Railway Models UK

The forthcoming OO gauge locomotive venture from Rapido Trains UK centres on the London and North Eastern Railway's (LNER) ‘C12’ 4‑4‑2T. A total of 12 units are slated for the first release.

Sixty of these LNER ‘C12’ 4‑4‑2T locomotives—known as the ‘C2’ by the Great Northern Railway—were built between 1898 and 1907, based on Henry Ivatt’s design at Doncaster Works. Their primary role was local passenger services, and fifty received condensing gear for use on London’s tunnelled routes. As newer equipment arrived, the class was gradually removed from suburban duties around the capital and repurposed across the wider LNER network. The first withdrawals began in 1937; by the formation of British Railways 11 had already been retired. The last of the ‘C12s’ were removed from service in 1958, leaving no surviving examples.

Rapido Trains UK’s brand‑new OO gauge version will offer a range of options, including different chimney shapes, dome styles, safety valve designs, buffer types, water tank configurations, and coal rails. It will also allow owners to equip the model with condensing gear. The set will feature a die‑cast running plate, a factory‑installed speaker, a pre‑installed stay‑alive capacitor, a detectable firebox glow, and an E24 DCC socket.

Twelve variants are set for release:

Great Northern Railway green line models 1020/1528 (Cat No 989001/2) and 1511, the latter in GNR grey (989003).
LNER editions: 1517N/1519 in black with L&NER lettering (989004/5), 4502 in black on the LNER line (989006), 4009A fully black on the LNER line (989007), and 4010 in wartime black for the LNER (989008).
British Railways editions: 67356 in BR black bearing the BRITISH RAILWAYS inscription (989009), 67380/391 in line‑black with early crests (989010/11), and 67352 in line‑black featuring later crests (989012).

The cost will be £189.95 for DCC‑ready units and £294.95 for those with the sound system installed. At present the models are still in the design phase, and no delivery date has been announced.

Visit Rapido Trains UK’s website for more details.

Rapido plans LNER ‘C12’

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