Rapido Trains UK has unveiled a new collection of OO gauge 7‑plank private owner wagons, adding to its growing range of pre‑grouping and privately owned rolling stock.
The line comprises 18 distinct versions and is the first to present fully decorated internal ironwork strapping with detailed rivets on a ready‑to‑run OO gauge wagon. It offers both a side‑door‑only option and a side‑and‑end‑door variant, mirroring the original design’s long production life and broad use.
Rapido Trains UK has confirmed the following 18 private owner liveries:
Side door only variants
- H. Syrus
- Kingsbury
- R. Webster & Sons
- John Stephens, Son, & Co. Ld.
- William Duck
- Payne & Son
- George & Matthews
- W. T. Williams
- Neasden Great Central Railway & Metropolitan Employees Coal Club
- F. Edens
- Tudhope
- Westbury Iron Works
Side and end door variants
- Crane & Company
- I. W. Baldwin
- E. H. Swift
- Cambrian Mercantile Collieries
- Crynant Colliery Company
- Diamond Anthracite
The list covers private owners from across the country and highlights the widespread adoption of the Gloucester‑built design.
The new wagons incorporate a range of features designed to replicate the distinctive look of the original 7‑plank wagons:
- Fully detailed and decorated internal ironwork strapping
- Moulded internal rivet detail
- Tooling variants on wagons fitted with and without end doors
- Extensive external, internal and underframe detailing
- Metal bearings for smooth running
- NEM 362 coupling pockets
- High‑quality livery application
The Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company was one of Britain’s most prominent rolling‑stock manufacturers, producing railway vehicles for over 120 years. While its product range included coaches, railcars and specialist freight cars, open wagons made up a significant portion of its output.
Among its most enduring designs was the conventional 15‑ft‑long 7‑plank open wagon with internal ironwork strapping. The layout remained largely unchanged between the 1890s and the early 1920s, with examples produced both with and without end doors.
These wagons were sold and hired to private companies across the UK; hired examples were maintained by the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company itself.
Following nationalisation after the Second World War, British Railways inherited part of the company’s 10,000‑strong hire fleet. The exact number of surviving examples of the earlier 1890s‑designed 7‑plank wagons is uncertain, and none are known to survive in preservation.
The models have an RRP £32.95 and are available to pre-order.
