Rapido Trains FL9 Manuallines - Extra Parts
7
• No, really.
EXTRA PARTS
The first group of FL9s (class EDER-5) were delivered with rooftop pantographs, rear
ladders and diaphragms. Additionally, some of the earliest units (#2000 and 2001 and
possibly others) were equipped with a small grab iron on the roof above the end ladder.
These items were all removed when the units were modernized starting in about 1960.
We have included these parts in a separate parts bag for you to add if you want them
on your model. Refer to the diagrams for location. We have found that because of the
tight clearance to the rear door frame it may be easier to remove the two inner mount-
ing pins (along the left edge) of the ladder and use only the right-hand pins to hold the
ladder in place.
The rear diaphragm should only be installed if you plan on operating the unit on 30” or
larger radius curves as it may interfere with following equipment.
OPERATION – DC (SILENT)
If your FL9 locomotive is not equipped with a sound decoder, it should function like most
other HO scale locomotives. The gear ratio is 14:1 so there is a good chance that it will
MU (multiple unit) with your existing fleet. Put it on the track. Give it some juice. Watch
it go.
Because we can’t guarantee that your FL9 will actually MU with locomotives from other
manufacturers, we recommend you buy EVEN MORE Rapido stuff. If we don’t make a
particular locomotive that you need, then make a new shell out of cardboard and glue
it onto a Rapido chassis.
Of course, some of our older locomotives were made at a completely different factory
so we can’t even guarantee they will MU with your FL9. So on second thought, just
upgrade to DCC and then all of your engines will happily MU with each other, smooth
as silk. No, we won’t stop bugging you about this until you upgrade to DCC. DC is to
21st-century model railroading what Polaroids are to 21st-century photography. You can
properly control your trains including all sound and lighting features, or you can stand
around shaking your little square of paper and waiting for a blurry picture to appear.
In DC, the number boards and step lights are always on and the headlights work when
the locomotive is moving forward. When moving backward, the red classification lights
are lit. In DC, you can’t turn on the backup light or the white class lights. You also can’t
dim the headlight; control the horn, bell or any of the sounds except for the prime mover;
or use the model’s Grand Central Terminal or “Straight to 8” modes. See previous para-
graph about upgrading to DCC.