The Rapido Trains B36-7 is based on General Electric-built diesel locomotives used by several lines to haul freight on expedited schedules. The four-axle units were high-horsepower racers built to appeal to railroads in the early 1980s looking to turbocharge their growing intermodal business. They could be found in multiples at the head of piggyback and auto rack and then-new double-stack container trains. There were few drag freights or slow-moving manifests for these thoroughbreds in their early years.
The Rapido HO B36-7 features:
- 3D scanned from an ex-CSX B36-7 for 100% accurate shape and dimensions
- Incredible underframe detail including piping and a ridiculous number of separately-applied parts
- Full cab interior, with correct orientation for standard or Southern locomotives
- Dead straight metal side handrails with plastic stanchions
- A crazy level of road-specific detail options, with different pilots, anticlimbers, plows, fuel tanks, air dryers, antennas, bell location, wind deflectors, headlight locations, air-conditioning units, beacons, different bodies, multiple nose and rear end styles, three versions of drop step, and so on.
- With or without class lights (as appropriate)
- Conrail locomotives have unique 'built out' style class lights
- ATSF, Conrail and Southern locomotives have single or double baffles appropriate to era and road number
- Three styles of operating, flashing ditch lights, front and rear (as appropriate)
- Working headlights in correct location, switchable number boads at both ends and cab interior headlight
- SP locomotive has single P3 horn or dual K5H horn and dual-beam clear lens Oscitrol warning lights at both ends plus red “emergency” Gyralite.
- DC/Silent (21-pin DCC Ready) or DC/DCC/Sound (ESU LokSound) options
- Accurate sounds recorded from an actual Minnesota Commercial B36-7 under load
- Rapido's proven 5-pole skew-wound motor with dual flywheels and silky-smooth drive
