Agreed and really appreciated Jason's disdain for "gatekeeping" - you're just as much of a model railroader if you bring down that kit from the cupboard, do your work on the kitchen table, and then put it back as if you have a 1/2 acre basement filled with a layout.
Great interview video! The answer to running any train on your layout is a ‘disturbance in the space time continuum’!!!! And yes, thanks for your support to those of us who aren’t perfect and can’t make perfect beautiful models but still enjoy the fun of the hobby by building what we like.
This was awesome, and great advice, Jason... yes, participate in the hobby to the best of your ability, because the key is that you're doing something you enjoy. I think that too often in this hobby, average modellers like myself with limited space/resources can sometimes be a little discouraged when we see basement empires. Pep talks like this keep me going back into my 8x8 space!
My pleasure! I've seen gorgeous modelling in 2x4 feet. 8x8 is massive compared to that! With a smaller space you have the opportunity to get amazingly detailed. Good luck with the project!
The first rule of model railroading is it’s your model railroad. The second rule of model railroading is it’s your model railroad so run what you want. I’m a member of the Queens County Model Railroad Association and our Empire Valley Railroad layout is set in the Hudson Valley in a certain period of time. So yeah, we will have a full length Rapido built Metro North train with FL9s and Comets. But we also have Southern Pacific locomotives and sometimes someone runs an HST. We can have GEVOs running next to steam.
@@rapidotrains there was one time where we had a K4 pulling German bilevels. I do have video of that somewhere. My philosophy with model railroading and with most things in life is do what makes you happy. If you want to run a 100% prototypical to the date and hour schedule, sure. If you want to mix and match eras, region and even countries, have at it.
Thanks for the candid and honest Q & A Jason Dalhia . I rode the Canadian from Toronto to Jasper in 2015 and it was fantastic and spent most of my time in the Parlour car , and I'll be back to do it again in the near future. My biggest gripe about the industry is the continued use of the antiquated worm drives in our locos, these can't be pushed or pulled , meaning accurate speed matching is required( which is fine) but it makes for a lot of stress on gears as they are forced along. Has anyone thought of changing to bevel gears or different worm gears that can be pushed or pulled slightly? I hope this changes before I kick the bucket..LOL I'm seeing the same drive trains in locos I had 40 years ago! Thank you for making great products and supporting the hobby! Cheers from Down under, Gregg .
Our pleasure! And thanks for your comments on the motors. That is definitely something we can discuss at our project management meeting, but of course the challenge is making everything compatible with everything else...
I always enjoy these little behind the scenes insights, and of course it's always wonderful to see your immense passion for the hobby on display. Happy holidays to the Rapido family!
Thanks for a candid and insightful video. I have nothing but admiration for Jason's skill as a modeller but even more so as a manager. To build one of the industry's most respected producers from scratch in 16 years -- and recruit the best talent to help accomplish it -- shows real business leadership.
A wonderful insight Jason. I've always enjoyed learning about the industry and I am grateful for companies, such as Rapido, who takes the time to show the hobbyists the process that it takes to bring the models that bring us such joy to our railroads. I finally got one of the B23-7 in the Southern Railway paint and it is AWESOME!! Such great detail and runs like a dream. -Will
We are so looking forward to LION coming out next year... The Titfield Thunderbolt and the little train. Thank you ever so much for doing this. Over 50 years since the film came out and in that time the other manufacturers could have done one!!! Lovely chat and nice to get to know you and of course the DEDICATED TEAM. Lots of love from David and Lily. Reading England.
Another enjoyable interview with Jason………I love his outlook on life….. live life….model what makes you happy. It’s nice how he brings his family “along for the ride”. If he makes the RSC24, I’ll take four.
Thank you for spending some family time sharing insights and industry knowledge. I hope your transparency helps some of the “always complaining” folks gain some empathy and maybe even thanks for the time your team devotes to great products. Funny that some folks don’t understand that everyone tries their best most of the time, just like they do at their work (hopefully). Your comments about the state of the industry and the near future, lead me to ask; if assembly is the biggest cost, is there a potential to offer some kits, maybe even decorated kits, for models that someone would want 10 or 20 of for their layout. I understand assembling parts into a kit is a cost also. Maybe they are only offered in bulk kits, you get enough parts to complete about 20 cars +/- two cars. Printers don’t give you exactly 1000 copies if that’s what you order, they give you at least 1000 or something close. They get away with calling it their standard business practice, you can start a new standard for kits. Adding extra parts shouldn’t be the big cost, as long as there are enough for the agreed 20 cars. Just a thought outside of the box and focused on reducing cost. That might even start a cottage industry. I buy two boxes of bulk model kits, build them, and sell them on eBay. If I do a good job I make enough money to build the kits I want for my layout. If I don’t do a good job, no one buys them. As you said, Ewing a model railroader doesn’t require a layout, just start with building a model. Thanks again for your transparency and sharing.
Really enjoyed the video, provided an insight into the challenges you face in the production of model trains. I have several Rapido products and look forward to receiving the products on order. Merry Christmas to everyone at Rapido.
Hey Jason, thanks for sharing your insights and thoughts. I enjoyed the discussion on the product challenges and logistics of getting them here. I especially enjoyed your opinion that model railroading is different for each individual and whole heartedly agree with that sentiment. Cheers!
Great interview, really enjoyed it. Candid honest and funny. For the record I’d buy both the SWEEP and the RSC-24. They’re superb prototypes… I’ve built a kit S13u, so hope that one takes a bit longer to become a reality!
Jason, excellent video. Always very interesting to hear the real perspectives. And, of course, I am jealously wishing I'd been able to do any, or better yet all, of my career's interviews from the Canadian. What a great office and wonderful daughter. Cheers, Peter
@@rapidotrains Surely you've the connections to have them install a temporary conductor's desk in an A bedroom and you give up your space at Rapido.... ;-)
If only you could build everything, make no human errors, sell it for less than anyone else, make so much you could open a factory in Canada and move the talent to there. It's a nice thought. Another great video. 👌
Mr Shron, first of all. You are making history in Model RR. Rapido products are one of the best in the market. I understand your considerations about the manufacturing in China. I hope (as a Mexican) that your brand, maybe start a production in Mexico of some product and compare the many issues that are important. Price, time, labor, quality, craftsmanship. Maybe you get a good surprise and eventually, look to Mexico as your principal source of production. The very first thing, that comes to my mind is the lowering cost of shipment, just because Mexico is lot closer to Canadá, an also we have a commerce treaty that might benefit RAPIDO, Inc
Great video, and love the on-train format. I imagine model train manufacturers must get emotive feedback when there’s an error or specific variant of a loco/carriage/freight car missed from a production run, but it’s nice to see how open Rapido is about everything you do -- the limits of engineering, the economics of model train manufacturing, all of it. And you make amazing stuff to boot! Almost makes me want to model Canadian/US prototype just to buy this amazing stuff. If you do an RDC re-run in future, can you do another run of Australian Commonwealth Railways/Australian National ones? They’re still the best RDC available to represent these cars. Merry Christmas to you all, look forward to watching you guys in 2022. Cheers from the other Sydney in the commonwealth ;)
Great interview, and some really interesting questions and answers; like changing the production artwork and reducing the errors. Whilst Birmingham is a great cross roads, I'd venture somewhere like York, or Derby as there's so much variety (merry-go-round coal trains / freight / express passenger traffic) etc....pulls pin and steps back. 😂 Took me back to when I was lucky enough to travel on the Canadian, a wonderful landscape to travel through, a highly recommended experience.
Thanks for your kind words! I think the original Snow Hill would be something special, before it was replaced with... an escalator in a concrete box. And with all the gorgeous Brummie and Midland Red buses outside!
@@rapidotrains You have provoked me to think about getting on with my model with your comments on starting something: that's going to be 2022's task. As for Snow Hill, I'll give you that, yes that would be an amazing station to model. As you are into detailed soundscapes, (still staggered with the Turbo approaching the station - from the inside) you may be interested to know (if you do, apologies), to assist crews in the smoke filled tunnel between Moor Street and Snow hill there was a metal device that created a noise on the train cab to tell the crews as they were approaching Moor street / Snow Hill at each end. I remember the interview was on BBC Radio 4's "Today" programme many, many years ago. I'll see if I can find it. Who known's someone may be able to tell me more.
Very informative interview. Helps us understand the industry. Keep up the great work. If your taking requests for 70s-80s CN and CP, put me down for S13s , RS23s and rerun the M420s. Thanks
I'd love to see an HO Scale S13 - especially a modernized one in either Ontario Southland or Waterloo Central colours. The RS-23 is a similar MLW model I'd like to see in HO scale too.
Excellent informative and interesting video.I agree with you wholeheartedly Jason traveling by train is the best way. I have been on the California Zephyr from Chicago to Sacramento which was fantastic.By the way I recently purchased 2 Rapido B36-7 Iocos which are excellent models.👍😁😁😁😁😁🚂🇬🇧
Also for the RDC, if you guys do the Reading & Northern for a future run, I would absolutely ABSOLUTELY get them. Already have a pair of VIA. And yes, I already put it in the request form.
@@rapidotrains *broken record* But how about N scale? 🙂 Hey I'd buy a good handful of undecorated ones for CNJ/Susquehanna/PRSL. Think the markets right for it if as long as the Kato mistake of making millions in rigid 2 packs isn't made.
Merry... Everything! Jason, awesome job with your daughter! First, I want you to know I would love a pair of Sweeps! I finally am getting an RS-11 Demonstrator, having the only bid on "Eyab"... Albeit, I'm in BC, and it's coming from southern Florida! I love everything you, as a whole, do for your passion of trains... Everything! How about a scale model of your building? Including the bus(es) and vehicles driven by your consenting employees? (& your taxi). Thank you. You are blessed ☺️. John K. Kamloops BC
Thanks for your kind words and your support, John! The Rapido building is very boring, but it may be a good candidate for a laser kit! Thanks for the idea!
Great video Jason. Love you guys at Rapido. Finally received my SEPTA comet cars. It was a 30 year wait. Now waiting on Metrolink bi level coaches and the Chevy Caprices. Can you do MP54 coaches?
Great video, and a proper setting for the interviews. How about offering some models of CP non-stainless steel lightweight passenger cars, and heavyweights also. They would look great behind my Royal Hudson. 😀
Great video guys. Love it. What about a new 44 Tonne model. We had 4 of those imported in WW2 by the US army as carriage shunters in Sydney Yard for the New South Wales railways. 2 got sold off to Christmas island to run phosphate trains and 2 others went to the Commonwealth railways for shunting in South Australia. But you've got crap loads of prototypes through North America that might be worth pursuing?
With Scaletrains doing the SDL39 which there were only 10, one of you guys is a CSX freak, there's been lots of wants for the BQ23-7, only 10 wrew built but several schemes them the B unit versions only had blanked windows. I think the demand is there.
I may be asking for too much but with the release of the dash 8-40cm we finally have a really nice HO version of the cowl units but if Jason is focussed on modeling CN in the 1980s Inwas thinking that the HR 616 is definitely a locomotive worth making! I know you guys have a ton of product suggestions but maybe one day we can see an industry first HO non brass HR 616.
Great insights into the industry as always. The rise of cost in China can be a problem in the future but it could manageable in some form. However transportation logistic costs are going to be the bigger issue. Can't see away around that presently. Now for my wish list models: Grand Trunk Western U-3 Northerns. Diesel wise : GP-30's particularly Nickel Plate Road(Bill Schneider are you listening?) SW-1000/1001(Chicago Short Line now South Chicago and Indiana Harbor) and RS-36's in both low and high hood versions(the high hoods replaced the NKP PA's).
I'm glad I came across this video. You may never see this question, but....if the cost of manufacturing gets too high in China, would Rapido ever consider on-shoring manufacturing to Canada? It would be great to see things get made in North America again.
Interesting to hear your knowledge of overseas manufacturing economics. If costs go up, then could we move back to kits where more of the assembly and detailing is incumbent upon the modeler to complete, providing the labor?
Beautiful scenery your rolling thru. About LRC, tell the Model Railroad Police its my railroad. If I want LRC's on it I can have LRC's! If I can run Pennsy K4s on a west coast railroad in the 1970's you can run LRCs a few months early.
So are we! We're not accepting anything less than 99% perfect, so we keep sending the samples back to be improved. Final one should arrive in the next couple of weeks.
I really appreciate your candid insight into the industry. Being a consumer it's difficult to understand or appreciate what it takes to produce a 99% accurate ( I'm fine with 99%, close enough is close enough, eh?) model. You mentioned the PA's were coming out in late 22 or early 23? Is that accurate? Models are expensive and always try to plan the budget... Are the other products on the same time line?
Thanks, and glad you enjoyed it! As of now, we're expecting the PAs to arrive around May/June. Everything is delayed these days. They are waiting for decoders!
@@rapidotrains I kind of feel like everyone manufacturing model trains needs a big hug right now. So many unprecedented challenges. Keep up the great work. It gets here when it gets here. I can and can't wait for my Santa Fe's! They will be amazing when they arrive.
Very enlightening. Happy Christmas to everyone at Rapido from all of us at Enwins 3d Models, one of your new UK distributors. I am from a low volume car manufacturing (Panther Cars, TVR, Rolls Royce/Bentley Motors among others) before a career in TV. Enwins is a new 3d printed model design and railway model shop online funded by my video production company, so we have enthusiastically become Rapido UK agents to build our model shop as Rapido UK grows. Very enthusiastic about the new wagons and steam locomotives due in 2022 and building a 3ft by 2ft video layout to film the new products on, so you really don't need a lot of space to start modelling. Merry Christmas one and all and do check us out, you'll see a lot of Rapido UK products on both this RU-vid channel and our website in 2022
Oh, how I and many narrow gauge modelers, wish you would design and bring to market HOn3 D&RGW, RGS, C&S, WP&Y, EBT, etc., steam and/or diesel locomotives and rolling stock of the quality that your HO standard gauge products are. That is my New Years wish, for HOn3 Narrow Gauge Modelers.
I'd think that with some of those models you want to make but you don't think there's a market, you would need to take modelers license and produce them as other prototypes that may never have existed, just to get the economy of scale.
