Rapido Trains RDC, Operating Handbook

17

FUNCTIONS AND PROTOTYPICAL OPERATION

F0 Headlight

In most of our locomotive models, headlights and other lights are not directional. Like the 

real thing, we make you turn on the headlight and turn it off if you are backing up and 

you don’t want it on any more.

The trouble with the RDC is 

IT HAS SO MANY LIGHTS! 

So we had to make them 

directional otherwise we would have run out of function buttons. Please refer to “Which 

end is front?” above if you are wondering why your RDC thinks its tush is its nose.

F1 Bell

The default bell is a steel bell. Some modellers will no doubt find solace in the fact that 

we also included an e-bell in the sound file too (ok, only Jason will find solace). Visit the 

following section “Horns and Bells” on how to change that.

F2 Horn

The default horn recording is an M3H. Choosing a default horn was a tough decision as 

there are so many horns used. Actually, it was quite easy since there were only a hand-

full to choose from. For the answer to that, and how to change the default horn sound, 

visit the “Horns and Bells” section which follows.

F3 “Straight to 4”

This unique feature simulates the prototypical operation of the RDC. RDCs were (and 

are) often used in commuter or branchline service with many stops. To keep to the sched-

ule, locomotive engineers would put the throttle straight into notch 4 and let the RDC ac-

celerate up to track speed. (RDCs only have four notches.) When F3 is selected, you will 

hear the RDC sound ramp up quickly to notch 4 (full power). It will stay at notch 4 until 

you press it again. When you press F3 again, it will throttle down to whatever notch you 

are currently in. Note that this function controls the sound only and not the motor speed, 

which is still controlled using the throttle settings as normal. That means that, if you forget 

to turn off F3, your RDC will still be roaring at full throttle even if you bring it to a stop.

F4 Brakes

F4 works just like the brakes on a real engine. Press F4 and your RDC will brake to a 

stop. Press F4 again to release the brakes.

F5 Doppler Horn – Slow

Rapido’s decoders are known for our awesome Doppler horn recordings. These aren’t 

made by software. They are actual recordings from trackside. 

F5 is a recording of an M3H horn on a locomotive travelling at around 35 MPH. If you 

are barreling along at 85, use F11. If you have a VIA RDC and you change the default 

horn to a K5LA, the Doppler horn on F5 will also change to the K5LA. Note the Doppler 

horn only works when the engine sound is on.