Rapido GMD-1, Product Manual

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Unit behind it. Fortunately, we manufacture those too!
Our model will pull far more than the prototype. Please ignore that and order more.
HOW TO HOLD YOUR GMD-1
The GMD-1 has numerous very delicate parts. If you want to back date it to be the qual-
ity of a model produced in 1978, then rip all the parts off. We’re assuming you don’t
want to do that, so the GMD-1 should be picked up carefully. The fuel tank and the
middle of the long hood are both easily accessed and well balanced — if your hands
are big enough, the best way to pick up the unit is to grab it from above with your thumb
and forefinger on either side of the fuel tank. Always make sure your hands are free
of shmutz before touching your engine. I suppose a 1:1 fingerprint could look like the
remains of an HO scale zebra that wandered onto the tracks, but I doubt that is the look
you are aiming for on your layout.
If you are taking your GMD-1 to the club all the time and regularly handling it, stuff will
break off. We suggest wrapping your GMD-1 in a plastic bag before placing it in the
packaging or in your holder so you can catch bits that fall off. White glue is the recom-
mended adhesive for reattaching the bits, although you can also use CA if you are very
careful and very brave.
EXTRa STUFF IN THE BOX
You can run your GMD-1 right out of the box. You don’t need to add anything to it as
all of the basic grab irons and other details are installed. (The exception is the area on
the long hood above the radiator for CN 1954 1000-series models. If that applies to
you, see the next section.)
However, every GMD-1 locomotive is unique. Different crews in different parts of the
country added extra grab irons and other details as and when they were needed. It is
impossible for us to install all of these extra parts at the factory because, during the lifes-
pan of a given paint scheme, a set of grab irons could be removed and replaced with
a ladder, and then the ladder removed and replaced with a set of stairs. If we chose to
install the stairs, the loco detailing would be wrong for those guys who model an earlier
year.
The same holds true for the all-weather windows and sun shades and wind deflectors on
the cab. On most units, we installed the sun shade and wind deflectors on the fireman‘s
side because they remained there throughout the model’s service life. But the engineer’s
side received an all-weather window around 1974. Because the 1954 scheme and the
1961 scheme both lasted well past 1974, we left everything off the engineer’s side. You
can choose to install the all-weather window or the wind deflectors according to the year
you are modelling. As to whether or not to install the sun shade, refer to photos.