Rapido Trains UK Narrow Gauge South 2026 Announcement

©2026 Rapido Trains Ltd

To coincide with our first attendance at one of the country’s biggest narrow gauge model railway shows, Narrow Gauge South, we are making two very special announcements.

We would usually include new model announcements as part of our monthly email newsletter. However, we wanted to hold back the surprises so the first people to see the latest announcements would be the dedicated narrow gauge fans who attended the show.

Earlier today, we performed a brief seminar about our entrance into 009 and held a Q&A session. As a part of this, we revealed to an elated crowd of hobbyists that we would be expanding our Narrow Lines Range with a new 009 loco and some new wagon variants.

Peckett & Sons Cranmore Class 0-4-0ST (009 Gauge)

We are proud to announce our next charming little loco for the 009 Narrow Lines range: The Peckett & Sons Cranmore Class 0-4-0ST!

Much like their rival locomotive builders, Peckett & Sons of Bristol had an excellent reputation for building effective industrial locomotives. Saddle tanks of various designs and gauges were their most popular. These varied from off-the-shelf established designs to bespoke creations for clients with more specialised needs.

One of these bespoke locomotives was Works No.1030. This 2’ gauge 0-4-0 was built in 1904 to the ‘Class 7in’ template for the Mendip Granite & Asphalt Company. Its unique features included a saddle tank, an open cab, and 7x10” cylinders.

Once completed, the engine was painted in Works Grey livery and named Cranmore. However, by the time it was delivered, it had received several modifications. These included an enclosed cab and brass name plates that displayed her new name, Gamecock. It was also repainted into Peckett’s Standard Green livery.

Even after its swift rename, the new design would forever be known as the Cranmore Class. 

Peckett & Sons used the delivery of Gamecock in their advertising literature, showing it atop a wagon hauled by a traction engine. This photo was coupled with the caption ‘Small locomotive taken to destination by road’. Despite the modest distance of around 20 miles from the Bristol-based factory, it is still a respectable journey when you consider the standards of the roads of the day.

There was an agreement between local quarries that would give the Mendip Granite & Asphalt Company access to the GWR via a joint narrow gauge line. This meant the quarried stone could then be delivered further afield. The line connected to Cranmore Station near Shepton Mallet in Somerset, which is now the main station on the East Somerset Railway. Gamecock would reside here for many years. 

Sadly, Gamecock was eventually consigned to the history books; however, the date it was scrapped remains a mystery.

Further Cranmore Class locos were built in small numbers and exported across the globe. Many of these would differ slightly from the original concept, with versions even having different gauges.

One such 2’ 6” gauge example survives in preservation at the spectacular Puffing Billy Railway in Melbourne, Australia. 

Our highly detailed 009 Gauge rendition of the Peckett & Sons Cranmore Class 0-4-0ST will be available in a variety of liveries and variations including fully enclosed and half-back cabs and 'early' and 'late' style dome covers.

In addition to ‘Gamecock’, the range includes eight colourful liveries that are either interpretations of well-known narrow gauge liveries or match some of the liveries from our 009 Kerr, Stuart & Co. Sirdar ranges. 

You will also be able to pre-order two exclusive versions from Fourdees Limited. These will be a Works Grey livered variant of ‘Cranmore’ in its as-built condition, and a Ffestiniog Railway-inspired Green livery.

All versions are available in both DCC-Ready and DCC-Fitted, and feature 6 wiper pick-ups and a small coreless motor with flywheel.

So that customisation and servicing your Cranmore Class is uncomplicated, the loco's removable body is held in place with 4 easily accessible screws; this also gives you access to the model’s 6-pin DCC 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 lubricator mounted to the chimney, and front steps.

We understand that many 009 modellers love to create their own locomotives, both from scratch and kits, so the Peckett & Sons Cranmore Class 0-4-0 chassis is available separately. These will only be available via our website or from Fourdees Limited.

The order book is open, and you can pre-order your models directly from us today or from any of our Official Retailers. We are pleased to say that we already have our first engineering prototypes of this attract industrial workhorse!

NEW ‘All-Purpose’ Wagons Batch 2 (009 Gauge)

To go alongside the Peckett & Sons Cranmore Class 0-4-0ST, we are expanding the rest of our 009 range. These three newly tooled versions of our 009 Gauge ‘All-Purpose’ Wagon range include a Wooden Coal Hopper, Rectangular Tank Wagon, and Round-Ended Flat Wagon. 

Narrow gauge railways served an eclectic mix of industries, with their rolling stock being used for even more diverse purposes. Our new versions offer you more opportunities to run these unique trains by expanding your options of wagons even further.

The first new wagon type is the Wooden Coal Hopper. Transporting raw materials from the pit or quarry is always more economical if you can get more out in one go. With these deep wagons, your narrow gauge railway will soon be prosperous. 

These wagons aren’t limited to the transport of coal, of course. A wide variety of materials like stone, sand, metals, slate, china clay, scrap, ash and even manure were transported in these types of wagons, so they are perfect for a huge number of layouts. 

Tank wagons came in all shapes and sizes, and it was not uncommon to see a narrow gauge railway with a handful of Rectangular Tank Wagons in its fleet. They could be utilised for any liquid imaginable, making them ideal for refuelling, water storage, hazardous liquids, or simply transporting vital supplies to a contractor's site or wartime front line.

The new Rectangular Tank Wagon range liveries cover common reasons for these to be used, plus some undesignated ones in different colours. They are going to look at home on your layout, no matter their purpose. 

Last but by no means least is the Round-Ended Flat Wagon.

Flat-bed wagons were ideal for carrying any number of different loads, though common loads included boxes, sleepers, machinery and equipment. Variants on the design often included vertical end walls, which prevented lighter loads from shooting off the ends when braking or on inclines. Wagons like these were regularly used by the military to move munitions or by paper mills for stacks of paper.

We have included a crate as a load in with every wagon, each carrying the livery of a different business or having the contents noted on the box label. The crate is separate from the wagon, so if you would prefer to fit your model with a different load or leave it empty, you can. 

All the models from Batch 2 of the 009 Gauge ‘All-Purpose’ wagon range share a common underframe and are fitted with traditional NEM-compliant 009 'hook and loop' couplings, compatible with other manufacturers' designs.

Each of the new ‘All-Purpose’ wagon variants is available in a selection of colourful liveries, many of which match our previous All-Purpose-Wagon liveries. There are also numerous interesting private-owner branded wagons throughout the range for you to enjoy. 

All of our 009 Gauge ‘All-Purpose’ wagons are perfect for both the established hobbyist looking to bolster their collection with some interesting wagons and the 009 newbie, as they are cost-effective, colourful, and a bit of fun!

We are pleased to say that these wagons are already at the tooling stage.

You can order your 009 Gauge ‘All-Purpose’ Wagons directly from our website today or from any of our Official Retailers.

Whilst on the subject of narrow gauge, we had the opportunity to take our painted sample of 'Diana' out on Tim Couling's superb Clyre Valley Railway.

Take a look at these clips of the little Kerr, Stuart locomotive pulling a variety of trains up and down the line.

See, we told you that we had something cool up our sleeves for Narrow Gauge South, didn’t we!

Our next newsletter will be at the end of May, when we will have a more comprehensive update of lots of our upcoming projects (and not just narrow gauge).

Toodle-oo!

The Rapido Trains UK Team