Rapido Trains UK Narrow Gauge South 2026 Announcement

©2026 Rapido Trains Ltd

Have you had a lovely summer holiday?

We certainly have, but deary me hasn’t it been warm.

Since the last newsletter our stoic warehouse team have been braving the heat to ensure that all of the Midland 483 models are packed and sent to customers. Lots of cold drinks and ice creams were at the ready so this could go off without a hitch.

Safely tucked away in their air-conditioned offices, our designers have been squirrelling away at ongoing projects so they could be progressed, and more new announcements could be made.

Mid-month Rails of Sheffield announced a wicked pre-grouping collaboration that we have been working on. More on that later though.

In contrast to this enormous exclusive loco, we have some new and more modestly sized shunters to announce. Which means exciting new industrial models for both OO Gauge and 009.

In addition to the new loco engineering prototypes that we have received, we have also had some rather pretty colour samples for some of the Batch 2 Evolution Coach liveries. You aren’t going to want to miss these.

So, let’s wrap up the summer by getting stuck into this newsletter. 

New Announcements

NEW Sentinel Steam Shunter 0-4-0 (OO Gauge)

Rapido Trains UK is proud to announce one of the most curious industrial shunters in OO Gauge. The Sentinel Steam Shunter 0-4-0.

Unlike the majority of industrial railway locomotives, the Sentinel steam shunter concept evolved from road vehicle technology rather than other railway loco designs. 

Founded in 1875, Alley & MacLellan Ltd of Polmadie, Glasgow was the original trading name of what would become the Sentinel Waggon Works Ltd. This is where the roots of the Sentinel steam shunter prototype would come from.

In 1906, the company introduced its first vertical-boiler steam road waggon. This powered the wheels via a two-cylinder undertype engine and chain drive, very reminiscent of the internal combustion engine designs that would follow, only powered by steam instead. They proved incredibly efficient and incredibly straightforward to fire and drive.

Around twenty years later, the Sentinel Waggon Works applied the same idea to its first 0-4-0 railway locomotive prototype.

Even in their earliest guises, they were well-regarded by crews and businesses. Thanks to their short wheelbase, they were capable of negotiating the tight radii of many industrial networks. When combined with their fast steam raising ability (under an hour), fantastic fuel economy and operational simplicity, they were a hit!

The steam Sentinel was built in a range of diverse styles, with the main two-cylinder vertical engine, known as the ‘BE’, being the most commonly produced before WW2. An example of the ‘BE’ was even built for the LMS. In the post-war years, different body types were produced and in greater numbers than their predecessors.

To the untrained eye, the ‘BE’ looks much like a domeless locomotive. However, on closer inspection you discover that in place of the chimney, the ‘BE’ has its vertical cylinders hidden by a round cover. This protrudes from the top of the loco's body at the front.



In place of what we would usually think of as a loco's boiler is a substantial water tank. Not only does this huge tank mean that the Sentinel could run for a prolonged period of time before filling up, but it also added considerable weight, which improved the adhesion of the loco.

Following World War Two, an improved design was produced. The tank and cylinders were also clad in a metal casing. These included access hatches so that repairs and servicing could be carried out.

Production of the Sentinel steam shunter continued right through until 1958. Though the end of an era for industrial railways, this was only part of the steam shunter's story. Sentinel would go on to adopt the internal combustion engine as its motive power, and its legacy would be continued by Rolls-Royce through the production of various Sentinel diesel locomotives. Whilst production may have finished in 1958, many locomotives continued in industry for several decades.

Unlike most industrial prototypes, the preservation movement was very kind to the Sentinel steam shunter. Surviving examples can be found the length and breadth of the country at many preserved railways – with several in working order.

Our new highly detailed OO Gauge Sentinel Steam Shunter 0-4-0 is available in both Pre-War and Post-War body types, and in a variety of colourful liveries. 

You can look forward to a smooth-running mechanism, NEM 362 coupler pockets, and an E24 decoder socket. This is in addition to a selection of optional details for you to personalise the model.

Due to the limited amount of space that the model's chassis offers, we have prioritised smooth running and have fitted a MoPower stay-alive capacitor to all versions. This has meant that a fitted speaker wasn’t viable on the smaller Pre-War variants. As such, these versions will be available in DCC-Ready and DCC-Fitted (non-sound).

Thankfully, the Post-War versions have sufficient space, so in addition to the MoPower stay-alive capacitor, they will also feature a factory-installed speaker. These versions will be available in DCC-Ready and DCC Sound-Fitted.

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. 

NEW Fowler & Co. Resilient Class 4wD (009)

Following on from one delightful little industrial shunter, we have another announcement that will scratch that industrial itch. Introducing our first diesel loco for the 009 Narrow Lines range: The Fowler & Co. Resilient Class 4wD!

The name John Fowler is held in high regard by steam enthusiasts, but the company's legacy and fan base are primarily not that of railway locomotives, but those that ran on roads and farmers' fields. John Fowler & Co. of Leeds produced some of the finest steam-powered traction engines and farming vehicles ever built. 

Not one to shy away from innovation, Fowler & Co. clearly understood the direction transport technology was heading and, as early as 1902, began working on early renditions of the internal combustion engine.

Sadly, the first traction engines to be fitted with internal combustion engines were not a success. But as the technology evolved, Fowler experimented further, and fitted their first railway locomotive with an IC engine in 1914.

Results were mixed and early petrol renditions were proving on par, but not better, than their steam-powered predecessors economically. Fowler & Co. would make a complete success of the idea in the 1930s by utilising a diesel engine instead of petrol. 

Having produced lots of narrow gauge steam locomotives for industrial work, the company designed many of its diesels with a similar spec in mind. This made them ideal for construction projects, quarries and aggregate haulage.

One of these designs was a 4wD and was assigned as the Resilient Class.

In 1936, Fowler & Co. built four diesel locomotives for the Essex Water Authority to aid in the construction of the Abberton Reservoir near Colchester. Once they served their purpose, three of the four locos were sold in 1939 to the Alpha Cement Company for their site at Cliffe in Kent. These locos were named Abberton, Layer, and Peldon. 

The locos continued to work the quarry until 1962, and the works subsequently closed in its entirety in 1970. Much of the remaining rolling stock was simply left to fall into a state of disrepair in the middle of the quarry.

Layer and Peldon were saved by the Brockham Museum Association, and No. 21295 Peldon would later be transferred to Amberley Museum in 1982. After extensive restoration from a derelict state, Peldon re-entered service in 1987.

Just like their steam predecessors, versions of the Resilient Class were built for railways across the world, and versions have survived into preservation in both India and Australia. 

The Rapido Trains UK highly detailed 009 Gauge rendition of the Fowler & Co. Resilient Class 4wD will be available in a variety of liveries.

All versions are available in both DCC-Ready and DCC-Fitted versions. They feature a small coreless motor, a MoPower stay-alive, and an E24 DCC decoder socket.

Sourcing parts to customise models can often be challenging, so we have made it as simple as possible by including a detail bag full to the brim with interesting and easy-to-fit parts. With a huge number of combinations, we are sure you will have great fun personalising your models.

These detailed parts include dumb buffers, vacuum brake gear, a grille cover, cab doors, and a selection of different front and rear headlights.

For modellers who prefer etched brass plates, the detail bag will also include painted name, build, and bonnet front manufacturer plates appropriate to the relevant version.

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

Rails of Sheffield Exclusive - GCR Class 1 ‘Sir Sam Fay’ 4-6-0 (OO Gauge)

We are incredibly pleased to announce an exciting collaboration with our friends at Rails of Sheffield to bring you an all-new pre-grouping steam loco:

The magnificent Great Central Railway Class 1 ‘Sir Sam Fay’ 4-6-0. 

Between 1912 and 1913, the GCR built a brand-new class of loco for hauling express passenger services.

Designated as the Class 1, a total of 6 would be produced. The first in the class, No. 423, was named after the railway's General Manager, Sir Sam Fay. The others received names of cities that the GCR network reached. They were regularly referred to simply as 'Sir Sam Fays'.

The Class 1's performance didn’t match its imposing aesthetic. Despite being known by enthusiasts as a spectacular-sounding loco, this noise didn’t translate to power. As such, the GCR assigned them a mixed-traffic role. They were seen in both the GCR’s lined black and lined green liveries. 

All 6 of these enormous machines were inherited by the LNER, and they were given the designation B2. However, in 1945 they were reclassified once more to B19.

The Rapido Trains UK OO Gauge GCR Class 1 ‘Sir Sam Fay’ 4-6-0 is exclusively available from Rails of Sheffield. Find out more by clicking the button below:

Rails of Sheffield Exclusive - GCR Mahogany Evolution Coach Range (OO Gauge)

To go alongside the GCR Class 1, Rails of Sheffield also have an exclusive run of GCR Mahogany Evolution Coaches. This exquisite livery enhances the beautifully liveried locos of the GCR, and gives you everything you need to create an incredibly stately train fit to conquer the lines of the East Midlands and North West.

The Rails of Sheffield exclusive GCR Mahogany Evolution Coaches will be available in Brake Third, Third, First, Composite and Full Brake non-corridor coach body variants.

Multipacks are also available, and contain a Brake Third, Third, and Composite body version: these feature a different running number to their individual counterparts.

Heads to the Rails of Sheffield website to find out more and pre-order yours today!

Brewing Up a New Livery! – New Purple Moose Brewery Livery All-Purpose Wagons (009 Gauge)

"The Moose is Loose"

Since the launch of our 009 All-Purpose Wagons, many of you have asked if we could produce some examples carrying the livery of Porthmadog's famous Purple Moose Brewery.

With such eye-catching branding and company colours, it was impossible to resist. We have added three amoose-ing versions to our range, and they are available to pre-order now. 

You can choose from the Cylindrical Tank Wagon, Dropside Open Wagon and Round-Ended Flat Wagon (with crate of beer) versions.

Order books for these additional versions will close on Monday, the 28th of September, so don’t moose your chance and get your orders in quickly!

Product Updates

Hell-O There! - SER O Class Engineering Prototype (OO Gauge)

Last month we showed you quite a few new Southern Region rolling stock samples; this month we thought you might like to see some progress on the perfect loco to haul them. 

Much like the Star Wars saga, we covered the middle and end of the loco's story in model form first. So, now it's time for the sequel model, which is historically the prequel loco. We hope you are following this timeline; there will be a test at the end. 

When you put the O Class next to its rebuilt sibling, the O1, you really get to see just how different they are. Before undergoing the upgrade, the O Class had a smaller boiler, meaning it sat lower on the frame and changed the height of the backhead in the cab.

When combined with the distinctly round Stirling cab design, the entire profile of the cab is different to the O1. This offers a classic and sleeker look than its successor. 

You’ve already had a little look at the lovely cab details, so let's turn our attention to the tender. There are two different tender top designs: garden shed or coalboard. The version your model will feature varies depending on whether you’ve chosen one from SER and early SECR days, or later SECR and Southern.

The later representations also feature extensions on the tender front, and steps and lamp irons on the rear. These versions also have a nifty toolbox to round off the tooling variations.

We are really impressed with these prototypes so far, and we hope you are too. Once they receive their full liveries like their rebuilt O1 counterpart (above left) we think they will look even more splended.

Seeing as this is the first-ever ready-to-run SER loco model to be made we are very excited. Don't forget to pre-order your accompanying wagons!

A Colourful Collection of Coaches – Evolution Coaches Batch 2 Colour Production Samples (OO Gauge)

Project Evolution has progressed even further this month.

We have received colour production samples for many of the Batch 2 liveries. Let's take a look at which ones have arrived in a bit more detail, as there are some wonderfully colourful liveries in this batch.

If you model the railways of Scotland, ready-to-run coaching stock is almost non-existent. Well, we’ve started to right that wrong in Batch 2; it includes some superb examples from the Caledonian Railway and Highland Railway. The Purple Madder and White livery that the Caledonian favoured for their coaching stock was quite a striking combination, particularly when paired with the gorgeous blue of a CR loco. These look so good coupled to our CR No.123, which will also be arriving later this year. 

With the number of OO Gauge Great Eastern Railway and the North Eastern Railway ready-to-run locos gradually increasing, we suspect many of you are looking for some suitable coaching stock. Both of these Eastern Region railways finished their coaches in a stately dark red livery (albeit in a slightly different tone from one another). Fitted with Clerestory roofs and finished with a different lining pattern on the coach sides and ends, the North Eastern versions really look the business. It's no wonder the NER confidently wrote their company name across the centre of each coach; they had something to be proud of. 

It's impressive how a slight tweak to the roof type, lighting fittings and lining can completely change the look of Evolution Coaches despite being a similar colour. These Great Eastern examples are going to look incredible coupled with the eye-catching blue locos of the GER.

The LMS network stretched the length and breadth of the country, so these beautiful Evolution coaches are the perfect candidate for modellers whose layouts represent everywhere between London and the furthest reaches of Scotland. What a great pairing for the recently arrived Midland 483 too!

The North of England had a plethora of railways serving its residents, and the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway were one of the largest, with lines stretching from coast-to-coast. Our upcoming L&Y Class 25 is going to look right at home coupled to these classy coaches, and with the engineering prototypes arriving last month, who are we to say no to a good thing!

The L&Y joined forces with the LNWR shortly before the grouping and would soon be incorporated into the LMS. 

There are a huge number of locos available for GWR in ready-to-run. Sadly, coaching stock that covers all of the company's history, particularly earlier eras, is unfortunately somewhat lacking. We have included a different GWR livery in Batches 1,2 and 3, each covering a wide spectrum of eras. The Batch 2 examples are of a pre-1904 livery, ideal for those who are modelling the GWR around the turn of the last century, or those who just like pretty chocolate and cream Clerestory roof coaches. 

Southerners rejoice, the LSWR liveried versions from Batch 2 have also arrived. With the recent arrival of a rather well-known LSWR loco from another manufacturer, we are willing to bet you are going to want some coaches to run with it. The Salmon and Brown livery is quite conspicuous, meaning that passengers travelled in style, no matter what class compartment they sat in. Ideal for the constant flow of boat trains and holiday makers heading to and from the major ports of the Southwest coast.

That's what we've received so far. We appreciate that isn’t all of them, but fear not, Metropolitan and London Transport liveries are in production too. We will include the remaining livery samples in a future newsletter once they have arrived. Watch this space!

We have pretty much sold out of Batch 2 liveries directly through our website; however, many of our Official Retailers have made pre-orders for stock of the entire range. So, if we have sold out of the version you seek, we suggest heading to your chosen Official Retailer with haste to guarantee the ones you want!

Don’t forget, we also recently announced the Evolution Horsebox and Open Carriage truck. Both ranges include matching liveries for the majority of the Evolution Coach Batch 2. So, you can bolster your trains with some interesting additions. Order books are open for both of these ranges, and you can pre-order yours directly through our website or via any of our Official Retailers.

Oh, and if you have pre-ordered the liveries from Batch 3, don’t panic; we haven’t forgotten you. These samples were so good, we have decided to close the order book on the Batch 3 liveries. More on that later in the newsletter.

Artwork Adjustments – Amendments to Some WD LSWR / WD 20T Brake Van Liveries (OO Gauge)

We are incredibly fortunate to be able to say that many highly experienced railway experts are friends of Rapido. On occasion, one of them gets in touch with us and politely queries our choices for liveries, art, running numbers, etc. Recently, we were contacted by one of our experts who had identified a couple of minor errors in the artwork that we first published for the OO Gauge WD LSWR / WD 20T Brake Van.

Rather than just leave it as it was, we set our designers to work and made the necessary changes.

The following amendments have been made:

SKU 820001 and 820002 (LSWR Brown)-max load marking has been updated to read ‘LOAD ONE TON’

SKU 820005 (GER Grey) – Now has black buffers.

SKU 820017 (LPTB Grey)- Running number has been corrected to No.32.

Order books are still open for the OO Gauge WD LSWR / WD 20T Brake Van.

You can pre-order yours directly via our website or from any of our Official Retailers. 

Delivery Updates

Midland in the Mail - Midland 483 has arrived! (OO Gauge)

Early this month, the Midland 483 arrived in our warehouse with appropriate pomp and ceremony. After passing our QC checks with flying colours, they were ready to be sent to customers and retailers.

UK Orders have been dispatched to retailers, and email reminders have gone out to domestic direct customers. If you have pre-ordered from one of our many Official Retailers, you should hear from them shortly.

If you are a UK-based customer who has pre-ordered directly via our website and haven’t received a reminder email, please get in touch with our customer service department, and they will help you complete your order.

If you are an international customer, emails will be going out to you shortly. These contain a link so you can complete your order. We appreciate your patience, and please keep an eye on your emails!

We cannot wait to see these gorgeous locos on your layouts, particularly hauling rakes of our Evolution Coaches. So, please, send us some photos or share them on our social media posts. 

Orderbook Closing Dates

Our first 009 loco, the Kerr, Stuart & Co. Sirdar Class, arrived recently, and we have been inundated with photos, videos and congratulatory emails from happy customers. It’s only fitting that we keep this party going and take our next loco in the scale into production. To do this, we have to wrap up the order book and finalise just how many of them you folks would like. Wrapping up at the same time is our OO Gauge WD 35T Rectank, with so many cool loads and great uses, we are looking forward to seeing the final versions of this wartime wagon.

With this in mind. Make sure you get your pre-orders in by Monday, the 31^st of August for the following items:

• Peckett & Sons Cranmore Class (009 Gauge)
• WD 35T Rectank (OO Gauge)

September has some big order books closing, so pay attention!

The first batch of 009 All-purpose Wagons went down a storm, so we are keen to move the others into production so more of you can enjoy them.

Following the lovely samples that we just received for Batch 2 of the Evolution Coaches, we thought we should also wrap up the Batch 3 liveries and move them to production.

Order book closes on Monday, the 28^th of September for the following:

• All-Purpose 009 Wagons Batch 2 (New tooling and liveries)
• Evolution Coaches - Batch 3 liveries

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. 

It's Show Time!

The National Festival of Railway Modelling – Birmingham NEC – 21^st to 22^nd November 2026.

That’s right, folks, the major show season is approaching. There is a lot of cool stuff up our sleeves, samples on the way, and new announcements to be made between now and then. We have plenty to talk to you all about and plenty of models to show off. 

You can pre-order your tickets for the show now. Find out more here.

What project are you most looking forward to seeing? What questions do you have? What surprises do you think we are going to have for you?

Well, if you want to find out, you’ll just have to join us for the festivities. Oh, and keep an eye on future newsletters for all of the latest samples that we will be bringing with us. 

Dockside Day Out – Sentinel Steam Shunter 'Ann' Visits Chatham Dockyard This Weekend!

Our sponsorship of this event makes more sense now that the cat's out of the proverbial bag, and we’ve made today's announcement. Steam is coming back to Chatham Dockyard!

We're thrilled to be sponsoring a guest steam engine for the August Bank Holiday weekend's Steam on the Square...

7232 Sentinel 'Ann' is making her inaugural visit to the South and will be steaming into The Historic Dockyard Chatham for one weekend only.

Ordered by British Tar Products Ltd of Cadishead in South Manchester and built by Sentinel of Shrewsbury in 1927 (mostly known for their road-going steam vehicles). 'Ann' features a vertical boiler plus encased engine and cylinders. As mentioned above, these locomotives were economical and could be driven by one man with very little maintenance or preparation, making them ideal for small operations.

She entered into service in the autumn of 1927 and was the works' sole shunter, moving tar and other related products around the site.

Based at the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway in West Yorkshire, 'Ann' is visiting Chatham with thanks to her owners Callum Porter and Chris Boocock.

After we had so much fun taking Marcia to Chatham Dockyard last year, we thought we would sponsor another stout steamer’s visit; that way we could have a play again. We might even wave some sound recording equipment at it while we are there. There are few venues with such an epic backdrop as the railway that runs through the dockyard; can you think of a better location to complete our recordings? It’s a tough job, but someone's got to do it!

You can join us this Bank Holiday weekend at the Historic Dockyard Chatham for Steam on the Square: Dockyard in Motion.

You can find out more about this event by clicking on the button below:

Thought of The Month

ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?! – Should Rapido Make Even MORE Big Locos?

From time to time, the Rapido staff meet people in our regular walk of life that recognise the company name, which is awesome, because it must mean we are doing something right. Of course, we know that we will see many of you at shows, model railway clubs or preserved railways. However, on occasion we get to enjoy interactions with Rapido fans in the most unlikely of places.

Our resident copywriter, Chris, had such an experience at a recent wedding he attended. It was too good not to share. 

Chris: Settling down into my seat it became quickly apparent that I had been sat on the table earmarked for fellow geeks. It didn’t take long to realise I had quite a bit in common with the three merry gentlemen who were dressed in kilts. A perplexing fashion choice given the happy couple were not Scottish, neither were they and we were in North Kent. Alas, who am I to deny a chap a little bit of breeze in this weather?

Throughout the consumption of fermented liquids, I discovered that one of the three loved trains. Being a proud of my employee, I asked if he was familiar with Rapido.

After admitting he did, the inebriated fellow jumped out of his seat and raced round to kneel down in front of mine. “I have a bone to pick with you” was the first thing that left his mouth.

“Right, Rapido make some of the finest new toolings around, but why have you only produced a bunch of small shunters and a load of 0-6-0s. No big locos! What gives?!”

Given that moments earlier I had been watching some of the awesome videos of the recently arrived S160 that had been shared on our social channels, I confess I was somewhat bemused by the comment.

I politely pointed out that the S160 had only just arrived, and that not so long ago the Jones Goods and Stirling Single had arrived, and gone out to customers who are thoroughly enjoying them. I then mentioned that the U Class, County, Caley 123 and D40 were announced and on the way.

The response was simple: “No, something BIG! Maybe with a Sulzer engine! Yeah, that’s what you need to do, more big stuff”

He must have missed our range of Peaks in both N Gauge and TT120!

As much as I wanted to hear him ardently sing the praises of the company, you have to realise that some minds are made up, particularly those who have had a celebratory tipple or six.

So, to this chap and the rest of our newsletter readers I ask: Are You Not Entertained?!

In the end of the day, all feedback is constructive, and the accuracy of the feedback is irrelevant. Either the chap has a point and we should consider looking at a greater number of big locos, or maybe we aren’t explaining just how BIG some of our models are.

What do the wider audience of our newsletter think? Was this tartan-clad gentleman correct? Has he missed a bunch of announcements and releases, or has he hit the nail on the head? Do we need to produce more large locos? 

Rapido UK: Thanks, Chris. Good questions - let's hear your thoughts!

Anyway, that wraps up a scorcher of a summer. Big shows are looming, so it's time to chain the designers to their desks, lock the doors and dust off the BIG WHIP*.

*No designers were hurt in the making of this newsletter!

Ta-ra for now.

The Rapido Trains UK Team

Jason: Um... hello?

Rapido UK: Yes, Jason. How may we help you?

Jason: I'd like to share some news from the other side of the Atlantic. My layout, the HO scale Kingston Subdivision, is the cover feature in the latest issue of Railroad Model Craftsman (RMC). RMC is the premier model railway magazine in North America.

I have a monthly column in RMC, though sadly I rarely get to mention Cyberman, Zarbi or Kraals. Very few people in North America even know what a Police Box is! It's a lovely treat to get a whole feature. Below is one of the photos I took for the article. The only thing Photoshopped was the sky I added in. The rest is straight from the camera.

If you want to see more, you can click here to order the one issue or click here to subscribe to the magazine. You can also follow the (slow) layout progress on my layout Facebook page, here.

Rapido UK: That wasn't too bad, actually. Thanks, Jason.

Jason: No problem! Oh, and did you see the mask for my new Master costume as played by Peter Pratt in the 1976 Doctor Who story The Deadly Assassin? When it's ready, this costume is going to be a zinger! Like, it's really going to terrify the neighbours! Wow!

Rapido UK: Audible sigh.

See you all next month!