Rapido UK Newsletter No. 61

©2025 Rapido Trains Ltd

October has been yet another busy month for the Rapido team... as usual! We’ve been recovering from Railex and preparing for the other upcoming big shows that we are attending throughout the Autumn and Winter. Along with this, we have a new announcement for you!

Oh, and several rather pretty painted samples of some of our highly-anticipated projects have arrived.

Our new announcement is a project many of you have been asking us to re-run for a while, and with the ability to add a newly-tooled axlebox type, we have even been able to add some older pre-grouping liveries to the range that previous were not possible. Finally, we see the return of one of our most popular and volatile Not-Quite-Mink liveries, we think this one’s going to make a fair few of you rather pleased.

Given its previous popularity, it seems only appropriate that we start with the explosive new announcement!

New Announcements

GWR Iron Minks, Not-Quite Minks, and 4-Plank Open Wagons - 2025 Range (OO Gauge)

We are revisiting one of the most iconic GWR wagons, the Dia. V6 Iron Minks. This new 2025 range will include an interesting array of new liveries, further running numbers of previously-covered liveries and even some newly-tooled detail differences. 

Shortages of timber forced the GWR to investigate building vans from metal, but it wasn’t until 1888 that what could be called the ‘standard Iron Mink’ appeared. This boasted a 16ft 6in underframe and a capacity of 8 tons. They became Diagram V6 and over 4,000 were built up to 1901 when the GWR reverted to building vans from wood.

The Iron Minks were long-lived, with examples surviving through until British Railways' days in both revenue and departmental service. They could be found all over the UK railway network, and some were recorded as far north as Inverness.

The Iron Minks' metal construction made it an ideal gunpowder van, and it served as such during both world wars. In fact, such was the versatility of the design that it was copied by other railways and other wagon builders. They used what was essentially the Iron Mink body, but with underframes and fittings to their own design.

The GWR also utilised the same underframe for their 4-Plank Open wagons, the GWR Dia. O21. 

Introduced in 1886, these were some of the most numerous open wagons in the GWR fleet. When the Board of Trade's ‘Either Side’ brake regulations came into force in 1927, the GWR still had over 18,700 of these wagons on its books.

Despite being built in huge numbers, these wagons remained in the shadows for all their lives. It’s difficult to track when they finally disappeared from the network, and if it were not for the GWR 813 Preservation Fund, it’s likely that the Dia. O21 would have slipped unnoticed into history. 

Our new 2025 range of OO Gauge GWR 4-Plank Open Wagon, Iron Minks and Not-Quite Minks will have the usual wealth of full external and underframe detail and feature numerous tooling variants.

Both ranges include models that feature a brand-new grease axle box tooling variant. These models represent wagons that would have been seen during the pre-grouping era. 

The Iron Mink and Not-Quite Mink range also includes a new GPV door variant on some models.

Further detail differences within the Iron Mink and Not-Quite Mink range include short, long or plated-over vents, oil or grease axle boxes, three different door styles, and a variety of brake gear combinations covering single- and double-sided brakes. 

The new range includes a selection of GWR liveries (including pre-1904 red, seldom seen in ready-to-run) that represent earlier renditions of the wagon, in addition to numerous Not-Quite Mink liveries. These colourful wagons represent railway companies and private organisations where the pickings of ready-to-run models are quite slim. Although not 100% accurate to these companies' prototypes, they offer a prototypically-literate model in seldom-seen liveries. This includes a GPV in London, Tilbury and Southend livery, which we believe is a first in RTR. These wagons were absorbed into the Midland Railway, which is also represented in the new range. The LNWR and LMS GPVs from the N Gauge 'Mini-Minks' range have been included alongside LSWR and BR(S) variants.

As one of our most-requested wagons, we have included 2 new versions in the suspicious G.Fawkes livery, with two different running numbers. With all these wagons on the move, Mr Fawkes must be plotting something!

Some of the 4-Plank Open Wagons are supplied with parts for the modeller to attach an optional sheet rail (depending on the prototype).

All models feature spoked wheels and NEM coupling pockets, and are finished off with brass bearings and a high-quality livery application.

The order book is open, and you can preorder all of these newly-announced wagons directly from us or from any of our Official Retailers now!

Product Updates

Remarkable Regalia - Midland 483 Painted Prototypes (OO Gauge)

Sometimes locos are blessed with having notably eye-catching liveries, but it's fair to say that the Midland 483 is in a class of its own when it comes to remarkable regalia.

So, it will come as no surprise to you that when we received the first painted prototypes of the magnificent machine from our factory, we tore the box open like kids at Christmas!

Thankfully, our factory sent us several versions, including these particularly pretty examples. So, along with the BR and LMS variants, we were sent one in Midland Crimson and one in S&DJR Blue. We think you’ll agree that these were well worth the wait. 

We have had these for a couple of weeks, so we have already begun the challenging task of checking these over with a fine-tooth comb. Our review has already identified some areas that we would like to be improved, such as livery updates and missing detail parts, but this has already been fed back to the factory. Your final models will, of course, have these bits corrected. 

That said, here are a few close-ups for you to enjoy.



The finish on these painted samples is outstanding, with the subtle details such as company logos, shed plates, and lettering standing out nicely against the striking liveries of the Midland, S&DJR and early LMS. 

The black livery of the later LMS and BR examples accentuates the locos' distinct lines, and when combined with their visible cosmetic motion, it makes for some very smart-looking locos. 

All the separately-fitted parts take the cab interior detail to another level and help bring these controls to life when catching the light from our Dynamic Firebox Flicker. 

Order books will close on Monday 1st December for the OO Gauge Midland 483. You can place your pre-orders either directly through our website or via any of our Official Retailers.

Ostentatious Old Lady – LNER J52/2 Painted Samples (OO Gauge)

Turning our attention to the Eastern region, we have also received painted production samples of the OO Gauge LNER J52/2. We haven’t had these samples very long, so we are giving them a once-over and will be feeding back to our factory any minor tweaks that we feel are necessary on the final models. Our first impressions are very positive, as the samples appear to have thoroughly captured the look of this classic loco.

We have matched the rich green livery of the Great Northern Railway versions to our Stirling Single models, and ensured that all other liveries are in line with existing ready-to-run models.

This gorgeous railway relic is more than just a pretty face! It has loads of cool features included, such as a firebox flicker and a MoPower stay-alive for more reliable running. 

Our range covers the earlier J13 versions from the pre-grouping days, right through to those of the late BR steam era. We have also added the well-known and preserved GNR J13 No.1247 to the range. No.1247 has been a gem in the National collection for many years and is currently on display in the newly revamped Station Hall at York. Our rendition of this famous loco will represent it as it was when it completed many railtours across the country in the 60s.

There are only a handful of versions of the OO Gauge LNER J52/2 still available to pre-order directly through our website. These should be on their way by the time you read this, so if you want to add this preservation legend to your collection, pre-order now!

Ongoing Evolution! – Even More Evolution Coach Painted Samples (OO Gauge)

If you missed last month’s update, we announced that we will be splitting the production and shipping of Evolution Batch 1 into three stages, so the overall production doesn’t delay the factory too much. Stage 2 will feature the Midland Railway, Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway, and Great Northern Railway versions. As promised in the last newsletter, we have a significant and welcoming update regarding the Stage 2 liveries. We have already received colour samples to review!

We couldn’t have hoped for a better combination of colour samples to arrive in quick succession. In addition to the awesome locos mentioned above, we also received colour samples of all three of the Evolution coach liveries that will be arriving as part of Batch 1, Stage 2. 

These are three of the most colourful and eye-catching liveries in Batch 1, and are the perfect accompaniment to the Midland 483, and LNER J52/2. So, let’s have a look at some of the details of these incredible coaches. 

As all three liveries look amazing, so in no particular order, let’s start with the Midland Railway versions. 

These coaches exude status, even the 3^rd class compartments. Fitted with clerestory roofs and finished in the vibrant Midland Crimson livery, these models are a must for people modelling the Midlands during the pre-grouping era.

We couldn’t wait to couple these up to our 483 sample to see how they looked. We think you will agree these look spectacular! 

Sticking with a company intrinsically linked to the Midland Railway, we turn our attention further south to the S&DJR. This deep blue livery is often a fan favourite amongst railway enthusiasts, and these coaches highlight why. Thankfully, we also received colour samples of the 483 in S&DJR livery, so it would be rude not to get a picture of this match made in heaven. 

A couple of months ago, we teased you with images of what the teak effect will look like on Evolution coaches. Well, now we have a fully decorated sample of a teak coach for you to enjoy. The Great Northern Railway livery is the first teak Evolution coach example to be produced, so we were looking forward to seeing how they would turn out. Following our feedback on the original samples, the tweaks have been implemented, and we are over the moon with the final versions. 

Often assigned to shunting duties for large stations across the GNR network, the J13 (J52/2) would have spent much of its life shunting rake after rake of coaches very similar to these, so it is the perfect pairing if you are looking for something to run with these distinct coaches. 

With a nice selection of samples in hand, we are starting to build a good picture of what we can expect from all the upcoming Evolution coaches, and the future looks very positive from where we are sitting. 

These samples will undergo our usual rigorous checks before production is completed, and we will offer feedback to our factory shortly so they can crack on with making everyone’s coaches.

One last thing. We also made a quick video showing some of the samples for Batch 1 running with our locos on our office layout. This will give you a great idea of how good all of the Evolution coaches are going to look in your trains.

There are only a handful of versions still available to pre-order for Evolution Batch 1, so get your pre-orders in now! 

Want to ‘C’ some GWR samples too? – GWR Dia.O19 ‘Open C’ Painted Samples (OO Gauge)

That’s right, we’ve received even more painted samples, and just in the nick of time before the newsletter hit your inbox.

If the announcement that we made earlier in the newsletter wasn’t enough to make our Western region fans happy, then hopefully some colour production samples will. These are samples for the upcoming OO Gauge GWR Dia.O19 ‘Open C’. We think they look fantastic, and we suspect you’ll agree.

These long-wheelbase models were designed as tube wagons; however, this wasn’t exclusively their load of choice. With our models coming with separately fitted lashing rings, you’ll easily be able to model a variety of tied-down loads. We look forward to seeing what you do with yours!

With liveries that cover everything from the pre-grouping era to the last days of steam, we are sure there is a suitable version for everyone's collection. 

Between these arriving and us grabbing a quick shot or two for the newsletter, we haven’t had the opportunity to give these a thorough review. We will be doing so over the next few weeks, and if all is well, we expect these wagons to arrive with us next year in early Q1. Keep an eye on the next newsletter for more info on shipping and production. 

We have a very small number of these still available to pre-order directly from our website, so if you are planning on adding this totally tubular wagon to your collection, we suggest you get your pre-orders in before they arrive and are all gone. 

If you would like to see any of these new superb painted samples, we will be bringing versions of the Midland 483, LNER J52/2 and the GWR Dia.O19 ‘Open C’ with us to the National Festival of Railway Modelling in November. Grab a ticket and come and see how good they are for yourself!

Delivery Updates

Ponderous Port of Par – Port of Par Twins Still Shipping! (OO Gauge)

We are going to have to start this piece with an apology. Sadly, the Q3 delivery date that we expected the Port of Par twins to arrive in simply didn’t happen. For that, we are very sorry, and we share your disappointment.

They were shipped from our factory quite some time ago, and we have been looking forward to their arrival as much as you have. However, the shipping just seems to be taking considerably longer than previously anticipated. Our shipping company have a ship that sails every two weeks - which we missed by a matter of hours thanks to customs paperwork checks - followed by diversions to avoid tropical storms in the region.

We are hoping these arrive in the UK in the near future, and we will update you once we know more. They will be put through our usual QC checks upon arrival. If we are confident that they meet our high standards, we will be sending them to all of our Official Retailers who placed orders, and an email will be sent to our direct customers confirming their arrival. This will contain a payment link so you can complete your order.

Keep an eye on those emails, as we want to put these models in your hands as soon as feasibly possible. 

The Fireless Returns to the Factory (OO Gauge)

In last month's newsletter, we announced that we had made the difficult decision to fail the quality control check for the OO Gauge ‘Caledonia’ 0-4-0 Fireless.

With detailed notes being taken on the issues that were identified, they were subsequently packed and sent back to our factory for the relevant corrections to be made. You never know, they may have unwittingly passed the Port of Par twins going in the other direction.

We wish we had better news for you at this stage, but we would rather be transparent than intentionally misleading. 

Once the factory has completed its own assessments and shares an estimated timeframe of when these will be completed and resent to the UK, you will be the first to hear. We will endeavour to put these in your hands as quickly as possible. However, and for obvious reasons, these will need to be rechecked as part of a fresh QC process before we can send them out to customers.

We greatly appreciate everyone's understanding and patience. We are incredibly sorry for this delay and share your disappointment. Let us assure you of that.

Once we know more, we will update everyone on the news!

Order Book Closing Dates

In last month’s newsletter, we mentioned that the orderbooks for Batch 2 of the OO Gauge Evolution coaches will close on the 27^th of October. After some reflection, we have decided to extend this by a week so we can give everyone a final polite reminder to get pre-orders sorted. We don’t want you to miss out. So, the new order book closing date is next Monday.

Make sure to get your pre-orders in by Monday the 3rd of November, for the following items:

-          OO Gauge Evolution Coaches - Batch 2

We will however be keeping the order book for our London Transport and Metropolitan liveries open a little while longer.

Following customer feedback we are making some minor tooling changes to the sides of vehicles for these two liveries to add the correct round-topped doors, as well as removing the luggage door windows and the guard's ducket. This will make the coaches even more prototypically-literate - but results in a short delay to closing the order book. As a result these coaches will fall into "Batch 2.5". We will keep you posted on the revised order book closing date for LT and Metropolitan.

As we hurtle towards Christmas, we will be closing the order books for even more big projects. 

Order books close on Monday the 1st of December, for the following:

-          Midland Railway 483 Class (OO Gauge)

-          RCH 1907 Spec Private Owner Wagons 2025 Range (OO 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.

See us at the National Festival of Railway Modelling 2025!

We are pleased to say that we will be returning to the prestigious National Festival of Railway Modelling for this year's event. Given the epic stand, custom wagon service and live designing of a wagon that we brought last year, we know that this year's contributions have quite the act to follow.

Well, we will be pulling out all the stops to top last year's efforts. We are planning to have the following with us:

• A flashy new stand (Thankfully, this one doesn't take 40 able bodies 18 hours to set up!)
• An absolute boatload of samples, including the recently-arrived and gorgeous painted samples for the 483, Evolution coaches and the GWR ‘Open C’
• Our test track, so you can see some of the upcoming models on the move
• The Ivor the Engine layout, which includes some very tight radius curves
• Bryn Stwffwl - Rapido Trains' own 009 Layout
• Our spectacularly sprightly staff, who are keen to answer your questions and queries!

Oh, and to complement our upcoming 009 range, we will be bringing a pretty little princess with us.

Loco owner, and our friend, Phil Mason, has kindly offered to lend us Kerr, Stuart & Co Sirdar Class Diana for the weekend. We couldn’t think of a better way to show off samples of an upcoming model than having the real thing sitting right next to it! In addition to Diana sharing our stand, we will also be joined by members of the Amerton Railway, who will be on hand to tend to the loco and answer any questions you may have about Diana or the railway.

How many manufacturers can say they bought a full-sized loco with them to a show!

Jason: We brought a bus to Warley. Twice!

Rapido UK: This is much more exciting! It's a TRAIN. At a MODEL TRAIN SHOW.

Jason: I'll give you that.



Rapido UK: We thank you for not interrupting again.

Taking place at the NEC in Birmingham on November 22^nd and 23^rd, you can come and visit us and Diana at Stand 26. We look forward to seeing you all!

You can pre-order tickets and find out more about the event by clicking the button below:

Nurturing the Next Generation of Hobbyists

This month, one of our staff has been helping inspire the next generation of railway modellers – so we thought it only fair to let him take the stage in this month's newsletter.

Hello readers, my name’s Jamie and as well as being a Project Engineer here at Rapido, I am the chairman of the East Grinstead Model Railway Club.

I get my kicks within the hobby from weathering – I love the challenge of bringing a model to life by replicating not just the dirt and dust that gets everywhere on locomotives and rolling stock, but also the multitude of finishes that different loads, cleaning methods and suchlike give to rolling stock across the history of rail travel. I often weather to a photograph, ensuring that an extra stage of realism is achieved by modelling a condition authentic to each item of stock. 

Those of you who follow our social media may have seen my modified and weathered NCB Y7.

A little while ago, Rapido very kindly donated some EWS-liveried OAA wagons to the junior wing of my club. It’s so important to encourage younger members of our hobby and to help them learn new hobby skills, so when I was asked if I could use the wagons to do a weathering demonstration for the junior wing, I leapt at the chance!

I came down to the club last Monday to make a start, and I very quickly had three enthusiastic faces sat opposite me at the table: Nathaniel, George W and George P. The lads have done a fantastic job while learning new skills, including using an airbrush, weathering to prototype photos and using washes to bring that extra touch of realism to the models. 

Nathaniel had so much fun that he had set aside some of his own stock for weathering and asked if we could do this every week! I was very impressed by the way he was able to remove patches of the varnish layer to give subtly different ‘faded’ tones to the paintwork on the wagon. George W has already weathered some of his collection and is greatly enjoying learning new methods to broaden his skillset. I will be back very soon to show them how to use weathering powders for the finishing touches. 

The juniors (aged between 6 and 13) are incredibly productive. They have been learning all sorts such as soldering, tree building, baseboard construction and kit building - even commendably contributing to the preservation movement by fundraising for the restoration of P Class ‘Bluebell’. They play a huge role in our annual exhibition (2026 dates are the 21st and 22nd of March, hint hint) and are often at exhibitions in the South-East, exhibiting at least once a month during 2024 – a very good effort for a group formed six months prior! If you see them out and about, do say hello! 

It was great fun to pop down to the junior evening to share some knowledge, and I’m really looking forward to working more with both Rapido and the EGMRC juniors in due course to foster the younger hobbyists’ enthusiasm for model railways.

Thanks for reading!

(Note from our Andy - Rapido Trains UK General Manager) – We have a number of these EWS OAA wagons graded as “seconds”. If you are part of a club that has a junior wing that can organise something similar to Jamie’s work above, we would love to hear from you and see if we can help provide a few wagons to help teach the next generation of modellers some new skills.

Thought of The Month

We usually try to cover something thought-provoking or comical in Thought of the Month, however, on this occasion, there was something we wanted to address that didn’t align with our ethics. Across our different social channels and forum accounts, we experience a variety of different communication styles and responses to our posts, and these come from a wide array of interesting and engaging individuals. Sadly, some people seem to misunderstand the way that others communicate and use this as an excuse to belittle them with personal attacks. By now, we suspect many of you can already see why this behaviour doesn’t align with our mindset.

The entire model railway hobby, and wider enthusiasm for railways in general, is kept alive by keen individuals. Many of us are diagnosed as having Autism, ADHD, or a multitude of lifelong neurodivergences. We think it would be fair to say that Rapido, and many of the other railway hobby businesses and clubs simply wouldn’t have existed in the same great way without neurodivergent people. With such a wonderfully diverse group of people within our hobby, we can’t wrap our heads around why some people find it acceptable to look down on and target neurodivergent folks with hate and vitriol.

Do we try to practice what we preach? Of course we do!

Rapido is proud to employ and associate with a plethora of diverse individuals. Many of our staff are either diagnosed as autistic or know that they display characteristics that make it very unlikely that they are neurotypical people, despite having no formal diagnoses. Our team bring such an array of muses and graces to the table that their frame of mind and attitude are as important to our team dynamic as their skills are. Some need complete silence to concentrate so the latest release can be implemented onto the website, whereas others like thrash metal blasted at them when they need to focus on writing the newsletter (currently it's Slayer for anyone who is interested).

Understanding and facilitating these needs results in our relatively small team delivering a continued stream of some of the best ready-to-run models on the market. This is in addition to regular newsletters and social media updates for our customers, a user-friendly website and a second-to-none warranty service. We are incredibly proud of these. With the number of people that we regularly speak to within the industry, let us assure you that Rapido's team members are not alone. There are many neurodivergent people who create, sell and promote model trains, and we wouldn’t change this for the world!

“But it wasn’t like that in my day”, we hear you cry.

Without wanting to lead a horse to water, are you absolutely sure…?

Have you got an older friend who is very particular and likes to do tasks in a certain way, or perhaps someone who obsesses over details? Or maybe you know someone who flits from project to project, never really finishing them but still enjoying the hobby in their own way? There are a variety of socially-accepted nicknames applied to these individuals, Rivet Counters! Hobby Moths! Gricers! These types of people are not only many of our regular customers, but also our friends and colleagues.

Have you considered that these individuals are displaying common neurodiverse traits and are yet to be diagnosed?

What do we say to this - SO WHAT?!

Ask yourself, are these people really doing you any harm? We all know the answer to this, don’t we: of course not. So why are some individuals still going out of their way to knock the confidence of other people or put them down? They are simply communicating in a slightly different way than what is commonly expected by neurotypical people. So, we are begging you: stop, think, and take the time to interact in a way that is both respectful and kind. If this is unachievable for you, we suggest you avoid passing comment altogether. It is unacceptable.

If anyone isn’t sure of the appropriate way to speak to or about neurodivergent people, the National Autistic Society has a great guide to ensure you are able to engage in a respectful and factually correct manner. You can find a link to their page here.

The hobby, our country, social media and forums would be a much better place with a lot less of the negativity, judgment and vitriol, particularly when it comes to those hiding behind a keyboard and slinging hate at others who are just communicating in a different way. Seeing the good in the hobby and applauding others who are trying to enjoy it is a fair course of action, rather than trying to drag them down.

In summary, Rapido and its staff have no time for hate in this hobby. We WILL continue to support and employ people from any background or neurodiversity who can do the job we need.

We are playing with toy trains, so let’s just enjoy ourselves and let others do the same. 

If you need further support and guidance regarding autism or are looking for additional support for one of your friends or family members, we highly recommend checking out the National Autistic Society website. You will find what services and support are available to you clearly outlined. Find out more here.

Right, with the show in Birmingham looming and our owner visiting at some point in November, we had better pack the van and get the dusters out. We want to make sure the office isn’t covered in soot and samples when the gaffer gets here.

If we don’t see you at the show, keep an eye out for the next update at the end of November!

The Rapido Trains UK Team