Rapido Trains - 543099 - Covered Hopper, Barrel, Ore - Undecorated

Model Information: This train plied the rails from two mines owned by Dofasco in Northern Ontario to their facility in Hamilton, Ontario. At first glance the cars look like a shrunken cylindrical hopper. The reason for the round shape and covered hatches was to keep the processed iron-ore pellets from becoming frozen or damp with moisture which would slow down the unloading process. The cars also came in two varieties over three orders: a 35’ length “Short” version (built in 1967); and a 42’ “Long” version (delivered in 1973 and 1975 in two groups). This was to reduce rail wear as the 35’ cars spanned the same length as the stick rail underneath. Also unique is the tire that sits over top of each of the roof hatches. At the loadout, the tires come into contact with a “scroll” that forces the hatches to open -- taking 60 seconds to fill each car and roughly an hour and twenty minutes for the entire unit train of 40 cars. More often than not one could see CN and ONR cars mixed in a consist.

Road Name History: Although they may be molded in color, unpainted and unlettered, undecorated products are marketed to modelers who seek to custom decorate their models for private roads and/or road and/or company names that were not commercially produced by any of the major manufacturers.

Undecorated models are frequently also unassembled or only partially assembled and required modelers to be comfortable with glue, paint and sometimes solder in order to prepare their models for display. Materials for these models can vary but often include plastic, pewter and resin. Models may or may not come with decals or other decorations such as plastic signage, railings and ladders to enhance the appearance of the final product.

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.