Product Review HO Rapido B36-7 SP

[@stevenikitas8170]

I love this "antique" locomotive. I remember seeing them run, particularly on Conrail and Burlington Northern. Great review...

[@DanielCortopassi]

Antique... haha. Of course I guess the real ones, if there are any left, would be pushing 50 years old. Hard to believe. I'm glad you liked the review. Thanks for watching!

[@andersmichelsen5740]

Nice and really detailed review, as always - one of the most trustworthy reviewers out there!

[@DanielCortopassi]

Catching up on comments... I'm glad you liked the review. Thanks for watching!

[@JoeG-firehousewhiskey]

Very nice engine, you are definitely the person to know and accurately review SP engines.

[@DanielCortopassi]

I'm just an SP fan with a lot of reference books and photos. Thanks for watching!

[@croasdail]

Hey, I appreciate the "correct ability" comments. I am less worried perfection, but I do like you commenting on the effort it would take to correct some of these issues should I get around to it. Most helpful.

[@DanielCortopassi]

I'm glad you liked the review. I try to keep in mind that different people have different preferences about perfection. Thanks for watching!

[@Bill-kx5yh]

Great review, thank you. Also, thank you for pointing out the gyralight/oscitrol issue. As an SP modeler, that was a bit disappointing.

[@DanielCortopassi]

You're welcome. It is a little disappointing, especially since the LokSound 5 decoders have a ton of outputs so it should be possible to make that work. Depending on the photos I can find of my unit I may sidestep the issue by plating over the oscillating lights. I'm still trying to determine what this particular one looked like in the early 1990s. Thanks for watching!

[@AlikStansberry]

Well, it’s an alright model here. I like most of the detail they got correct on it including the underneath of the model. Again, regardless of whatever price they offer for any model, it should never be delivered with any amount damage whatsoever ever. I am a bit let down they didn’t put the extra effort necessary to make this model standout better, especially that back headlight. I do think units like the B36-7 were pretty neat for what they were, and just about all dash 7s from GE served their respective Railroads well. Good job Dan!

[@DanielCortopassi]

I don't like it when new models that have broken or missing parts. I really think Rapido would be one of the best out there if they could just notch up their quality control and attention to detail a bit. Thanks for watching!

[@chuckgilly]

Some food for thought, it would be nice if your review included more in-depth coverage on coupler heights. Like can they be corrected in short order, say 5-10 minutes each? Can draft gears be switched out easily with Kadee boxes or 30 series? Stuff like that.

[@DanielCortopassi]

That's not a bad suggestion. I'll consider doing something like that in the future. Sometimes fixing coupler height can be a chore, though, and probably beyond the scope of a review. I'll keep it in mind. Thanks for the idea!

[@SGTGhost]

Great Review Dan, and the motor and details are well done on HO model

[@DanielCortopassi]

Thanks for watching!

[@WestCoastRails]

Another great review Dan .... this will look great with your other SP engines. I'm also excited to see more progress on the SP SD45 builds you have going on. :)

[@DanielCortopassi]

Thanks. I just put out episode 5 of the SP Consist Build. I hope to start getting them out a little more frequently. Thanks for watching!

[@mgr_video_productions]

I had a feeling you'd get and review this. Great review Dan!

[@DanielCortopassi]

Well, if it says "SP" on it... Thanks for watching!

[@NYandAtlantic]

Thsnks for the reply to my question being that I am new to model railroading at age 58

[@DanielCortopassi]

You're welcome. Welcome to the hobby and thanks for watching!

[@NYandAtlantic]

@@DanielCortopassi when is next video

[@DanielCortopassi]

@@NYandAtlantic I usually put out one video a week on Sundays.

[@drewzdrew27]

Can I get clarification on correct coupler height? The bottom of the front coupler looks to line up with the bottom of the standards gauge coupler. The top is higher, but that's looks to be the Rapido knuckle being larger. Similar for the back coupler, except the tops lineup instead of the bottom. Looking through the stairwell, it doesn't look like the screw for the coupler box is completely snug. I was also kinda of questioning about the rear emergency light not operating. But looking at the brackets, the front is thicker. Also they point out not being able to fit the LED in under "mass production" circumstances. I myself can't do hundreds of those in a work week.

[@DanielCortopassi]

It's the horizontal center of the coupler that needs to match. My comment about the emergency light was based on page 17 of the manual, where they said they "couldn't get the wiring in there". I realize that mass production is a totally different ball game than making one-off custom models, but I wanted to point out that it is possible. Thanks for watching!

[@chuckgilly]

Just for quick checking of coupler height, I keep 2 gauges handy, one with a Kadee #5 and one with a Kadee #58. I think his deducting points for coupler height is a little unfair. Is it easily corrected? Is the screw loose? I saw the low coupler looked to be sagging.

[@scotabot7826]

@@chuckgilly I totally agree as I think he was a little to hard on the model. 10 point for coupler height, No way!!!!

[@sterlingmyers560]

Great Review, as usual Dan, I ordered one from Train Life on Sunday, before seeing your review, with SCL version and also Model train stuff has them on sale,, limited supply. From watching your review, I'm even more excited waiting for delivery,, Keep It Between The Ditches!

[@DanielCortopassi]

I'm glad you liked it. I'll be putting out a review of the CSX version soon, too. Thanks for watching!

[@tulyar1043]

Review of a good model. Where were the dynamic brake grids on these engines please?

[@DanielCortopassi]

To be honest I'm not exactly sure. One of my diesel books has a caption about a U25B referencing the dynamic brakes being in the rear below the radiator area. I'm not sure if that design was carried over into the B36-7. Thanks for watching!

[@TheBeeMan1994]

How did you get your emergency light to work on that EMD? I want to make them work on an Athearn SP SD40 I have, and I’m not sure how to get an led up in there

[@DanielCortopassi]

It's a red 603 surface mount LED mounted inside the light casting. Thanks for watching!

[@carlamacdonalded.s514]

Nice I really want one

[@canadianbacon2205]

same

[@DanielCortopassi]

It's a good model. Thanks for watching!

[@30yrsengr41]

8:42 of this video shows the one problem with the interior, the engineer front window heater is way too tall ,half of the window is blocked , mine is a Conrail , this one is SP , does any one else have this issue? That said , I am still glad I got one , the older GE sound is a great one

[@DanielCortopassi]

I have to confess I did not notice that, but you're right, it does look odd now that you pointed it out. I also got a CSX unit and it's the same. Thanks for watching!

[@ardenkwong5299]

The "thinner" SP nose font is correct for a new unit as masked and painted by GE. A few "later" units had this "re-fonted" to the more "common standard" SP font. Fireman side handrail stanchions on the long hood appear all tilted/canted. How hard is it to fix and upright this without a major paint touch up, especially on the sideframe sill where the 9 "plastic" stanchions "plastic peg into" and attach? Metal KD couplers (both at the right height) should have been included for this price IMHO.

[@DanielCortopassi]

I have noticed some variation in the "SP" on the nose on various GE units. Thanks for pointing that out. Rapido's new handrails are wire with plastic stanchions, so they are separate parts. That's good because they can be moved. I moved the upper part of the stanchion where it meets the handrail just by pulling it with my fingernails. It moved and to my surprise it doesn't even look like the paint needs to be touched up. I agree that I'd prefer Kadees over whatever Rapido is using now. Thanks for watching!

[@NYandAtlantic]

What do the numbers mean when u told us what the train is

[@DanielCortopassi]

If you mean the number on the side of the engine, that's the unit number that's used to identify the locomotive. There would only be one SP 7764 at any given time. If you mean the "B36-7", that's General Electric's designation for this particular locomotive type. "B" means that it has a B-B wheel arrangement, with a pair of two-axle trucks. The "36" means that the unit has 3600 horsepower. The "-7" means that this engine was part of GE's "Dash-7" line, which was introduced in the 1970s. It was used to distinguish these locomotives from earlier "U" series units. GE continued the practice with the later "Dash-8" and "Dash-9" locomotives from the 1980s and 1990s. I hope that answers your question. Thanks for watching!

[@JosueRodriguez-kk6wn]

I did not know that the SP had oscitrol lights I thought only the SSW had them on their GP40s. I know ATSF had them on some SD40-2s, but they only lasted a few years they were removed by the mid-80s.

[@DanielCortopassi]

I know on SP and Cotton Belt some of the later production GP40-2s had them, as well as the B36-7s. I have seen pictures of the ATSF units as well. Thanks for watching!

[@deanpurcell7771]

You didn't mention F10, independent brake, does it work? On my Rapido RS 18 it only holds for 10 seconds making it hard to switch with.

[@DanielCortopassi]

Actually, no. I missed including that in this review, but I'm working on a review of the CSX version of the B36-7 right now, and F10 does nothing but make a noise. I got the SP one back out and tried it and it's the same. Rapido's RS-11 also has this issue. Thanks for watching!

[@fredrick5152]

Great model!

[@DanielCortopassi]

Thanks for watching!

[@joelvale3887]

I'm surprised that nobody asked Rapido Trains to hire a rivet counter engineer.

[@DanielCortopassi]

Haha. Thanks for watching!

[@nickbarman4145]

Great video

[@DanielCortopassi]

Thanks for watching!

[@hobbeekid]

Just picked up all 5 #s!!!

[@DanielCortopassi]

Cool! Thanks for watching!

[@dalejones3532]

Hi Dan I am looking for someone that can paint a BNSF 90 MAC in the tier 4 GEVO. colors.

[@DanielCortopassi]

That sounds like an interesting project. I don't really know anyone to refer you to at the moment. Unfortunately I've got too much on my plate right now to do it myself. Thanks for watching!

[@Steamer96]

Could you review a Walthers Mainline Boxcar?

[@DanielCortopassi]

If I see one that suits my interests I may pick one up. Thanks for watching!

[@pretzelogic2689]

I wanted to see a Rapido loco review. I have no real interest in this particular model, but I'm waiting on two SP RS-11s from Rapido (are they ever going to get here?). This sort of gives me a ballpark idea of what to expect. Thanks for a great review

[@hohobbyist1098]

Also waiting on the dang RS11s. Waiting, waiting, waiting...

[@DanielCortopassi]

I just put out a review of the SP RS-11. Thanks for watching!

[@davidwallace171]

cool dan im geting the sf

[@DanielCortopassi]

Cool. Thanks for watching!

[@NicksCollectableCreations]

Nice review.

[@DanielCortopassi]

Thanks for watching!

[@RonMontagueSWRR]

I purchased a SP B36-7 back in early February. It had issues with the lights. I had to send it back $55 customs and shipping fees. Still have not gotten it back. I won't be buying anymore Rapido engines anymore.

[@DanielCortopassi]

Sorry you had a bad experience. I like the detail that a lot of modern manufacturers are putting into their models these days, but quality control seems to be a consistent problem. Thanks for watching!

[@RonMontagueSWRR]

@@DanielCortopassi I got it back in September. The front gyro lights had a loose connection. Got it back and the problem wasn't fixed. You have tap the top of the cab to get the lights to stay on.

[@mistermadmachine6311]

😮👍

[@DanielCortopassi]

Catching up on comments... Thanks for watching!

[@Bigboyy-dd7fd]

Dan, I appreciate your "tell it like it is" reviews. The good and the not so good. BTW the Southern Pacific units also have too many snubbers. Unlike other "want to be" youtube stars that rant and rave about all products they review since they want to stay in good favor with the manufacturers. I ordered 2 versions of this engine. Santa Fe and Southern. Was not overly pleased when they arrived. Very nice drive and details below the side sills but I found the shell details too close to Atlas level for a product in this price range. I know a fellow modeler that refused to consider them period due to the lack of see through vertical grills like what Scaletrains is doing with their GE units. I had to watch another review to discover how to operate the cab beacon, which BTW is too red on the Santa Fe unit (F17) since it was not explained in the manual. Emailed Rapido regarding this 2 weeks ago, still no reply. If your too busy to answer customer emails, then you don't need my money. Although it is nice to have operating class lights on the Santa Fe and Southern units it would be really nice if you could cycle through the various colors (white,green,red) like you can on the Scaletrains engines, not white only like the much older Broad Limited offerings. At the risk of sounding like I'm nitpicking, I wish the box displayed the road of the engine inside instead of the "one size fits all" approach. I was really looking forward to Rapdio's B36-7, first time I ever preordered or purchased any of their products. I was hoping the B36-7 would be such a homerun, they sure hyped it enough that they would follow it with the B23-7, B30-7 and the 6 axle -7 GE units. Who knows they might, but for now it's Scaletrains or Gensis for my money. If you want to run with the big boys/girls in the industry and charge the same money as they do then you need to be on their level as far as product offerings.

[@DanielCortopassi]

With one exception, I've bought every model I've reviewed so far on this channel with my own money. I won't say no if any manufacturer wants to send me free stuff, but it's not going to change my review. I am glad you appreciate my approach. I am hoping that Rapido continues to get better over time. Thanks for watching!

[@chuckgilly]

After hearing this I'm glad I bought 2 Overland brass Santa Fe B36-7's (with Locotrol), I already had 1 when Rapido released they're B36-7, and another one came along, so I bought it. I have soft spot for U-boat's and dash-7's

[@boomer8393]

Coupler height front 'high' and rear 'low?' In the 1:1 scale (real world) I can tell you every coupler on every locomotive and car is at a slightly different height, some are extreme in their variance...just sayin'...

[@DanielCortopassi]

I have seen that. The thing is, model couplers have a lot more vertical play proportionally than their full sized counterparts. If the heights are mismatched, that can contribute to one coupler riding up over the other, resulting in unwanted uncoupling. Thanks for watching!