Say hello to the first Engineering Prototype of Metropolitan Railway ‘E’ 0-4-4T No. 1. You can inspect this model at the London Festival of Railway Modelling this weekend.

Yes, we are going to make the first 'OO' gauge ready-to-run model of Metropolitan Railway ‘E’ 0-4-4T No. 1.

‘Met 1’ played a central role in January 2013’s 150th anniversary celebrations of the Tube when it brought steam back to London Underground’s tunnels for the first time since 1971. As a consequence of celebrating the opening of the world’s first underground railway, No. 1 challenged the likes of Flying Scotsman or Thomas The Tank Engine for the title of the world’s most famous steam engine.

'Met 1' looks good from every angle! Ignore the wibbly pipes - these will be fixed on the final versions!

As No. 1 was essentially a one-off locomotive, it has some unique features and detail differences, which is why our model depicts just No. 1 and not the Met’s ‘E’ class. That said, we have discovered that classmate No. L48 (formerly Metropolitan No. 81) was close enough in detail and so we're able to offer that too.

More popular than Thomas? No. 1 grabs the limelight at King's Cross St Pancras station on January 13th 2013. It was the third of TF Clarke’s ‘E’ class to enter service but, on paper, however, it was officially the rebuilt ‘A’ 4-4-0T, which had been scrapped after an accident at Baker Street. Two main batches of ‘Es’ were built: Nos. 77-78 at Neasden in 1896 while Hawthorn Leslie built Nos. 79-82 in 1900/01).

'Met 1' has the high specification one would expect from a Rapido Trains UK model. Fine detail, a smooth and powerful mechanism, flickering firebox, Next18 decoder socket and a factory-fitted sound speaker.

‘Met 1’ passes through Chorleywood on August 16th 2014 during the celebrations to mark 125 years of the Chesham branch. No. 1 worked the opening train on the Uxbridge branch on July 4 1904. As London Transport No. L44, it worked the 50th anniversary train to Uxbridge in 1954. Photograph: Nick Brodrick

There are four model to choose from and they are all fully licensed from Transport for London. Sound-fitted versions are also available.

All ‘Met 1’ models are available to order now and the order book closes on July 3rd 2023. Production will commence shortly after and delivery expected early 2024. RRP is £179.95 for DC/silent and £279.95 for DCC sound. You can order from your local Rapido Trains UK stockist or by clicking here.

...this! 'Met 1' is going to be a very nice looking model!

Here are 3D prints made from the CAD files of our new 1907 RCH five-plank and seven-plank open wagons.

We’re going to add two unsung heroes to our range of 'OO' gauge wagons: the Railway Clearing House 1907 five- and seven-plank opens.

The RCH’s 1923 open wagon ‘design’ has been produced by many different ‘OO’ gauge manufacturers over the years but the 1907 version has never been offered before in ‘OO’. We thought that that was something that needed rectifying as soon as possible!

The RCH issued a set of standards for goods wagon design in 1907, which were used by railway companies and private wagon builders alike. Many thousands of private owner wagons were built to the RCH standards (which were revised in 1923) and many lasted until BR started to phase out wooden-bodied wagons in the 1950s/60s. Those in industrial service continued to earn their keep until much later.

We've chosen two main variants of 1907 wagon: the five-plank with side doors and the seven-plank with side and end doors (illustrated here). Both utilise a 9ft wheelbase underframe.

There are 34 different 1907 wagons to choose from.

Why so many, you might ask? Well, these wagons were built in their thousands for coal merchants, collieries and factories up and down the country and we wanted to include as wide a geographical spread as possible.

Oh, and some of these wagons carried some especially pretty colour schemes too!

Without further ado, here they all are:

967208: seven-plank, Annesley Colliery Co Ltd (Notts)

All 34 are available to order now. RRP is £32.95. You can order yours from your local Rapido UK stockist or direct by clicking the button here:

We offered several liveries with the first batch of 'Iron Minks' that were not 100% accurate for our GWR Diagram V6 and they proved highly popular. So we thought we'd offer some more. Scroll down to see what's on offer...

So here’s something a bit different…

The Great Western Railway’s V6 ‘Iron Mink’ is one of the most recognisable designs that came out of the Swindon wagon drawing office… and it was a design that came to be adopted by other railway companies and private wagon builders.

They would use what was essentially the ‘Iron Mink’ body mounted on underframes and fittings to their own design to create general purpose or gunpowder vans either for their own use or sale to private owner users.

We thought we’d take advantage of this and use our GWR Diagram V6 ‘Iron Mink’ bring ready-to-run vans to modellers of railway companies and private owner organisations where the pickings of RTR models are quite slim.

We trust that you will overlook any slight prototypical inaccuracies in order to enjoy highly authentic and well-researched liveries on a beautiful looking and refined model.

There are 11 ‘Not-quite-Minks’ to choose from. Remember, what you see below are coloured renders and not the real models!

The order book for the ‘Not-quite-Minks’ range is now open but you only have a short time to place your order for it closes on April 28th. RRP is £32.95 and you can place your order with your local Rapido UK stockist or by clicking on the button below. Remember that the order deadline is April 28th 2023!

We’re delighted to announce that our Diagram V14 and V16 ‘Mink A’ and the Diagram O11 and O15 open wagons are available to order now.

Forgotten what they are? No matter for here is a quick reminder.

The virtually identical ‘V14s’ and ‘V16s’ were introduced in 1912. They shared the same body, underframe, ‘W’ irons, DC III brakes and axleboxes. The key difference was that the ‘V14’ had vacuum brakes whereas the ‘V16’ was unfitted. The last of the 5,506 Dia. V14 ‘Mink As’ were built in 1927; production of the Dia. V16s had ceased in 1923 and ‘only’ 2,759 were built. 

For the 'V14/V16s', our UK design team has been able to include spoked and disc wheels, two types of rain strip and horizontal and planked doors.

This is a coloured render taken from the CAD file of our new 'OO' gauge GWR Diagram O11 open wagon. It had a 10t carrying capacity and used a 16ft underframe with GWR self-contained buffers. The GWR built 10,815 Dia. O11s between 1911-1919.

This is a coloured render of the virtually identical Dia. O15. The only different was that this diagram had vacuum brakes. Some 2,105 'O15s' were built between 1911 and 1922. Both this and the 'O11' will be supplied with parts to model the Williams patent sheet supporter. We've included enough parts to model the sheet rail in the up position or at rest - or they can be left off as many wagons had them removed.

Right, now we've got that out of the way, it's time to see just what running numbers and liveries we're making.

Deep breath! Here goes...

943019: Dia. O15 No. 30307, GWR grey post-1936 livery

Phew... that took some going through, didn't it? Good job we're not making the same number of 'Mink A'. Oh, we are...

RRP for the Dia. O11/O15s is £32.95. You can order from your local Rapido UK stockist or by clicking the button below

Right, on with the 'Mink A':

RRP for the Dia. V14s/V16s is £32.95. You can order from your local Rapido UK stockist or by clicking the button below:

Here's a 3D print of our forthcoming 'N' gauge Class 44. You will be able to inspect it at the London Festival of Railway Modelling this weekend.

No news doesn't always equate to 'nothing happening'. One project that has kept a low profile in recent months is the 'N' gauge Class 44, which is spearheading our 'Three Peaks' project.

Project leader Dan has been working hard on finalising the design work so that we can get it into tooling. But we couldn't let an opportunity such as the London Festival of Railway Modelling pass without showing you something... so here it is, a 3D print of the almost completed CAD file.

Preparation work on the re-paint of WMPTE Fleetline No. 6311 has reached an advanced stage at Transport Museum Wythall. When it emerges, it will carry period style Rapido adverts.

Good news!

We've received enough orders for our proposed second batch of WMPTE Fleetlines in the past few weeks to be able to say that we WILL produce these models. The new order deadline for these models is March 31st 2023. If you're still on the fence about ordering one of these superb models, you've only got a couple of weeks to decide which one you're going to choose!

This news coincides with recent progress made by the team at Transport Museum Wythall in their refurbishment of Fleetline KON311P (WMPTE fleet number 6311). This bus is having a full repaint and will return to service complete with period-style Rapido UK advertisements, designed by our very own Dan Thomas.

Re-painting a 12in:1ft scale bus requires a bit more preparation than some masking tape and Maskol. You also need a fairly hefty airbrush too... When No. 6311 returns to service,, it will look like...

...this! We are making a miniature version of No. 6311's new look and you can order it either from your local Rapido UK stockist or by clicking here.

You've now got until March 31st 2023 to get your order in for one of these superb new Fleetline models. There are 12 to choose from and you can see the full range here.

Lion/Thunderbolt boiler sections going through the painting and printing process...

The Titfield Thunderbolt update

The Titfield Thunderbolt premiered at Leicester Square Theatre on March 5th 1953 and went on general released the following day.

It was our intention that our The Titfield Thunderbolt range of models would be available on the 70th anniversary of the film's release but dealing with the whole 'Titgate' affair knocked our production schedule back quite a bit.

The factory staff are working their socks off to get these models completed as quickly as possible and we thought we'd mark the anniversary of the film (ok, we're a couple of weeks late) by showing you progress.

So here we go:

At the other end, Lion/Thunderbolt tenders are coming together nicely...

While the factory was taking photographs, they decided to send some some progress shots on a couple of other projects too:

Here's a fully decorated body for SECR six-wheel brakevan No. 2036 in South Eastern & Chatham Railway grey (SKU931002).

Here's six-wheel brakevan No. 55366 in post-1936 Southern Railway livery (SKU931006).

Rails of Sheffield's single-veranda SECR brakevans are also coming together nicely.

And finally, here's a look at Southern Railway eight-plank open No. S34745 in BR grey (SKU940007).

We're expecting both the brakevans and the eight-planks to be finished first, with an estimated delivery mid-spring. The Titfield Thunderbolt and associated models should be along early summer 2023.

And remember, you'll be able to see the latest samples at the London Festival of Railway Modelling this weekend.

Now available in DC/Silent form for the first time is the 'OO' gauge APT-E in BR InterCity grey (SKU924005).

We’re delighted to announce that we have very limited numbers of DC/Silent versions of our spoof-liveried APT-Es. These models were only previously available sound-fitted.

RRP is £379.95 and they’re ready to order now. Remember that numbers are strictly limited and orders are placed on a first-come-first-served basis. Once they’re gone, they’re gone!

Also available in DC/Silent form is the APT-E in BR InterCity blue/grey (SKU924003).

We have limited stocks of our GWR 'Iron Minks' left... apart from the BPCM cement van in grey!

Phew, turning around six shipments in the space of four months has been a lot of work and everyone involved deserves a giant pat on the back!

Now that the dust has settled, we’ve been able to undertake a thorough stock take and we’re delighted to announce that there are limited numbers of some of our most popular products still available direct from us!

If you missed them the first time around, here’s what we have. We start with UK903, the 'OO' gauge Hunslet 0-6-0ST:

903502: Arthur, Markham Main Colliery - sound fitted

903504: Holly Bank No. 3, NCB Staffordshire Area lined blue - sound fitted

903505: Jacks Green, Nassington lined green - sound fitted

903506: Primrose No. 2, NCB lined black - sound fitted

903507: Thorne No. 1, plain green - sound fitted

RRP for all sound-fitted Hunslets is £229.95.

UK908 GWR ‘Iron Mink’ vans: limited numbers of all SKUs available - except 908017. RRP is £32.95.

We have limited numbers of all versions of our 'OO' gauge SECR 10t vans (UK927) left. RRP is £32.95.

We also have limited stocks of all versions of our SECR two-plank ballast wagons (UK928) left as well. RRP is £32.95.

UK935 Dynamometer Cars:Limited numbers of each. RRP is £139.95 (trade price is £81.64 ex-VAT).

You've only got until April 28th to place an order for the most detailed 1:76 scale rendition of the Bedford OB ever!

Remember that we said that the order deadline for the ex-WMPTE Fleetlines is March 31st 2023?

In order not to overload the factory with new buses to make, we’ve put back the order deadline for the 1:76 scale Bedford OBs to April 28th 2023.

There are ten to choose from and you can explore the full OB range here.

Last issue, Jason explained why we need pre-orders and why we can’t simply supply model shops with lots of everything. Such was the positive response to our honesty that we thought that we could use this forum as a way to give our reasonings as openly as we can about why we do things the way we do.

The ‘Rapido way’ is obviously quite different and we receive plenty of correspondence about our ways and means. So we thought we’d start with another perennial question: ‘why do we sell at full RRP and don’t price match with other retailers’?

Railway modellers have always liked getting a bargain but some of the accusations being thrown at us for charging full price on our Rapido Trains UK website has shown that this a very emotive subject. It’s become even more so given the current economic climate, where costs are rising.

Let’s paint a little picture: it’s a Saturday and you're working on your layout. Let’s say you're laying some track and you’re half way through when disaster strikes – you’ve just used your last track pin.

What are the options?

Yes, you could order some on line but they’re not going to arrive today and you really want to finish this job. Alternatively, you could jump in the car and pop down to your local model shop. Less than an hour later, you’re back and by the end of the day your new track is down and trains are running on it.

Ok, that might not work for you if you don’t have a model shop nearby. But it does highlight why the high street model shop is the lifeblood of the hobby. They’re run by people who are passionate about modelling for people who are passionate about modelling.

We all need high street model shops. The problem is that model shops can’t survive on sales of track pins or tinlets of paint. Model shops need people to be buying the £200 locomotive. Regularly.

Model railway manufacturers need model shops. In today's world, when a manufacturer spends a lot of time and effort promoting itself via every media channel possible, it’s very easy to assume that everyone who walks into a shop knows who you are and what you make.

Ever since the whole ‘Titgate’ affair, we’ve noticed a huge upsurge in model shops contacting us in order to stock our products. This is great news for us because we can now reach so many more people than we could before.

Someone could walk into a shop who has never heard of Rapido UK before and they walk out a Rapido customer. More importantly, model shops order huge quantities of products, far more than is ordered direct from the website. It almost becomes the foundation for our business.

Despite our everything we've done - advertising, newsletters, attending shows - there are still modellers out there who have never heard of Rapido Trains UK. Thanks to our The Titfield Thunderbolt models, more and more model shops are now spreading the word about the good things that we're doing!

We have been accused that not discounting products on our website means that we’re not rewarding ‘loyalty’. We are profoundly grateful to anyone who buys direct from our website. It helps us out in many, many ways. Ultimately, however, it doesn’t matter to us where you buy are product from, whether that’s from direct us or from a retailer, so long as you're buying our products.

Now, that sounds cold and uncaring, as if we don’t care about ‘loyalty’. We do. We care very deeply that people care about Rapido. But we make no apology about the fact that we only sell direct at full retail price by our website and we do this for several reasons.

We could take the approach that another manufacturer takes and not sell at all from our website. But this is the 21st Century and there is now an expectation that you can buy direct from a manufacturer, regardless of what you’re buying.

Yet somehow there is a belief that model railway businesses should somehow be immune or act differently to any other business. For example, I nearly bought a pair of trainers direct from Adidas but they were, as I expected, at full RRP and I decided to shop around for a better price.

And this is why we sell at full RRP: because we don’t want to get into a price war with our own retailers. Other manufacturers have gone down this road and it has generated a lot of negative publicity and we do not want to find ourselves in the same position.

There are over 120 Rapido UK stockists in the UK and across the globe. If you click here, you can scroll down the list to find the one that's closest to you. Or you could spend a few hours going through the list to find the best deals. What you do with the list is up to you!

All our retailers buy product from us at the same price. It is illegal for us to dictate what prices they can sell at. If we price matched, we would undercut retailers, destroy our reputation and, ultimately, our business. Remember, no shops ordering the products we need to sell to keep the business viable means no business at all.

We’ve never shied away saying that our products are available from model shops. In fact, you can see the full list of Rapido UK stockists by clicking here. We want everyone to know that they have a choice of where they can buy.

We’re delighted to receive an order direct and the last thing we want is to make customers feel we’re penalising them. Ultimately, the choice of where to buy is down to you and we will do everything we can to make to you feel that you’re making the most informed choice.

Thank you for making it to the end of another newsletter. We'll be back towards the end April with another dose of Rapido UK wackiness!

Bye for now!

Richard