{"product_id":"preorder-rapido-ho-1113506-bombardier-lrc-locomotive-via-rail-lrc-demonstrator-scheme-dcc-sound-equipped","title":"PREORDER Rapido HO 1113506 Bombardier LRC Locomotive, Via Rail LRC Demonstrator Scheme (DCC \u0026 Sound-Equipped)","description":"Rapido Trains is proud to announce the third release of our highly popular Bilevel Commuter Cars in HO Scale, featuring several new paint schemes and body variations including the new CEM (Crash Energy Management) design of Bilevel commuter car!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe current Bilevel design, although largely originating in Europe, found its way to North American rails in the 1970s and has since been used by dozens of commuter agencies all across Canada and the United States. Originally designed by Hawker Siddeley Canada, the cars have been manufactured over the years by Hawker Siddeley, Urban Transportation Development Corporation (UTDC), SNC-Lavalin, Bombardier and today, Alstom. The cars have always been built at the original Canadian Car \u0026amp; Foundry (CanCar) factory in Thunder Bay, Ontario.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 1989, the first Bilevel cars were introduced to the United States by Tri-Rail in the Miami area. In 1992, Metrolink in the Los Angeles area introduced the design to the West Coast. This spurred further orders in California by Coaster of San Diego and Altamont Commuter Express (now Altamont Corridor Express) of San Jose. By the 2000s, more agencies across North America began using the Bilevel Commuter Cars for start-up commuter operations, such as Sound Transit (Sounder) in Seattle, FrontRunner in Salt Lake City, RailRunner in Albuquerque, and West Coast Express in Vancouver, just to name a few. As of early 2026, 14 agencies across North America operate fleets totalling over 1500 Bilevel Commuter Cars.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the mid 2010s, the Bilevel car underwent its most significant redesign since their introduction over 40 years earlier. The new CEM (Crash Energy Management) car design features a refined roof profile and other alterations to the rest of the body shell and window arrangement. But the biggest change is the new stylized cab car. Designed to keep crews safer in the event of an incident and provide exceptional visibility, these new cab cars are a significant departure in style to the original designs.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOur Bilevel model brings museum-quality details, improved operations, and prototypical accuracy to this long-loved and under-appreciated mode of (commuter) transportation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e HO Scale Bilevel Commuter Car Features:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNEW CEM-style coaches and cab cars now available\u003cbr\u003eOver 10 different body style variations, all accurate to the prototype\u003cbr\u003eFree-rolling, highly-detailed inside-bearing trucks with roller-bearing axles and metal wheelsets\u003cbr\u003eMinimum 22” radius curves\u003cbr\u003eFull underbody and unrivaled interior detail\u003cbr\u003eAccurate painting and lettering, both inside and out\u003cbr\u003eTinted windows\u003cbr\u003eMetal side grab irons\u003cbr\u003eConstant interior lighting in DC and DCC\u003cbr\u003eControllable cab car lighting in both DC and DCC\u003cbr\u003eCab cars pre-wired with a speaker and a 21-pin socket for full DCC\/Sound functionality","brand":"Rapido","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43254987620415,"sku":"RPI-1113506-PRE","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0269\/7461\/7663\/files\/1113006-lrcloco-lrcscheme_1.jpg?v=1778688039","url":"https:\/\/factorydirecthobbies.com\/products\/preorder-rapido-ho-1113506-bombardier-lrc-locomotive-via-rail-lrc-demonstrator-scheme-dcc-sound-equipped","provider":"Factory Direct Hobbies","version":"1.0","type":"link"}