Rapido Trains canadian User manual

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THE CANADIAN PRODUCT GUIDELINES
Thank you for purchasing The Canadian by Rapido Trains Inc.!
Almost 60 years after its introduction in 1955, it is our honour and privilege to present
the first-ever accurate model of The Canadian. We started The Canadian project in
2007. Almost five years of work have gone into the development of this model train,
from searching high and low for blueprints to developing just the right stainless steel
finish befitting such an important model. We could not have produced The Canadian
without your help and support. We hope that you enjoy your train in good health for
many, many years.
For information about the FP9A locomotives included in this set, please refer to the sepa-
rate FP9A instructions manual.
We stand by our products 100%. If you ever have a problem with your model of The
Canadian, or with any other Rapido product, please call us or send us an email. Our
e-mail address is [email protected]. Our toll-free number is 1 [phone].
If you are outside of North America, you can call [phone]. We will do our
best to help resolve your problems to the best of our ability. If you send us an email
and you don’t hear from us within three business days, please call as we may not have
received your email or perhaps our response to you got bounced back to us.
The Canadian and FP9A instructions were written by Dan Garcia, Richard Longpre, Bill
Schneider, and Jason Shron, with the help of the guys at Soundtraxx.
CONTACT US!
Rapido Trains Inc.
445 Edgeley Boulevard, Unit 1
Concord, Ontario
L4K 4G1
Canada
Tel. [phone] - Toll Free 1-877-738-6445
Fax. [phone]
Email. [email protected]

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
What is a Typical Consist? .................................................................................3
Minimum Radius and Swapping the Couplers .......................................................4
Adding the Steam Connectors ............................................................................4
Powering the F9B Locomotive .............................................................................5
Operating the F9B and Passenger Car Lights ........................................................5
Missing or Damaged Parts ..................................................................................5
A Special Note to Overseas Customers ................................................................6
Checking and Adjusting Your Canadian ..............................................................6
Opening the Passenger Cars ..............................................................................7
Removing the F9B Shell ......................................................................................8
Limited Lifetime Warranty ...................................................................................8
Acknowledgements ...........................................................................................9
WHAT IS A TYPICAL CONSIST?
Your Canadian comes with the following equipment:
• FP9A Locomotive (powered, DC/DCC, with sound)
• F9B Locomotive (unpowered, with working lights)
• FP9A Locomotive (powered, DC/DCC, with sound)
• Baggage Car
• Coaches (2)
• Skyline
• Diner
• Chateau Sleepers (x2)
• Manor Sleepers (x2)
• Park Car
The Canadian did not have a fixed consist. The train would grow or shrink according
to demand. In the CP era, smooth-side baggage cars, coaches and sleepers could be
added to the train when needed. The number of coaches, Chateau and/or Manor
sleepers would change as needed. Starting in late 1978, ex-CN equipment would be
mixed in with The Canadian, and by late 1979 it was common to see a mix of ex-CN
and ex-CP equipment mixed together in four different paint schemes.
If you model the 1950s and early 1960s, you have probably already sent us an email
or called us asking when we are making the Tourist Sleeper for The Canadian. The truth
is it is not economical for us to make the Tourist Sleepers as they were unique cars. The
tooling cost for this car is too high relative to the demand for it. Your options at present
are BGR Group resin models — home.cogeco.ca/~bgrgroup — or brass.

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MINIMUM RADIUS AND SWAPPING THE COUPLERS
Your model of The Canadian is capable of running out of the box on curves as tight
as 28” radius and through #6 crossovers without difficulty. It can handle 24” radius
curves, but not 100% reliably with the medium-shank couplers installed at the factory.
If your layout has curves below 28” radius, you may want to replace the installed
couplers with the long-shank ones that we have thoughtfully included in the packaging
of your train. With one long-shank and one short-shank coupler installed per car, the
train can easily handle 24” radius curves on 2% grades. With two long-shank couplers
installed, The Canadian can negotiate 22” radius curves without difficulty (though 22”
radius while cresting the top of a 3% grade is probably asking for trouble).
Replacing the couplers is easy. Place a foam cradle (available from Micro-Mark, prod-
uct #80784) or a thick-piled hand towel (not a tea towel!) folded over a couple of times
on your work bench. Place the car upside-down on the cradle, and remove the coupler
boxes from each end of the car using a small Phillips screwdriver. The coupler boxes will
snap apart quite easily, allowing you to remove the medium-shank coupler and replace
it with a long-shank coupler.
If you have 18” radius curves, you will also need to notch the bottom flange of the centre
sill on each passenger car where the wheelsets contact it. This flange is very thin and
it is very easy to notch it. While you have the car upside down to change the couplers,
turn each truck with your fingers and note where each wheelset interferes with the centre
sill. Using a #11 blade in a hobby knife, cut a shallow triangle-shaped notch in the
sill at each location. Being gentle is key here. We tried this ourselves and it took four
minutes to do the first truck and two minutes to do the second. So it should not take you
very long to get your whole train running on 18” radius curves with no problems. We
apologize that you have to do anything to the train to get it to run on tight curves, but
obviously a high-end passenger train model is designed for broad curves.
Your Canadian Pacific F9B locomotive has sprung buffer plates designed to allow close
coupling. However, on tight curves the buffer plate may interfere with the locomotive
or passenger car coupled to it. Please follow the instructions in the FP9A manual for
changing out the couplers in the F9B. Remember the white table cloth.
If you are trying to run your Canadian on Peco #1 radius curves, then — to quote Monty
Python — “you are a very silly man and I am not going to interview you.” Put your
Canadian on a display shelf and buy a model of a streetcar.
ADDING THE STEAM CONNECTORS
Inside the small parts bags (under this instruction manual in the packaging) you will
find the steam connectors (the V-shaped pieces) that you can install at each end of your
passenger cars and F9B. If you turn the model over you will see a pipe bending down
towards the rails adjacent to each coupler box. The steam connector attaches to this

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pipe, and the bottom of the “V” should be directed toward the centre of the car; i.e.
the steam connector is directly below the coupler box. The preferred adhesive is Mi-
croscale’s Micro Prep and Micro Bond system. This is the only commercially-available
glue that will adequately glue these parts permanently. Full information is available at
microscale.com. You can use CA, but if you have any tunnels you know that’s where the
steam connectors will fall off.
POWERING THE F9B LOCOMOTIVE
We are producing a CN F9B locomotive which will have the same chassis as the CP
F9B. We will make a powered chassis (with and without sound) available separately.
That will be a direct replacement for the unpowered chassis on your CP F9B. We sug-
gest waiting for our powered F9B chassis to be released. The two powered FP9As
should have no trouble hauling a 10-13 car train on their own.
OPERATING THE F9B AND PASSENGER CAR LIGHTS
The F9B is equipped with track-powered LED backup lights on both ends. To turn one
end’s backup light on, wave the Rapido Lighter magnetic wand over the F9B roof near
that end of the unit. Once the Lighter gets close to the hidden reed switch, the light will
turn on. Waving the wand over the switch will turn it off.
Unlike our Super Continental Line passenger cars, the cars of The Canadian are equipped
with track-powered interior and marker/drumhead lights. They work equally well on DC-
and DCC- equipped layouts. We made a conscious decision to go with track-powered
lighting early into the development process as the shell is a one-piece casting, and there
aren’t any logical locations to put batteries underneath the car. The interior lights are all
surface-mount LEDs, and so have an extremely low power draw.
In addition to the interior lighting, the Park Car of your Canadian also has working
marker lights and a working drumhead. They can be turned on and off using the in-
cluded Rapido Lighter just like the F9B; the magnetic reed switch is located in the roof
of the Bullet Lounge.
MISSING OR DAMAGED PARTS
With about 4000 parts on its 13 pieces, your Canadian is an extraordinarily complex
model. To prevent possible frustration, we recommend checking your train as soon as
possible to ensure that everything is where it should be. We do try to catch all possible
issues at the factory, but with literally thousands of cars in each production run it is pos-
sible that the odd problem may slip past our quality control inspectors.
Despite our best engineering and packaging efforts, some small parts may work loose
in transport, giving you that reassuring “rattling box” sound effect that everyone likes

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to hear when picking up a model train. This is especially true for sets that have been
shipped outside of Canada, as it has passed through more hands and been used in
more games of Package Ping Pong by shipping departments around the world. If the
corners of the shipping box are squished, chances are something inside has come loose.
If any underbody parts have come loose, they are easily reattached with CA. If any
diaphragms pop off, just press them back into place. Take note of the diaphragm side
support rods – if any have broken off we may need to send you replacements. They
are a fiddle.
Should you be missing any parts we will be happy to provide you with whatever re-
placement parts you and your Canadian will need. Please give us a call or send us an
email. At Rapido, we aim for 100% customer satisfaction.
A SPECIAL NOTE TO OVERSEAS CUSTOMERS
Our experience suggests that our customers overseas may have a higher incidence of
bits that come loose in transit. For example, the average UK passenger car model con-
tains maybe a dozen underbody components, compared to more than 100 under each
of our cars. With more bits on the car, there are more bits that can come loose. The
complete Canadian has approximately 4000 parts. It is pretty much guaranteed that
some will come loose in transit.
With so many fiddly bits on each car, there are many pieces that can come loose during
the long journey to get to you. Consider this: if you are in the UK then your Canadian
has been shipped from Dongguan, China to Hong Kong; Hong Kong to Prince Rupert;
Prince Rupert to Brampton; Brampton to Mississauga; Mississauga to Concord; Concord
to Mississauga; Mississauga to Brampton; Brampton to Halifax; Halifax to Liverpool;
Liverpool to Crewe; and then from Crewe to your house. It has been unpacked or re-
packed at least seven times in that process.
If you are uncomfortable gluing any loose bits back on, we suggest that you ask a skilled
modeller friend to give you a hand. If you send anything to Canada for us to reattach
bits, other bits will no doubt come off when we ship it back to you.
All that being said, if you have any operating problems with your Canadian that are
due to factory defects, we do have some experts overseas who may be able to repair or
replace your train for you. See the warranty information below.
CHECKING AND ADJUSTING YOUR CANADIAN
Just like any piece of complex machinery, The Canadian needs to go through a quick
check and tune up before you put it on your layout.

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• ChecktoseethatallwheelsetsarecorrectlyingaugeusinganNMRARP-2Stan-
dards Gauge. Should any of the wheelsets be out of gauge, remove the affected
wheelset from the truck. The wheelset can be regauged by grabbing each wheel
and twisting. If an F9B wheelset is too tight, remove the affected wheelset from
the truck by prying off the bottom lid of the gearbox with a small flat screwdriver
and then spreading the sideframes slightly. The wheelset can be regauged by
grabbing each wheel and twisting. Reverse the steps to replace the wheelset,
and ensure the gearbox is snapped into place before placing on the track.
• Checkthatallunderbodypipingandappliancesarermlyinstalledandclear
of the track. Of particular note are the air hoses and steam pipes at the ends of
each car and various low-slung equipment boxes underneath the cars. A small
drop of CA-type superglue will sufficiently hold any loose parts securely. Also be
sure to check the height of both coupler trip pins. Kadee or Micro-Mark coupler
trip pin pliers make short work of low-hanging trip pins.
• Makesurethatthetrucksswivelfreelyandwithoutbinding.Iftheydocatchon
anything, check to ensure that any piping above the wheels is securely fastened
to the underbody as this is the most likely source of interference.
• Bothdiaphragmsshouldmoveinandoutsmoothlyandspringbackquickly.If
not, there may be binding — check for flash or plastic shards that may cause any
interference.
• Checktoensurethatthebrakechainsoneachendofeachcararesecuredto
the ends of the car. A small drop of CA (superglue) will secure them if they have
come loose in transit.
OPENING THE PASSENGER CARS
Accessing the interior of the cars to add figures, murals, dirt, spilled coffee, or other
details is relatively easy. The usual caveat obviously applies: if you damage, destroy
or incinerate your model in the process, it is unfortunately not covered under warranty;
once you open it up, you are on your own. That being said, if you break some bits and
we have them available we will of course be happy to send you replacements.
Your Canadian cars are built differently than our traditional Super Continental Line
passenger cars. The roofs, sides and ends have been cast as one part. While this has
helped us make our model of The Canadian the very best possible, it also requires a
different manner to access the interior of your car should you choose to decorate or ac-
cessorize your cars.
Place a foam cradle (available from Micro-Mark, product #80784) or a thick-piled hand
towel (not a tea towel!) folded over a couple of times on top of a table and lay the car on
its roof. With a small Phillips screwdriver, unscrew the coupler retaining screws at either
end of the car. Then, slide the couplers and coupler boxes through the drawbar opening

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at the ends. At this point, the underbody and interior of the car is almost free from the
shell. Spread the sides apart (you can do so by pulling outward on the sides with your
fingertips or by using toothpicks wedged between the shell and the underbody) and the
underbody and interior will slide out as a unit.
Be mindful of the brake chains when you slide out the underbody and interior. If they
come loose they can be reattached with CA.
REMOVING THE F9B SHELL
Removing the F9B shell is a fairly identical process to removing the FP9A shell. As we
know you have the FP9A manual (it’s in the box!), go read that so we can stop writing
these instructions. We have layouts to work on, flowers to arrange, and baskets to
weave, and these instructions are taking FOREVER to write. We should do what all the
other manufacturers do and include one photocopied, folded page in the box that took
five minutes to prepare and says ALMOST NOTHING about your model. That’s it. I’m
leaving. We’ll shrink these instructions down to 1 point font and put them on one folded
up piece of paper in the bottom of the box.
LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY
Right. Forgot about the warranty information. Oh bother.
OK… We will do our best to solve any problems or issues that you may have with your
Canadian. If your train has any defects that originate from the factory, we will repair
your train using new components or replace it outright should a repair not be possible.
However, we can only replace your Canadian while we have additional models in
stock. We normally keep spare cars and locomotives for up to six months after it is
released. If you purchased your Canadian or first opened it after that time, it is possible
that we no longer have any replacements and that a repair is the only option. Please
give us a call or write us an email, and we will see what we can do to help you out. Our
contact information is on the inside cover of this manual.
If you live overseas and your Canadian has a factory defect, we have some expert
modellers overseas who may be able to repair your models for you, thereby avoiding
the necessity of shipping it all the way back to Canada. Please contact us and we’ll
make arrangements.
There are a number of things that this warranty can not cover. If your cars or F9B arrive
with a couple of loose grab irons or underbody bits (4000 parts!!!) there is a very good
chance that you can effect a repair in less time and effort that it would take to contact
us. White glue (PVA), such as Weldbond, works wonders for securing all sorts of parts
and will not mar or damage your paint. If parts are missing however, that is another
story – call us or send us an email and we’ll send you some replacements.

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Of course, damaged caused by trips to the basement floor, running your train around
18” radius curves at ridiculously high speeds, throwing a model to your friend across
the room, picking up a passenger car with ectoplasmic goo on your hands, or any other
damage caused by you that we haven’t been able to cover here is not covered by war-
ranty. However, if catastrophe does strike and your Canadian gets damaged, please
give us a ring and we’ll do our best to help you out. Yes, even if it was your fault we
will try our best to fix your train for you. Don’t be shy!
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Many people have helped us bring The Canadian to fruition. Special thanks to:
CP Historical Association, Steve Cheasley, Exporail, Chris Greenlaw, Ena Herman,
Huang Yao Wen, Andrew Jeanes, Mark Kaluza, Gary Klouda, Don Jaworski, Dave
Love, Sidura Ludwig, Zeke Medeiros, Jakob Mueller, Rocky Panacci, Jeff Pinchbeck,
Cindy Robinson, Mike Salfi, John Scalena, Theresa Schneider, Matt Soknacki, Su De
Quan, Don Thomas, Terry Wynne, Colin Zuo.
Thanks also to Richard Longpre, who translated the instructions in a marathon session
without eating or sleeping.
Above everything else, we owe the existence of this excellent model to three people. Bri-
an Schuff generously provided over 300 drawings as well as hundreds of photographs
which have been invaluable in producing an accurate and complete model. He is a
wealth of knowledge and trivia and wonderfully generous with his time and resources.
Thanks Brian!
Bradley Cooper was our detail saviour. Without Brad, we would not have been able
to find the underbody blueprints of The Canadian passenger cars. He did the legwork
and pulled the strings to get us those drawings, which were previously only on paper
and uncatalogued in a dark warehouse. Thanks, Brad!
And Patrick Lawson spent six months converting the Budd drawings into something that
our factory could use to make the models. So thanks Patrick!
Visit rapidotrains.com/signup to subscribe to our free email
newsletter, Rapido News. That way you’ll never miss an-
other product announcement or update again.

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The FP9A and Canadian models are dedicated to
Gabriela Garcia
and
Sarah Peters
two irreplaceable women
who will be missed always.
Les modèles de la FP9A et du Canadien sont dédiés à
Gabriela Garcia
ET
Sarah Peters
deux femmes irremplaçables.
Elles nous manqueront pour toujours.