido with Jason there had one of their trip's bus stops at a really nice model railroad club in Norwalk, WA.  On the table they had a BCR r/w/b models of the M420W and M420B and I took some photos and confirmed that the r/w/b models did not have the grills replaced by the screens.  See that the models were incorrect cancelled my order for these units.  At the meet I did not tell Jason about the missing tool box on the left front of the fuel that should be on be all M420W in the various green schemes except for BCR 641.  When then M420W were paint r/w/b some of the units kept the tool box and on some units the tool box was removed and on these units there is a gap in fuel where the tool box was located.  I purchased a Kaslo Shops M420 kit hoping that it would include the tool box but it doesn't.

On the Rapido models the same under frame M420B was use for the M420W. I wrote to Kaslo Shops about doing the toolbox and I send them a couple of underframe photos that clearly shops the detail of the tool box and showing the difference between BCR M420W, built in 1973 and BCR M420B, built in 1975, fuel tank connections to the frame.  The BCR M420B's and all the CN M420W orders after the first 1973 order have the same four "J" like connections been the fuel tank and frame.  Even CN's HR412s and HR616s have these "J" like connections between the frame and fuel tank.  I confirmed all these details with my BCR and CN photos.  Some where time between late 1973 and 1974 MLW's engineers made changes to the way a MLW engine was built.

It is too bad that the r/w/b BCR units do not have the screens instead of the grills but it is possilbe to remove the grills and replace the framing from the Kaslo kit and if you like their screens use them but the actual replacement screens used by the BCR look similar to screens found SP and D&RGW SD45T-2 and SD40T-2 and on the EMD GP15s.
 
John, at Kaslo Shops answered my e-mails and informed me that they are working producing the BCR M420W tool boxes with one of those plastic model machines.



 

Lighter Wrote:
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> Is the open nose door a first for an RTR?

Prior production runs of Rapido's M420s also came with this factory-optional positionable nose door.  Perhaps others can recall maybe some past E/F-unit model out there with a prepainted positionable nose door, but none come immediately to mind here.

Cheers,
Harry

Thanks everyone for your comments and feedback so far.

To Don's credit, I do consider and understand the frustrations that this RTR model may still bring. Yes, for a few bucks more, a few details could have been presented even better... semi-scale/prototypical draft gear and coupler boxes, more correct, finer and deeper (possibly etched/see-through) detailing on the various long-hold cooling/intake screens/grills, MU cables and plugs(?) really these didn't exist in Canada in the 1980s?

(and that supposedly "removable cab front door" was absolutely glued on due to soft/wet factory paint. I snapped off all three pins while carefully trying to removing it, had to hand drill out the #75 holes, and touch up the red paint around the door frame, before installing the included "open door" goodie-bag detail...)


While acknowledging it to not being a 100%(er), I'm personally quite happy and elated to at least hold in my hands a 95-97%(er)... NA wide cab, 5 chime horns, LED rock lights, frame separated fuel tank, ZWT trucks, multiple paint schemes. Most of the final smaller details can (at least for my skill level) be fleshed out and brought out to a final presentable level over time. 

Just remember the amount of time, effort (and/or money) just 5-10 years ago it would have taken to be able to hold in one's own hands a relatively super detailed, HO scale replica, (BCOL specific) M420B. These things are neat. And a sorely longed after aspect of 1970-1980s era BC Rail modeler's repertoire. Hence why I ponied up and snagged my personal handful.

~ Mr. BCOL

Unfortunately almost every models produced to day is RTR.  In some ways it makes things easier especially since almost the RTR paint is excellent although I wish the the paint used for the lettering would be easy to remove.  I wish it were possible to purchase these unpainted and unassembled.  I have a friend who works for Rapido and I ask him if it was possible to purchase model unpainted and unassembled.  He told me that they tried to have their Chinese manufacturer ship a model unpainted and unassembled.  What they received was a model fully assembled but unpainted.  Its seems that this particular manufacturer doesn't understand what unassembled means.  What I find funny and strange about this that model trains are just a small percentage of the models produced in this world.  Highly detailed model kits of planes, ships, tanks, military equipment, and even civilian equipment are produced in many different scales all over the world and China is probably the biggest producer.  None of these is kits comes assembled and painted.  The modeller has to do all the work and learn how to paint but this means that you can make and paint the model any way you want.

I do wish that Rapido has produced the model with the tool box attached to the fuel tank but with a little help from Kaslo I can add the tool box to my BCR 643 and 646.  Since I found the snow plow once I figure out how to take off the glued on bumper pilot on the front without screwing up anything that problem is solved.  I do feel sorry for those who purchased the r/w/b units and might wish that the radiator section had the screens in place of the grills.  I prefer the BCR M420Ws and M420Bs in the green schemes especially the last green scheme.  But I have taken lots roster photos all the M420Ws that were in the second r/w/b paint scheme and all but one of the M420Bs in the either the first or second r/w/b paint many in almost perfect light to wish that the model had the correct radiator screens so that I would want to have one.  Lastly if you had never noticed the radiator grills vs screens difference it is understandable.  We, a friend and myself, was with me when I took many of my BCR photos and we did not notice the changes to the radiator grills to screens on the M420Ws and M420Bs or for that matter on the C630s, M630s, and M630W until Overland produced brass models of the BCR M420W with the as build grills and BCR M420B with the replacement screens.  My friend had lots of fun switching the M420B screens to his M420Ws and the M420W grills to M420B.  He painted his 16 BCR units in almost all the BCR paint schemes.

Lastly the BCR based on my research began widening and changing the steps on the C630Ms, M630s, M630Ws, M420Ws, and M420Bs begining around late 1978 and all units appear to have this chang by 1980 or so.  It makes sense that Rapido would choose to do models with the changed steps.  If you want a model of the M420W with the original steps the Kaslo Shops M420W model can be made with the original steps.

Yep, good that they are out into the wild.

Yep, we've all had this discussion before, we beat up the poor guy a few years ago. Basically they did what they said they were going to do so that's what we have:

Date: 12/25/21 10:13
Rapido Chirstmas Announcement

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?3,5387329,page=1