Rapido Trains UK reveals new range of pre-grouping passenger stock

Arriving by the end of the year and available to pre-order now, a selection of generic 48’ bogie coaches are to be released, each detailed with an array of key features that modellers associate with their railway of choice are to go on.

This new coach project, dubbed ‘Evolution’, will see a non-corridor Brake Third, Third, and Composite coach body variants launched. These will be available in multipacks, featuring 1 of each body version. Should modellers wish to extend their rake, single versions of each coach with alternative running numbers are also available.

The coaches’ roofs include arc, elliptical, and clerestory designs across the range, and are easily removable so that you can fit figures into your coaches should you wish.

Interior detailing includes luggage racks, picture frames on compartment dividers, and a fully detailed guard's van/luggage compartment in the brake third variant. There is also a multitude of separately-fitted parts to bring the coaches to life, including door and grab handles, and passenger emergency alarm “butterflies” at one end.

All Evolution coaches will include fitted internal working lighting controlled by Rapido’s magnetic magic wand, making it much easier to see these details.

To complete the appearance of different gas and electric lighting fittings, the relevant models will feature separately fitted parts for battery and regulator boxes, a dynamo, roof-mounted gas lamps, plumbing, and gas tanks on the underframes.

Battery boxes and gas tanks aren’t the only external details below the frame. Each Evolution coach will feature Fox pattern bogies fitted with electrical pickups. Some versions will feature extra footboards on the bogies and there are also additional central lower footboards on some designs too.

Finally, each coach is fitted with NEM pockets and has optional close coupling bars (modelled on vacuum pipes) included.  

The ‘Evolution’ coaches are currently in tooling, prices are confirmed at £199.95 for the three pack sets, with single coaches costing £69.95.

Available models

• South Eastern & Chatham Railway (SKUS 978001-4)
• Midland Railway (SKUS 978005-8)
• London & North Western Railway (SKUS 978009-12)
• Great Western Railway (SKUS 978013-16)
• Great Central Railway (SKUS 978017-20)
• Great Northern Railway (SKUS 978021-24)
• Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway (SKUS 978025-28)
• London, Brighton & South Coast (SKUS 978029-32)
• Longmoor Military Railway (SKUS 978033-36)

Further batches are planned and will include other pre-grouping, grouping and nationalisation era liveries, with the potential of future additional tooling.

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