WOW, I cannot wait, Rob put me down for one of each design, RDC-1 (passenger) & RDC-2 (passenger/baggage). Are they both powered or are they sold as a set with just the RDC-2 unit powered? Now let me get greedy, I could also use either/or one of these an RDC-3 (Passenger/baggage/RPO) and/or RDC-4 (full RPO). I have one of each model in N scale that I purchased from Kato several years ago. I remeber them operating on the READING RR between Philadelphia - Reading - Pottsville and Philly and Newark, NJ. They were also operated in New Jersey out of Camden to the seashore points of Atlantic City, Cape May & Vineland/Millville on the Pennsylvania Reading Seashore Lines. That was when I was a kid. Robert "On the Left Coast"
Originally, we were planning to inlude all the 4 RDC types, but our first release will be of the RDC1 and RDC2. We have done our initial assesment of the first injection parts and there is not really that much to correct. We hope to have the first units for sale at the end of summer if everything goes as planned.
Hans--what are those nodes on the roof of the RDC? I can't find any picture of a RDC with anything like them. Regards. --Steve from the other Phoenix
RDC cars Steve Check out this KATO site and click on magazine ad. This may provide you with some info. N-Scale Budd Rail Diesel Cars: Precision Railroad Models Robert
Well that's all well and good for someone like Joe D'Amato or Jurg who does SP, but I think they were the only road to use the number boxes. None of the eastern or Canadian roads used them. Are you going to produce prototype specific car bodies? If you look at the Kato ad, none of the road names they produced had the number boxes. This is why Kato didn't do SP RDC's. --Steve from the other Phoenix
I'll be in Oslo in 2 weeks with Jürg for the Zmod get-together and will get ALL of your questions answered and post those macro shots you guys all like, pending approval from 'da boss'. It looks like the number boards could be optional but the roof may have the surface area and hole still in it. I'll take a look at the proto drawings to be clear. I'm starting to really like these cars. Couldn't figure out what I would do with them. Anything else ? .
I didn't know if I'd have a real use for these cars either... then I ran across a very cool desktop wallpaper image... have a look at the Coffee Break feature over at Ztrains.com, I think I might have a use for it (at least one) after all! John Ztrains: Z Scale (1:220) Model Train Layouts
One thing to remember about the prototype that AZL is using. The SP only had 1 RDC-1 (#10). Every RDC except for the one SP number will be incorrect. It would have been much better to base the model on the B&M which had over 50 RDC-1's. Many of the other eastern roads had like numbers and all were the same prototype. --Steve from the other Phoenix
One thing to remember Steve, there a lot of SP Collectors out there and for AZL is important how much they can sell not how many different road names are possible. Go SP! To be honest I would also buy some other road names.
Jurg--my only point is that out of 350+ RDC's produced, only one (SP #10) had number boards. It just seems silly to base your entire production on one non-typical prototype. As I stated every RDC produced by AZL painted in any road other than SP #10 will be wrong. AZL will sell more if they do it right and correct their model rather than putting out product that is not correct. It's like lettering a Cab Forward Union Pacific. You might sell some, but it's just plain wrong (-: --Steve from the other Phoenix
Steve, I completely agree with you 100%. I had to take a second look at the model before I saw the number boards. Maybe AZL could just include those number boards as "install yourself" pieces and those that want to install them, it would be their choice. I certainly would not use them. Robert
