Yep, that was it exactly. I was rather bummed to have Rapido track with its staggered ends. My friends used Atlas which could be easily had at any hobby shop. I was young and it never occurred to me that rail could be cut!
Here's some of my early Arnold Rapido N. The locomotive dates from 1968 and still runs pretty well. I was fortunate to be able to combine parts from my unit with a basket case unit bought at a show to rebuild an undamaged running unit. Arnold's freight car prototypes were excellent choices and well done for the time. These cars are from around 1970. Arnold's big boxy wooden caboose was well suited for the L&NE's, so while not a perfect prototype, I painted one years ago and it captures the look well I think. New N is awesome stuff, but old N from my youth will always have a place in my heart.
Ah, the (in)famous Rapido Baldwin with the 100% prototypically accurate trucks! Ya gotta love it. Doug
All three of mine still run. They have been modified considerably but you can't mistake them when they are "grinding" those metal gears down the track.
Just noticed this older thread and though I'd comment. Nickel silver is actually brass with around 10% nickel added hence the "silvery" color- also known as German silver during the World Wars. Kind of like when we attempted to rename French fries a few years ago when PO'd at the French.
Pommes Frites or fried potatoes, could have a more appropriate name if they were called BELGIAN FRIES! My business travels took me to Belgium many times; vendors who sell them on the street were common. What is in a name?