Rapido Trains UK have released a Spring update regarding upcoming releases and updates on other models that are in the pipeline.

Rapido has announced that they are to make their first ever tank wagon, which is to be an OO gauge chemical tank wagon.

These wagons were used in WW1 and transported amatol, a mixture of ammonium nitrate and TNT, to National Shell Filling Factories that were requisitioned to make shells for the war effort.

The wagons were smaller than the standard tank wagon designs of the time, and many of them lived into the 1960s and saw many liveries applied throughout their careers, with two examples surviving into preservation.

The models on offer will also come in a range of liveries with disc and spoke wheels underframe detail. As for the tanks themselves, some will have top vales, side vales and end vales where the tanks of the wagon could be filled or drained.

There are also a multitude of other fittings, such as split or continuous walkways, fixed-ended tanks, and hinge-end door tanks. Again, each design reflects the various designs of the tank and how each of the tanks was operated when in service.

Pre-orders of these tank wagons are being taken via Rapido’s website.

OO Gauge updates

The LBSCR E1 tanks and the Hunslet 16in 0-6-0 Saddle Tanks are almost complete and are nearly ready to leave the factory.

Upon arrival in the UK, they will go through a final quality control before being dispatched to customers and retailers by late June / early July.

The SECR O1 0-6-0s are coming along with the tender chassis being the first part of the loco to receive various livery applications, including detailed lining, which can be tricky to get right in OO gauge. This is the first part of the loco to have been batch-produced on a large scale.

The Port of Par tanks, both of which are being designed by Rapido, are coming along steadily. The first samples of their decorated saddle tank tops for the locos have been made aboard, along with decorated samples of the reservoirs and cabs for the small Andrew Barclay fireless locos.

Work on producing the second batch of 44xx 2-6-2 tanks is well established, with several smokeboxes, boilers, and tanks having already been batch-produced.

At the time of writing, the O1, Port of Par, and fireless locos are due to be available in the 3rd quarter of this year, with the 44xx’s planning to be available in the 4th quarter.

Turning to the wagons, three prototypes of the 6-wheeled CGR 15t wagons have arrived for testing at Rapido, as have prototypes of LNWR D84 and D90 wagons. All are going through testing and quality control.

N gauge Updates

Painted production prototypes of all the liveries on offer from Rapido regarding the N gauge class 44 ‘Peak’ diesels are now complete. The models are in the UK and are undergoing final quality control checks before being released to customers and shops as early as next week, with a few left to pre-order.

A painted shell has also arrived for the N gauge Dynamometer Car, featuring a miniature teak finish similar to that on the OO gauge models released a few years ago. These have been approved by Rapido and have given the factory the go-ahead with the next stage of their design.

009 Gauge Updates

Several models from this popular gauge are already available to pre-order from Rapido Trains UK, including the new Narrow Lines Range. These will be complemented by the recently announced Ker, Stuart & Co Sirdar (Long Tank) 0-4-0, which will come in a range of liveries, as will the new All-Purpose Wagons also in the pipeline.