Rapido UK Newsletter No. 67

©2026 Rapido Trains Ltd

We started the month with one thought: “And Breathe… “

This was following two hectic but incredibly fun shows on back-to-back weekends at the tail end of March. We got back to the office and started April full of chocolate eggs and recharged with a fresh wave of enthusiasm for all things trains. This was, in part, due to the hundreds of people who took the time to come and see us at the shows. We are very grateful to everyone who stopped by.

However, as we haven’t sent out a newsletter since mid-March, there is an awful lot to talk about.

This month's newsletter certainly has a Southern Region flavour to it, with two new announcements and a wicked sample linked to the region. If you don’t have an interest in models from a part of the UK that (correctly) pronounces glass and grass as gr-arse and gl-arse, then fear not, we also have some nice news for you to get your teeth into.

Oh, and there's a little tease of something else that’s coming soon. You are just going to have to wait and see what it is and see if you can figure it out!

Finally, we are aware that there are lots of models that are expected to arrive in Q2, and we know that loads of you are looking forward to these. We’ve included a recap of what you can expect to see arriving over this quarter.  

New Announcements

SER/SECR 5-Plank 10 Ton Open Wagons (OO Gauge)

We are heading back to our home territory for our first-ever round-ended OO Gauge wagon announcement!

The brand-new SER/SECR 5-Plank 10 Ton Open Wagons will build on our SECR range and will include two new diagrams (SR D1340/ D1341) and three different wagon body types. 

In the final decade of the 19th century, there was a dramatic increase in freight traffic on the South Eastern Railway. In response to this, the SER hired various wagons to ensure services weren’t interrupted. This proved insufficient, so around 2000 additional wagons of various prototypes were ordered from independent wagon builders or constructed at their Ashford Works.

This also coincided with the South Eastern Railway's amalgamation with the London, Chatham and Dover Railway. They became the South Eastern and Chatham Railway Companies Joint Management Committee in 1899. Thankfully, this lengthy title was rarely used, and it was better known as the South Eastern and Chatham Railway.

Demand for freight vehicles and traffic didn’t ease during this transition period, so some of the wagons intended to be for the SER never received this livery and were instead finished in the SECR livery from new.

To resolve the shortfall of rolling stock, around 1250 new open wagons were built. These were almost evenly split between two very similar diagrams; the 5 Plank Open Goods Wagon, which would later be designated as Diagram 1340 by the Southern Railway, and Diagram 1341 5 Plank Open Coal Wagon.

Ashbury Railway Carriage and Iron Co, Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Co, Oldbury Railway Carriage and Wagon Co. and the railways' own Ashford works completed construction of them between 1897 and 1901. There was also evidence of subcontracting from these outsourced builders, which makes it difficult to determine exactly how many were actually built by each manufacturer.

Both diagrams were 15ft 5in long with a 9 ft 4in wheelbase. One of the only noticeable differences between the two diagrams is the low-D shaped ends and Williams Pattern sheet rail that were fitted to the end of the D1341 Open Coal versions, and the round ends that were on the D1340 Open Goods versions. 

Despite the 1341 diagram being designated as an Open Coal variant in its SR drawing, it was described as ‘Open Goods or Coal Wagon’ by the SER. They were used as such throughout their existence.

There were numerous square-ended versions of both diagrams, and many of them were converted in 1912 by removing their rounded ends. It is believed that some examples may have been built with the square ends, but sadly, this clarity is lost to history.

The Southern Railway inherited the majority of these wagons upon the grouping of the railways in 1923, but they were gradually scrapped as the grouping era progressed. The last D1340 was withdrawn in 1942, and D1341 in 1948; their running numbers are unknown as they had likely been taken into departmental stock by this point. 

The new OO Gauge SER/SECR 5-Plank 10 Ton Open Wagon range will feature body tooling variants to cover the D1340 Round-ended and D1341 Low D versions, as well as square-ended versions of both diagrams.

These new models have the usual wealth of full external, internal, and underframe detail. All models feature split-spoked wheels, Stone's Patent Either-Side Brakes, SER Type "D" axleboxes, and ribbed buffers. They are finished off with brass bearings, NEM coupling pockets and a high-quality livery application.

All models of Dia.1341 Low D design also come supplied with optional parts to fit a Williams Pattern sheet rail. We’ve included versions of the rail in both the up and ‘at rest’ positions.

We are pleased to say that the project is already at the tooling stage.

The order book is open, and you can pre-order your models directly from us today or from any of our Official Retailers. 

SECR 20t 6-Wheel Brake Van Batch 2 (OO Gauge)

To go alongside the newly announced SECR Open Wagons, we are also announcing a new batch of OO Gauge SECR 6-wheel Brake Vans. This batch brings some new liveries to a popular model and the addition of single-ended vans into the main range. 

In 1898, the SER built a brand new type of brake van, which was very similar to the designs found on the Midland Railway. This first batch of 20-ton six-wheeled Goods Brake had a single enclosed veranda at one end. A total of 40 were built. The design would later be designated as Diagram 1558 by the Southern Railway.

The amalgamation of the SER and the LC&DR into the SECR occurred the year after the first D1558 Brake vans were built.

In 1910, the SECR decided to use the design to build a second batch. However, they tweaked the design so that both ends had enclosed verandas. Another 50 were built to this amended design.

Then, between 1914 and 1920, the SECR also converted the single veranda versions into dual-ended examples. There were subtle differences between the ones newly built in 1910 and the converted examples. However, they were similar enough for the Southern Railway to group them by the same diagram number. 

All 90 passed into Southern Railway ownership (where they received the diagram 1558) and, incredibly, BR inherited 86. Withdrawals took place between 1949 and 1960, although a number of vehicles were transferred into departmental use.

Only one of these vans survives. It was one of the 1898 batch that was rebuilt in 1910. BR sold it to the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough, Hampshire, where it was bought for preservation on the Kent & East Sussex Railway.

The latest batch of OO Gauge SECR 20t 6-Wheel Brake Vans is the perfect addition to the newly announced OO Gauge SER/SECR 5-Plank 10 Ton Open Wagons.

This latest batch of Brake Vans includes the dual veranda versions that were built new in 1910, dual-ended versions that were rebuilt, and single-ended versions that were built by the SER in 1898.

These different versions will then be available in liveries covering the vans SER, SECR, SR, BR, and preservation history, including some liveries that were not included in the original run of the model. Plain grey and brown liveries have also been added to the range for those who may wish to create their own ‘what if’ liveries.

Each model will have a multitude of separately fitted parts, including highly detailed brake gear, running boards, rails, lamp irons, internal bracing and a chimney.

The van's interior contains a guard’s desk, chair, stove, and handbrake. All versions are fitted with metal bearings and spoked wheels. Finally, there is a selection of label clips in the polybag so you can personalise your model as desired.

The coupling sockets on the new brake vans will be updated to NEM 363 standard, great if you are using aftermarket knuckle couplers that are now available in NEM 363 size.

The order book is open, and you can pre-order your models directly from us today or from any of our Official Retailers. 

TEASING A NEW ANNOUNCEMENT – ONLY 24 HOURS TO GO!

We don’t really do many announcements of upcoming announcements. But the timing was so perfect, we couldn’t resist.

We aren’t going to say too much, but we will be revealing something at Narrow Gauge South tomorrow. If you want to be among the first people to feast your eyes on what's to come, we suggest you head to the show. You won't be disappointed!

If you can’t attend the show, keep an eye on your inboxes over the weekend for an additional special announcement newsletter. 

Product Updates

Wonderful Wardles – Manning Wardle L Class Colour Production Samples (OO Gauge)

It isn't some great secret that the staff at Rapido love industrial oddities and pretty little shunters. With the Port of Par twins and Andrew Barclay Fireless arriving over the last 6 months or so, we have been treating you to some proper industrial gems. 

We know you aren’t supposed to say which one is your favourite child, but seeing these newly arrived samples of the OO Gauge Manning Wardle L Class, we are going to have a tough time pretending that this isn’t our current favourite industrial offspring. Wouldn’t want to upset Alfred and Judy now, would we?

Such a twee model, and in so many nice colours. Choosing just one won’t be easy. Thankfully, the factory has sent us colour production samples of the entire range, so you can make that decision for yourself. 

It won't matter what your industrial theme may be; there’s a version here for every type of modeller.

These elegant little locos will make a fine addition to anyone's fleet, and will look at home on a dedicated industrial layout, as a contractor loco completing nearby works, or as a privately owned loco that has made its way onto the mainline from a nearby railway.

The engineering prototypes showed off the open cab variants nicely, but we weren't prepared for this. Detailed gauge glasses, a pressure gauge and lots of separately fitted parts make for an eye-catching cab with lots going on. This will be the perfect loco for some added crew models.

Seeing as we had a few suitable locos and bits of rolling stock to put alongside them, we decided to have a play with some of the samples. You can see what they would look like running alongside some of the other Rapido models you might have in your collection. 

We suspect the question on everyone’s lips is when they are going to get their hands on these incredible models. Well, the short answer is not long. They are complete and will be shipping from our factory shortly. Once they arrive and have passed our QC checks, we will let everyone know.

We have a handful of OO Gauge Manning Wardle L Class available to pre-order directly through our website.

If we have sold out of your favourite one and you are still trying to pre-order it, don’t panic. Many of our Official Retailers have taken stock of these magnificent little models, so you may still be able to find the one you seek. We recommend contacting your favourite Official Retailer as soon as possible if you don’t want to miss out!

All Purpose - All Painted – Colour Production Samples of 009 Wagons (009 Gauge)

We wanted to make sure that the first time we attended Narrow Gauge South, it was as special as possible. We already have some delightful colour samples of the two versions of the Kerr, Stuart & Co. Sirdar locos that we will be bringing with us. But we wanted to show you more!

Thankfully, in the nick of time before the big day, we have received some rather sweet little painted production samples of our 009 All-Purpose Wagon range. 

There is such a wide variety of wagon body types and lovely liveries in the range. However, it would be impossible for us to list them all without turning the newsletter into a 009 dissertation (which would please many of you, we know). So, here is a selection of photos of the latest samples, and we are going to let the pictures do the talking. 

These colourful samples will be with us this Saturday at Narrow Gauge South. There will be examples both in our cabinet and running around our lovely little layout, Bryn Stwffwl. Come and check them out for yourself. 

If you like what you see and are still planning to pre-order yours, then you will be pleased to hear that we still have a very limited number of some of the versions available through our website. If we have sold out of the version you wanted, then we suggest you contact your Rapido Official Retailer of choice with haste. Many of them have ordered stock of these wonderful little wagons. 

We closed the order books on these earlier this year, so there is only a very limited number of certain versions left in stock. You can order these directly through our website, or via any of our Official Retailers. 

Majestic Moguls – SR U Class 2-6-0 Engineering Prototypes 
(OO Gauge)

If new wagons and a new batch of brake vans that hail from Southern England weren’t enough to get our Southern fans' attention, then we are certain our latest engineering samples will.

Our 3D printed ‘U-Boat’ prototype caught the eye of many when we took it to shows over the last 6 months, and it looked smart. But the first question out of many people's mouths was “When will the proper prototypes be here?”.

Well, here they are, and we have a sinking feeling you are going to like them!

We have received three engineering prototypes of the OO Gauge SR U Class, each showing how the loco changed across the eras.

Sadly, these arrived just after the London Festival of Railway Modelling and Model Rail Scotland. As we weren’t able to show many of them to you in person, we thought we would include some close-ups in the newsletter for you to enjoy.

When they were first built, the class had no smoke deflectors. This changes the profile of the loco considerably and nicely defines the era of the model. A lack of smoke deflectors on this version means you have an uninterrupted view of all the lovely details that we have included across the front and smoke box of these awesome models. 

Oh, that’s some fancy cab details! Thanks to the relatively low profile of the tender, you will be able to enjoy these details and separately fitted parts each time you use it. We look forward to seeing them illuminated by the Dynamic Fire Draw Effect. 

Throughout the range, there are several different chimneys and domes, depending on the version you have chosen. Our three samples feature both the rounded and flat-topped dome versions, and all three variants of the chimney. The samples show off some of the subtle detail differences that will appear in production.

The models contain a mixture of injection moulded plastic and diecast metal parts; these engineering prototypes highlight the amount of metal parts that have been included, such as metal running boards. This will give this mixed traffic Mogul the required weight and subsequent pulling power to haul a sizeable train. 

BUZZZZZ! During the latter years of British steam, BR fitted many of their locos with AWS gear. The Automatic Warning System helped improve rail safety on many of the nation's major routes. With U Classes regularly working these routes, AWS gear was fitted to lots of them. We have included this detail on both of the Late BR-liveried versions in our range.

Every model in the range has a Southern 4,000-gallon tender. The tender includes a selection of separately fitted parts, such as support stanchions and the brake lever. We are really pleased with how this has turned out, and we think you’ll agree it adds another level of realism. 

We have made a slight tweak to one of the models in the U Class range. On closer inspection, we realised we had missed a little bit of lining from the render of one version. So, SR U Class No.1615 in SR Lined Olive (SKU 992002 and 992502) will now have extra firebox lining that wasn’t included in the original announcement images. 

The order books are still open for the OO Gauge SR U Class 2-6-0. You can place your pre-order directly through our website or via any of our Official Retailers. 

Order Book Closing Dates

Last month, we decided to extend the order book closing date for the OO Gauge Loch Class by an extra month. This meant we could take our latest samples to Model Rail Scotland so the adoring public could see them first-hand before making a decision. However, it's now time to wrap things up so we can move them through to the production phase of their development. With that in mind, if you have yet to place your pre-order, now is the time to get yours in. The order book closes on Monday!

Get your pre-orders in by Monday, the 27^th of April, for the following item:

• Highland Railway Loch Class 4-4-0 (OO Gauge).

The following order books to closing have an LNER loco theme.

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

• LNER D40 4-4-0 (GNSR V & F) (OO Gauge).
• LNER C12 4-4-2T (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.

Delivery Updates

It has been a busy month for deliveries at Rapido HQ. Evolution Batch 1 Part C has now left our warehouse alongside our LNWR open wagons and GNR Vans which are being packed as we speak.

We hope that two more projects will leave the factory in the coming weeks, these being:

• USATC S160.
• 009 'All Purpose' Wagon Range (2025 announcements).
• GER 5 & 7-Plank Open Wagons.

These will now start their long boat journey to us and hopefully arrive around the end of Q2 or early Q3.

You can see our delivery schedule by clicking on the button below:

Factory Updates

As usual the factories have sent us some photos of the various ongoing projects which we thought we would share with you.

Lining is now being applied to our 009 Long Tank and Short Tank Sirdars.

Progress continues with our Ammonium Nitrate tanks.

Evolution Batch 2 is underway with GER livery being applied.

LMS vans are almost finished in the paint shop.

Ivor the Engine is tantalisingly close to assembly.

Narrow Gauge South

We are very excited to be attending our first dedicated narrow gauge modelling show tomorrow. Lots of the Rapido staff have a deep love for all things narrow and miniature gauge, so we are really proud to be taking our latest samples to the South's premier show. We are hoping you like them!

If you’d like to see these samples and talk to our staff about all things narrow gauge, come and join us at Narrow Gauge South on Saturday 25th April at Barton Peveril College, Eastleigh, nr Southampton.

Oh, and just in case you missed it early in the newsletter. Those in attendance might be in for a nice little surprise!

Rectank Revisions! – Rectank Tweaks (OO Gauge)

In our haste to get our OO Gauge Rectank deployed onto our website, we missed a couple of subtle details from the artwork, sorry. Thankfully, this was pointed out to us by some of our eagle-eyed experts who help us with the wagons research. So, thank you to the people who gave us the relevant info so we could correct this error.

The range will include the following changes to the previously advertised renders:

WD 35T Rectank No.17329 – GWR Grey (1940s) (Girder Load on Bolsters) SKU: 985009



Will now have the marking BOGIE BOLSTER. A. added to each side.

WD 35T Rectank No.M279133 – BR Grey (Pipe Load) SKU:985014

+

WD 35T Rectank No.W17330 – BR Grey (Girder Load on Bolster) SKU:985016



Black patches will be added behind the lettering. 

Order books are open for the OO Gauge WD 35T Rectank, and you can pre-order yours directly through our website, or via any of our Official Retailers. 

Get in line! – LNER C12 Updates (OO Gauge)

Our upcoming OO Gauge LNER C12 4-4-2T range has also had some tweaks to the originally advertised renders. Thanks to some really useful customer feedback, we have made the decision to change two versions in the range.

GNR C2 Tank – No.1020 GNR Lined Green SKU:989001/ 989501 will now come with a set of bunker coal rails in the detailing pack, in case you want to add them. That way, you have the option to model it as-built and as it was later modified.

The second model that we are changing is LNER C12 Tank – No.1517N L&NER Lined Black SKU:989004/ 989504. This one's a simple change, but it means it is quite visually different. Rather than its plain black livery, it is now lined. 

Oh, and during our recent visit to Alexandra Palace, we took our latest LNER C12 engineering prototype for a little jaunt. Many moons ago, the GNR had a station built right across the back wall of this amazing building, and we have seen photos of the C12 hauling services into this monumental station. So, we took the chance to grab a shot of our model in its old stomping ground. 

You don’t have too long to get your pre-orders in for the OO Gauge LNER C12 4-4-2T, as we are closing the order books on Monday the 1^st of June. You can pre-order yours directly through our website or via any of our Official Retailers. 

Thought of The Month

Why do we Update Previously Released Models with New Features?

With the announcement of a second batch of our SECR 6-Wheel Brake Vans, and the addition of an updated coupling socket to the NEM 363 standard version, we wanted to put forward our thoughts on updating previously released models.

This isn’t the first time we have made this decision over the years, and we have done our utmost to include new features or subtle improvements wherever possible.

But the big question is, why do we bother? At the end of the day, the predecessor was perfectly fine, was as detailed as the rest of our range, and was well received by the customers who picked them up. In many cases, re-runs of these models have been requested by customers, who – you would assume – would be happy with it being produced to the standards of the original production run.

Fine is a nice standard, but outstanding is the goal. To achieve this, we must be constantly looking forward and ensuring that our range is in line with modern standards. We take great pride in what we do, and as fellow hobbyists, we understand how special it feels to get that model out of the box for the first time that has the wow factor.

When considering re-releasing a previous model, we review customer feedback, assess data gathered from models that have gone through our warranty department, look at what's new in the industry, and think about what new features have been included in the rest of the range since we designed the model in question. With this information, we look to see what, if anything, can be improved without having to completely retool a model in its entirety.

Another factor to consider is that our own skills and understanding of how models are made are constantly developing. We will freely admit that we are a relatively young company in the industry when compared with other firms that have decades of experience, or the case of our friends from Margate, a century and a quarter. We are humble enough to appreciate that we don’t know everything, and our designers are regularly finding better ways to implement subtle improvements to how models go together.

We understand that this may disappoint a handful of customers who purchased the original version, but sadly, we are stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to rereleasing models. Some customers would question why it's not up to our current standards, whereas others are disgruntled that the latest version has an improvement, and the one they have invested in doesn’t have all these features. This is frustrating, but if the hobby didn’t move forward, we would all still be playing with 3-rail, tin plate models, or a rudimentary DC layout on the carpet of a living room or loft. Thankfully, we have come a long way from those heady days.

So, what do these improvements look like?

Well, not all of them are immediately obvious. But let us assure you that they are there. A previous example is the improvements that we made to the last batch of the sound-fitted Stirling Singles, which were different to the original release and had a new sound file. 

A few examples of upcoming models with these improvements are the OO Gauge GWR 45xx and HR Loch Class. Now technically, these aren’t re-run models, but they do share common parts with models that have come before. Since the HR ‘Jones Goods’ and 44xx were designed, we have gained a much better understanding of implementing stay-alives into a model's hardware. So, rather than just making these new models to the same standard as their counterparts, we have fitted stay-alives to both of them.

The inclusion of the NEM 363 of the aforementioned 6-wheel brake van means those who want to fit aftermarket couplers can do so more easily. These sorts of ‘Quality of life’ type inclusions just make for a better model in our opinion. We hope you like them.

It is worth mentioning that these changes to re-run models are always ‘where possible’, and as much as we take on feedback from customers, we cannot always include everything that some people would like, because this can take a model's re-run from being a nice addition to the range to an unviable project. So please be mindful that by shouting loudly or repeatedly, you won’t always get what you desire. The squeaky wheel doesn’t always get the grease! Constructive feedback is much appreciated, so please keep that up.

Well, that rounds off April nicely. Our sights are now firmly set on the rest of Spring and, of course, this weekend's event in Eastleigh.

We look forward to seeing many of you tomorrow at Narrow Gauge South and remember to keep an eye on your inbox over the weekend!

The Rapido Trains UK Team