New tooling announcement: OAA wagon

Hot on the heels of our VIX ferry van is another classic wagon of the early ‘air brake’ era on BR: the 45t Open AB wagon, better known as the OAA.

BR undertook much research to produce a new wagon underframe suitable for the 1970s railway and OAA was the first design to appear with it. Ashford Works built the 100 OAAs (Nos. 100000-100099) in 1971.The new 20ft 9in wheelbase underframe, with air brakes and upgraded running gear, would go on to be used on the likes of the VBA and VDA vans.

The OAA has all the hallmarks of a Rapido product, including a highly detailed underframe. The model was designed using original drawings as well as help from Peter Harvey from PH Designs Etchings.

Our new OAA has the body and underframe detail you’d expect from a Rapido model. But we’re particularly excited about the liveries that we’re planning.

We’re producing 17 versions and we’ve gone to great lengths to replicate the

myriad changes to the positions of letters, logos and numbers that you can see on these wagons. But we’re also planning to replicate where wagons have received repairs and quick repaints, which, in some cases, was nearly the entire wagon.

Here’s what we’re planning to make:

One of the most eye-catching liveries carried by the OAAs was Civil Link grey and yellow as seen on DC100065 (SKU915016). If you are aware of any other liveries - and if you have pictures - please don't hesitate to drop us a line.

RRP is £39.95 and the OAA is available to order now direct from ourselves or from your nearest Rapido stockist. The order book closes on July 1st 2022.

ANDY: You know what we’re going to get asked now: what about the Redland versions? Or the ones EWS re-built with mesh doors? Are we going to make those too?

RICHARD: The short answer is ‘yes’, but one day – and only if the orders for the first batch are strong enough to warrant making a second run. So the message is clear: if you want these other variants, you’ve got to stump up some cash to buy these ones first!

New tooling announcement: SECR brake van

Did you spot the beautifully subtle Easter egg that Andy left in the video about the SECR vans and ballast wagons?

We couldn’t leave something like that dangling for too long so here is the official announcement: we are producing the South Eastern & Chatham Railway six-wheel brake van in ‘OO’ gauge!

Did you spot this little Easter egg in our video for the SECR vans and two-plank ballast wagons? Click here to watch the video!

Single-veranda brake vans were originally ordered by the South Eastern Railway in 1898 and heavily influenced by Midland Railway practice. The SECR built a further 40 between 1900 and 1909.

We’re producing the dual-veranda design that was introduced in 1910. The SECR built 50 new vans to this design and 25 of the older vans received a second veranda. We’ve tooled two bodies to cover detail variations between them.

We’re producing ten versions:

RRP is £39.95. These models are now in tooling and you can order direct from ourselves or from your local Rapido stockist.

BR inherited 86 dual-veranda vans and didn’t withdraw the last until 1960. This is the only survivor. No, 2010 was built in 1898 as a single-ended van and was later rebuilt with two verandas. BR sold it to the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough and it was saved from there in 1965. It is preserved at the Kent & East Sussex Railway.

We'll leave you with this look of the brake van's interior detail. Yes, we tool stuff you will never see. They're available to order now!

Rails of Sheffield has commissioned the single-veranda version of the SECR six-wheel brake van. You can find out more about it here.

We’re delighted to announce that Rails of Sheffield has commissioned an exclusive version of our new six-wheel brake van - but as the single-veranda version!

The single-veranda version features an all-new body on the same chassis as our dual-veranda version. Full disclaimer: it will have the later oil axleboxes rather than the grease versions of the prototype.

JASON: I'll tell you what. If Rails gets orders for 4179 models or more, we'll tool the original greased axle boxes.

RICHARD: So we'll be sticking with the oil axleboxes, then.

Rails has commissioned three versions:

RRP is £39.95 and you can order them now.

Say 'hello' to the first EP of Lion. It's not often that we're left speechless here at Rapido Trains but this is one of those rare occasions!

The Lion has landed!

Look at this: it's the first Engineering Prototype of our Lion.

What can we say other than 'wow'?

We'll keep the words brief so you can enjoy the photographs of this fabulous model.

Remember that there are two versions to order, with period specific detail combinations:

RRP is £179.95 and they’re available to order now direct from ourselves or from your local Rapido stockists. Sound-fitted versions are available to order too, priced £279.95.

Lion looks great from every angle. Plus, unlike some 'OO' gauge Liverpool & Manchester locomotives from other manufacturers, Lion can haul a huge train of 20-odd wagons. We'll share a video in due course but Andy ran out of wagons before Lion ran out of pulling power.

There’s a third variant and that’s 1950s condition. This, of course, is only available to order in our The Titfield Thunderbolt™ pack, as Thunderbolt. Again, you can order direct from ourselves or from your local Rapido stockist.

STUDIOCANAL has also told us that our range of The Titfield Thunderbolt™ models will be the only such products coming to market, as per our agreement with STUDIOCANAL. 

We've gone to town on the footplate detail... as far as Lion's minimal fittings allow!

It shouldn't be too long before we can show you a complete The Titfield Thunderbolt™ train. In the meantime, we'll leave you with this image. If this doesn't convince you to place an order, nothing will...

Dan and Andy do their best to convince you to place an order for the Class 28. If their acting doesn't do it, the simply prodigious haulage capacity of the '28' should, which you can see by clicking here or on the above image.

Did you know that there are only 15 days left… until the order book closes on our first ‘N’ gauge models, the Class 28 Co-Bo and the ‘Conflat P’?

To mark this occasion, Warranty Engineer Dan Hull has made his first Rapido Trains UK acting debut. He’s also written and directed this cinematic gem, which not only shows off the MetroVick’s running qualities and its strength but also how good the sound file is.

Click here, sit back and enjoy!

And, once you’ve enjoyed, go on and place an order for a Class 28 (or two or six) and several ‘Conflats’ (remember that ‘Condor’ was originally booked to run with 27 ‘Conflats’). You can order direct from ourselves or your local Rapido stockist.

May 1st is the order deadline for our fabulous 'OO' gauge VIX ferry van. Ordering before the deadline is the only way to guarantee the model or models you want. You can order direct from ourselves or from your local Rapido stockist.

With everything else that’s going on, it’s easy to forget that May 1st is also the order deadline for the VIX ferry van.

We are absolutely thrilled with how good this model looks and the level of underframe detail is to the standards set by our colleagues in North America. We've gone to great lengths to design original and later end stanchions and, heck, even the doors open.

So we're a bit disappointed that we haven't had more orders for what promises to be a fabulous model. And you know what happens when orders fall a little short?

That's right. We have to resort to getting animals to sell our products for us.

But seriously, it is getting to the point where we're beginning to wonder whether we should do any more 'modern image' wagons. Our initial orders for pre-Grouping wagons are far above those of our modern image wagons. So if you like what we're doing, make your voice heard by clicking here (or visiting your local Rapido stockist) and placing an order. Or several! And then no more animals need to be shamelessly exploited to sell model trains.

If a cute dog and cat don't move you to order one of our VIX vans, surely a look at all this fabulous underframe detail will? Look at it: isn't it wonderful? Then all you need to do is click on this link...

We’ve been asked a few time where the VIX vans ran in the UK. Well, they were photographed everywhere from Millerhill, Warrington, York and Doncaster in the north, to Wales, Kent, Hampshire and even St Blazey in deepest Cornwall.

But have you ever wondered how far these vans roamed around Europe?

JASON: No, we're not making one in HO scale. In case anyone is wondering...

Click here or on the above image to watch our Dynamometer Car video.

The announcement of a second run of LNER Dynamometer Cars has gone down a storm if the flood of orders is anything to go by. We couldn't resist helping things along a little bit by using that favourite Rapido tactic of...

ANDY: Shamelessly exploiting cute animals?

RICHARD: No! I was going to say "making a short video".

Without further ado, here's our Dynamometer Car 2.0 video - click here to watch!

We've decided to make the Dynamometer Car 2.0 moniker popularised on some model railway forums an official title. You can order your 2.0 here or from your local Rapido stockist. This is a photo from the first run in 2018. Some details have changed. For the better, of course...

I realise I made a bit of a faux pas in the announcement of our 'OO' gauge 'Iron Minks' last newsletter. I referred to Brecon & Merthyr, Rhymney and Cambrian metal bodied vans and then we received no end of e-mails from customers saying that they could see the Cambrian Railways liveried version but not others.

ANDY: You know, for a supposed journalist, you made a proper pig’s ear of that, didn’t you?

RICHARD: I know, I know!

What I meant to say - but expressed with all the flare and finesse of the Norwich City back four trying to defend a simple set-piece - was this:

We're actually producing BR liveries on our GWR 'V6' model that, in reality, were actually applied to pre-Grouping designs. We're not actually doing B&M and RR liveries.

ANDY: I think that's cleared that up.

RICHARD: Here are a few more 'Iron Mink' facts:

This is SKU908018, ex-Rhymney Railway No. 1132, finished as Cardiff Cathay’s sawdust van No. DW100977. The Rhymney ordered 50 vans from Cravens of Sheffield in 1912 and they were slightly longer and taller than the GWR vans. They became part of the GWR fleet and were re-numbered in the 100954-100999 series.This was the last survivor and condemned in 1961.

The history of the Brecon & Merthyr Railway's 'Iron Minks' is not clear. The book, All About GWR Iron Minks by the HMRS, states that it ordered two batches of vans (slightly longer and lower than the GWR's) from Metropolitan C&W in 1895 and W.R. Renshaw in 1903. No. W204925 (SKU908019) was the last survivor and is believed to be B&M No. 611. Built in 1895, it was withdrawn circa 1955.

ANDY: I hope that's cleared things up. Don't forget that the order deadline for the whole 'Iron Mink' range is June 1st. So, get your orders in quick to avoid disappointment.

RICHARD: It's also worth pointing out that the order book for the Diagram O21 four-plank open closes on the same day. As with all our products, you can order the four-plank from us direct or from your nearest Rapido stockist.

ANDY: How many times have you said 'from your nearest Rapido stockist' this newsletter?

RICHARD: It's what comes of having so much stuff to sell!

Welcome to the part of the newsletter where we look at what’s going on with the rest of the range. It’s a bit of a quiet one this month but there’ll be plenty more to share with you next time.

Here goes:

UK903 Hunslet 0-6-0ST: In production!

UK904 WR ‘15XX’ 0-6-0PT: Good news! The first samples are expected to ship in the first week of May so more on this next time.

UK914 HR ‘Big Goods’ 4-6-0: I’m just waiting for five minutes to finish the final corrections for the factory and then we’ll be able to start tooling. It shouldn't be long before this popular project makes some real progress!

UK917 GWR ‘Loriot Y’ wagon: The moulds for this and the GWR ‘Toad’ brake van are finished and the factory started to assemble the first samples on Wednesday. Expect to see more next issue.

UK919 Wisbech & Upwell tramcar: More good news! Designer Linny has finished the initial design so we’ll bring you more on this exciting project next time.

UK920 1:76 scale Bedford OB: Tooling has started and we’re just putting the finishing touches to the list of OBs that will form the first run. More on this next time.

UK935 LNER Dynamometer Car: In production!

UK936 LBSCR ‘E1’ 0-6-0T: The poor old ‘E1’ has taken a bit of backseat in recent weeks but we’ve had the first set of drawings back from China and I fully intend to get this project moving again in the next couple of weeks.

There's no 'Thought of the Month' this time because, having closed our Great Model Railway Survey, we thought we'd share some of the interesting stats it revealed, not to mention announce the winners of the prize draw.

We’d like to thank everyone who took the time to complete the Survey. We know that the web platform struggled a bit with the demand at times and we thank you for your patience and understanding.

Everyone who completed the Survey was entered into a prize draw to win money off any purchase direct from Rapido Trains UK and I’m delighted to announce the winners:

All three winners have been notified and are now deciding what to spend their winnings on.

ANDY: How about a couple of VIX vans? Or, better still...

RICHARD: Don't say it!

ANDY: ...one or two BCT 'New Look' Guys?

RICHARD: Honestly, you can't take him anywhere!

Anyway, the Survey has been very helpful in shaping how we take Rapido Trains UK forward. It has yielded lots of valuable data and some very surprising statistics in some cases whilst confirming what we believed in others.

Here are FOUR TOP FACTS from the survey that we thought we’d share with you:

JASON: Wind? Breath? Jedi mind trick? We're not sure.

JASON: Like VIX ferry vans! Lots and lots of VIXs.

For all our customers on the other side of the ‘Pond’, don’t forget that the ‘Great British Train Show’ is to take place on April 30th/May 1st. It’s North America's premier British-outline model railway exhibition and is, naturally, being sponsored by Rapido Trains Inc.

If you want to see some of our pre-production samples in the flesh, get yourself along to the Jim Archdekin Recreation Centre, Brampton, Ontario over the weekend. You’ll also get the chance to chinwag with the Rapido Inc team too.

Click here to find out more about this show as well as its organisers, The Platelayer’s Society.

Well, that's it for another newsletter.

Happy Easter everyone. I'm now off to munch on hot-cross buns...

JASON: And Happy Passover. I'm off to eat cardboard.

RICHARD: I heard that matzo is very tasty.

JASON: Right. You can eat it for eight days.

RICHARD: I think I'll end this newsletter now.

Best wishes,

Richard