Rapido Trains UK New No.72

©2026 Rapido Trains Ltd

It’s time to set the alarm so Green Day can wake up; September is almost over already. We assume they were dreaming about trains!

Yep, we are at the end of September already. Where has the rest of this year gone?

In the last newsletter we signed it off with a declaration to our heads down and shackle our designers to their desks; well, this month you get to see the fruits of their labour. Thankfully, it would appear copious amounts of tea and the promise of working on some really cool projects were all the encouragement they needed. The team have been working on big things, small things, things that smoke, and things that don’t. But you are just going to have to wait to see what we are talking about over the coming months.

Enough of this shameless teasing, let's move on. You want to know what we have got for you this month.

Well, we have two new OO Gauge locos to announce; one is a Southern region pre-grouping fan favourite, and the other expands our industrial loco fleet with a quirky little diesel shunter. Anyone who knows the Sentinel Steam Shunters history will not be surprised by this last announcement.

We’ve also had a variety of engineering samples turn up at Rapido HQ over the last few weeks, and a large quantity of painted production samples. This is really exciting, as it means projects are progressing nicely and we have plenty of things for you to see.

There are also a few important shipping updates that we think will make many of you very happy.

Grab your briefcase and top hat, or maybe your bucket and spade (not that you’ll be able to make many sandcastles on Brighton Beach), as we start this month's newsletter by heading south for a brand-new suburban steamer. 

New Announcements

LB&SCR D1 0-4-2T (OO Gauge)

Following our incredibly popular LB&SCR E1, we are pleased to announce our second OO Gauge Brighton loco: the much-loved LB&SCR D1 0-4-2T. Where the E1 was designed to cover freight traffic across the Brighton lines, the D1 primarily fulfilled suburban passenger duties. Making them the perfect complement to their sister loco and the ideal candidate to add to your Brighton or Southern collection. 

At the start of the 1870’s there was a dramatic increase in passengers on the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, particularly those commuting to and from London.

The now famous A1 Class ‘Terriers’ had proved effective in many ways; however, they simply couldn’t cope with what was required. Struggling with the larger, heavier internal trains, the A1 0-6-0Ts were unable to effectively haul suburban services to the speeds and distances required. Although the LB&SCR had several larger classes of tender loco at their disposal, these caused havoc with the timetable on these shorter services as they took additional time to turn them at either end of their journey.

Up stepped William Stroudley, Locomotive Superintendent of the LB&SCR. He designed a new 0-4-2 tank engine, specifically outfitted to haul this type of train. The new loco would be designated as the D1, or more commonly the ‘D-Tank’ by crews and railway staff. 

Between 1873 and 1887, one hundred and twenty-five examples of the class were built. The majority were built at the railway's Brighton Works; however, thirty-five were outsourced to Neilson and Co. as the Works were already full of other loco classes being constructed at the time.

Despite their size, the D1 boasted an impressive power-to-weight ratio and fuel consumption. This, combined with their good acceleration, enabling them to keep to the timetable, and smooth running, made them very popular with crews. The Class’s ability to pull pretty much anything required also made them a favourite of Shed Foremen, as they could be used to supplement services as required.

In their earlier years, the class were primarily based at London-area engine sheds. As more of the class were constructed, they were disbursed further across the Brighton network.

As newer and more powerful locos such as the E4 came into service, the D1s were relied on less and less for regular heavier services. A handful underwent an upgrade and were classified as the D1X, though these weren’t a success.

The Southern Railway inherited one hundred and eleven D1s and one D1X at the grouping in 1923, and subsequently the SR modified many of them with push-pull equipment.

This led to their redeployment across the entire Southern network: examples could be found at Ashford and Yeovil sheds, along with a variety of other locations where they could be used on branch line push-pull services, meaning they had found homes across all three of the Southern’s constituencies.

During the early stages of WW2, many had been placed into store in case of loco shortages. When the LMS requested locos suitable for light passenger duties, seven D1s were sent, finding a home in Scotland, where they worked until 1944. The class also played a vital role during the conflict, as nine were converted to have firefighting equipment; these were stationed at different sheds across the South to combat incendiary bombing.

In 1948, one D1 was purchased by Lancashire County Council for service on the Whittingham Light Railway; a unusual line that served the needs of the local psychiatric hospital.

Twenty examples of the D1 survived until BR ownership, but all had been condemned by the early 1950s. This left the WLR-owned loco as the sole survivor. Serious boiler defects meant this example was scrapped in 1956, meaning that sadly none were saved for preservation.

Our new OO Gauge rendition of the LB&SCR D1 0-4-2T will be available in a variety of liveries. These include various LB&SCR and SR versions. The range also includes a loco in Whittingham Light Railway condition and a ‘What-if’ BR Malachite livery.

You can look forward to a smooth-running mechanism, enhanced with a MoPower stay-alive capacitor, all-wheel pickups, and powered rear wheels.

Tooling differences throughout the range include different boilers, tanks, smokeboxes, chimneys, domes, safety valves, whistles, brake blocks, Westinghouse pumps, and many more. Certain versions are then equipped with push-pull equipment, condensing pipes, air reservoir tanks and more. 

Other features include a factory-installed speaker, front and rear NEM 362 coupler pockets, sprung buffers, a Next18 DCC decoder socket, and firebox flicker with a dynamic fire draw effect on DCC-fitted models.

These locos are the perfect accompaniment to our LBSC liveried Evolution coaches. Orderbooks for these close next Monday so get your orders in quick!

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 our website or from any of our Official Retailers. 

Exclusive LB&SCR D1 0-4-2T Liveries (OO Gauge)

In addition to our extensive selection of liveries in the newly announced OO Gauge LB&SCR D1 0-4-2T range, there are several exclusive liveries that will also be available. 

Kernow Model Rail Centre No.274 ‘Guildford’ and No.229 ‘Dorking’ LBSCR Improved Engine Green Exclusive Liveries

Our friends at Kernow Model Rail Centre have two stylish Improved Engine Green exclusive versions available for you to choose from. With the LBSCR naming their locos after local destinations, it was unsurprising that the guys at Kernow wanted Guildford as an exclusive livery, as that’s where their second store resides. Who were we to say no to that request!

Just down the road from Guildford and nestled in the Surrey Hills is Dorking, so it's also no great surprise that they chose this one too.

Both LB&SCR No.274 ‘Guildford’ and No.229 ‘Dorking’ are finished in the ever-popular IEG livery and are available to pre-order directly from Kernow Model Rail Centre. Don’t worry, you don’t have to make the trip to Surrey to get one; you can also head to their website to find out more and order yours today!

Uckfield Model Railway Club No.27 ‘Uckfield’ LBSCR Improved Engine Green Exclusive Livery

We’ve also partnered up with the lovely folks at Uckfield Model Railway Club. Given that their club's logo is of D1 No.27 ‘Uckfield’, we thought we should probably approach them to see if they would like to take a limited run of the namesake loco. Thankfully they agreed!

The club will be formally launching this over the next few weeks. Keep an eye on the club’s website for more information and how to place your pre-order.

Don’t forget the Uckfield Model Railway Exhibition will be taking place on Saturday & Sunday 17th & 18th October 2026 at the Uckfield Civic Centre. As this is the club’s annual event, they will be on hand to answer any questions and hopefully take your pre-order for this eye-catching exclusive model.

Bluebell Railway Carriage Shop & Goods Division No.236 ‘Ardingly’ LBSCR Improved Engine Green Exclusive Livery.

It would be fair to say that the Bluebell Railway is the Preservation home of the LBSCR, and the railway has big aspirations that it could return to the Ardingly branch line.

Working hand-in-hand with some of the good folks who help keep this incredible railway alive, we are pleased to offer another exclusive livery. Seeing as the LBSCR named one of their D1’s after the branch's main station, it seems incredibly appropriate that the Bluebell Carriage Shop at Horsted Keynes and Bluebell Railway Goods Division will be offering this locomotive as an exclusive run with all the profits going towards the ongoing restoration of the Bluebell Railway wagon fleet.

You can pre-order No.236 ‘Ardingly’ in LBSCR Improved Engine Green Livery exclusively by visiting their website HERE.

Thomas Hill Sentinel Rebuild 4wDH (OO Gauge)

Last month we announced the Sentinel Steam Shunter. Throughout this loco's interesting history, several versions were converted to diesel motive power. This month we follow the Steam Shunter with an exciting new announcement of the later diesel variants: the Thomas Hill Sentinel Rebuild 4wDH. 

Thomas Hill Limited of Rotherham was founded in 1937, and its principal business was the repair and servicing of steam-powered road vehicles; by 1942 they adapted their business to provide the same service for battery-electric vehicles. 

With the Sentinel Waggon Works Ltd. experimenting with diesel motive power, Thomas Hill Ltd showed an interest in the evolving new technology and signed an agency agreement with the Sentinel Company.

Renamed Thomas Hill (Commercial Vehicles) Limited, their agreement meant they would complete the sales and servicing of Sentinel steam and diesel road vehicles, and steam rail locomotives.

By the 1950s, Sentinel diesel sales had declined, and in 1956 Rolls-Royce acquired the Sentinel Waggon Works factory for diesel engine production.

They also agreed to complete the remaining Sentinel steam rail locomotives.

In 1957, Rolls-Royce began work on diesel locomotives alongside the last of the steam locomotives. Thomas Hill would assist in the design and development of these diesel machines and would be the sole distributor.

Working from their new Kilnhurst Works, which was situated at Kilnhurst Central station of the Great Central Railway, Thomas Hill Ltd set to work on the next generation of Sentinel shunters.



Opening the works in late 1959, some of the earliest orders obtained were for Sentinel steam locomotives to be rebuilt with diesel-hydraulic engines. 

For most steam locomotives, this type of conversion is simply out of the question. Thanks to the gear and chain-driven design of the Steam Sentinel locos, this wasn’t a fantasy. Design work had started as early as 1958, but it was not until the opening of the new works that real progress could be made.

Retaining the original steam loco's chassis, wheels, and final transmission, the rest was removed and replaced. In its place, a 6-cylinder or 8-cylinder Rolls-Royce diesel engine was inserted along with a torque converter, gearbox, entirely new body, cab, buffer beams and buffers.

In addition to this, quality-of-life upgrades were made for the driver by making the controls easy to use and providing better all-round visibility. Recessed steps and side skirts were also added for the safety of the shunter on duty.

The first converted locomotive No.101c left the factory in January 1960. Throughout that year, Thomas Hill Limited completed four of these steam-to-diesel conversions and a further seven in 1961. To differentiate these converted locos, they were allocated works numbers with a 'c' suffix ('c' for conversion).

These newly converted locos were used in a variety of industrial railways and could be found across the UK in an eclectic mix of different types of industries.

Preserved operational examples can be found at the Foxfield Railway and Chasewater Railway.



Our new highly detailed OO Gauge Thomas Hill Sentinel Rebuild 4wDH is available in a variety of colourful liveries. 

You can look forward to a smooth-running mechanism, NEM 362 coupler pockets, and an E24 decoder socket.

These locos will be available in DCC-Ready and DCC Sound-Fitted forms. All are fitted with MoPower stay-alive capacitor and a factory-installed speaker.

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. 

Rails of Sheffield Exclusive Tooling – Streamlined Steam Sentinel Shunter (OO Gauge)

We are incredibly pleased to announce an exciting collaboration with our friends at Rails of Sheffield. Together, we are able to bring you an alternative body tooling for the Sentinel Steam Shunter. 

This new range features locomotives with streamlined bodies.



Several examples were built like this during World War Two, and the design acted as a stopgap between the squat pre-war design and the boxy post-war examples. A streamlined design was certainly an interesting design choice, given the locos' limited top speed. It did bring a level of style to an otherwise utilitarian locomotive.  

Much like their pre- and post-war cousins, the Streamlined Sentinel was sold to a variety of private industrial enterprises and could be found across the UK.



The Rails of Sheffield Exclusive OO Gauge Streamlined Steam Sentinel Shunter will be available in a variety of colourful liveries, including ‘What if’ Black with Wasp Stripes, Hendersons Relish, and G. Fawkes versions.

It is available in DCC-Ready and DCC Sound-Fitted versions.

Head to the Rails of Sheffield website to find out more and pre-order your Streamlined Steam Sentinel Shunter today!

Product Updates

Brake Vans for All! - LSWR / WD 20T Brake Van Engineering Prototype (OO Gauge)

In addition to the work that we have completed to bring you oodles of lovely new announcements this month, we have also progressed other projects too.

Our factory has sent us engineering prototypes of the upcoming OO Gauge LSWR / WD 20T Brake Van.

Due to the high number of different builders, the prototype featured a multitude of subtle differences. We have included many of these in the range, and you will notice a wide variety of tooling variants. These lovely new undecorated samples illustrate the differences perfectly. Let’s take a closer look at some of them.

One of the most noticeable differences is the van's sides. Some feature fully panelled sides, whereas others have a convenient door, making them great for branch line work and side loading. The models fitted with the doors also feature separately fitted handles and catches.

A delightful little feature is the windows on either end. Not only are the models glazed, but they also have the bars that were fitted to protect the windows. These very fine parts are separately fitted metal wires. Incredible. 

Jutting out from the van sides, it's hard to ignore the differences between the ducket variants. Panelled, boarded-over or plain riveted versions can be found throughout the range and as you can see from these close-ups the rivet and panelling detail is fantastic.

While we are on the subject of duckets, their main purpose is to give the guard a clear view down the length of the train without leaving the comfort of his warm van. Despite their relatively minimal depth, we have even managed to squeeze glazing into both ends.

This is only a handful of features that vary; if you look at the pictures, you will notice different lamp iron patterns, roof styles and buffer types.

It wouldn’t be a Rapido wagon without a fully detailed underframe, and these models do not disappoint. In addition to the brake rigging and footboards, these models also feature 3 types of axle box.

The production models will have the roof firmly glued in place, so it doesn’t get lost or damaged. However, there are some wonderful internal details that have been included in the guard’s compartment.

We appreciate that one of this range's biggest strengths is its livery selection. This means that folks who model the London Passenger Transport Board, Cambrian, North British, Great Eastern, and Metropolitan Railway get to enjoy a ready-to-run brake van model of an accurate prototype for the first time. We are looking forward to seeing the colour production prototypes further down the line and will keep you updated in future newsletters.

Order books are still open for the OO Gauge LSWR / WD 20T Brake Van, and you can pre-order yours directly through our website, or via any of our Official Retailers. 

Even more Evo. – Remaining Evolution Coach Batch 2 Colour Production Samples (OO Gauge)

Last month we showed your painted production samples for the vast majority of the Batch 2 liveries for the Evolution Coach range. There were a handful of absent liveries, and we promised we would show them to you as soon as they arrived. Well, here they are in all their glory!

Emerging from underground are the Metropolitan and London Transport Evolution coaches. Although we closed the order books on these a little after the other Batch 2 liveries, they will be arriving together with the others from Batch 2. Remember, we have also tweaked them, so they now have a more appropriate design, featuring round top doors and guards' compartments with no duckets. Much like the GNR versions from Batch 1, the Metropolitan versions have a glorious teak finish. These won’t disappoint!

The final sample to arrive is one that is very close to our hearts at Rapido. The Kent & East Sussex Railway Livery. This gorgeous two-coach pack are perfect to run with a multitude of ready-to-run models from other manufacturers. The upcoming Rails of Sheffield Exclusive Terrier from our friends at Dapol springs to mind. Let's not forget that many of the line's services were completed by the SECR O1 Class during the BR era. With No. 30164 and 31065 seen regularly (we make models of both of these in case you missed them!).

Run some hop picker specials or have some fun recreating one of the most quirky branch lines in the UK; the choice is yours. Remember, proceeds from this livery are being donated to the Peckett No.1631 ‘Marcia’ fund. Our very own locomotive, and long-term K&ESR resident.  There are only a handful of these coach packs left, and they are only available directly through our website. So, if you are still looking to add them to your collection, head to our website now and place your pre-order before they are all gone!

We have a very limited number of Metropolitan livery Evolution Coaches left. If we have sold out of the version you seek, we recommend contacting your preferred Rapido Official Retailer, as many of them have taken stock of these models. 

Painted PO! - RCH 1907 PO Wagon 2025 Range Colour Production Samples (OO Gauge)

We earned ourselves a bit of a reputation for making some rather special OO Gauge PO wagons, and the 2025 range is no different.

Earlier this month, we received these lovely new painted production samples of this forthcoming batch. All versions in this batch are a 7-plank design and feature side and end doors. 

Models in the 2025 range also include subtle detail differences, such as ribbed or smooth-tapered buffers, square, rounded or Ellis axle boxes, straight or bent ‘V’ hangers, and single- or double-sided brakes. Our factory has carefully selected samples that demonstrate all of the above differences. Which one did you spot first?

Although these are some of the most detailed PO wagons ever made in OO Gauge (you’ll see even more in the next article), the joy of painted production samples really is the livery finish. Our factory has whipped up some of the more challenging ones. Let's take a look at these in a bit more detail.

Yellow writing over dark Blue! We are willing to bet that wasn’t popular with the carriage and wagon shop. Looks great, doesn’t it?

When making models, the same challenges present themselves as occur when painting the full-sized equivalent. Vibrant and dark colours can bleed through when applying light coloured writing over them. We think you'll agree that the coverage on these models is spot on and the yellow pops without any blue showing through. 

Whoever designed the original Aberpergwm wagon livery must have been paid by the letter. PO wagons were a mobile advert, and the design has left nothing up to chance with this smorgasbord of information. We are so pleased that this was one our factory sent, and it goes to show that their ability is second to none when it comes to adding details to the decoration.

PO wagons we sent all over the country, which resulted in destination and ‘Return To’ markings varying greatly. We have coupled a selection of the newly received samples to one of our GWR 44xx tanks to give it a bit of a Welsh feel. But scenes like this would have been repeated throughout the length and breadth of the county, so let your creativity go wild. 

In the previous batch of RCH PO wagons, we included a couple that made it to BR ownership. These looked great, but we thought we could do better, so we included a couple more in this batch and tried to improve on the finish.

Common practice was to remove or not repaint the original livery that the wagon was finished in and just add a P at the beginning of the wagon's number. They also often had replacement planks to extend their lifespan even further. We are really pleased with how this BR ex-Swansea Navigation PO has turned out and know it will add a nice bit of variety to the greys and browns of the BR-era freight rakes. 

We are pleased to say that these samples arrived early this month. This meant we were able to sign them off for their final stage of production, and the factory has already completed them. So, they will be on the way very soon; more on this in our shipping updates.

We have a handful of these still available to pre-order, but if we have sold out of your desired livery, remember that many of our Official Retailers have taken stock of the wicked wagons. We recommend contacting them as soon as possible if you don’t want to miss out. 

Sodium Chloride Samples! - RCH 1907 Peaked-Roof Salt Van Colour Production Samples (OO Gauge)

Following on nicely from the RCH PO open wagons, we have also received colour production samples of another type of PO wagon; this one’s even got an all-new body type. The RCH 1907 Peaked-Roof Salt Van.

Although salt was known to be delivered in large quantities from time to time, it wasn’t uncommon to see a solitary peaked roof van amongst a mixed freight rake. Don’t forget, many of these wagons remained in their colourful liveries right through to the BR steam era. So, it won’t matter which era you model; these will fit in right at home. As you can see, whichever version you do choose, they ARE going to add a splash of colour to your layout. 

Much like our other PO wagons, the Peaked-Roof Salt Van range includes quite a few axle box variants. The 5 different axle box versions are square, rounded, Ellis grease, Oil 116, or RCH split oil designs. Can you spot which ones have been included in these samples?

We do like our fish and chips, but we think the Operations Department may have over-ordered on the salt: these salt wagons are being unloaded at the model Rapido warehouse. You are just going to have to sit tight and wait for the final production models to arrive at the real Rapido Warehouse. Not long now; they are also expected in Q4 of this year.  

With erosion from the salt and a long lifespan, these brand-new wagons are begging for weathering. We can't wait to see what wicked weathering you give them. Just make sure you send us a picture of it when it's done and on your layout. 

Theres only a handful of these still available to pre-order via our website, so if you still want to add these spectacularly salty wagons to your collection, we suggest you get your pre-orders in as swiftly as possible. 

STOP PRESS! – Rails of Sheffield Exclusive LBSC 4-Wheel & 6-Wheel Brake Van Colour Production Samples (OO Gauge)

Coinciding nicely with our latest loco announcement, we have received some rather appropriate colour production samples. The Rails of Sheffield Exclusive LBSC 4-Wheel & 6-Wheel Brake Van. 

These only arrived shortly before this newsletter hit your inbox, so we still need to thoroughly check and test them. But first impressions count, and we are very impressed with what we have seen.

What do you think?

With the arrival of the LBSCR 8-Ton Goods Van last month, today’s announcement of an LBSCR passenger loco, and these lovely samples arriving, Brighton modellers have never had it better.

Rapido has now produced everything you need to create a complete LBSCR freight and passenger train. Hopefully, that inspires you to build your own pre-grouping Brighton layout. 

To find out more and order your LBSC 4-Wheel & 6-Wheel Brake Van, head to the Rails of Sheffield website now!

Up Periscope! – A U-Boat Update – New SR U Class Engineer Prototypes (OO Gauge)

We’ve had a few of you kindly asking how we are progressing on the OO Gauge U Class. Well, we have some news for you. Updated Engineering Prototypes have surfaced! Though we were impressed with our first engineering prototypes, there were a couple of key areas we felt we could improve so there was greater consistency of appearance.

This involved a minor redesign and retooling of certain parts, but we are sure you will agree that the minor delay has been well worth it. Firstly, we have tweaked the valve gear so that there are more metal parts, meaning that the final model will have a more consistent finish across it.

Here's a close-up so you can see what we mean. Smart, isn’t it! We have also updated one of the chimneys. Replacing the multi-part plastic rendition of the early type with a single-piece cast metal version has removed the line between the two parts. We hope you like these changes; we certainly think they are worthwhile. As the valve gear can impact how the model runs, these will now have to be tested thoroughly again.

The order books will remain open for a little longer until we are satisfied that these are up to our standards and can be moved through to the production phase of their development. If you are yet to order OO Gauge U SR Class, the order book is open, and you can pre-order your models directly from www.RapidoTrains.co.uk today or from any of our Official Retailers. Remember, there are quite a few liveries in Batch 3 of the Evolution Coach range that would make the perfect train for your U Class. With order books closing soon, make sure you’ve pre-ordered your coaches too!

Orderbook Closing Dates

We have some big order books closing this month. They may not be locos, but these ones are not ones you aren’t going to want to miss. 

Make sure you get your pre-orders in by Monday, the 28^th of September, for the following items:

• All-Purpose Wagons Batch 2 (009 Gauge)
• Evolution Coaches - Batch 3 

As we move through to the end of October/ beginning of November, the following order book closures have a real South-Eastern flavour to them. We are also wrapping up the next batch of PO wagons too. So, you have everything you need to create an interesting and colourful pre-grouping or grouping era freight train.

Order books close on Monday, the 2^nd of November, for the following:

• SER O Class 0-6-0 (OO Gauge)
• SER/SECR 5-Plank 10 Ton Open Wagons (OO Gauge)
• SECR 20t 6-Wheel Brake Van Batch 2 (OO Gauge)
• Gloucester 7-Plank Private Owner Wagons (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. 

Factory Updates

As usual our factories have sent us some photos of ongoing production projects.

Our GWR County models are progressing well with most parts now fully decorated.

All being well we will have samples for these locomtives next month.

Whilst these have now actually been completed we couldn't resist including this image of the weathered and replaced wood effect on the end doors of our PO Wagons.

GWR 4-Planks are going thorough the decoration stages.

Lastly, our PO Salt Vans are being assembled and should be ready to ship shortly.

Delivery Updates

We have lots of models that are due to arrive soon, and we are pleased to say that our factory has completed plenty of them. But, more importantly, they are on the way! Let's take a closer look at what you can expect to arrive over the coming months. 

Consignment of Coaches! – Some Evolution Coach Batch 2 Liveries Complete and Shipped! (OO Gauge)

It wouldn’t be unjustified to say that the Evolution Coach project has been immensely popular. This has resulted in copious amounts of orders. Our factory has been working tirelessly to get the Batch 2 liveries completed, and they have already completed all the versions for four of the liveries.

These liveries are Great Eastern Railway, Highland Railway, North Eastern Railway, and the Rails of Sheffield Exclusive North British Railway.

Rather than make those who have ordered these liveries wait for the rest to be completed, the factory has agreed to send the completed versions now, so you don’t have to wait longer than necessary. We are pleased to say that these are already on the way to the UK!

Don’t panic if your preferred livery isn’t in the list above. The factory is still busily working to complete them, and they will be shipped to the UK shortly. Once we have confirmation of their departure, we will let everyone know in the following newsletter.

We have a scattering of some versions of Evolution Batch 2 still available to pre-order. Head to our website now and grab yours before they are gone!

Single Wheeler Shipping – Caley No.123 is on the Way to the UK! (OO Gauge)

Our factory has completed the next model in the OO Gauge Scottish Legends collection, the ornate Caledonian No.123. It has been packed and is being shipped to the UK, so not long to wait now.

International shipping does take some time; if you read our next article, it will give you a clue to the variable nature of these deliveries. Having said that, we are expecting these gorgeous locos to be with customers by the festive period. That’s one awesome present if you ask us.

If you haven’t pre-ordered your OO Gauge Caledonian Railway No.123 yet, we recommend doing so as soon as possible, as we only have a very limited number of them still available to order. You can pre-order yours via our website or any of our Official Retailers. 

Prepare for POs! – RCH 1907 PO Wagon 2025 Range on the Way to the UK! (OO Gauge)

As mentioned earlier in the newsletter, our factory has completed the 2025 range of the RCH 1907 PO Wagons. This colourful array of wagons has also just left the factory and is heading to the UK.

If the photos that we have included earlier in the newsletter weren’t enough to convince you. Let us reassure you that our PO wagons from the previous batches were of the highest quality, detail and finish. So, we are expecting these to be really rather good too.

We don’t have a definitive date for their arrival yet; we expect these to have arrived, completed their QC checks, and be winging their way to excited customers before the end of Q4. We’ll keep you updated in future newsletters as we get more information. 

Minor Delivery Delay – Ivor the Engine, LMS 12 Ton Vans, and The GCR 15T Brake Vans Are Almost Here! (OO Gauge)

Sometimes international shipping takes a little longer than expected, and sadly, this has been the case for the delivery of a handful of our upcoming products.

Although we expected them to arrive in Q3, the following items are now expected to arrive towards the end of October:

• Ivor the Engine Train Packs - both DCC-Ready and DCC Sound-fitted (OO Gauge)
• Ivor the Engine Rolling Stock Pack (OO Gauge)
• LMS 12 Ton Vans (OO Gauge)

In addition to this, we realised that in the last update, we inadvertently neglected to mention that another project was completed an on the way. We are very pleased to say that the following is also complete and will be arriving in the next few weeks with the products listed above:

• GCR 15T Brake Vans (OO Gauge)

We appreciate that this may disappoint some of you but let us assure you that they will be worth the wait. We will do everything we can to ensure they are in your hands as swiftly as possible.

Once they have arrived, they will need to go through our diligent QC checks before we can release them to the public. Once these have been completed, we will contact all customers who have placed pre-orders with us directly by email to inform them that their orders are ready. Official Retailers will also receive their orders shortly after.

Keep an eye on our inbox for more info!

Thought of The Month

The Greatest Showman.

Before anyone panics or gets excited, no, we aren’t taking the Rapido staff on tour like some travelling circus. Though with the plethora of strange skills they possess, it could be quite entertaining and dressing our General Manager up as P.T. Barnum would be a laugh.

We are in fact talking about our presence at model railway shows/ exhibitions.

We’ve attended our fair share of shows both as a company and as punters. We’ve even run a couple of them too. Rapido Railex 2024 and 2025 were a blast if you weren’t able to attend. But as the new show season approaches, we need to think about grand plans for these upcoming events. As every good Scout knows, ‘Be Prepared’.

Over the years, we’ve tried a variety of approaches. From a couple of staff on hand to answer questions and a small array of cabinets, to a stand that reached the upper height limits of the NEC in Birmingham. We’ve even designed a wagon at a show. So, where do we go from here?

Theres been some great ideas proposed, many of them as bombastic as the staff that will likely attend the event. But we want to know what you would like to see and what you have thought of our stands in the past.

We can pre-empt a couple of the questions or feedback that are likely to come our way.

Rapido Railex: there won’t be one this year, sorry, but you never know; it may return in some format. We will consider it as an option when we think it’s the right thing to do and have the bandwidth to execute a kick-ass show; no point in doing a half-hearted event, is there?

Sales and Seconds: We prefer not to sell directly at shows; it is quite resource-intensive for us, and there are usually loads of our Official Retailers there already; they will happily help you. As a small team, seconds are even more of a drain on time as we prepare for the event, so this is likely to be a rare addition to our stand.

With the above in mind, what do you expect a manufacturer to bring with them to these events?

What draws you to their stand?

What sort of service do you expect from the staff manning the stand?

What would you really like us to bring or do at these events that you haven’t seen before?

Do you have a mad idea for an event stand that would suit Rapido perfectly?

We are keen to hear your feedback. If you have some ideas or thoughts on this, then please drop our customer service department an email with your feedback.

Send your emails to customerservice@rapidotrains.co.uk. We look forward to hearing from you!

Well, that’s us signing off for September.

We hope you like our latest announcements and are looking forward to all the lovely new models that are going to be delivered over the next few months. Our run-up to Christmas should be very busy indeed.

See you in October for more news and niceties.

The Rapido Trains UK Team