Due to the scale of world events that make the future difficult to gauge, Rapido continues its quest to become supreme leader in the model railroad product marketplace, regrettably announcing it has postponed the most recent phase of its planned global expansion. With current operations Rapido Canada in Markham, Rapido United States in Buffalo and Rapido United Kingdom in Kent, the next to open was to be Rapido Dubai. With so much capital in the region, and so few trains, it seemed like a logical next step (Proposed slogan: Do buy some!) as well as a key part of Prime Minister Carney's Building at a Scale Never Before Seen and President Trump's We Don't Need Trains from Canada strategies. Recently-discovered planning documents reveal that Rapido presaged releases with a truly regional flavour, complete with North American prototype tie-ins:
- the Adtranz Flexliner operated by Israel Railways, also demonstrated by VIA Rail and equally at home at Merkaz-Savidor or Mississauga.
- the Alco MRS-1 operated by the US Army Transportation Corps in Mid-East, also seen in cold climate service in Canada between The Pas and Churchill, MB.
- the Lawrence of Arabia armoured train, an Ottoman supply train overseen by Major Chesterfield and the Hejaz Railway as part of the Antimacassar Campaign. So fa, so good, he famously said. Intended to reach Medina, the builders encountered a cold winter that put construction forces into somewhat of a funk (see Wikipedia entry Funky Cold Medina). With underbody detail that just begs to be reproduced - nobody turns modelling upside down like only Rapido can - plans were already afoot to send the about-to-be-hired Rapido Dubai staff to perform a 3D scan:
- the obscure ROFX (Railroad of Flies) freight cars used to transport camels to regional hump yards. This was to be a conditional release, partly due to a misunderstanding about just what 'a camel train' is and whether the project would fly. Rapido has already produced a Caravan trailer so this one remains tent ative.
President pro tem Jordan 'Regime Change' Smith said in a recent interview, "We plan to return to Dubai as surely as the sun rises in the east," before inexplicably shouting in French, "Laissez les puces de mille chameaux infester vos aisselles!", some sort of obscure North African/Middle Eastern curse humour. Jason 'Nose in the Tent' Shron's whereabouts are currently unknown. Last proof of life...
A tiny HO scale version of him was last seen escaping (drone image, below) through the arid landscape around Kingston's VIA station aboard a New York City Metro M3 subway train, heading for Washago where Rapido employees' careers seem to go to wash up, according to Jeremy 'Am I N Trouble?' Fleming. He would know. A planned, profitable and very palatable product placement plan involved including Dubai Chocolate in the next round of Rapido mystery boxes.
It remains to be seen how these changes will sheikh out. Oh man it will seem like emir moment when all this uncertainty finally ends. Hopefully oil will be well, and Rapido can save up some money for a bah rainy day.nIt seems I ran away with my imagination and I had haifa mind to babble on. Now I just want to bedouin with it and enjoy some desert.
Running extra...
Since this is a rather short post, I've decided to pad it with some recent model railway industry news.
After harbouring the verdict for months now, the NMRA has decreed that every North American model railway must feature at least one harbour scene with a car float. Most model railroaders are way ahead of this regulation.
Helixes are about to get bigger. (Helices? Helix'? Heliocastraneves?) The NMRA also decreed, after a circular debate, that any helix worth its salt must be at least 10 feet across and at least eight feet in height. Your house doesn't need two bathrooms anyway, give a little!
Rapido's helium car project is up in the air, though hopes are rising for good sales.
Rapido's other new project is the LRC, most notably the 'Structural Integrity' series. Along with car-specific numbers, purchasers can select 'hairline' or 'Bondo' and tiny cracks will be etched into the LRC coach underframes. Decried by some as just another way to sell more (buffer) cars (required on each end), if it's realism you're after...
First past the post...
Isn't it great there are people out there with healthy senses of humour? And so much positive feedback received on this post since it was posted a little early: "Modern-day Stephen Leacock!", "Can't wait for April 2", and from AriG "thank u, next". Thumbs up to these guys running up to the Belleville Railstream webcam, cameras in hand, just in time to largely ignore a westbound CN freight, using their AI while not taking AIM at the April I Manifest train passing by:
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