Rapido Trains - 6091 - Gondola, 50 Foot, Steel - Puddington Valley - 2016

Specific Item Information: Mike McGrattan Memorial Gondola
Special run of N Scale 52’6″ gondolas to help Mike’s family. Mike McGrattan (1964-2016) was a former member of Rapido Trains Inc.

Model Information: The drop-end 52'6" gondola was built in the 1950s for CN, CP and TH&B.
This tooling is owned by Prairie Shadows but actual production is performed via Rapido Trains in their Chinese factory.
It has seen only one run with CP, CB and TH&B road numbers; a second run was announced shortly after the first one in 2013, with more Canadian roadnames (Algoma Central, BC Rail and PGE) as well as a number of US railroads (Lehigh Valley, Conrail, Rio Grande, Western Maryland, Reading, NY Central), but has never been released so far.









It features:

• Fully detailed sides and interior;
• Full underbody detail;
• Die-cast frame for optimum weight;
• Body mounted Micro-Trains couplers;
• Correct ride height;
• Accurate paint and lettering.

Prototype History: In US railroad terminology, a gondola is an open-topped rail vehicle used for transporting loose bulk materials. Because of their low side walls, gondolas are also suitable for the carriage of such high-density cargoes as steel plates, steel coils, and bulky items such as prefabricated sections of rail track. For weather-sensitive loads, these gondolas are often equipped with covers.

All-steel gondolas date back to the early part of the 20th century. However, most of the early ones were shorter and used 40' designs. The ubiquitous 50' steel gondola we see modeled so often today are typical of railcars produced since the end of the second world war. In the late 1940s, steel became once again readily available and new, longer gondolas were produced to transport material for America's booming economy. Generally, these 50 foot cars have a capacity of 70 tons and were actually 52'6" long. The first models of this design were produced by the Erie Railroad and the Greenville Steel Car Co, but nearly identical cars were produced by Pullman, ACF and Bethlehem.

Road Name History: The Puddington Valley division is a fictional layout created by Mike McGrattan (1964-2016) a.k.a. 'Puddington' on the The Railwire forum. Mike has been a vital member of Rapido Trains Inc. from 2013 to 2016.

The original Puddington Valley layout is long gone but many of the buildings have survived. The large tower of the Stratton Brewery has indeed survived and will now be part of the new Stratton Brewing Company on the Northhill module. The new brewery looks like many century old industries; many different buildings making up a "mixed bag" of architecture and styles that somehow function as one.....

The idea is that the raw material preparation is done in large tanks in the large multi story building on the right. The taller structure behind is the grains andprep area. The new "center section" is a brick and metal siding affair that has a glass and steel front - in order to allow the public and patrons to see the brewing tanks. The interior of the central section is detailed. The old tower is the packaging building and has several shipping doors facing the front parking lot.

The original brewery, a century and a half old stone building is still on the property - it now serves as offices and a retail store/tasting room and meeting rooms. A resin stone building and barn have been used. The central section has skylights as well as a glass front; somewhat like the old Fleet Street Molson brewry and the Toronto Labatt brewery do. The large building is serviced by a rail siding and the entire brewery will be the second largest industry on the Northhill section.....

From Trainboard

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.

Commissioner Information: Prairie Shadows Model Railway Co. is a small model railway supply company located in Winnipeg, MB, and owned by Jeff Arnold. They pride themselves in providing solid service and fair prices.
They commissioned several exclusive N scale models to Rapido Trains Inc.