RCH 1907 Private Owner Wagons - with added 2024 range.

[rapidoandy]

Rapido Trains UK is to add some of the railway's unsung heroes to its range of 'OO' gauge wagons: five- and seven-plank open wagons to the Railway Clearing House's 1907 standards.

 

 

The Railway Clearing House was formed in 1842 and would go on to manage the flow of wagons between railway companies, standardise mileage rates and even provided neutral ground for railway managers to meet.

 

It issued a set of standards for goods wagon design in 1907, which were used by railway companies and wagon builders alike. Many thousands of private owner wagons were built to the RCH standards (which were revised in 1923) and many lasted until BR started to phase out wooden-bodied wagons in the 1960s. Those in industrial service continued to earn their keep until much later.

 

 

Rapido UK Sales & Marketing Manager Richard Foster said, “The RCH’s 1923 open wagon design has been produced by many different ‘OO’ gauge manufacturers over the years but the original 1907 design has never been produced before in ‘OO’. We thought that that was something that needed rectifying as soon as possible!”

 

Rapido UK has selected the 9ft wheelbase underframe and will offer two main variants: the five-plank with side doors and the seven-plank with side and end doors.

 

 

Rapido’s UK design team has also been able to include the following detail differences:

·        Ribbed- or smooth-tapered buffers

·        Square, rounded or Ellis axleboxes

·        Straight or bent ‘V’ hangers

·        Split- or solid-spoke wheels

·        Single- or double-sided brakes

 

 

The order book for these wagons is open and you can either order from your local Rapido Trains UK stockist or direct via our website.

https://rapidotrains.co.uk/rch-1907-private-owner-wagons/

 

Edited March 8 by rapidoandy

[Flying Pig]

Excellent choice.

[MarkSG]

Nice. I've been asking for these for ages. Now, what I really want is versions in early BR condition, with simple patching of the numbers rather than a full repaint.

[tractionman]

I like the look of these, especially the colliery liveried examples:

 

https://rapidotrains.co.uk/rch-1907-private-owner-wagons/

[GreenGiraffe22]

Ooo hopefully we'll see some Sussex based company wagons in future batches =) 

[BenL]

An excellent choice indeed!

 

The initial batch seems to be relatively early, as built examples. I’ll be looking forward to some examples as they appeared in the ‘30s and ‘40s.

[Dominion]

Excellent. Well done. I vote for more colliery examples. Also need more factor wagons like S&C, Moy, Coote &Warren, etc. when you have time ! Tom

[Compound2632]

55 minutes ago, rapidoandy said:

Rapido’s UK design team has also been able to include the following detail differences:

·        Ribbed- or smooth-tapered buffers

·        Square, rounded or Ellis axleboxes

·        Straight or bent ‘V’ hangers

·        Split- or solid-spoke wheels

·        Single- or double-sided brakes

 

Splendid.

 

As I understand it, the 1907 specification still offered considerable latitude to the builders in the matter of the wagon body, though not quite as much as the 1887 specification and its revisions.

 

May I ask, has the style of any particular builder been followed here, or do we have a "generic" wagon?

[RapidoLinny]

5 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

Splendid.

 

As I understand it, the 1907 specification still offered considerable latitude to the builders in the matter of the wagon body, though not quite as much as the 1887 specification and its revisions.

 

May I ask, has the style of any particular builder been followed here, or do we have a "generic" wagon?

Hello Stephen,

The two bodies we're offering are modelled on a Charles Roberts 7-plank (16' over headstocks, with end doors and lift-bar end catch), and a Thomas Burnett 5-plank (also 16' over headstocks, with side doors only).

If these sell well, we'd like to look into other body styles to expand the range further.

Hope this helps!

Linny

[ossy5190]

Excellent news, well done Rapido! Good to see some Scottish traders wagons announced.

[Compound2632]

1 minute ago, RapidoLinny said:

The two bodies we're offering are modelled on a Charles Roberts 7-plank (16' over headstocks, with end doors and lift-bar end catch), and a Thomas Burnett 5-plank (also 16' over headstocks, with side doors only).

If these sell well, we'd like to look into other body styles to expand the range further.

 

Since the available kits are mostly of Gloucester prototypes, this choice has to be applauded.

[iak]

Uuoooh 'eck, my credit has just exploded... 

[Buhar]

Good to choose builders other than Gloucester and design-in the axlebox and buffer shank variations.  I really hope these sell as well as they deserve to and later that variations in the style of ironwork between builders can be replicated. 

[Wickham Green too]

2 hours ago, MarkSG said:

Nice. I've been asking for these for ages. Now, what I really want is versions in early BR condition, with simple patching of the numbers rather than a full repaint.

Very unlikely any hung around long enough for a full BR repaint ....... few enough of the 1923 style fared any better.

[Buhar]

3 minutes ago, Wickham Green too said:

Very unlikely any hung around long enough for a full BR repaint ....... few enough of the 1923 style fared any better.

However those that enjoy running a load of colourful PO wagons behind their sector liveried diesels may buy enough for Rapido to decide it's a marketing success and keep producing them. 

[choo1choo]

2 hours ago, GreenGiraffe22 said:

Ooo hopefully we'll see some Sussex based company wagons in future batches =) 

 

Agreed, some West Sussex and Hampshire companies would be great.

 

Craig.

[Compound2632]

3 minutes ago, choo1choo said:

Agreed, some West Sussex and Hampshire companies would be great.

 

I'm sure you'd also appreciate some in the liveries of collieries that supplied merchants in that area too. It's an inevitable weakness of the county or area based PO wagon books that they only give you half the story! I'd argue that some in the liveries of the larger Derbys / Notts / S. Yorks colliery companies should make pretty well everyone happy.

Edited March 16, 2023 by Compound2632

[greatcoleswoodhalt]

3 hours ago, GreenGiraffe22 said:

Ooo hopefully we'll see some Sussex based company wagons in future batches =) 

 

Seconded!

 

Albeit just over the county border, The Hobby Shop commision is Tilmanstone Colliery, Kent.

[AMJ]

At least the notes in the email indicate that if there is a specific livery you would like then you can commission a batch.

[Schooner]

Bravo Rapido!

[Compound2632]

2 minutes ago, AMJ said:

At least the notes in the email indicate that if there is a specific livery you would like then you can commission a batch.

 

Though I hope they reply with a wrap over the knuckles if the livery is inappropriate to the particular body being done at the time... 

[Dunsignalling]

About time somebody woke up to the opportunities on offer for proper 1907-spec wagons.

 

They look so nice pristine that I'll (almost) feel guilty when I drag a couple kicking and screaming into 1950s condition.

 

John

[Wickham Green too]

11 minutes ago, Dunsignalling said:

... They look so nice pristine that I'll (almost) feel guilty when I drag a couple kicking and screaming into 1950s condition. ...

Me too - but first we've got to try to establish which ( traces of ) liveries might have survived until - let alone - through WW2 !

[choo1choo]

1 hour ago, Compound2632 said:

 

I'm sure you'd also appreciate some in the liveries of collieries that supplied merchants in that area too. It's an inevitable weakness of the county or area based PO wagon books that they only give you half the story! I'd argue that some in the liveries of the larger Derbys / Notts / S. Yorks colliery companies should make pretty well everyone happy.

 

 

Yep, a very fair point to raise.

 

Craig.

[MarkSG]

1 hour ago, Buhar said:

However those that enjoy running a load of colourful PO wagons behind their sector liveried diesels may buy enough for Rapido to decide it's a marketing success and keep producing them. 

 

As I've said before, PO wagons can be a cash cow for manufacturers because there were so many different liveries that you can keep on releasing new ones until, er, the cows come home. Apologies for two unrelated cow analogies in one comment!

 

However, one of the reasons that works for the likes of Hornby and Dapol is that theirs are, generally, firmly in the "cheap and cheerful" category and appeal to the cheap and cheerful target market. I can't imagine all that many train set owners buying lots of Rapido PO wagons at thirty quid a pop, because they simply won't appreciate the detail and therefore won't buy them when they can get them cheaper from elsewhere. 

 

It will be interesting to see how well these do, therefore. Because I certainly want some in appropriate early BR condition, but that won't happen if the first batch doesn't sell well.