Rapido releases Chicago CTA 2600-series Budd cars in two eras

Rapido added unpowered two-car sets to its HO-scale Chicago Transit Authority 2600-series Budd line, giving Chicago ‘L’ modelers a lower-cost way to lengthen a train without adding another powered pair. The cars still come in the two eras CTA fans know best, the original delivery look and the later rehabbed version, so a layout can match either the early O’Hare push or the long-service, rebuilt fleet that followed.

The delivery version captures the Spirit of Chicago appearance and two-crew operation, while the rehabbed cars reflect operator-only service with reconfigured seating and windows. That makes the decision practical as well as visual: a modeler chasing an 1980s Blue Line scene can start with the delivered pair, while someone modeling the rebuilt era can build around the later cars and their changed body details. Rapido also includes user-installed route decals, a small but welcome touch for anyone who wants the signboards and route identity to read like a real CTA consist.

CTA’s prototype cars were lightweight, stainless-steel, air-conditioned Budd cars delivered in the 1980s. The agency had 300 in service by 1984, including 100 dedicated to the O’Hare extension that opened on September 3, 1984, and another 300 cars were in service by 1987, for a fleet total of 600 cars in 300 married pairs. That scale explains why the 2600-series became such a familiar Chicago rapid-transit subject and why Rapido’s model line lands cleanly in both display and operating layouts.

The prototype’s second life adds even more modeling range. CTA launched a mid-life overhaul in 1998 to extend the cars’ service life, and Alstom Transportation in Hornell, New York rehabbbed the fleet over four years at a pace of 10 to 14 cars per month. CTA later created its Heritage Fleet program in 2016 to preserve and celebrate vintage buses and railcars for charters and public events, while newer 7000-series railcars were planned to replace the 2600s. That transition gives the modeler a clear fork in the road: early delivery set, rebuilt set, or a mixed-era train that tells the whole story.

Rapido backed the cars with fully detailed interiors, operating interior lights in both cars, headlights, marker lights, marker or destination lights, wire grab irons, detailed underbodies, and DC/DCC-ready or dual-mode DC/DCC/sound options. With a 12-inch minimum radius and the company’s first HO-scale transit track and bridge pieces, the 2600-series can anchor a compact elevated Chicago scene as readily as a longer married-pair train.