Had a talk with the Eaton Steel Management, and after a short discussion we agreed to purchase four units for employee transfer from home to work, and work to home. We figured to help the employees that lived on the outer skirts of the city we'd send a few of these cars to better help them to get to work on time saving the turn over rate from getting fired for to many show up late notices. Us on the management level are trying to keep the turn over down inturn keeping the bottom line more streamlined for our investors approval. Thanks Boomer for helping us stay in business for another great prosperous year ahead of us. This Car looks fabulous against your layout, almost like it belongs there with lots of stories to tell of past occurrences. Actually bringing life to your layout as it would be in real life as it passed by. Heck yes 👍
Nice review. I was gifted a Walther's train depot and while putting it together I messed up the dormer and emailed them and explained what happened and they sent replacement parts no charge that was really nice of them.
Did you check out Otter Valley Railroad? They have one here for sale: www.ovrtrains.com/Rapido-Trains-16753-HO-Budd-RDC-3-PH2-DCC-Sound-Pacific-Great-Eastern-BC31.html
Nice video, great looking Budd rail car. We have these in Australia, although not anymore as they have all been retired. Some modellers here in Oz would love to see these produced as models again. Cheers, Gary.
Not sure about the blue, but if anyone knows for sure I would like to know. Cheers and thanks for pointing that out. Regardless I'll paint it weathered black.
I agree, out of the box a beautiful execution of the RDC-3. My one gripe with this model is the molded on letter board (usually had "Express Mail" or the like on it) on the side fluting between the two sliding doors of the "baggage" section of the car. The PGE/BCR cars never had this, nor do many of the CN & CP examples. It now becomes a major chore to remove, if you're shooting for prototypical accuracy. Rapido was able to tool a separate larger side number board for the Canadian Pacific RDC-1 examples, but then seemed to get lazy when it came time to do the RDC-3s. Every other model of the RDC-3 (including brass examples) has this molded or made an as integral piece of the fluting, making it difficult to remove. Rapido had the chance to remedy this issue (for wackos like myself 🙂) but didn't bother, to my dismay. The way they tooled it doesn't make sense to me, as it seems the majority of Canadian RDC-3s lacked this feature, from a study of Rail Canada Vol. 5 - though they did take the time to do separate end fluting and the large CP side number boards!!
They also don't run that great at slow speed either. I like my locomotives to have the ability to creep smoothly and these things seem to be designed to run at notch 8. Mine is just a shelf queen . . . lol. Cheers. ;-)
@@boomerdiorama Good to know, I'll get some miles in on the RDC-1s I have before trying to acquire more. I have some Proto-1000 examples that seemed to run pretty decent, of course they are the earlier Phase I RDCs. I had thought of trying to obtain Rapido Phase II shells for those and use Athearn RDC truck sideframes, but that'll be a future project if I ever tackle it.
I've got three with sound and they run excellent and smooth. I'm planning to use them as an attraction rides for a transport museum on my future part of my layout.
Very nice model. Great review. I need to look into one of these. Not my era, but I'm flexible and so is my standard gauge layout. Thanks. Cheers - Larry.
It is cool that Rapido is restoring a Budd car or two I don’t remember the exact story. It would be a blast to go on an excursion in one. I don’t know if that will ever be a thing, the railroads are fussy about what they allow on their property. Thank you for the review.
It would be cool. I'm glad I took my wife on one up the Cheakamus Canyon to Lillooet B.C. before they stopped running. The most spectacular run in the world. Cheers.
This is the first of your post that I don't feel any early morning inspiration from Boomer. What am I ever to do with my WP Athearn rubber band drive RDC? I spent hours super detailing it. Condemned to the trash heap of history. 😀 It has been in storage at home for more than 30 years. I am coming to the realisation that the longer I am away, the more redundant my old stock is. It's like a time capsule of the 80's and early 90's when CTC and Zip texturing were the gold standard and the main source of information was our monthly subscriptions to MR and MR Craftsman. Of course I say all this in jest. Another great video of a fantastic model. Now where did I put that colored plaster for my zip texturing? 😀
I believe Concor made one that wasn't too bad for it's time. This Rapido RDC-3 wasn't an initial priority for me, but I couldn't resist. It is just too good to pass up. If you find a bargain go for it. You won't regret it. Cheers Garry ~ Boomer.
Rapido is mostly all Canadian subjects. It's a good thing as well, since everything has been mostly American prototype centric when it comes to manufacturing model railroad subjects for the last fifty years. Cheers
Sounds great! You won't be disappointed. If you have any questions or issues, just drop Rapido an E-mail and they will respond courteously and professionally. They are a great organization within the model railroad genre. Cheers.
Your are going to repaint it, I'm shocked (not really). I love RDC's, missed my chances to ride one on Vancouver Island. Saw one last summer in Tillamook Oregon, not currently running.
I am glad I took my wife up the Squamish sub on a BCR Budd before they disappeared. I might just weather it and not actually re-paint the body. But I will re-paint the undercarriage. Cheers.
O.K. Depends on the rebuild period as well. This particular car was not rebuilt by Budd. It was rebuilt by Vick-Ver in 1983, then repainted as a (museum) heritage (original) PGE. Cheers.
I doubt Rapido will do then in N. Other than being a pia to convert to DCC the Kato RDCs are nice runners although they’re not an exact match for the Canadian prototypes. The problem Kato had was it took forever to sell them and they were heavily discounted. Rapido doesn’t do anything that won’t sell and unless there are firm orders it doesn’t happen. They were going to do a F-M H16-44 in HO that there must have been a lot of interest from anyone doing CP in southern B.C. but it’s dead in the water due to lack of interest.
@@hughm5996 For sure. But it is nice to see the Canadian content in the industry after what seemed to be a fifty years famine in the industry when it came to most content in North America. I'll never use my N Scale RDC anyway. Funny thing though - they run better than Rapido out of the box. Cheers.
@@hughm5996 I know, I'm so very happy the Rapido AC FPs will soon be here. Saw the ad, waited, the ad (for AC) was dropped, I ordered 2 undecorated units and the ad for AC popped back up the next time I looked (2-3 weeks later). So, I've got 4 units coming. The only Kato items I have that are powered, are two sets of the Operation North Pole. Both years, to me. look and feel like orange peel. The two sets of four-car Amtrak cars I have I like. So Kato is a mixed bag for me.
Everything is for sale at the right price . . . lol. I'm not sure . . . sometimes I give things away and even throw them out . . . lol. Let's keep milking it for awhile yet bud . . . Cheers ~ Boomer.
Great question! The color of the undercarriage (maybe a mute point). I take away half a point for the pooched number board lens (which puts me out for time and inconvenience). I also take away half a point for the not-so-smooth running out of the box (they say in the manual it fixes in time but they don't always settle in so it's uncertain). If the number board was good, and it ran smooth out of the box, at low throttle, she gets a ten for me. Cheers.
The thing about Rapido I hate the most, I never have enough money to buy all the ones I want. The best shot of Rapido stuff is when they derail and lay on the side. I just can't believe people have the skill and patients to install all that detail.
Lol . . . the way you worded that . . . Thank You. I needed a good laugh. I can't afford them either . . . except maybe if I feel desperate to do a review because everyone gushes about it . . . lol, Cheers friend ~ Boomer.
Rapido still is one of the best for details and accuratcy. With that said I have to be honest there quality control has gone to shit as of 2 1/2 years ago. The only silver lining is they take care of there customers very well. Try OVR they still have a shit ton so to speak of multi road numbers. Lorne ordered a boat load when of 1st and 2nd runs.
A bit of background on the blue underframe/trucks - when RDCs were originally delivered from Budd, the underframes were painted in a dark blue rather than black. This generally got grime-covered pretty quickly, and most railways eventually repainted the underframes black. According to a post from Rapido on the Atlas Rescue Forum back in 2016, one of the only railways that actually kept the blue underframes was PGE (along with the Reading), which is why they eventually opted to deliver the models that way. But of course in service, a bit of grime will look more the part! atlasrescueforum.proboards.com/thread/4617/rapido-rdc-colour-color-conundrum
In all fairness, the Rapido RDC model deserves a ten-out-of-ten from a modelers point-of-view. I deducted half a point for the marred number board lens, and half a point for sporadic running quality out of the box. Rapido claims it goes away after a "break -in" period in the manual. ~ Boomer. Find some here: www.ovrtrains.com/Rapido-Trains/?sort=&page=4
Very thorough review 👍 Always loved RDCs and Doodlebugs. Thanks for sharing
You are welcome! Cheers.
Great to see the Budd Car finally arriving in Milner! Beautiful model. Looking forward to your modifications and weathering, Boomer.
That's the plan! I might pick up one more with the latest BCOL livery. Cheers.
Had a talk with the Eaton Steel Management, and after a short discussion we agreed to purchase four units for employee transfer from home to work, and work to home. We figured to help the employees that lived on the outer skirts of the city we'd send a few of these cars to better help them to get to work on time saving the turn over rate from getting fired for to many show up late notices. Us on the management level are trying to keep the turn over down inturn keeping the bottom line more streamlined for our investors approval. Thanks Boomer for helping us stay in business for another great prosperous year ahead of us. This Car looks fabulous against your layout, almost like it belongs there with lots of stories to tell of past occurrences. Actually bringing life to your layout as it would be in real life as it passed by. Heck yes 👍
Thank You Brian. Lol . . . I love the layout world narrative you shared. Good Stuff! Boomer.
Nice review. I was gifted a Walther's train depot and while putting it together I messed up the dormer and emailed them and explained what happened and they sent replacement parts no charge that was really nice of them.
Very cool! I was really impressed with the Rapido service as well. Cheers.
Nice review. Thanks for sharing. I just discovered these, and now the one I want is sold out everywhere. Hope Rapido will make a new run...
Did you check out Otter Valley Railroad? They have one here for sale: www.ovrtrains.com/Rapido-Trains-16753-HO-Budd-RDC-3-PH2-DCC-Sound-Pacific-Great-Eastern-BC31.html
Nice video, great looking Budd rail car. We have these in Australia, although not anymore as they have all been retired. Some modellers here in Oz would love to see these produced as models again.
Cheers, Gary.
Thank You. We still have a few out here on the Squamish Sub which they run on occasion as museum pieces now. Cheers.
Very nice addition to your layout.
I think so too! Cheers ~ Boomer
Beautiful looking model impressive
Sure is! Thanks for commenting ~ Boomer.
Thanks for the review 👍 And excellent service from Rapido. They will for sure be getting my business!
Canadian model Railroaders are fortunate to have them. Cheers.
Nice thank you for sharing. I think they are blue underneath. Found some old color pictures. But the pictures are very old. Could be black? Maybe?
Not sure about the blue, but if anyone knows for sure I would like to know. Cheers and thanks for pointing that out. Regardless I'll paint it weathered black.
I agree, out of the box a beautiful execution of the RDC-3. My one gripe with this model is the molded on letter board (usually had "Express Mail" or the like on it) on the side fluting between the two sliding doors of the "baggage" section of the car. The PGE/BCR cars never had this, nor do many of the CN & CP examples. It now becomes a major chore to remove, if you're shooting for prototypical accuracy. Rapido was able to tool a separate larger side number board for the Canadian Pacific RDC-1 examples, but then seemed to get lazy when it came time to do the RDC-3s. Every other model of the RDC-3 (including brass examples) has this molded or made an as integral piece of the fluting, making it difficult to remove. Rapido had the chance to remedy this issue (for wackos like myself 🙂) but didn't bother, to my dismay. The way they tooled it doesn't make sense to me, as it seems the majority of Canadian RDC-3s lacked this feature, from a study of Rail Canada Vol. 5 - though they did take the time to do separate end fluting and the large CP side number boards!!
They also don't run that great at slow speed either. I like my locomotives to have the ability to creep smoothly and these things seem to be designed to run at notch 8. Mine is just a shelf queen . . . lol. Cheers. ;-)
@@boomerdiorama Good to know, I'll get some miles in on the RDC-1s I have before trying to acquire more. I have some Proto-1000 examples that seemed to run pretty decent, of course they are the earlier Phase I RDCs. I had thought of trying to obtain Rapido Phase II shells for those and use Athearn RDC truck sideframes, but that'll be a future project if I ever tackle it.
I've got three with sound and they run excellent and smooth. I'm planning to use them as an attraction rides for a transport museum on my future part of my layout.
Sounds great! I'm thinking of getting one more as well. Cheers.
@@boomerdiorama Otter Valley still have some left
@@joelvale3887 Yes they do!
great detailed model 🚃👍🏻
Indeed it is!
Nice detail video like it so much.
The collector side of me (and modeler) had to have one. Cheers.
Excellent soundtrack music. At almost a foot long, that's 1/16 the length of your layout .. wow!
Yes it is, but no problem with minimum radius on a shelf layout! . . . lol. Cheers.
The real BC33 is preserved at the BC rail museum in Squamish BC.
Yes. I believe BC-21 is as well.
@@boomerdiorama Yes BC 21 is also preserved there.
@@Dbodell8000 I have a video of it (BC-21) running on the Squamish sub last summer. It creeped into the yard when I had my camera there with a buddy.
@@boomerdiorama Very cool. So glad some of the BCR Budds were preserved.
Very nice model. Great review. I need to look into one of these. Not my era, but I'm flexible and so is my standard gauge layout. Thanks. Cheers - Larry.
You can't go wrong with a Rapido RDC. I mean they stand behind it's integrity as well. Who else does that in this hobby?
It is cool that Rapido is restoring a Budd car or two I don’t remember the exact story. It would be a blast to go on an excursion in one. I don’t know if that will ever be a thing, the railroads are fussy about what they allow on their property. Thank you for the review.
It would be cool. I'm glad I took my wife on one up the Cheakamus Canyon to Lillooet B.C. before they stopped running. The most spectacular run in the world. Cheers.
I will get one for sure after seeing this.I read about them as they were released and wasnt sure, but man it looks great!!
I waited , and waited as well. You can get them here (DCC Ready or Sound) at Otter Valley: www.ovrtrains.com/Rapido-Trains/?sort=&page=4 Cheers.
This is the first of your post that I don't feel any early morning inspiration from Boomer. What am I ever to do with my WP Athearn rubber band drive RDC? I spent hours super detailing it. Condemned to the trash heap of history. 😀 It has been in storage at home for more than 30 years. I am coming to the realisation that the longer I am away, the more redundant my old stock is. It's like a time capsule of the 80's and early 90's when CTC and Zip texturing were the gold standard and the main source of information was our monthly subscriptions to MR and MR Craftsman. Of course I say all this in jest. Another great video of a fantastic model. Now where did I put that colored plaster for my zip texturing? 😀
I believe Concor made one that wasn't too bad for it's time. This Rapido RDC-3 wasn't an initial priority for me, but I couldn't resist. It is just too good to pass up. If you find a bargain go for it. You won't regret it. Cheers Garry ~ Boomer.
The blue underside was prototypical correct!
O.K. I don't recall that . . . I always remember them being dark grey and Rail - Brown.
I've Budd builders photos and they were actually blue very early in their lives.
@@Dbodell8000 O.K. Thank You Wayne. I stand corrected then. Thank You for that. Cheers ~ Boomer.
The have the CN RDC. It's a great model. I need to weather it but I'm a little reluctant.
The CN RDC is very nice as well! Don't weather it. I'm in no rush to weather mine. I actually like it clean. Cheers ~ Boomer.
Cheers Boomer. Enjoy that beautiful model : )
Thanks, will do! Cheers ~ Boomer
Rapido is a good company. Glad you liked it. Unfortunately for me, there’s nothing they make in N scale that works on my layout.
Rapido is mostly all Canadian subjects. It's a good thing as well, since everything has been mostly American prototype centric when it comes to manufacturing model railroad subjects for the last fifty years. Cheers
Thx Boomer - I just ordered one!
Sounds great! You won't be disappointed. If you have any questions or issues, just drop Rapido an E-mail and they will respond courteously and professionally. They are a great organization within the model railroad genre. Cheers.
@@boomerdiorama will do Boomer
Your are going to repaint it, I'm shocked (not really). I love RDC's, missed my chances to ride one on Vancouver Island. Saw one last summer in Tillamook Oregon, not currently running.
I am glad I took my wife up the Squamish sub on a BCR Budd before they disappeared. I might just weather it and not actually re-paint the body. But I will re-paint the undercarriage. Cheers.
Nice car👍
I think so too!
I like this locomotive because i really like how it looks and i also really like comparing it with locomotives and other vehicles.
Yes indeed. It is a very nice model. The best I think of it's class.
You cloud weather the blue undercarriage to look use and is fair condition
For sure Richard. I plan to disassemble, add a DCC decoder with sound, and weather her up a bit. Cheers ~ Boomer.
need window in the top observation
O.K. Depends on the rebuild period as well. This particular car was not rebuilt by Budd. It was rebuilt by Vick-Ver in 1983, then repainted as a (museum) heritage (original) PGE. Cheers.
Hey! Nice review! Scale foot wise, how long is it? I plan to use 24"r curves.
78' scale feet long. 11.5 inches long (actual model).
I absolutely "love" the various Budd RDC cars. Just as soon as Rapido releases a few different ones in N Scale I'm buying one to two of each RDC type.
I have two brand new N Scale Kato RDC (Santa FE). They run beautiful as well. Cheers.
I doubt Rapido will do then in N. Other than being a pia to convert to DCC the Kato RDCs are nice runners although they’re not an exact match for the Canadian prototypes. The problem Kato had was it took forever to sell them and they were heavily discounted. Rapido doesn’t do anything that won’t sell and unless there are firm orders it doesn’t happen. They were going to do a F-M H16-44 in HO that there must have been a lot of interest from anyone doing CP in southern B.C. but it’s dead in the water due to lack of interest.
@@hughm5996 For sure. But it is nice to see the Canadian content in the industry after what seemed to be a fifty years famine in the industry when it came to most content in North America. I'll never use my N Scale RDC anyway. Funny thing though - they run better than Rapido out of the box. Cheers.
@@hughm5996 I know, I'm so very happy the Rapido AC FPs will soon be here. Saw the ad, waited, the ad (for AC) was dropped, I ordered 2 undecorated units and the ad for AC popped back up the next time I looked (2-3 weeks later). So, I've got 4 units coming.
The only Kato items I have that are powered, are two sets of the Operation North Pole. Both years, to me. look and feel like orange peel. The two sets of four-car Amtrak cars I have I like. So Kato is a mixed bag for me.
Would you ever sell the Diorama?
Everything is for sale at the right price . . . lol. I'm not sure . . . sometimes I give things away and even throw them out . . . lol. Let's keep milking it for awhile yet bud . . . Cheers ~ Boomer.
lol, I wouldn’t throw anything out it’s a beautiful layout/Diorama
@@Griphook3D This one is a keeper for sure. Cheers.
Nicely done. But too clean! Needs a light touch of weathering. lol!
Thank You Frank. Absolutely too clean!. Must go into Boomer's paint shop soon! Cheers.
Since you made an excellent review on this model with superlative comments, Why a 9 only. What is the ultimate for you. Just curious.
Great question! The color of the undercarriage (maybe a mute point). I take away half a point for the pooched number board lens (which puts me out for time and inconvenience). I also take away half a point for the not-so-smooth running out of the box (they say in the manual it fixes in time but they don't always settle in so it's uncertain). If the number board was good, and it ran smooth out of the box, at low throttle, she gets a ten for me. Cheers.
@@boomerdiorama OK, fair enough. Thank you
@@Christiane069 It probably deserves a ten in the end. Mine just isn't perfect. But some might be. That is how good it is! Cheers.
The thing about Rapido I hate the most, I never have enough money to buy all the ones I want. The best shot of Rapido stuff is when they derail and lay on the side. I just can't believe people have the skill and patients to install all that detail.
Lol . . . the way you worded that . . . Thank You. I needed a good laugh. I can't afford them either . . . except maybe if I feel desperate to do a review because everyone gushes about it . . . lol, Cheers friend ~ Boomer.
First comment Yaay!!! I love those RDC's !
You win my favor buddy . . . lol. ~ Boomer.
Rapido still is one of the best for details and accuratcy. With that said I have to be honest there quality control has gone to shit as of 2 1/2 years ago. The only silver lining is they take care of there customers very well.
Try OVR they still have a shit ton so to speak of multi road numbers. Lorne ordered a boat load when of 1st and 2nd runs.
I picked mine up from OVR.
Didn't it look cool going by the Dairy Queen?.yes it did👍🚂🚃🚃🚃🇨🇦
Lol . . . yes it did. I have a box of DQ "buster-bars" in the freezer. Time to grab one as well . . . seriously. Cheers.
A bit of background on the blue underframe/trucks - when RDCs were originally delivered from Budd, the underframes were painted in a dark blue rather than black. This generally got grime-covered pretty quickly, and most railways eventually repainted the underframes black. According to a post from Rapido on the Atlas Rescue Forum back in 2016, one of the only railways that actually kept the blue underframes was PGE (along with the Reading), which is why they eventually opted to deliver the models that way. But of course in service, a bit of grime will look more the part! atlasrescueforum.proboards.com/thread/4617/rapido-rdc-colour-color-conundrum
Thank You for the link and the proto info. I appreciate it. ~ Boomer
In all fairness, the Rapido RDC model deserves a ten-out-of-ten from a modelers point-of-view. I deducted half a point for the marred number board lens, and half a point for sporadic running quality out of the box. Rapido claims it goes away after a "break -in" period in the manual. ~ Boomer. Find some here: www.ovrtrains.com/Rapido-Trains/?sort=&page=4