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The early days of Arnold’s model train line were those of market discovery. At that early time, Arnold could have only had a vague idea of the market acceptance for their new line of trains. Market research in that era was often by the seat of the pants; those who guided Arnold knew that the market was looking for trains smaller than TT-Gauge, but much of the early Rapido 200 line was just a “best guess”. Their new line was introduced at the Nürnberg toy fair in 1960, but even as the fair attendees were ooohing and ahhhing at the Arnold stand, the Arnold product development people were already working on their next steps.
As the product line began entering the marketplace, Arnold was receiving feedback from dealers and customers about what should be produced to make this model train line more complete. By 1963, some things were beginning to become apparent to the Arnold development team and they had begun to respond.
While the early days had been crude, this period between 1963 and 1967 would mark the progressive movement of the Arnold rapido product line toward a more realistic representation of the real trains which they modeled. Along the way, some earlier baby steps would be left behind. By 1963, the Arnold Rapido 200 product line was no longer available at the Arnold factory. In other cases, Arnold would pick and choose carefully.
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The toy-like 0264 F-Unit diesel would eventually morph into the more realistic 0215, while the 0261 Baldwin switcher would only get front and back steps and fragile railings.
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In another case, the E101 0232, E102 0233 and E40 0234 electric locomotives were apparently delayed for a year so that they would be a more accurate model than what had been offered earlier. The 1963/1964 catalog shows them on the “Locomotive Pull” chart, but the engine itself did not show up for another year until the 1965/1966 catalog. And, Rapido would discover what other model train manufacturers had discovered, that a single locomotive tool could be used for multiple products.
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This discovery is an interesting one. In prototype practice, the Deutsche Bundesbahn had a series of similar locomotives. The blue E101 was the passenger locomotive, with electric motor gearing that enabled it to operate at higher speeds but at the penalty of not being able to pull as heavy a load. The E102 variant (in blue in white) was geared for even higher speeds. The green E40 was the workhorse locomotive, geared for pulling freight cars. At that time, the DB felt that it was useful to have these three different locomotive types, so it painted them in different liveries to recognize these differences. From a model train perspective, however, all three model units had the same internal mechanism, so it was just a matter of painting the outside superstructure into three different paint schemes. For the record, the E10 and E 40 sold for the same price in the Arnold catalog, while the blue and white liveried locomotive sold for 15% more.
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0202
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The V200 is a special case, for it embodies much of what the Germans pride about themselves. The V200 was all German, and a symbol of the postwar prosperity and development which they had created. Its sleek lines and rumbling Diesel made it a hometown favorite in Germany. Even the Volkswagen trucks and microbuses of that era mimicked its distinctive front nose. And, as the Arnold product line continued development, the V200 would get retooled and improved further as the years passed. It was an engine that could be found everywhere, especially on Arnold rapido railroads.
While there was extensive development in the Arnold locomotive product line during the 1963 - 1967 era, freight and passenger car development was more subdued. There were new cars here and there, but the real change for the passenger cars was yet to come. The first hint would come with the 0372 Swiss passenger car in the 1966/1967 catalog.
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