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HO GMD F7B and F9B Locomotives

VIA Rail Canada (ex CN) F9B 6619.

Photo courtesy Don Jaworski.

 

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You asked and we listened. We had good reasons for cancelling the Rapido Trains Inc. HO Scale Canadian Pacific F9B project earlier in 2017. The moulds that make the locomotive were found to be unusable and required expensive retooling from new. Customers had been waiting for over two years and with no prospect of recutting the metal we felt the honest approach was the cancel the project rather than keep you hanging on. The response from our customers was overwhelming. Most of you who took the time to get in touch were disappointed but recognised the tricky position we were in. Rapido is still a small model train manufacturer by the standards of the rest of the hobby and our pockets are only so deep. However, ever since we made that difficult decision we've been trying to find a way to resurrect the project!

CP 4461, an F7B built in 1953 without a steam generator.

Photo courtesy Dan Darnell collection.

 

The catalyst for our change of heart was the launch of the HO Scale GMD FP7 locomotive (click here for more details), which reminded us that no manufacturer had ever made an 100% accurate Canadian F7B B-unit. Rapido Trains Inc. is thus proud to relaunch the all-new GMD (General Motors Diesel Division) F7B and F9B in Canadian National and Canadian Pacific variants.

Canadian construction of the F7B took place at London, Ontario, between April 1951 and May 1952 with 43 units built (CN - 18, CP - 25) while the 46 strong fleet of F9B locomotives were delivered between January 1954 and July 1958 (CN - 38, CP - 8). CN and CP both used them on passenger and freight service and the majority of the fleet lasted well into the classic 1970s era of all dominant Sergeant stripes and Multimarks. Over a third of the survivors transferred to VIA Rail towards the end of the decade. CP retired its final operational examples in 1983, while several units in the VIA fleet were still active into the early 1990s.

VIA-stenciled CN F9B 6623 in Spadina Yard, 1980.

Photo courtesy Don Jaworski.

 

When originally released in 2012 as part of Rapido's landmark "The Canadian" trainset, the F9B was widely regarded as being the last word in B-unit accuracy. Our Canadian GMD F9B was designed from the ground up as a Canadian GMD F9B. There were five versions alone of the CN F9B with its unique single louver in place of the centre porthole (this second run includes two variants), while the CP versions feature their equally unique body style with three portholes per side and 48" dynamic brake cooling fans, as well as CP winterization hatches, CP grilles, CP cooling coils, CP end details, CP steam genny details, and of course CP’s unique skirting beside the steps that no other F9B model has.

 

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Our F7Bs and F9Bs feature unmatched levels of detail that border on the insane, such as all-separate piping under the frame, hanging rerailers with chains holding them in place, and fuel and water tank vents sticking up out of the roof – still only available in Rapido's F-unit models! The body sides feature our unique “No-Warp Grilles.” Each grille is a C-channel pressed into the shell that won’t warp no matter what humidity and temperature changes it is subjected to.

Seven paint schemes plus undecorated (three versions):

We also offer the Canadian Pacific/VIA and Ontario Northland FP7A locomotive in HO scale. Click here for more details. The Rapido HO Scale F7B and F9B feature:

  • Designed from original GMD blueprints and field measurements
  • The only 100% accurate GMD-built F7B and F9B locomotives - This is not a stand-in
  • Road-number and era-specific details applied at the factory
  • Steam generator or no steam generator panel as appropriate
  • Correct bodyside grilles as appropriate
  • Correct end details including unique CN steam generator end louvers
  • Backup light in correct location for CN or CP
  • Unmatched underbody details including air piping
  • Operational backup light (DCC)
  • Drive system designed for silky-smooth slow-speed operation
  • Metal Macdonald-Cartier Knuckle Couplers
  • DC/Silent or DC/DCC/Sound versions featuring an ESU Loksound decoder with accurate recordings
  • Several road numbers per paint scheme

The MSRP is $334.95 (DC/DCC/Sound) and $224.95 (DC/Silent) in Canada. In the United States and the rest of the world, the MSRP is $309.95/$199.95.

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Order deadline has passed. Delivery in Fall 2020.

CP F7B 4438 in St Luc yard, Montreal in 1980. By this time many of the CP B-units had lost their steam generators.

Photo courtesy Kaluza-Mueller collection.

 

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