Making Model Trains at the Rapido LRC Factory
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- čas přidán 22. 06. 2024
- A tour of the Rapido Trains Inc. factory in China while production of the Alco/MLW FA-2 locomotives is in full swing. An interesting look at the processes involved in the manufacture and production of model trains. Also a look at making the tooling for the CPR Royal Hudson.
www.rapidotrains.com - Věda a technologie
Respect to the people who put so much attention and detail into the models we hold dear to our hearts
I am 53 years old and I am totally in love with railroading modeling. I have three HO scale locomotives, some freight cars and a few feet of track. Too bad it's a little expensive hobby. It is certainly very interesting to work in this field. Congratulations to the whole team. Hugs, Geraldo - Pindamonhangaba - SP - Brazil.
Thanks!
This proves not all factories in China are runned by slaves.
An very educative video. I like it a lot.
I been in and out of China for 25years and never ever heard anything about slavery at all . I can Assure you that China has some of the hardest working people in the world and there is a lot of money in China and is the fastest growing country in the world .it must more updated then the United states . I don't know where Americans get some of this crapp Heck Vietnam Saigon is more updated than most of the cities in America stop with the Crazy propaganda
A fascinating insight into how much effort goes into our hobby. Please keep these videos coming as it is a testament to the quality you instill in all your models. Keep up the great work Jason, and ignore the guys that keep moaning at you regarding the humour in your adverts and videos. The majority of us appreciate all you do. It's because of your great models that I became a Canadian modeller in the first place.
Thanks, Mike - we will keep it up!
I love it. It's so great to see the people assembling the models we buy. Sometimes I think people forget that other humans have assembled their models and not some robot and it is human to somtimes err.
Man this is my dream job to work in China been in the hobby for over 45years and now a retired railroad engineer. I would love to move to China one day
Thank you for this video. As someone who has worked in several factories (including plastic factories) this really was a first class factory despite some manual labor. We had some robots in one factory I worked at and although productive, they had to be monitored constantly and were high maintenance. They were eventually removed and replaced with people. I always wondered what kind of glue they used since I never seen any residue on the body.
The glue is CA or super glue, just like we use in our own workshops here. The workers are just very good at using it!
I love these behind-the-scenes videos, and those models are beautiful! Great job to Rapido and your production staff!
Amazing how patient those workers are in assembling those locomotives. The details on them are very impressive
Love the behind the scenes view. The workers are doing nice work.
Absolutely an incredible amount of work goes into these models. Thanks for the tour.
Loved the whole video. This is an awesome company with a future. Thanks for the trains.
I notice some people leaving comments about the trains being made in china where the labor is cheap, and inferior and the owner making big profits,
What I see in this video is a lot of dedicated people of all ages who are skilled to make a beautiful product, If are laws and codes were not so strict and costly in the USA I bet you would see a model train factory like this in the states, I also believe the owner is probably passionate about trains and model railroading and that's why he is going to the trouble to be in this line of work and I doubt the profits are so great .
Hats off to these dedicated people and Thank you for this interesting video.
Thanks for your insightful comments. Many of the people making the comments see a Chinese factory and the blinkers go on - they can't see beyond their own expectations and/or prejudices. We've had to delete almost half of the messages because they were either overtly political or just downright racist.
p
This is really cool. Following your dreams and making it unimaginably cool for us. While overseas. Thank you sir.
Thanks for your kind words!
Jason, What an awesome video, thank you for sharing this factory tour.
Thanks for the insight. It looks very laid back. I am surprized by the amount of manual labor.
Our factory employees are very skilled at what they do.
Thank you for sharing Jason pretty interesting on how everything is done.
Wow ! much more complicated then i thought! Many thanx for this Professional Reporting
Jason,, first off it was great to meet you. You have brought me over to the Rapido side, just because of that . You take the time to meet with us modelers, and you tubers. and this video is just one of them times,, showing us what really happens to get these models made
Rapido makes incredible models. I look forward to getting all their new offerings.
Fascinating, look forward to the next visit.
Great work reporting this. I wasn’t aware so much labor went into each model.
Thanks!
I live in the uk and slowly getting back into model railways. Found the video where you visited rails of sheffield and i've never laughed so hard with what you got up to. Had to subscribe as you guys humour was a breathe of fresh air. Keep up the exceptional work on your models and look forward to your next video and its nice to see how much detail goes into your models.
It’s just amazing the amount of work and fine detail that goes into making model trains. It seems like a similar effort to make a watch.
Now, this video make it more understandable as to why the molds cost so much to make for the manufacture in order to produce a model line of rolling stock.
Who cares what nationality these workers are. The amount of skill they have in assembling these models is amazing!
skill yes but probly paid less then the usa min wange.
Up until I read your comment, I never thought about it . Why would you ?
These people are amazing! Hat off!
Love the videos - keep up the good work!
How much has changed in China 🇨🇳 since this video was made?? These folks seem very diligent in their work, very impressed with the team there.
Very interesting to see the work being done on the models. I can't wait to get a hold of an A-B set of Lehigh Valley FA2s.
That is impressive.
Now that is impressive work. Machinery needed for the fine fine stuff is not cheap either.
Hope the farm neighbors dont get kicked out for more building construction, farmers feed people!
Very interesting and amazing. Thank you for doing and posting this video. Regards Gary
Jason, well done! This insight into the technology and skills involved increases my pride of ownership of Rapido models.
Thanks and my pleasure, Richard! -Jason
Great fly on the wall style there Jason. Thanks for giving us an insight into how these things are made. Sci-fi Laurie.
I feel you have so much untapped potential for your models. They look amazing. I'm determined to get one of your LRC's that I've finally found at a hobby store close to were I live.
Thanks. Very interesting how the model trains are made.
A big thanks to all those hands that build my models.
Rapido congratulations from France for your models you make a wonderful job
Nice to see this! Keep it up
Fantastic and interesting look into the factory how these great models are made. Thank at lot.
Our pleasure! Glad you like it!
Amazing how many work is behind every single model.
Max Supercar
amazing videos thank you. I wanted to see how model trains were made
respect for all those who make train models they desserve the price ,really hard work i make building models
Actually they represent a fraction of the price for the actual train, when you buy a train, unless it is a popular one sold in several hundred thousand units. most of the price goes to the tooling, cutting the mold and paying off the equipment. if you removed that from the equation a locomotive would be about 10 bucks and the rail cars even less.
( Source, I have been in contact with independent model train factories about a model train I tried to release some years ago )
No model trains sell several hundred thousand units, except maybe Thomas & Friends. Our raw cost, not including tooling, is far higher than $10, even for a freight car. Your friend is either mistaken or his information is very out of date. But you are right that the amortized tooling cost is a large portion of the overall product cost.
It was around 2009. I have forgotten the exact cost in the quote but remembered it to be somewhere around that, I could be off by a few dollars. My hundreds of thousand units example was hypothetical to illustrate a large number of units to split the cost on. I know that around 4000 to 1000 units is a more realistic run for model trains. My model in N scale was a passenger multiple unit with fairly few external details to be mounted, 3 colors on the body and only one color to be stamped on in the pad printing. I remember that the price difference between the tooling and Assembly blew me away.
I did not intend to bullshit you guys but since I could not find the quote (I deleted my old emails to save space) I have lost my proof and can only rely on my memory. And you are out in the fields of this industry so If you say so, I stand corrected :-)
No worries - as I said, you got a big part of it right. -Jason
Excellent Quality Great Video
we need more like you nice vid thank you
Great Video!
Looking good so far! :-)
This was interesting. Now I get to see the process of How the make model locomotives.
You've got you're work cut out there, this stuff is just brilliant!
Midland Compound 1000 I know they do
Midland Compound 1000
10h/day for around 200$/month
I never knew all the intense detail going into those toy trains.
This is a fascinating insight into the manufacturing process of model railroad equipment.
Very interesting behind the scenes Cheers
Nice factory man, wow
It is all about how to make a perfect product with great workers MAN-PRODUCTIVITY, the proper tools MACHINE-CONNECTIVITY, and MATERIAL-STANDARDIZING...perfect castings.
The labor intensiveness behind this explains the cost.
It's a lot of work.
Remarkable ! i dont train but i want one just remember all those workers efforts
What a fascinating look behind the curtain! I wonder if any of the Chinese workers are personally interested in model trains?
Very few. Their money goes to the same things western young people spend money on. Fancier mobile phones, travel, hairstyles, etc.
@@rapidotrains are they paid equitably? Is Rapido a Fair Trade company? I love the products and would be even more proud to run them if I knew every employee was paid equitably for their work.
Royal Hudson moulds!!! ❤️❤️
Great video
Awesome job
Well done, congratulations, after lots of bumps in the road, future looks good. B
That was cool!
I'm not into railroading, but always interested in how things are built before I have that something in my hands. Thanks for the video.
Never thought so much technology was needed to manufacture a single model train.
COOL VIDEO!!!
I think your videos are great. It dispels some of the ideas about "cheap Chinese junk". It is the hard working Chinese that provides the attention to detail on the finished product. They work just as hard as any American but their situation has meant they get paid a lot less. I am curious though why trains still cost so much when "Hot Wheels" are a dollar per car. I know there is a significant difference between the two but an N scale box car still costs 30 times the price of a Hot Wheels, or 3-6 times the price of an action figure. can you shed some light on this? Thanks.
There are many reasons. A toy car is produced in hundreds of thousands. A model train is produced in hundreds OR thousands. And low thousands at that. A toy car has a handful of parts. Even an N scale boxcar could have more than 50 parts. The quality control for a toy car is a quick glance. On a model train it is easy to spend 20 minutes doing QC on one car, including cleaning up the printing and painting to make it perfect.
Very cool.
Very informative
Wow... you would never see a manufacturing and assembly process like this in Canada that's for sure. There would be literally no hands allowed in any vicinity of any moving manufacturing machine centre tooling or exposed moving parts of an assembly system. Everything would be required to be guarded with light curtains to the 9th degree to pass a safety in Canada, I know because I work in the automation industry. We could never compete for this work, it would cost 5 times more just for a HO locomotive! Very nice production system though, reminds me of the way things used to be here. Rapido is quality driven that's for sure.😎
I have a chance to got to Tianjin next year. Not a for sure thing yet, but I am really interested in going.
That looks fun
👍
I expected a much more automated process. Interesting to see how much work may not be able to be automated.
Everything they do can be automated. It may not be cost effective, but it can easily be done. Look at how cellphones are now made, automated from start to finish.
How much longer before you show an actual pre production model of the Royal Hudson? And what month is the order deadline?
Coolio! Thanks!
That was great, thanks for posting. Can we have some footage of a factory that's making one of your British models please?
The trouble is that the British models spend weeks and weeks in printing and only about two days in assembly. So unless I happen to be there on one of the British model assembly days, there isn't a lot to show! -Jason
Absolutely awesome! Jason; I’ll bet people would pay more for a model with your authentic fingerprints on it! 🤲😂
Thankfully our models are wiped down before they are shipped. But the occasional fingerprint gets through! 😄
So you guys aren't working with Maytex any more? It seems like every company is now going through Chinese manufacturers, all of which have their advantages and shortcomings. Testing the parts at every stage and sorting out the bad pieces before assembly is essential.
This factory is owned by Rapido
Thanks for sharing that view into the work that goes into a model. What liquid (?) are you using for final clean up, to remove the finger prints?
We use a hexane-based solvent. This is used in most factories as a cleaning agent, and not just in China. If there is small printing that may risk being damaged by the diluted solvent, we simply use water.
Thanks!
Awesome
Jason, Thank for the factory tour. What a great way to see the process you go through to produce gorgeous models. At 6:52, you mention the final cleaning and removing any finger prints. (yours lol) What would the factory use for the final cleaning without damaging the model or paint?
Thanks
Greg M
Usually it's just a soft cloth. That does the trick.
cool place nice views
Nothing for me on a personal level yet. Several club members have your products and they are very nice and run well!
I would love to order a train from here and be able to see it built.
Jason that looks cool. Can I go with you next time...
Amazing to see how things are done. As an avid modeller Its nice to see how much effort goes into a model. People complain about prices of models, but when they are able to see this, it often brings it home why they cost what they do. Are the APT-E's made here?
Thanks for your kind words. The APT-E was made at our other factory.
Remember when model trains were made in America and the U.K?
Yes, and models back then were a lot less detailed/realistic. People want better without having to pay for it.
And they were strong and built to last.
and they were cheeper too XD
ill bet they dont cost a quarter the price to make them than they sell them for
@@cup_and_cone Have a look at the Roco's European factory. Better quality without exorbitant pricing
czcams.com/video/gOL2aHJbBAM/video.html
@@BananaBug Toys for kids are less detailed, stronger and cheaper. The models for adults are more detailed, expensive and fragile.
So much is made in China, so I'll give no grief to an owner for actually showing the factory floor, unlike Apple. I just wished more was made in Canada/USA, but we love low prices...perhaps at the expense of our own citizens and local economies.
Never knew how much work it takes to make them
What a mind-numbing job.
Perspective... Just 25 years ago most of these kids parents were living in mud huts and farming. Now they're working in factories, living in buildings with modern plumbing, and playing on smartphones.
Speaking of LRC, how's the real one going, do you do trips with it or does it just sit around?
I would buy one in a heartbeat if I could afford one.
Maybe one day!
Looooooove your video, I have a Amtrak F40PH, I Love it.
Cool 😎
AS you say near the end of the video, let's hope that China will try to preserve its beautiful landscapes. Does it have much of an urban planning system? They've gone from Communism to unbridled Capitalism in a generation. One wonders how this has changed the way they see the natural environment. Lovely LRC locos! From a UK HO scale modeller.
It's more cultural than anything. They will skin a living dog on the street and not think anything of it. Or they'll see someone dumping toxic waste into a stream and no one will say a word. My guess it will take a couple generations before they start to make significant change...once their families and loved ones start feeling the long-term effects. Be it not being able to swim in a polluted river or beach, lung cancer from the smog, ridiculous high food prices on over harvested and diminishing supply, etc.
Hmm... but they also know what communism was/is like... so they wont want to go back to that either...
Invest in Chinese models, the price will only go one way just as Japanese brass did.
very nice. but how about a lot at some of your uk models now and again please.
See my comments on a previous comment. I have footage of UK models in the painting and tampo rooms, but nothing in assembly so the visuals are limited.
I need one 😱
What steam loco was that guy making at 5:56?
are the N scale GN FA-2s coming soon???
wow great video, looks like a decent shop with all the right tools, lighting etc. Many patient hours adding parts and running machinery. Ironic to see them assembling old american diesel locos, then at 7:52 a highspeed train whizzes by at 200mph, and the U.S hasn't even implemented that form of travel yet...
One day we'll get high speed trains on this side of the pond!
Muito legal
👍
*_They terk err jeeerrrrbs!!_*