Rapido UK Newsletter No. 33
©2023 Rapido Trains Ltd
Dear Rapido Customer,
July has been full of fun, yet incredibly busy for everyone across the business.
Earlier in the month Rapido head honcho Jason and his daughter Dalya stopped off for a few days while on a visit from Canada. Unlike other companies, this was less “The Emperor is coming here? We must double our efforts” and more, “Jason is on his way; get the kettle on”.

Heralding their arrival, the proverbial beacons were lit and all the Rapido UK staff headed to the office for a few days. It’s not been this hectic here in quite some time, proving the offer of a rail tour across the County is enough to bring everyone out of their caves. 
Jason and Dalya pose for a quick snap with Braunton during the water stop at Canterbury East. One of those t-shirts is really cool...
Much to Andy’s dismay he had unknowingly employed a bunch of secret Whovians, which pleased Jason immensely. (For the uninitiated, a Whovian is someone who is a huge fan of the BBC show Dr. Who – which seems to be a pre-requisite for Jason’s staff).
From abysmal Abzorbaloff to kooky Kaled mutants, we had much to talk about throughout our journey. There was little time for a team chat about business ideas and product discussions, though we did find out about one upcoming model.
Jason has commissioned a Cyberman costume from the great Robert Allsopp. We’re sorry Andy, this is a fixed point in time and can't be changed!
Anyway, enough of our gallivanting and galactic gasbagging, on to the model trains. We have much to update you on this month, some awesome samples and reluctantly a bit of bad news too. 
As you can see, we don’t take ourselves too seriously and thoroughly enjoyed our day out!
Whilst the H Class might be tiny it packs in a lot of detail.
Hot off the press is this 3D print of our upcoming LNER Y7 (NER H) 0-4-0T, and we think it looks incredible.

The model is now in tooling (with working samples due to arrive later this year). However, we thought we would ask our friends at Modelu to generate a little preview of what’s to come! 
This pint-sized puffer primarily worked across the North-East of England in numerous interesting roles and has a history dating back to the late 1800s. For such a small loco they certainly got about a bit, even finding their way as far South as Woolwich Arsenal during WW2. 

The Y7 started life on the North Eastern Railway and was classified the Class H. Its simplistic design made light work of the bad track work and tight radius curves it called home, and this led to the NER ordering a further 13 of the class. Incredibly, it was such a success that the LNER followed this by building an additional 5. These new locos along with their veteran counterparts were then reclassified as the Y7.
With an open-backed cab we couldn't skimp on the internal details.
Of the 24 Y7s that were built, 17 of them were eventually sold to industrial concerns, and 2 were received by British Railways (one of which worked local passenger services on the North Sunderland Railway) with the remainder being scrapped. Thankfully two Y7s survived into preservation, and these can be found on the Mid-Suffolk Light Railway and the Middleton Railway.

Throughout their lifetime, many of the Y7s received alterations to better suit their working conditions. With nine livery variations of this charming little 0-4-0T locomotive being produced, we are covering as much of its long service history as possible and representing many of its unique features.

Depending on the variant, you can look forward to vacuum brakes, bell-shaped and organ-pipe whistles, BR number and shed code plates, cab roofs with installed vents, different length frames, alternate smokeboxes and even an improvised wooden cab extension on one version.
We have nine variants to choose from covering over 100 years of operation.
In addition to these fitted details, we will include some awesome extra optional parts, such as loco-mounted shunting poles, extra steps and handrails, and dumb buffers.

Other key features include a Next18 decoder socket, factory-fitted speaker, sprung buffers, plunger pickups, coreless motor and flywheel for super-smooth slow running. 
Everyone has room for a tiny shunter on their layout.
You can pre-order your LNER Y7 (NER H) 0-4-0T now directly from Rapido Trains UK or any of our Official Retailers.

RRP for DCC-ready models is £144.95, whilst DCC-Sound Fitted versions are £244.95. Yes, we really can squeeze a sound decoder and speaker into this thing!
New MET and LT Wagons
Despite us making an armful of liveries for you to choose from for the upcoming RCH 1907 Private Owner Wagons, we have been inundated with requests for something to run behind the upcoming Metropolitan E class.

We could politely bat these suggestions off, but that’s not how we do things at Rapido Trains UK, so we are going to go headlong into this one, and have added a couple of suitable 5-plank liveries to the extensive range to keep everyone happy. These represent wagons built by the 'Met' circa 1912 and used throughout the London Transport steam era.
These wagons will go very well with the two private owner wagons we're producing which were based on the Metropolitan - Alfred Pratt and John J. Tims.
You can pre-order all RCH 1907 Private Owner Wagon liveries (RRP £32.95), including the Met and LT variants, directly through our website or from any of our official retailers now.

Order books are closing on August 14th (more on this in a bit), so make sure to get your order in for these quickly.
Fans of colliery layouts and National Coal Board wagons will also be pleased to hear we have teamed up with World of Railways to bring you four exclusive NCB RCH 1907 Private Owner Wagons with internal user markings and large white crosses which denote they were used on colliery networks and sidings away from the main line. This makes them a ‘must-have’ for anyone modelling collieries or their sidings in the post-WW2 period.
Order Book Deadlines
We will be closing the order books on our previously-announced Highland Railway ‘Jones Goods’ 4-6-0 and RCH 1907 Private Owner Wagons on the 14th of August. In case you missed these, here’s a look at them:
RCH 1907 Private Owner Wagons

For many years hobbyists have either had to compromise on historical accuracy, or kit/scratch build what they needed when modelling pre-1923 private owner coal wagons, and with the gradual but noticeable increase in popularity for pre-grouping modelling, this void in the ready-to-run market really needed filling. And we have well and truly filled that void!

With the order books closing on the RCH 1907 Private Owner Wagons in a couple of weeks we thought we would take a little look at what sets these rather special wagons apart from other Private Owner wagons you may have seen before or have in your collection. Check out the video below:
To ensure you have a nice variety to pick from, we have produced 36 different striking liveries (including those lovely new ones mentioned earlier). You can pre-order yours now from your favourite Rapido stockist or our website (RRP £32.95). As previously mentioned, the order books close in just over two weeks for these (Aug 14th) so make sure you don’t miss out. We are hoping to have these ready to ship early next year.
Add a splash of colour to your layout with a couple of Private Owner wagons
The first ready-to-run Highland Railway locomotive is available with a number of subtle variations covering the engines' entire working lives.
We have taken some time to check over our running samples of the Highland Railway ‘Jones Goods’ 4-6-0 and are confident we can proceed to production. So, we are closing the order books on this so we can move forward as soon as possible. 
Choose from seven liveries that cover the extensive history of this awesome locomotive, from the turn of the last century in its striking Highland Railway liveries, right up to its preservation and rail tour days of the 1960s. The Highland Railway ‘Jones Goods’ 4-6-0 order books close on August 14th, so make sure you don’t miss out. If you haven’t made your mind up on it yet, we’ve included some pretty pictures to tempt you further.
Production Updates
A Matter of Pride - Lion is here and it's roaring!
A menagerie of models has arrived at the Rapido Trains UK office, and we are pleased to say it's slightly earlier than we were expecting. We are hoping by the time this newsletter gets to you that Lion will have been thoroughly checked over and sent out into the wild for everyone to enjoy. We know many of you are keen to pounce on that parcel. 
Lion is fitted with couplings that allow the locomotive to haul other manufacturers' period rolling stock - perfect for recreating the 1930s exhibition train.
We think you’ll agree that both liveries look outstanding, and just wait until you hear it roaring, the DCC Sound Fitted version is like an untamed beast. We’ve been on safari and grabbed a few pictures of what you have to look forward to.
Lion in 1980s condition features some subtle physical changes to make it correct for its period of operation after overhaul at Ruston Diesels.
While we have received Lion, we must address the elephant in the room. Where is The Titfield Thunderbolt™?
The Titfield Thunderbolt™ sets are basically completed, but have been stuck in the factory awaiting decoders. This affects not only the deluxe sound-fitted sets but also the silent/DCC-ready models. They all have to be made together on one assembly line.

We understand this is incredibly frustrating and we apologise for the delay.
The decoders are now en route to our factory and will be installed into the models as soon as they arrive. Please do bear with us and keep an eye on our social channels and forthcoming newsletters for the latest news..
The 15xx has left the factory!
The eagerly anticipated WR 15xx models left our factory on June 20th. They have now started their voyage to the UK on a container ship and we hope they will arrive with us in early September. Fun fact: there are 3.5 tonnes of models arriving - that's a LOT of die-cast metal!
LBSCR E1 3D Printed Samples
“It's just a slightly bigger Terrier” we hear you cry! Well, we could think of no better way than a highly detailed 3D print to show you that the wonderful LBSCR E1 we have in the works is more than just Stepney on steroids! We are pleased to say that the folks at Modelu have done an awesome job and allowed us to show off the E1 in all its glory.
We are still refining the designs of the different variants and hope to have further updates for you shortly. We genuinely can’t wait to see a painted sample of this one!
Bedford OB Update
We have realised that an error has crept into one of our Bedford OBs. Item 920005 features EDL638 in Southern Vectis livery. Sadly, EDL638 was a vehicle with a slightly different arrangement of destination blinds and panel work and as such not accurate to our tooling suite.

After some looking around, we have found several candidates with the correct style of body and as such will be changing the number plate to GDL796 on item 920005 to produce a far more accurate model.
OO gauge OAA
By the time this newsletter reaches you our OO gauge OAA wagons should be days away from leaving the factory. A number of issues have resulted in these being delayed longer than we hoped. We know you won't be disappointed when these arrive later in the year.
Wisbech and Upwell Coaches and Train Packs
Moments before we were due to publish this newsletter, we received a couple of factory updates regarding the upcoming Wisbech & Upwell Bogie Tramcar, Train Packs and not forgetting the Titfield Thunderbolt™ buffet car.
The C53 tram engines (J70 to any LNER people) have had all their parts produced and are now in the paintshop.
We are pleased to say that production has moved rapidly for this collection of gorgeous tramway rolling stock, and we have received the first photographs of them being painted by our factory. As you can see from the images the various models are all making progress through the painting process.
To quote Titfield resident Seth “When I do a job, sir, I like to do it proper.”
Note the masking tape required to prevent the interiors getting sprayed the wrong colour.
We have also made significant developments for the DCC Sound fitted version of the Class C53, and the sound file has been thoroughly tested and signed off. With the factory progressing its production of these nicely (and with a completed sound file) we are hoping to have these ringing their bells, blowing their whistles, and quaintly chuffing around your layouts towards the end of this year.
Not-Quite-Mink
Following the OAA the next wagon to leave our factory will be our 'Not-Quite-Mink' range of iron-bodied vans. This group of colourful vans will add a splash of colour to anyone's layout. Production will accelerate shortly and we hope these models will be complete and ready to leave our factory in a couple of months' time.
Our factory has sent us some parts sprayed in various colours for checking. Can you work out which colour is used on which product?
Further Product Updates

It’s fair to say that we have quite a few projects on the go at the moment, and everyone is champing at the bit for their favourites to arrive first. We have tried to cover as much information on items in production as we can, but frankly there is not enough space in a newsletter to cover every project.

However, you can keep up to date with all our projects by visiting our Delivery Schedule webpage by clicking on the button below.
The Bad News
Sadly, it’s not always good news that we need to convey to you.

It’s fair to say that we are in an economically uncertain time. Costs are constantly changing, alongside people’s spending habits. To top that off, museums and archives are increasingly understaffed, which slows down research and gaining access to primary materials.

We have taken a long hard look at all our projects and have come to the conclusion that two are going to be put on indefinite hold:
Leyland National
Since announcing this project the response to it could be best described as lukewarm. Whilst Jason and several members of the team are bus nutters they require a lot of effort to produce. They have just as much detail as a high-quality railway carriage and take a lot of effort for the factory to produce.

However, compared to a railway vehicle the sales are often vastly smaller and thus as a company we make little return – often a 4-wheel wagon will exceed a model bus in sales. Unfortunately, even removing the lights or posable wheels will make absolutely no difference to its viability.

We make buses because we want to – but in the current climate it is just not the right time. We know this will be a disappointment to some – hopefully, things will improve, and we can reassess the viability of the project in the future, along with the two other unannounced bus models we have nearly ready for tooling.
BR Class 04 Shunter

Another project that will be paused is our 00 Gauge Class 04 shunter. Several reasons have caused this project to slow. The primary reason is a lack of access to original drawings, which we have found almost impossible to source. We pride ourselves on producing the highest quality models, that are as historically correct as possible, and this just isn’t something we can guarantee without appropriate drawings. One archive told us they held a set, and then subsequently took 6 months to obtain a copy – only for us to find out they were mislabelled and were Class 08 drawings. A frustrating disappointment to say the least.

We currently still cannot find the primary drawing information we need and have concerns about how this impacts the number of class variants required to make this project viable. So, we have reluctantly decided to park it for now. Never say never, as we can still go and measure and laser scan the surviving locomotives in the future.
SECR Brake Van Figure and Accessory Pack
Our friends over at Modelu have added a new figure to their range designed to perfectly fit our ex-SECR 6-wheel brake vans.

Their SECR Brake Van Pack features a Guard (who looks uncannily like Andy) plus a SR tail lamp and two side lamps complete with 3d printed lenses.
The guard leans on the veranda and the lamps sit over the lamp irons on the model making everything a perfect fit. The figures are supplied unpainted however the hand painted samples seen in these images were painted by the wonderful Dan Evason at Tunnel Lane Model Railways (more on that below).
A whole new (miniature) world
Some of you eagle-eyed readers may have noticed that the photos in this month’s issue feature our products in several exciting new settings.

A couple of months back we asked Dan Evason at Tunnel Lane Model Railways to produce four new dioramas for displaying and photographing our products. Each offers a different setting and has been painstakingly crafted by Dan to a fantastic standard. It’s the little details that count – including the superbly painted figures – you may have spotted our very own 1:76 Jason!
Jason enjoys a ride on a Guy Arab whilst an APT-E thunders passed - only in a miniature world!
We plan to take these dioramas on the road to various shows throughout the year as part of our stand.

If you are looking for someone to build a diorama, paint figures or even build a custom layout we highly recommend Dan and his excellent work! You can find more about Tunnel Lane Model Railways HERE.
The four dioramas ready prior to delivery by Dan himself.
Thought of the Month - Does Geography really matter?

Bit of an odd question for a model railway company, but let’s put this into context.

How many times have you been to an exhibition and seen a beautifully modelled Great Western branch line, only to see train after train with exclusively G.W.R or GW emblazoned across its rolling stock? After all, it’s a Great Western Railway layout, this sounds like it makes sense, right? We would like to politely challenge this preconception!

Don’t panic, we aren’t having a pop at our Western fans; this premise is applied across regions and eras.

A cursory glance at historical images will show you that wagons got all over the place, and as part of the common user agreement between the “Big Four” and the RCH, this was welcomed, as it cut the movement of empty wagons between company lines enormously. 
You can see a great example of this in the above picture at Blaenau Ffestiniog North Station in 1929.

There are some Diagram 1666 wagons from the LMS (which are currently available to purchase on our website), a variety of GWR 4 and 5 plank wagons (also produced by Rapido Trains UK) and even a cheeky visitor from the Great Central Railway (part of our upcoming PO wagon range) that hasn’t been repainted since the pre-grouping era.

Similar situations like this occurred across the country.

So, we will leave you with this final point.

Uniformity may look pretty, but if you are striving to achieve historically respectable rakes, why not consider a smörgåsbord of rolling stock from further afield for your personal collections?
Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to share pictures of your brand-new
Rapido Trains UK Lions as they prowl around your layouts.

Best wishes,

The Rapido Trains UK Team
You can write to us at Rapido Trains UK, Unit 3, Clinton Business Centre, Lodge Road, Staplehurst, Kent TN12 0QF. Alternatively, you can call us on 03304 609496 or you can
e-mail us at customerservice@rapidotrains.co.uk