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Rapido UK Newsletter No.59
©2025 Rapido Trains Ltd
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It's all hands to the pump at Rapido at the moment! We have a show to deliver and the summer holidays to enjoy in between. There is an awful lot going on, but this hard work is so we can make September as special as possible for all of you. Particularly those with tickets to Rapido Railex!
This month, we have a huge number of loco projects either arriving on our shores or just being shipped from the factories (more on this later). Oh, and a set of new wagon liveries to announce for good measure.
Right, let's kick off this late summer update with the newest additions to our range!
In this issue...
- New RCH 1907 7-Plank Private Owner Wagon - 2025 Range
- LNWR Brake Van Samples
- 'Evolution' Coach Body Samples
- Shipping News
- Final Call for Rapido Railex
- Orderbook Closing Deadlines
- Rapido HQ Layout Update
- Rapido Trains UK - The First Five Years
| | If you are using a web-based email service such as Gmail, be sure to click on the link near the bottom of the email that says something like "[Message clipped] View entire message". That will ensure you don't miss any of this newsletter. | | New RCH 1907 7-Plank Private Owner Wagon- 2025 Range (OO Gauge) | | To complement our previous range of RCH 1907 PO wagons, we are adding a brand-new selection of new liveries to this immensely popular range, featuring once again our 7-plank side and end door tooling. | |
The Railway Clearing House was formed in 1842 and would go on to manage the flow of wagons between railway companies, standardise mileage rates and even provide a neutral ground for railway managers to meet.
It issued a set of standards for goods wagon design in 1907, which were used by railway companies and wagon builders alike. Thousands of private owner wagons were built to the RCH standards and were used to transport all manner of cargo and minerals up and down the country, many lasted until BR started to phase out wooden-bodied wagons in the 1960s.
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During this period, anthracite coal was being used in breweries, food production and the horticultural industry, smokeless steam coal was going to places like iron works and loco coal was used everywhere by the railways.
Minerals weren’t the exclusive load of private owner wagons, they were utilised to transport a multitude of different goods including fish, timber, barrels of beer, and even manure. Though we doubt anyone was a willing guard for the trains carrying the latter load!
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The new 2025 range is a new run of the 7-plank variant, which has a 9ft wheelbase underframe to the RCH 1907 standards. Much like our first batch of PO wagons, the wagon bodies include both side and end doors, a feature that made the unloading of raw materials such as coal significantly easier, as they could be tipped out.
We have included a selection of interesting liveries that cover numerous private companies. Many of the liveries in the 2025 batch would have been seen across the country and throughout the grouping and pre-grouping eras. There is a suitable version for everyone's collection.
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All versions of the OO Gauge RCH 1907 7-Plank Private Owner wagon 2025 range feature full external, internal and underframe details. All include side and end doors, brass bearings for smooth, friction-free running, split-spoked wheels, NEM coupling pockets, and a high-quality livery application.
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.
| | “We Were on a Brake!” – LNWR ‘Crystal Palace’ Brake Engineering Prototypes (OO Gauge) | | First up this month we have received the engineering prototypes for the upcoming LNWR Dia.17B Brake Van, known to many as the ‘Crystal Palace’ Brake. | | These detailed prototypes highlight all of the subtle details and quirky design features that these brake vans were fitted with. Earlier versions of the ‘Crystal Palace’ Brake were fitted with veranda ends and had veranda side doors, whereas later and privately-owned examples are open-ended and have the doors replaced with an iron bar. | We are highly impressed with them so far, and we will be reviewing them over the coming weeks. Of course, you can always come and see them for yourself at Rapido Railex, as these prototypes will be proudly on display for all to enjoy. | | An Evolving Coach Project – Evolution Coach Painted Body Shell Samples (OO Gauge) | | Our factory has sent us some images of their progress with Batch 1 of the OO Gauge Evolution Coaches. We appreciate that they are only part complete body shells so far, but given the public excitement around this project, we thought we would share the progress in its current state. | | The entire complement of bodyshell samples is going to go through an extensive review process over the coming few weeks, and we will continue to show you more updates in upcoming newsletters. So if your preferred version hasn’t featured, don’t panic, we haven’t forgotten you! | Don’t forget, these models will have working internal lighting, which is controlled by our magnetic magic wand. They are also fitted with a potentiometer, so you can set the lights to a level of your choosing. Perfect for seeing all those lovely internal details, such as the luggage racks and picture frames on compartment dividers. | | Limited stock is available of some versions of the OO Gauge Evolution Coaches that are in Batch 1, and these are selling out quickly. We have no idea if or when we will ever return to these liveries, so we highly recommend getting your pre-orders in while you still can. | | |
Evolution is an ongoing project, and we already have a second batch that features even more liveries announced. There will be further liveries for Evolution in the future, so don’t panic if your favourite railway company hasn’t been covered yet. You are just going to have to wait and see where we take the project next!
You can find out more about our full OO Gauge range of 48ft Evolution bogie coaches here:
| | We have a fair bit of shipping news this month, so strap yourself in and let's see what’s on the way! | | Prompt Prairies – 44xx ‘Small Prairie’ Shipped (OO Gauge) | | They arrived on our shores mid-month and have already passed their QC checks. Many of you are already enjoying these wonderful models, and we have been inundated with photos and videos of them on your layouts. | | |
If you have pre-ordered directly through our website, you should have an email informing you of their arrival and your outstanding balance. If you haven’t received this yet or can’t find it, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our customer service department.
If you have placed a pre-order via any of our Official Retailers, you will be pleased to hear that all of their orders have been dispatched too.
| | Southeastern Shipment! – SECR O1 Shipped (OO Gauge) | | |
We weren’t expecting this month's deliveries to become a race between GWR and SR locos!
Many of you have been waiting patiently for the O1 and can’t wait to put it through its paces. So, we are pleased to say that these have just arrived in the port of Southampton.
| | We know you are keen, but we still need to put them through our QC checks. Once this is complete, we will be sending them out to all our Official Retailers who have them on order and contacting our direct customers who pre-ordered them. | | Even More Loco Shipping News! - Port of Par Twins and ‘Caledonia’ Fireless (OO Gauge) | | |
Keep an eye on future newsletters and our social media channels for further shipping updates on these projects.
We generally update our website's Delivery Schedule around once a fortnight, or immediately if we have an urgent update. If the project you are most looking forward to hasn’t been mentioned above, fear not! You can check out its status on our delivery schedule below.
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The order book that is closing this month (almost this month, anyway!) is a must for any grouping modeller, particularly those who model the LMS. Surviving long into BR, we are sure many amodeller will find an excuse to add some of these wonderful wagons into their freight trains and yards.
The order book closing deadline is only a few days away, so make sure you get your pre-orders in by Monday if you want to be guaranteed these wagons.
Order books close on Monday the 1st of September, for the following:
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As Q3 draws to an end, we will be closing the order books on a couple of highly anticipated projects.
Make sure to get your pre-orders in by Monday the 29th of September, for the following items:
| | 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. | | Final Call for Rapido Railex! | | |
With the event being held on the 19th and 20th of September, we only have a matter of weeks to go until we descend upon the Market Hall in Maidstone.
If you haven’t got your Early Bird ticket yet, tickets are £7.50 and are still available and can be pre-ordered HERE.
Don’t panic if you haven’t got an advanced ticket you can buy one at the door on the day too. Tickets at the door will cost £10. Oh, and if you have any budding young enthusiasts with you, you will be pleased to hear that kids are FREE when accompanied by a paying adult.
In last month’s newsletter, we gave you a rundown of half of the layouts, traders and stalls that will be attending. So, let's go through the other half of them together and see what else you’ve got in store at this year’s event!
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Overlord (OO)
This spectacular layout is an absolute gem for Southern Railway and wartime enthusiasts. But even if that’s not your thing, we can promise you that you will be encapsulated by its scenery, interesting stock movements, unique rolling stock, quirky loads, and hidden details. This layout has something for everyone to enjoy. You could lose hours just watching trains come and go and looking at all of the figures that bring this busy layout to life.
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Redbridge Wharf (OO)
Set in 1960s Hampshire, this gorgeous layout has something for those who like layouts to feature a mix of steam, diesel and electric freight and passenger trains. The focus of its impressive industrial scenery centres around the wharf, home to the local manufacture of sleepers, bridge timbers and cast track components. Popular with visitors at every show it's attended, Redbridge Wharf always has something going on for you to enjoy.
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Whiteoak Light Railway (0-16.5)
The Whiteoak Light Railway is a narrow gauge line serving the backwaters of Kent. The scene represents the railway’s namesake town, Whiteoak, which hosts several industrial units and a passenger station, edging onto a dockyard on the Thames estuary. Thankfully it doesn't smell like the Thames estuary too!
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Bryn Y Brenin (OO & 009)
If you are looking to see a layout that has gone all out on interactive features, you aren’t going to get much better than Bryn Y Brenin. A fictitious terminus in North Wales, it features both Standard and Narrow Gauge lines. The Standard Gauge line is a small single platform terminus complete with fully working ETCS In-Cab Signalling (presented to the public with a driver's cab display on the layout).
This sits beside the ‘little trains of Wales’ tourist Line, the Cwellyn Lake Steam Railway, and features interlocked semaphore signalling and a turntable.
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Bristol Harbour (OO)
We seem to have a few dockside railways at this year's event, and Bristol Harbour proves that no two layouts are the same. With a working crane and beautiful water effect, this bustling industrial scene is incredible. We can’t wait to see the cranes on the move.
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Croxley Hall Depot (OO)
YouTuber Underground Eric will be returning to Railex this year with a lovely little layout. Having wowed crowds last year with his enormous (and still growing) Harefield Road layout, he returns with a more modest underground-themed offering. Conceived as a segment to be inserted into the larger layout, this wonderful depot section works brilliantly as a stand-alone piece. With full day and night lighting cycles and working road vehicles, we are sure this will be popular with photographers.
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Shepherdswell EKR (OO)
Another exciting layout with a (sort of) local interest is based on the Shepherdswell (East Kent Railway) station. The layout is set in the early 1960s with a slight change of history in that the line wasn’t nationalised in 1948, so remained independent with the station and engine shed buildings surviving into the 1960s. This allows British Railways locomotives to arrive into the goods yard where East Kent Railway locos take over the traffic to and from Tilmanstone colliery.
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Llaniog Station (OO)
We couldn't resist building a small layout to demonstrate our Ivor the Engine Range - and we couldn't leave it in the warehouse during the show. This will only be the layout's second outing. Come on Ivor!
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Double O Association
The Double O Association cater for both new and veteran railway modellers working in 4mm scale using a track gauge of 16.5mm, which is the most common for models of UK prototypes. The association will be on hand, running hobby demos and talking people through what they need to do to become a member.
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Modelu
Last year, the number of people who got scanned for a bespoke 3D print of themselves, or took away some pre-made figures, was huge. As it was such a hit, we only thought it right to invite them back. If you missed the opportunity to get the figures or scans you wanted, you'll have a new chance. So, practice your pose and then head on over to their stall. All of the Rapido staff got scanned last year, so we sincerely mean it when we say you won’t be disappointed.
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World of Railways
As an avowed Ivor the Engine fanatic, we think we would have been hard pressed to stop World of Railways' very own Phil Parker from attending anyway, so we might as well invite them formally. They will be on hand running hobby demonstrations throughout the event, signing people up to their fantastic publications, and sampling all the cakes we have on offer. Apart from the Kentish delicacy known as a Gypsy Tart, we have been informed that this is the only cake that Phil will never eat twice. There’s no pleasing some people!
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Rails of Sheffield
Armed with a selection of their latest samples, prototypes and releases, the team from Rails of Sheffield will be on hand to demo their latest exclusive and commissioned models. Come and have a chat with the team, check out their lovely models and grab some of their free merchandise while you are at it!
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Maxitrak / Accucraft
Our friends down the road (literally) will once again be attending the show with a number of their garden railway items in 16mm and 7/8ths scales. Who cannot resist the smell of hot oil, coal and steam?
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Kernow Model Rail Centre
Once again, our friends from Kernow Model Rail Centre will be attending. Kernow’s gaffer, Chris Terise, and his team will be making the long trip up from sunny Cornwall. He assures us this isn’t just an excuse to look at the Port of Par twin colour samples, so they must be bringing some good bits with them. With a large selection of models and accessories available to buy, there is bound to be something you are going to want to take home with you!
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Coastal DCC
DCC can be challenging if you don’t understand it. Thankfully Kevin and the Coastal DCC team will be on hand to provide some technical expertise and guidance. They will also have a variety of DCC supplies with them, ideal for those looking to upgrade to DCC or tinker with their favourite model. Coastal DCC are also one of our Official Retailers and they understand our models well, so if you are looking for DCC fitting and advice on Rapido models, we recommend having a chat with them.
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And of course....
Rapido Trains UK
We will have all the very latest samples on show, which (subject to any unforeseen issues) will include engineering prototypes of our 009 Kerr, Stuart & Co locomotive and our “Narrow Lines” wagon range.
To top it off we will have information on, and will be available to chat about, the very latest announcements – including a number we will be making in the run-up to the exhibition!
| | This month, we once again welcomed the ever-talented Dan Evason from Tunnel Lane Model Railways and Jonathan Scott from JSModels to Rapido HQ. They were with us for a couple of days and worked tirelessly to get the base scenery of some of the rural sections, retaining walls and key buildings in place. | | On his last visit, Jonathan measured up the huge brick-faced retaining wall that will begin at the lower station approach, loop around the back of the lower shed area and end on the far side of the layout in an impressive double-mouthed tunnel entrance. This was then designed, cut and built in his workshop. Once back in Kent, Jonathan began the installation whilst Dan got involved with painting the structure. It is now finished and looks mighty impressive. With that done Jonathan turned his eye to the next set item – measuring up for a viaduct and further walling through the town scene. | | On the other side of the layout, Dan was busy beavering away in a delightful rural section. He has already begun to lay down the base for the wider areas, a small wood, and several lovely-looking buildings. | | To complement this, both Dan and Jonathan have also been working on some of the industrial buildings that will appear around the upper terminus section of the layout. Last month, we showed you the awesome Rapido Trains Limited build, including a huge chimney. This month, the two of them have upgraded our layout with this awesome International Electromatics factory. With the faint sound of “Delete, Delete, DELETE!” coming from the inside, we can only wonder what advanced technology will march from its doors upon completion. | | We think you’ll agree that Dan and Jonathan have done a fantastic job so far and we cannot wait to continue the progress. | | We love working with other model makers and small businesses. One such recent collaboration saw us send a number of locomotives (including two brand new 44xx engines) to Tom Foster for weathering. We think these look absolutely fantastic, so much so we will take them to Rapido RailEx for everyone to see. | | Tom's weathering adds another level of detail to our models. If you fancy having your own model commission weathered you can contact Tom via email at tomfosterweathering@gmail.com. | | |
Thought of The Month
Rapido Trains UK 5th Anniversary – Half a decade and going strong!
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Yep, you read that correctly, Rapido Trains UK is celebrating its 5th anniversary.
From our humble beginnings in the capable hands of our eccentric Canadian owner, Jason, to operating out of Andy's spare room, to occupying two industrial units, we think we've come an awful long way. Achieving so much and delivering many beautiful models in that time.
For Thought of the Month, we thought we would reminisce about our past half decade of existence and see what you think we are going to do to top this in the next five years and beyond. Let's start by recapping what we think are some of the highlights of the last five years.
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Many beautiful models
We thought about creating a top 10 or looking back at our favourites, but this is an impossible task. There have been so many models.... Which one was your favourite?
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Expanded from a back bedroom into 2 industrial units
Yep, that’s right. Rapido’s UK arm of the business began life with just two people working out of their home offices. It wasn’t long before they had outgrown this space and moved to our first premises in Staplehurst. This growth has been rewarding, and it's allowed us to take on more staff in the process.
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Produced some of the coolest fully-licensed models ever made in RTR
One of our defining moments as a company was the launch of Titfield Thunderbolt. This fully-licensed project meant we had the freedom to create a highly-detailed rendition of the train from one of our favourite films. It wasn’t without its challenges, but it would be fair to say that our decision to create Ivor was most certainly inspired by Titfield's popularity and success. Thanks to the reaction to Titfield, we cannot wait to put Ivor into people's hands too.
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Greatly expanding our team of talented oddballs.
The team has expanded exponentially. Each of us cares about producing the best models we can and providing the best service we can. You need to have the right mindset to work here!
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Attended many, many shows across the country
As the team has expanded, we’ve had the manpower to extend our reach to other shows and exhibitions. This has even meant we could attend Model Rail Scotland – about as far away from Kent as you can get for a show! We appreciate all of you who take the time to come and see us at these shows, and it gives us the chance to demonstrate that not only are we like-minded hobbyists, but we are also as enthusiastic as we say we are.
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Diversified our range
Over the last five years, we have tried a bit of everything. We have produced models that cover a huge spectrum of eras, delivered models in both OO Gauge and N Gauge, have offered a huge number of liveries and variants so you can model your era of choice properly, announced the Narrow Lines range so we can focus on 009 and other narrow gauges, added ‘what if’ liveries as they have proved very popular and even had a crack at modelling a few buses.
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Designed a brand new wagon at a show
Reaction of our design team: You want us to do what???!!!
Yep, that’s right, we designed an LBSC van in front of your very eyes at last year's National Festival of Railway modelling. We wanted to show you that it's not all techno wizardry and magic scanners that we wave over a wagon and press 'print'. We also wanted to demonstrate that we do let the designers leave their caves on occasion. This was quite the undertaking, so it had to make the list.
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Remained transparent with our customers with regular updates and fun marketing
We want our success to come from demonstrably excellent models and service, rather than shouting about how good we are and not being able to back up these claims. We think part of this can be achieved through transparency, so why not give you regular news, regular releases, and have a bit of a chuckle along the way? We will even tell you when things go wrong - who can forget that pallet of LNER Dynamometer cars...
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Posted some of the most memorable loo ads ever seen at a national show
This one makes the list as it's one of our favourites, by far! At the National Festival of Railway Modelling at the NEC, we introduced some rather tongue-in-cheek adverts into the loos. The vast majority of people took them well and were thoroughly distracted from the task in at hand. Others were less amused by our childish word play, but they still read it, which means it worked!
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Ran our own event
We have covered this year's Railex in length earlier on in the newsletter, so we won’t repeat ourselves. Though some of you may not be aware that this is the second show, and the first attempt last year was a blast. It was a definite highlight for us, even if it was completely exhausting. Don't forget we are doing it again this year!
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Offered customers the opportunity to buy a wagon with a personalised design
At Railex last year, we offered our Customer Wagon printing service. Working with The Wagon Yard, we were able to offer this rather special feature at the show, and then followed it up at the National Festival of Railway Modelling a few months later. You guys were incredibly creative, and your wagons looked amazing. You never know, we may offer the service again at some point in the future and maybe even take it online!
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Became the UK distributor for DCC Specialist, ESU Electronic Solutions
It's not all pretty models and memorable events, one of our biggest highlights was becoming the UK distributor for ESU Electronic Solutions. ESU provide all of our models' decoders and circuit board designs, and is instrumental in the application and creation of our sound files and DCC controls. Becoming their distributor has only further enhanced and improved our delivery of their products across the country.
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Purchased a loco
Not every manufacturer can say they have a steam locomotive in their vehicle pool. We really don’t need to go into any detail about how awesome this is, Marcia speaks for herself!
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Always learning from the past, but plan carefully for the future
These past five years have been a steep learning curve, and we have approached it head-on. We are planning for the next five years and beyond, and this is only possible by reflecting on decisions, mistakes, and of course successes that we have made and learning from them. We’ve got lots up our sleeve, but have one eye on the past so we can constantly improve on what we do.
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Having a boatload of fun getting where we are today
Five years of researching, writing, designing, painting, building, and talking to you all about trains. All day, every day, even while we are asleep… and we’ve done this with a smile on our faces, because these last five years have been awesome.
Thank you to everyone who has helped us get this far.
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Put up with a whole load of Dr Who stuff
Genuinely – we need a medal for this one. Jason has joked that he only started our wonderful company in order to have a place in the UK to ship all his Doctor Who stuff. But sometimes we wonder if he isn't kidding...
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So, what's next?
Well, we have some superb announcements planned for the next few years, which you are just going to have to sit tight and wait for. In the more immediate future, we have a bunch of projects due to arrive. We are confident that people will be enjoying Rapido Trains UK models for many years to come.
We hope you enjoy the rest of your summer and look forward to seeing you at Railex!
Oh, and keep an eye on your emails over the next few weeks for our next batch of announcements. Mum’s the word!
The Rapido Trains UK Team
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You can write to us at Rapido Trains UK, Unit 3, Clinton Business Centre, Lodge Road, Staplehurst, Kent TN12 0QF. Alternatively, you can call us on 03304 609496 or you can
e-mail us at customerservice@rapidotrains.co.uk
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