Rapido Trains UK’s latest major orderbook closes on Monday 28 September, covering its third batch of ‘Evolution’ coaches and a substantial expansion of the OO9 all-purpose wagon range.

This is the point at which we need to confirm our customer order quantities with Rapido. The manufacturer plans to move these models into production quickly once the orderbook closes. So, if there is a particular version you want, placing a pre-order before the deadline is the safest way to secure it.

This is a particularly large orderbook, spanning both 'OO' and 'OO9', including completely new tooling alongside new liveries and further runs of existing models.

 

Rapido ‘Evolution’ Batch 3 ('OO')

Rapido’s ‘Evolution’ concept tackles one of the long-standing difficulties of modelling Britain’s pre-grouping railways: the enormous number of different carriage designs operated by individual companies.

Rather than claiming to reproduce one specific diagram for every railway, the range uses generic 48ft non-corridor bogie coaches, with roof styles, lighting equipment, footboards and other details selected to capture the character of the company and period being represented. The basic range covers Brake Third, Third, Composite, First and Full Brake vehicles, with three-coach packs available alongside individually numbered vehicles.

The specification is considerably more sophisticated than the word ‘generic’ might suggest. Depending on the version, coaches receive arc, elliptical or clerestory roofs, gas or electric lighting equipment and appropriate underframe details. Interiors include luggage racks, compartment detailing and detailed guard/luggage areas, while fitted interior lighting is controlled magnetically. Fox-pattern bogies incorporate electrical pick-ups, with NEM coupling pockets on kinematic mechanisms and optional close-coupling bars also supplied.

Batch 3 covers an unusually broad spread of railway history. The main passenger liveries include GWR Lined Crimson Lake, LB&SCR Mahogany, Great North of Scotland Railway, Southern Railway Olive Green, LNER Carriage Brown, BR Crimson and BR Malachite Green. Rapido also has an NCB three-coach pack, four BR Engineers vehicles, a Camping Coach, generic Crimson and Brown vehicles and a Kent & East Sussex Railway two-coach pack.

The GWR Lined Crimson Lake versions are a comparatively recent addition to Batch 3. Announced in February 2026, they represent the 1912–1922 period and were added in part to provide suitable coaching stock for Rapido’s forthcoming GWR 45xx ‘Small Prairie’.

Explore the complete Evolution range of coaches, here.

 

Three all-new OO9 wagon toolings

The other major part of this orderbook is Rapido’s expanding OO9 all-purpose wagon range.

These models deliberately take a broad approach to narrow-gauge operation. Rather than concentrating solely on well-known Welsh slate railways, Rapido has drawn inspiration from the industrial, agricultural, military and mineral railways that used small wagons of similar types around Britain and overseas. All share a common underframe and use NEM-compliant OO9 hook-and-loop couplings.

The Rectangular Tank is aimed at the many situations in which narrow-gauge railways needed to move or store liquids, from water and fuel to oil and industrial products. Versions range from plain black and green vehicles to 'water', fuel and oil markings, alongside private-owner-style liveries including D Thomas Tar Distillers and Beardspoon Cider.

The wooden coal hopper provides a larger-capacity mineral vehicle, with brown, grey and red finishes covering coal, ore and more general industrial use.

The round-ended flat is potentially the most adaptable of the three. Rapido is producing examples in brown, grey, green and red, and each is supplied with a removable crate load, allowing the wagon to be run loaded, empty or with a modeller’s own alternative load. A Purple Moose Brewery version has also joined the range.

Discover the complete range, here.

 

More liveries for existing OO9 wagons

The orderbook also covers fresh releases using Rapido’s original UK990 all-purpose wagon tooling.

That means more dropside opens, cylindrical tanks, gunpowder vans, covered vans and peaked-roof vans, considerably increasing the number of different mixed freight formations that can be assembled.

Among the newly listed models are Ffestiniog red and industrial/private-owner dropside opens, additional tank wagons, a Glynneath gunpowder van, covered vans in Ffestiniog and stores liveries and peaked-roof vans for locomotive sand and industrial use. Purple Moose Brewery versions of the Dropside Open and Cylindrical Tank have also been added.

It is this variety that makes the all-purpose range useful. A quarry, works, mine, military railway, factory complex or fictional narrow-gauge system does not need a rake of identical wagons; the different bodies can instead be combined into the sort of mixed industrial train for which narrow gauge was particularly well suited.

Discover the complete range, here.

Rapido’s orderbook closes on Monday 28 September, after which Rapido intends to move quickly towards production. That means our TMC allocation will increasingly be governed by the quantities ordered at this stage rather than by speculative stock ordered later.

If an individual coach, complete 'Evolution' rake or particular OO9 wagon is on your list, we recommend placing your TMC pre-order before the deadline rather than relying on spare stock being available after production quantities have been fixed.