Rapido Trains announced that the next locomotive in its HO scale product range will be the Electro-Motive Division GP38. The four-axle road locomotive will feature prototype-specific details, metal handrails with plastic stanchions, and see-through etched-metal steps.
Initial road names offered on the Rapido Trains model will include Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (blue and yellow warbonnet, with and without class lights); Baltimore & Ohio (dark blue and yellow); BNSF Ry. (Heritage I); Burlington Northern (Cascade Green and black); Conrail (blue with “can opener” herald); CSX (gray “g” scheme, gray and blue “b” scheme, and gray, blue, and black “s” scheme); Norfolk Southern (black and white with high short hood and ditch lights); Penn Central (black and white); and Southern Ry. (“tuxedo” scheme with high short hood). The models will be offered in one to four road numbers per paint scheme.
Additional features on the GP38 will include a detailed underframe (traction motor cables, air filters, and separate, factory-applied parts); road-specific battery box doors, fuel tank, truck sideframes, headlight location, and stepwells; factory-installed and painted wire grab irons; operating headlights, rear lights, tri-color class lights, ditch lights, and beacons (as appropriate); a detailed cab interior; and multiple dynamic brake hatches and air filters.
The release date for the HO scale GP38 has yet to be announced. Direct-current models will be priced at $239.95. Versions with a dual-mode ESU LokSound decoder will sell for $349.95.
For the latest updates on this project, visit the manufacturer’s website, rapidotrains.com.
Will they later have units wth no dynamic brakes?