Rapido UK Newsletter No. 57

©2025 Rapido Trains Ltd

A quiet month seems to be a thing of the past at Rapido HQ, as June has been filled with much excitement and progress. We have had lots of visitors, lots of new samples and prototypes, and even managed to squeeze in another announcement for good measure.

Adding to our growing range of goods rolling stock this month, we have a colourful batch of interestingly-shaped privately owned wagons.

We also have some big news from our factories. Several projects are already on the way to the UK, and others are nearing completion too. So, lots of cool models to look forward to!

Oh, and if you are hoping for an update on the little loco who lives in the top left-hand corner of Wales, you might want click 'play' on this video...

You must be keen to find out what's new, what's arriving and what progress we’ve made, so join us as we jump into the June newsletter. 

New Announcement! 

New RCH 1907 Private Owner Salt Vans (OO Gauge)

When you think of salt, the first thing that springs to mind is sprinkling it on your chips, spreading it on your driveway during the winter months or rubbing it from your eyes after a dip in the sea. But salt is far more important than that, and has been utilised in a whole host of industries. And of course, for many years it was primarily transported across the nation by rail. 

The UK has been a major producer of salt for thousands of years, and Cheshire is the epicentre of the nation's production. The ancient salt marshes and rock salt deposits were rich pickings for entrepreneurial business owners. Its history is so ingrained in British culture that the towns where it is produced were mentioned in the Domesday book of 1086, being referred to as “The Wiches”.

Salt is an excellent preservative, so it has been used in the transport of food both nationally and internationally and was sent in huge quantities to the deepwater ports around the country for exporting perishables. Dairy salt was even exported as far as New Zealand right through to the 1950s. The export of salt helped put Liverpool on the map, hundreds of years before the Beatles even picked up a guitar, or Ken Dodd waved his tickle stick.

Salt was also used for making brine, so meat-based food producers used it regularly.

The chemical industry used it in industrial quantities, as it was a vital element in the production of bleaches, chloroform, and even PVC. Salt is also incredibly efficient at softening water, so it was used by papermakers of the southeast who reside in a hard water region.  

Of course, salt is also edible, so it was delivered to bakers, biscuit makers, animal feed producers and table salt packers across the country.

Once it had been gathered and dried, the salt was either ground and transported in bags or moved as large bars called lump salt. Alternatively, common salt was transported loose, but this left it vulnerable to the elements.

To protect the salt in transit, most companies maintained a fleet of privately-owned railway wagons so that the load was protected from the weather. To prevent spillage, these were usually vans or enclosed wagons. In part, this was due to the variable quality and condition of the covered vans that were owned by most railway companies. One leaky wagon could dissolve an entire shipment before it even arrived at its destination.  

This is why many salt wagons adopted a peaked roof shape. Rain would run off instantly, providing better protection.

With the Railway Clearing House managing the flow of wagons between railway companies and standardising mileage rates, they were a logical party to be involved in the transfer of salt.

The RCH had implemented wagon design standards for railway companies and wagon builders to adhere to. The 1907 standards used common underframe components across many different body styles and types, including salt wagons. Salt is well-known for speeding up the effects of rust, so many of these salt vans had wooden underframes.

Several wagon builders would produce salt vans that had this underframe and they soon became a common sight across the network. As these were privately-owned, many of them would be emblazoned with eye-catching and brightly coloured liveries. 

Surviving the pre-grouping era, these wagons even managed to avoid the wagon pooling of WW2 and remained in their bright colours right through to the days of the Nationalisation of the railways, despite the majority of other rolling stock receiving a grey or brown livery.

The transport of salt by rail declined in the 1950s, and the last of the RCH 1907 Private Owner Salt Vans disappeared at some point in the 1960s, by which point BR were using their own fleet of box vans and other wagons.

Our new OO Gauge RCH 1907 Private Owner Salt Van has the usual wealth of full external and underframe detail. This includes ribbed or smooth-tapered buffers and single or double-sided brakes. There are then 5 axle box variants within the range; these are square, rounded, Ellis grease, Oil 116, or RCH split oil designs.

All versions are fitted with brass bearings for smooth, friction-free running, split-spoked wheels, NEM coupling pockets and have a high-quality livery application.

The range includes 15 liveries that cover numerous private companies. Many of the liveries in the salt van range would have been seen across the country and throughout the grouping and pre-grouping eras; there is a suitable version for everyone's collection.

These models have already been tooled, and as you can see from these highly-detailed engineering prototypes and renders, they are going to add a bit of shape, variety and colour to your existing wagon collection.

The order book is open and you can pre-order yours directly from www.rapidotrains.co.uk or from any of our Official Retailers now!

Product Updates

Ivor the Engine Emerges (OO Gauge).

We have the update you’ve all been waiting for. Painted prototypes for Ivor the Engine and his rolling stock!

In a month in which we received colour samples for no less than 4 other locos and an engineering prototype for another, it was going to take some rather big news for them not to come first in the product updates. We think that Ivor has earned his place at the top.

These lovely samples display the vibrant colours of each of the models nicely and bring this 2-dimensional creation to life. 

We will be reviewing the Ivor models carefully over the next few weeks and will give everyone a full update on the sample shortly. This will be a more in-depth video that shows the box set's contents and model features in considerably more detail. Keep an eye on your inboxes for this exciting future update!

In the meantime, here are a few images of this wonderful sample to tease you. You’ll also notice the brand-new layout that the Rapido team have constructed to give Ivor somewhere to feel at home.

Order books are still open for these amazing upcoming sets. You can find out more and pre-order yours via the button below.

Caledonian Railway No.123 EP (OO Gauge)

We know many of you were equally as impressed as we were with our wonderful 3D print of this regal loco but this working engineering prototype is something else. 

This prototype highlights the sleek lines and wonderful detail that this unique loco is known for. From its distinctive curved leading pony trucks to its incredible cab detail, we think this Scottish Legend is going to be on par, if not better, than its pre-grouping counterparts, the Stirling Single and HR ‘Jones Goods’.

We’ve even managed to convince the factory to add the iconic thistle patterns to its front buffers. How's that for attention to detail?

Remember, the order books are still open for the OO Gauge Caledonian Railway No.123, and you can pre-order yours either directly through our website or via any of our Official Retailers. It's as simple as 1,2,3…

Finally, our friends at Rails of Sheffield announced an exclusive livery for this model earlier this month. 'What If' Dark Blue No.123 represents this exquisite model in a lined dark blue colour scheme as seen on the real locomotive during the pre-grouping era.

During this period, the locomotive carried a different boiler– hence it is described as a “what if”. The model is also physically different to our CR Blue Railtour Condition variant, making it a completely unique variant.

Oh, and if you are looking for an ideal set of coaches to go with either variant, there is a full range of Caledonian liveried Evolution Coaches in Batch 2, which you can also pre-order now!

Incredible Industrials! - Manning Wardle L Class Deco Samples (OO Gauge)

The factory has decided to give us a sneak peek of what interesting industrial loco they will be working on next, and what these wonderful little shunters are going to look like. 

Earlier this month, they sent us this pretty pair of painted prototypes. With a covered and weatherboard style cab to look over, we can see just how nicely the details are going to look on both cab styles. 

As the production progresses on the Fireless and Port of Par Twins nicely, we are pleased to see that the Manning Wardle L Class will be hot on their heels

Which style caught your eye? 

We still have the order books open for the L Class, but this will shut on Monday 28th July. We recommend placing your pre-orders as soon as possible. You can do so directly through our website or via any of our Official Retailers. 

Painted Peaks - Class 45/ 46 Painted Prototypes (N Gauge)

Following nicely on from the recently arrived N Gauge Class 44 diesels, we have some exciting news regarding their classmates' progress. As mentioned in previous newsletters, when we designed the Class 44 diesel, lots of work was done to ensure that its chassis could be re-worked into the Class 45 and Class 46 by including interchangeable parts. 

This forward thinking has ensured that the development of the Class 45 and Class 46 was both faster and more cost effective, which is reflected in the models' RRP. The model's development has already moved along nicely and the factory has sent us painted prototypes.

We will be checking these thoroughly over the next few weeks and if they are as they should be, they will go into full production shortly after. With this in mind, we have decided that this would be the perfect time for us to close the order books for the Class 45 and Class 46. You have until Monday 28th of July to get your pre-orders in if you want to guarantee yourself one of these lovely models.

On Par- Port of Par Twin Painted Production Samples (OO Gauge)

Over the last few months, we have teased you with shots from inside the factory, and given you a glimpse of the components that make up these titchy locos. Progress has been so good that the factory has completed the first painted samples. We knew these cute little engines were going to be good, but these look absolutely smashing. 

In addition to the familiar lined light green livery that preservation fans are accustomed to, these locos sported a variety of other liveries throughout the years, and we have added as many as possible into our range.

For many years, the twins worked at the port in Par, Cornwall. The livery that they wore during the 1960s was this lovely, lined dark green. Though we suspect they were considerably dirtier in those days. This livery is ideal for those who are looking to model an industrial railway adjacent to the mainline, Cornish modellers, or those who just want a cute pair of locos. 

The locos weren’t always a pair. When originally delivered, Judy arrived in this unlined dark green guise. She was also unnamed, as Bagnall had thought their choice of name was odd, so they sent it without nameplates. She had meant to be called Chough, after the distinctive species of Cornish bird, but the message Bagnall received was Cough. In fairness, that would have been odd.

The final sample we received was Alfred in Port of Par yellow livery. This in-your-face livery replicated how the Bodmin Railway painted the loco in the early 2000s; we think many of you will recognise where they got their inspiration from. 

Our friends at World of Railways also have an exclusive run of this ‘What if’ NCB Blue livery. If you’re modelling a colliery and want something a bit different, or maybe you have an industrial micro or shelf layout that needs a short steamer, this is the perfect model for you! 

Remember, these awesome little models are fitted with a Stay-Alive capacitor to increase running reliability and we've even managed to squeeze in a speaker, so it's available as a sound-fitted version too.

We will be completing our final checks of both the ‘Caledonia’ 0-4-0 Fireless and the Port of Par Bagnall Tanks over the next few weeks. If everything is as it should be then these will be on track for their current advertised Q3 delivery date. Once these are completed, we will share shipping updates with you. 

A finished Fireless- Andrew Barclay Fireless Painted Production Samples (OO Gauge)

Our factory has been wrapping up several projects, one of which is the fantastic OO gauge Andrew Barclay Fireless. The range consists of a wonderful rainbow of colourful locos, so we couldn’t wait to see them in all their vibrant glory. We think the factory has absolutely nailed this one. 

Used across the country in a multitude of industries and environments that were deemed a fire risk, these engines were seen on Britain's railways for many years. 

So, it doesn’t matter what industry you have represented on your layout, a fireless will not only look at home on it, but add a delightful injection of colour. 

As mentioned above, these are leaving the factory shortly. All of our locomotives sell out either before or soon after they arrive. If you're still on the fence... we recommend you take the plunge and order yours today!

Delivery Updates

LBSC E1 Has Arrived!

Your patience has paid off, and we are pleased to say that the gorgeous OO Gauge LBSC E1s have arrived and are currently being sent out to our Official Retailers and direct customers. If you have pre-ordered them directly through our website, please check your emails for reminders and invoices. We hope you enjoy your models, and can’t wait to see pictures of them running on your layouts. 

Hunslet 16in Batch 2 On The Way

No sooner had the E1’s been sent, our factory began packing the next loco to be sent, as the OO Gauge 16in Hunslets from Batch 2 were completed soon after. These are following closely behind the LBSC E1, so much like their Brighton-based counterparts, we suggest you keep an eye on your emails over the coming weeks. 

SECR O1 Nears Completion and New Samples!

We think it would be an understatement to say these models are highly anticipated by many of you. Therefore many of you will be pleased to hear that the OO Gauge SECR O1 is complete and ready for shipping in our factory.

We know we have shown you their component pieces over the last few months, but the factory has kindly sent us some updated painted prototypes.

These new samples include liveries that weren’t sent to us in our first batch of models to check, and all of the areas that should have been painted matt black have been corrected, including the smokebox and tender coal load.

These models are expected to leave the factory within days of this newsletter and we expect them to take around 8 to 10 weeks to get here; when they have arrived and are tested, we will send them out to our Official Retailer and direct customers who placed pre-orders.

Keep an eye on our social media channels and next month's newsletter for more info. If you are a direct customer, reminder emails will be sent out when they arrive, so keep an eye out for those too. 

Order Book Closing Dates

Much like last month, this month's order book closures are OO Gauge pre-grouping wagons.

To follow nicely on from the recently-arrived LBSCR E1, we are closing the order books on the LBSCR Dia.8 Covered Vans. These box vans will look great running behind your E1s and coupled to our previously-released LBSCR wagons.

Alongside these, we have order books closing for the LNWR 4-Plank Open Wagons, our second LNWR wagon prototype to be produced in OO Gauge. With the upcoming Dia.17B ‘Crystal Palace’ Brake Van you now have everything you need to make a prototypical LNWR rake. It is also worth pointing out that many of the Private Owner Salt Vans that we announced today are LNWR-registered wagons, so they would have regularly been seen with these 4-plank open wagons.

The order book closing deadline is approaching fast, so make sure you get your orders in by Monday 30th June if you want to be guaranteed these models on pre-order.

To coincide nicely with all of the recent decorated samples that we have received, we will be closing the order books on a variety of bits at the end of July.

Make sure to get your pre-orders in by Monday the 28^th July, for the following items:

-         Ivor the Engine Train and Rolling Stock Packs (OO Gauge)

-         Manning Wardle L Class (OO Gauge)

-         BR Class 45 (N Gauge)

-         BR Class 46 (N Gauge)

Remember, if you want to pre-order any of these models, you can do so directly through our website or with any of our Official Retailers. 

Explosive and Edible - Additional Chemical Tank Wagon Exclusive Liveries

In last month's newsletter, we announced the OO Gauge Ammonium Nitrate / Chemical Tank Wagon. We are pleased to announce that two of our Official Retailers have some additional exclusive liveries that are either rather saucy or rather shifty.  

Rails of Sheffield - Henderson's Relish No.35

Rails of Sheffield are spicing things up with the announcement of this well and truly in-your-face livery. Packed with a mini bottle of the famous and quintessentially Yorkshire-based condiment (really!), the OO Gauge Henderson’s Relish No.35 Tank Wagon will add both flair and flavour to your collection.

You can order your exclusive Henderson's Relish No.35 Tank Wagon HERE.

The Wagon Yard - G. Fawkes No.1570

The Ammonium Nitrate / Chemical Tank Wagons were conceived as a safe way to transport a vital material that was used in the production of explosive weaponry, so it is hardly surprising that the furtive Mr G. Fawkes would purchase a few of these to aid in his clandestine activities. It's bound for London, but we can’t fathom why!

The Wagon Yard has announced this leery livery to go alongside their growing range of G. Fawkes exclusive models. You can find out more about this explosive new announcement HERE.

Down by the Docks - Chatham Dockyard LBSC Van Exclusive Model and Repaint

The team at the Chatham Historic Dockyard Railway has been a great help to us in the past. Over the years, they have kindly facilitated our research needs for several wagon projects. So, it's really nice to be able to give something back to them by announcing an exclusive wagon, and one in a brand-new livery.

Seeing how striking our LNWR D88 10T van looked in Army green, the team of volunteers at the CHDR decided to repaint their LBSC box van in the same livery. This eye-catching wagon was unveiled to the public earlier this year and looks at home alongside the eclectic mix of military history residing in the dockyard.

Knowing that we were making the model of the same prototype, they asked if we would be interested in doing a limited run of this wagon livery. Given how helpful they have been, it was a no-brainer!

So, we are pleased to announce a very limited run of the LB&SCR 8-Ton Goods Van in the striking Army green livery. These will be available exclusively through our website, and a portion of the proceeds will go to the Chatham Historic Dockyard Railway to help them restore more rolling stock.

Only 60 of these wagons will be made, so pre-order yours before they are gone!

Livery Mix-Up – Class 44 TOPS Panel Inclusion

In a previous newsletter, we mentioned that we would be revising N Gauge Class 44 SKU 948003 and 948503 to remove the TOPS panel and represent the loco in its earlier condition.

Unfortunately, there was a mix-up, and it was produced with the TOPS panel still on the model, as per the original advertised renders of the model. Rather than pretend this sort of thing didn’t happen, we would sooner hold our hands up to this oversight. We are really sorry and hope you are still able to enjoy these gorgeous models with this added detail.

Thankfully, this doesn’t mean the model is historically inaccurate and dates it as a 1968 to 1972 livery, as it now has the TOPS panel included. 

Crazy Canadian Chiefs Layout Intro: Subtitles Included

Warning! Shameless Dr Who references incoming. (SORRY!)

Once in a while, we are graced by a visit from our great and bountiful leader, Mr Jason Shron. We have come to accept that Jason’s arrival is a fixed point in time, and no wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey tarrify-warrify will exterminate his desire to materialise in the UK office. 

On his most recent visit, Jason found the new Rapido Layout that we had been working on. Within moments, he had grabbed a camera and all of the staff who weren’t fast enough to hide in time. Armed with only his trusty sonic screwdriver and a video camera, he gleefully set about introducing the layout to all of you at home.

In his haste, excitement and jetlagged state, Jason forgot himself. Sadly, he used an armful of incorrect analogies. Our understanding is that our Canadian colleagues, and their noisier cousins south of the border, use a variety of made-up words when talking about railways. Frankly, we are none the wiser.

To give you lot at home a vague idea of what Jason’s on about, we have provided you with some convenient Anglicised subtitles to guide you through any of the North American nonsense.

However, it is worth noting that if he offers to show you his caboose, there is no need to decline, and you don’t need a chaperone; he’s just proud of the models that the team at Rapido Inc. is producing.



So, sit back, crack open a packet of Jelly Babies, and enjoy Jason’s layout tour video. 

P.S. If you are a Doctor Who fan, you may spot an Easter egg or two.

Thought of The Month

School's out for Summer

Summer approaches, and it would be fair to say that railway modellers are fairly consistent when it comes to our summertime buying habits. Speaking to our retailers, many of them report a noticeable downturn in footfall as the weather gets warmer.

We understand that people like to go out and visit their favourite preserved railways during the summer, but we wanted to remind you that your local hobby store needs support throughout the year too, otherwise it might not be there when the colder months set in.

To lead the charge, we’ve been working on the Rapido layout and will continue to do so throughout the summer. Oh, and we’ve also completed another micro layout set in the top left-hand corner of Wales.

We implore you, as the weather gets warmer, to please head to your local store and grab some hobby supplies, go to that local exhibition, and start stocking up on the essentials for winter; it’ll help everyone in the hobby.

Well, that’s us signing off on a rather salty and sample-heavy June. We hope you have a lovely summer.

The Rapido Trains UK Team