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Description
Today I'd like to show off something a little bit different; my newest model railroad acquisition. For those who can't tell, this is one of Rapido Trains Inc.'s recent UAC TurboTrain releases. Specifically, a late-Amtrak 5-car model with DCC Sound.

The Turbo was developed by United Aircraft Corporate Systems, later to become Sikorsky Aircraft, in the late 1960's. It featured 4-5 Pratt & Whitney ST-6 gas turbine engines, plus an extra for auxilary power. The combination of pendular suspension (similar to that on Talgo cars) and short carlengths meant the Turbo was effectively a high-speed train, which could operate on more conventional lines. The Turbo operated between 1969 and 1976, for Penn Central and Amtrak. While it primarly operated between New York and Boston, towards the end another train ran from Washington DC to Parkersburg, VA, thanks to a congressman with too much influence. Turbos also operated in Canada for Canadian National and VIA Rail, between Toronto and Montreal. These 7-9 car trains ran until 1982, at which point high maintenance costs caught up with them. None survive.

This is a really fun model. Rapido sourced accurate sound recordings from old Betamax tapes, and included door open/close sounds and station announcements. The "Doppler Horn" is also a lot of fun, especially if you time it just right. Given that company owner Jason Shron literally wrote the book on the Turbo, it's no surprise that this is an excellent, high-end N scale model. It's purportedly a much better runner than their HO scale turbo (their very first release). And the INSTRUCTION MANUAL, of all things, is chock full of Rapdio-quality humor. It's so cool, I had to get one. Never mind that I model Espee in the Pacific Northwest; I'll justify it somehow.

Description
Today I'd like to show off something a little bit different; my newest model railroad acquisition. For those who can't tell, this is one of Rapido Trains Inc.'s recent UAC TurboTrain releases. Specifically, a late-Amtrak 5-car model with DCC Sound.

The Turbo was developed by United Aircraft Corporate Systems, later to become Sikorsky Aircraft, in the late 1960's. It featured 4-5 Pratt & Whitney ST-6 gas turbine engines, plus an extra for auxilary power. The combination of pendular suspension (similar to that on Talgo cars) and short carlengths meant the Turbo was effectively a high-speed train, which could operate on more conventional lines. The Turbo operated between 1969 and 1976, for Penn Central and Amtrak. While it primarly operated between New York and Boston, towards the end another train ran from Washington DC to Parkersburg, VA, thanks to a congressman with too much influence. Turbos also operated in Canada for Canadian National and VIA Rail, between Toronto and Montreal. These 7-9 car trains ran until 1982, at which point high maintenance costs caught up with them. None survive.

This is a really fun model. Rapido sourced accurate sound recordings from old Betamax tapes, and included door open/close sounds and station announcements. The "Doppler Horn" is also a lot of fun, especially if you time it just right. Given that company owner Jason Shron literally wrote the book on the Turbo, it's no surprise that this is an excellent, high-end N scale model. It's purportedly a much better runner than their HO scale turbo (their very first release). And the INSTRUCTION MANUAL, of all things, is chock full of Rapdio-quality humor. It's so cool, I had to get one. Never mind that I model Espee in the Pacific Northwest; I'll justify it somehow.