Rapido Trains - 506016 - Passenger Car, NSC, Baggage - Central of Georgia - 453

Specific Item Information: 41-N-11 Trucks, Standard Ends.

Model Information: Rapido first announced this model in August of 2015 and it was delivered in 2017. A 2-year gap may seem like a long wait, but given Rapido's focus on making sure the models were meeting their exacting specifications before shipping requires this kind of delay. Rapido owns its own factory in China, and now that it is staffed up and they have worked out all the kinks in their design->deliver peipeline, we should be able to expect lower wait times in the future.

This model is an excellent example of 3rd generation rolling stock as produced from 2010 forward. It features the three main attributes that separate 3rd generation models from earlier toolings. 1) It uses high-quality body-mounted magnetically-operated couplers. 2) It features chemically-blackened, low-profile metal wheels. 3) It has a range of separately applied detail parts such as grab-irons, underbody elements and brake details. Apart from one stirrup that was sloppily glued on, these details are of exceptional quality. These cars do not have a lot of print detail but what there is, is well executed.

The following is a list of features as supplied by Rapido:

• Super-detailed underbody
• Body-mounted Micro-Trains(C) couplers
• All air, steam and electrical lines represented
• Insulated 36 inch metal wheelsets (no pizza cutters!)
• Diaphragms and safety bars
• Painted grab irons applied at the factory.
• Four numbers plus unnumbered available in each scheme
• Will operate smoothly on curves down to 9-3/4 inch radius
• Standard End or End Doors as appropriate
• Super-detailled Commonwealth Cast Pedestal tri-axle, 41-N-11 Inside
• Swinghanger or 41-BNO-11 Outside Swinghanger trucks as appropriate for each roadname and car type.

Road Name History: The Central of Georgia Railway (reporting mark CG) started as the Central Rail Road and Canal Company in 1833. As a way to better attract investment capital, the railroad changed its name to Central Rail Road and Banking Company of Georgia. This railroad was constructed to join the Macon and Western Railroad at Macon, Georgia, and run to Savannah. This created a rail link from Chattanooga, on the Tennessee River, to seaports on the Atlantic Ocean. It took from 1837 to 1843 to build the railroad from Savannah to the eastern bank of the Ocmulgee River at Macon; a bridge into the city was not built until 1851.

During the Savannah Campaign of the American Civil War, conducted during November and December 1864, Federal troops tore up the rails and converted them into "Sherman's neckties."

At the end of 1956 the CofG operated 1,764 miles (2,839 km) of road and 2,646 miles (4,258 km) of track; that year it reported 3208 million net ton-miles of revenue freight and 73 million passenger-miles. Those totals do not include the 144-mile (232 km) S&A, the 10-mile (16 km) L&W, the 20-mile (32 km) WS or the 36-mile (58 km) W&T. The Central became a Southern Railway subsidiary on June 17, 1963. In 1971 the Southern formed the Central of Georgia Railroad to merge the Central of Georgia Railway, the Savannah and Atlanta Railway, and the Wrightsville and Tennille Railroad.

Today the Central of Georgia exists only as a paper railroad within the Norfolk Southern Railway group. 42 miles (68 km) of the CofG's former mainline are currently leased by the Chattooga and Chickamauga Railway from the State of Georgia.

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.