Model Railroading > NP White Strobe

I recently received the Rapido Northern Pacific RS-11 which came with a beacon.  When I got the beacon to flash in DCC, it flashes white.  Is this prototypical?  Seems odd that the NP would have a white beacon, but it also seems off that Rapido would make such a mistake.  Does anyone have any insight on these locomotives and what they were delivered with in real life?
 

I only remember amber colored beacons on the NP/BN units, but that was in the 70s and early 80s (or when the units finally got retired).

Thanks, after some research, they are supposed to be yellow.  I contacted Rapido, they stated that the hue of beacon was off and they were disappointed about it as well.  I'm very disappointed and it makes me very hesitant to order more Rapido locomotives that have beacons, such as the Alco C-424's. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/06/26 11:42 by FishinJeeper.

This is an easy fix, you just need a bottle of Tamiya X-24 Clear Yellow Paint and a nice quality fine point paint brush. Two coats on the clear lens, and you will be in good shape.
FishinJeeper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks, after some research, they are supposed to
> be yellow.  I contacted Rapido, they stated that
> the hue of beacon was off and they were
> disappointed about it as well.  I'm very
> disappointed and it makes me very hesitant to
> order more Rapido locomotives that have beacons,
> such as the Alco C-424's. 

Yes, thats my plan. I recently learned about that stuff,  I'm excited to try it out. 
 

Tamiya X-26 Clear Orange will get you to a better amber shade for the Pyle 15360 rotary beacon, however some photos of NP RS11's have a red lens, so its number specific.  Amber is the prevalent color though.    



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/06/26 14:50 by sixaxlecentury.

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FishinJeeper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks, after some research, they are supposed to
> be yellow.  I contacted Rapido, they stated that
> the hue of beacon was off and they were
> disappointed about it as well.  I'm very
> disappointed and it makes me very hesitant to
> order more Rapido locomotives that have beacons,
> such as the Alco C-424's. 

Easy does it Burney. Lol
I would never get so disgruntled over such a small thing to abandon ship. When I got my Rapido Ski Train F40PH locomotives, I was bummed that the clear strobes weren't very bright unless you were looking straight down at the top of tge lights. With that little issue, its still the best F40PH on the market, now you wouldn't want to limit yourself over a little thing.

Sixaxlecentury - Thats very interesting.  I will have to do some more research to make sure I have the right color. Thank you for this great piece of informaiton. 

TomG - To me, lighting is one of the most important things on a model.  A beacon can be seen from all over the layout and stands out,  its not like a sandhose on a truck, or the wrong MU cables. The beacon sits stop-center for everyone to see, it brings attention to the train.   For the price you pay for these locomotives, I would like to see these eye-catching details correct.  With that said, I was upset when I started this thread and I was not aware at the time of X-26 clear orange paint which makes this fixable.  I'm not jumping ship from Rapido, I still have 7 locomotives on order from them...



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/07/26 08:39 by FishinJeeper.

Motor runs smoothly is my most important thing..
RB