Rapido Trains - 2501E - Passenger Train, Electric, Pendolino - Virgin Trains - 390151

Model Information: Produced with the full support of Virgin Trains by Rapido Trains, in conjunction with Revolution Trains (UK), 1:148 (British) N-Scale Pendolino models feature a pair of powered driving motor cars, Rapido's low friction drive mechanisms, full interior detailing, illuminated table lamps, directional head and tail lights, finely crafted pantographs with etched metal heads, close coupling, removable front panels for prototypical drags across non-electrified lines, DCC ready sets with limited sounds or factory installed DCC sets with high quality decoders and speakers at both ends, and amazing sounds recorded from an actual train.

Offered as nine-car (Class 390/0) and eleven-car (Class 390/1) sets, along with stock numbers 2004 and 2504, shortened, five-car configurations (of the number 390001 Virgin Pioneer) that is comprised of one of each of the basic car types (A, C, E, H, and K), is a set of stock number 2003 add-on (F and U) cars.

Road Name History: Virgin Trains (legal name West Coast Trains Limited) is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Virgin Rail Group that has operated the InterCity West Coast franchise since 9 March 1997. Virgin Trains operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland. The service connects six of the UK's largest cities; London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow and Edinburgh, which have a combined metropolitan population of over 18 million people.

The Virgin Trains brand has also been used on the legally and operationally separate Virgin Trains East Coast since 1 March 2015, and previously on Virgin CrossCountry, which operated between 1997 and 2007. Virgin has around 3,400 employees.

From Wikipedia

Brand/Importer Information: Rapido Trains Inc. is a high-end manufacturer of model trains and accessories in HO, OO and N (North American 1:160 and British 1:148) scales. The firm's mission is to recreate the entire rail travel experience, from fully-detailed interiors and under-frames on models to fully-wired telephone poles for model railroads.

The name RAPIDO was introduced by Canadian National in 1965 to headline the railway's high-speed intercity passenger services. Until the mid-1980s, RAPIDO stood for fast schedules, frequent trains, and superb service.

Today, Rapido Trains continues the RAPIDO concept with state-of-the-art models and attention to fine detail. This company is not related to the venerable (and now defunct) German manufacturer Arnold Rapido, nor the present-day Arnold (which is owned by the United Kingdom's Hornby), Canadian based Rapido Trains was founded in 2003.