The Rapido HO Scale U25B Locomotive features:
New Phase IV units representing late U25Bs and early U28Bs
Working "frog lights" (Rock Island and MEC #225 and #228)
BN with five-step stepwell
Improved thinner front and rear handrails
Single front window or new double front window
Both low and high-short hood versions
Flat or new sloped low nose
New side sill mounted handrails on Phase IV units
Early high- and later low-style side doors
Road specific details for each model
Different exhaust stacks (depending on roadname)
Road-specific battery box doors on engineer’s side
MoPower capacitor
Ever experience a loss of power? Experience it no more with the all-new "Mo-Power" capacitor.
Designed by Rapido with the guidance of ESU LokSound, this handy electrical component, which is integrated with the main PCB board, ensures you run uninterrupted from a momentary loss of track power. It will provide anywhere from two to five seconds of juice, depending on the Rapido locomotive.
Prototype:
General Electric had long been touted as a company that supplied parts for other manufacturers. That would all change with GE’s entry into a road-switcher market dominated by EMD and Alco. In the late 1950s, GE’s engineers were developing a new V16 engine. What followed was the creation of the U25B road switcher. Available in both high-nose and low-nose variants, GE would sell over 450 U25Bs to a variety of Class I railroads. The U25B would pave the way for future Universal series locomotives.
Many U25Bs lasted into the early 1980s on some Class I railroads. A few ex-L&N versions would continue on to the early 1990s on CSX! A notable user of the U25B was Rock Island, which equipped a few of theirs with “frog lights” on the sides of the cab roof. These lights could alternate or shine steady. Get ready for a new run with new schemes on the popular U25B locomotive!
