On Jan 26, 2025, at 3:21?PM, bob.badzik via groups.io <badzik.robert@...> wrote:

?

Has anyone undertaken such a project or attempted to improve an existing model from say Atlas ?

?

Bob

Yeah, well I'll skip a Rapido version.

I bought two dozen of the Flexi Flo cars. One had a deformed coupler . Three months to get a replacement car from Rapido.

I bought the Turboliner from Rapido. One loco truck fell out when removing it from the box. After about 1.5 months, received replacement loco. Bad truck, derailed every lap on the layout over a turnout.

( My other 130+ locos don't derail there). Rapido said it was normal. I sent the loco back and didn't hear from them again. After another month, I got my money back from Visa.

Rapido kept the locomotive but never sent me a Return Label for the rest of the set. That's how worthless it is.

The Atlas helium car may be a bit klunky, but it stays on the track. I'll keep that one.


On 1/26/2025 3:23 PM, Alex Postpischil via groups.io wrote:

While I haven’t done this, I just saw where Rapido is making them in HO, so they may do them in N scale next. The HO model is very detailed…
-alex-
Alex M. Postpischil
Winston-Salem, NC

--
Todd K Stearns

I have all of the N scale Helium cars. Replaced the pizza cutter wheels with low profiles and the pins with number two screws to remove the wobble that the plastic truck pins cause. Added weight to bringthem up to NMRA stanadards, They run well with no derailments.
????????????? Ira


Quoting Todd K Stearns <toddsyr@...>:

Yeah, well I'll skip a Rapido version.

I bought two dozen of the Flexi Flo cars. One had a deformed coupler . Three months to get a replacement car from Rapido.

I bought the Turboliner from Rapido. One loco truck fell out when removing it from the box. After about 1.5 months, received replacement loco. Bad truck, derailed every lap on the layout over a turnout.

( My other 130+ locos don't derail there). Rapido said it was normal. I sent the loco back and didn't hear from them again. After another month, I got my money back from Visa.

Rapido kept the locomotive but never sent me a Return Label for the rest of the set. That's how worthless it is.

The Atlas helium car may be a bit klunky, but it stays on the track. I'll keep that one.


On 1/26/2025 3:23 PM, Alex Postpischil via groups.io wrote:

While I haven’t done this, I just saw where Rapido is making them in HO, so they may do them in N scale next. The HO model is very detailed…
-alex-
Alex M. Postpischil
Winston-Salem, NC

--
Todd K Stearns

On Jan 26, 2025, at 3:21?PM, bob.badzik via groups.io <badzik.robert@...> wrote:

?

Has anyone undertaken such a project or attempted to improve an existing model from say Atlas ?

?

Bob

iOn 01/26/2025 1:21 PM MST bob.badzik via groups.io <badzik.robert@...> wrote:

?

?

Has anyone undertaken such a project or attempted to improve an existing model from say Atlas ?

?

Bob

On Jan 27, 2025, at 3:28 PM, bob.badzik via groups.io <badzik.robert@...> wrote:

Does there exist any decent drawings from which to build or are the existing HO models and photos of surviving cars the best resource ? Speaking of photos, anyone catch railfanning these cars on the SP San Joaquin line or seen posted photos ?

Bob

iOn 01/26/2025 1:21 PM MST bob.badzik via groups.io <badzik.robert@...> wrote:


Has anyone undertaken such a project or attempted to improve an existing model from say Atlas ?

Bob

Does there exist any decent drawings from which to build or are the existing HO models and photos of surviving cars the best resource ? Speaking of photos, anyone catch railfanning these cars on the SP San Joaquin line or seen posted photos ?

Bob

iOn 01/26/2025 1:21 PM MST bob.badzik via groups.io <badzik.robert@...> wrote:


Has anyone undertaken such a project or attempted to improve an existing model from say Atlas ?

Bob

On Jan 27, 2025, at 3:04?PM, Karen Goldberg <igoldberg1@...> wrote:

? I saw two of these cars, both in Navy Grey in the Southern Pacific Santa Clara Yard years ago. They were billed to the NASA research facility at the Moffett Field in Palo Alto.
The helium was used to cool the equipment. Very cool cars.
Ira





Quoting "bob.badzik via groups.io" <badzik.robert@...>:

Does there exist any decent drawings from which to build or are the existing HO models and photos of surviving cars the best resource ? Speaking of photos, anyone catch railfanning these cars on the SP San Joaquin line or seen posted photos ?

Bob

iOn 01/26/2025 1:21 PM MST bob.badzik via groups.io <badzik.robert@...> wrote:


Has anyone undertaken such a project or attempted to improve an existing model from say Atlas ?

Bob

Here’s the Rapido page: It says the cars are from original blueprints (doesn’t give source). You could reach out to Rapido to see if they’ll tell you their source. However, a quick web search for “helium railroad car blueprints” returned two sets: one from a blog page that cites the US Bureau of Mines for their source, and the other on the MRH website showing details made for The Ambroid Company (old HO kit maker).
-alex-
Alex M. Postpischil
Winston-Salem, NC

On Jan 27, 2025, at 3:28 PM, bob.badzik via groups.io <badzik.robert@...> wrote:

Does there exist any decent drawings from which to build or are the existing HO models and photos of surviving cars the best resource ? Speaking of photos, anyone catch railfanning these cars on the SP San Joaquin line or seen posted photos ?

Bob

iOn 01/26/2025 1:21 PM MST bob.badzik via groups.io <badzik.robert@...> wrote:


Has anyone undertaken such a project or attempted to improve an existing model from say Atlas ?

Bob