These locomotives were a daily occurrence in my life for decades. My stepfather commuted to NYC pulled by them, I can still remember the sound of a pair of EMD 567's accelerating away from the station as they passed our house. I rode FL9 powered trains and was fortunate to have cab rides in them. I worked in a town located on the Norwalk-Danbury branch, hearing the Hancock air whistles warning at the grade crossings several times a day. Because of my familiarity with them, they are the quintessential New Haven locomotive to me.
Forty years ago when I joined the New Haven Railroad Historical & Technical Association, Inc. www.nhrhta.org, many of the members including myself were hoping for an affordable plastic FL9 model way back then. The long wait is over, they are finally here!
The newly released Rapido FL9 is the finest RTR locomotive I have ever owned. They run and sound fantastic, very highly and accurately detailed and the fidelity of painting, terrific. Being a newbie to sound decoders, the prototypical sound and lighting functions are a joy when operating. I can't stop running them!
The folks at Rapido and those credited in the instruction sheet have collectively done a wonderful job in bringing these much desired locomotives to fruition. Thank you all!
In the photo below, newly acquired lead unit 2003 and sister 2022 arrive back at Danbury from a deadhead testing turn up the Berkshire to Pittsfield MA.
click to enlarge
Could this be a Peter McLachlan photo?
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