Rapido Trains - 528045 - Passenger Train, Pullman, Comet Coach, Controllable Lights - SEPTA

Model Information: The original “Comet” cars built for the E-L were designed strictly for low platforms, but evolution of the car design by Pullman and later Bombardier evolved the “Comet” design to support both high- and low-platform boarding, on-board washrooms, accessible seating and, after 1990, a wide center door for high-level platform boarding.
Rapido brings its experience with passenger car models to this long forgotten fleet of cars used for commuter travel across major cities in the United States and Canada. The Rapido cars will feature the same great attention to detail you’ve come to expect, including free-rolling wheels, detailed underbodies, interior lighting and more.
The Rapido N scale Comet cars feature:
Controllable interior and cab car lighting Full underbody and interior detail Correct inside-bearing trucks with metal wheelsets Accurate painting and lettering Tinted windows Constant interior lighting in DC and DCC Metal side grab irons

Road Name History: SEPTA opened in 1964 to try to get a grip on the greater Philadelphia area’s transit issues. The following year they assumed responsibility for funneling subsidies to Pennsylvania Railroad and Reading for their commuter rail operations in the area. In 1968, they acquired the Philadelphia Transportation Company including their subway and elevated lines. Two years later they acquired Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company also known at the Red Arrow Lines. By 1976, Conrail had taken over operating the commuter rail operations under contract for SEPTA. As the decade closed, SEPTA began the slow process of taking over these operations themselves. This was completed on the first day of 1983. The electric streetcar lines are split between standard gauge and “Pennsylvania trolley gauge” of 5’ 2.5”. SEPTA's grey, blue and red paint scheme came in an unrespectable 9th place in the Worst Paint Schemes of North America as voted by the readers of Railroad of the Day.

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.