RMweb Premium Popular Post RapidoCorbs Posted February 10 RMweb Premium Popular Post Share Posted February 10 (edited) Pre-order is now available from us or any of our retailers https://rapidotrains.co.uk/caledonia-fireless-0-4-0/ DC/Silent £139.95 DCC Sound-Fitted £249.95 3D-printed samples showing 2 tooling variations We love steam locos at Rapido, and most of them follow similar design principles. The Andrew Barclay 0-4-0 fireless well and truly takes the design rulebook and throws it out the window. As the railways established themselves as a reliable method to transport goods one problem came to the forefront – fire. Steam locos fundamentally need a heat source created from some form of fire to turn water into steam. However, this fire, alongside sparks emitted from the chimney, caused great concern in environments where munitions, fuel or other flammable materials were being moved or stored. The solution is a locomotive that won't spark, or have a naked flame on board. Thankfully, some bright spark had the clever idea of harnessing steam power in a large rechargeable steam reservoir, which would sit in the place of the boiler of a conventional steam locomotive. This reservoir would be filled with a mix of boiling water and steam at high pressure. As the locomotive was used the steam would be used and thus the pressure in the reservoir would drop. This in turn allowed the water to start to boil replacing the steam that had been used. With this method a locomotive could work for about 4 hours prior to recharging. The result is a design that has a distinct lack of key features which people associate with more traditional steam locomotives, such as a smokebox and chimney, a firebox, forward-mounted cylinders and coal bunkers or tenders. Its lack of a firebox requires its cylinders to be rear-mounted both to improve efficiency and redistribute the weight of the loco, and its other missing features are simply because they are surplus to requirement. Andrew Barclay 0-4-0 fireless 'MP1' (Works No.1944 built in 1927) in 1979 © Gordon Edgar collection - with thanks. The largest number of British-built fireless locomotives were constructed by Andrew Barclay & Co. Ltd, and an impressive 114 were built between 1913 and 1961 of varying designs, so it was only fitting that we pick the most numerous of Barclay’s prototypes, the ‘Caledonia’, to produce as the very first Ready-to-run OO Gauge British Fireless loco. These industrial oddities survived far longer than most British Railways and industrial coal-fired steam locos with many examples working into the 1980s and even into the 1990s with many examples later preserved around the country. Full details and pre-ordering will be available from 16th Feb 2024. Edited February 17 by RapidoCorbs 26 1 1 22 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Fair Oak Junction Posted February 10 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 10 Lovely little things! I can see them being popular. 1 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted February 10 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 10 Well done, Rapido, well done indeed, a brave and clever decision! 1 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mol_PMB Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 Prototype details of the Barclay 0-4-0 fireless locos can be found in my thread here: The Rapido models represent the most common 5'6" wheelbase type. Good choice! Cheers, Mol 7 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted February 10 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 10 Rapido seems to be becoming the main producer of 4mm RTR industrials in the UK! 4 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Tim Dubya Posted February 10 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 10 I have to agree with the Captain, a very brave move, but a welcome one. Not for me personally but I am sure your order books will be filled 👍 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Watto1990 Posted February 10 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 10 Wow! I don’t think anyone was expecting this announcement. Small and ugly industrials are a real weakness of mine and I’m looking forward to preorders opening! 2 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HExpressD Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 Rapido Trains UK seems to have been set up purely to extract as much money out of my bank as possible it seems... 3 1 3 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hodgson Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 3 minutes ago, Watto1990 said: Wow! I don’t think anyone was expecting this announcement. Small and ugly industrials are a real weakness of mine and I’m looking forward to preorders opening! They're not ugly! Though I don't go a lot on the white or yellow liveries, doesn't feel right on a steam engine somehow, even though they wouldn't get as mucky as coal fired locos. 1 hour ago, RapidoCorbs said: Its lack of a firebox requires its cylinders to be rear-mounted both to improve efficiency and redistribute the weight of the loco, Thank you. That observation is a subtlety I'd never thought about. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators AY Mod Posted February 10 Moderators Share Posted February 10 14 minutes ago, Michael Hodgson said: Though I don't go a lot on the white The Cream Soda can is top of my list as a local loco that I used to see most days on a rail trip. I can recall the smell of Four Ashes right now just looking at the pic. 7 1 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 Oh my goodness! I find myself agreeing with @Captain Kernow but also with @Watto1990 and also @HExpressD As a self declared shunting loco addict, I can see a few “hits” already* in the images posted! And to think I’ve been manfully resisting the drip fed adverts and subliminal temptation of the NCB Port of Par loco! Now I am just keeping my fingers crossed that RAPIDO haven’t inadvertently duplicated PLANET INDUSTRIAL’s next project! 🫢 Steve S * 965002 (quasi PLA livery), 965007 and 965010 - did I say a few?! 😆 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hodgson Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 1 minute ago, SteveyDee68 said: Now I am just keeping my fingers crossed that RAPIDO haven’t inadvertently duplicated PLANET INDUSTRIAL’s next project! 🫢 Steve S * 965002 (quasi PLA livery), 965007 and 965010 - did I say a few?! 😆 That's an inherent risk in the way the industry works. I welcome the competition as it keeps prices from rising even more than they otherwise would but I do feel sorry for any small manufacturer who happens to fall foul of this. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Popular Post cornelius Posted February 10 RMweb Premium Popular Post Share Posted February 10 9 minutes ago, SteveyDee68 said: Now I am just keeping my fingers crossed that RAPIDO haven’t inadvertently duplicated PLANET INDUSTRIAL’s next project! 🫢 You can put the "needless duplication" klaxon back in the cupboard - a fireless loco would definitely be in our ballpark and we might have gone there one day, but I strongly welcome this news from Rapido and look forward to giving one (or more) a home :D 21 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium cornelius Posted February 10 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 10 1 hour ago, RapidoCorbs said: Andrew Barclay 0-4-0 fireless 'MP1' (Works No.1944 built in 1927) in 1979 © Gordon Edgar collection - with thanks. Also how tempted are you to do a special of this with the letters changed to "Corbs"? 1 1 14 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Moxy Posted February 10 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 10 Excellent choice of prototype. Like others on here I cannot resist shunting locos, and this is one of my favourite prototypes. Well done Rapido. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rapidoandy Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 1 minute ago, cornelius said: Also how tempted are you to do a special of this with the letters changed to "Corbs"? Don’t give him ideas… 1 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Flying Pig Posted February 10 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 10 1 hour ago, Captain Kernow said: Rapido seems to be becoming the main producer of 4mm RTR industrials in the UK! All converted from Pugs and Nellies in a secret underground workshop. 13 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caledonian Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 Oh Dear, is 965001 a Ministry if Munitions one ? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted February 10 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 10 Very nice, just need to choose which one to buy though, quite taken by the yellow one but the white/green one is suitably hideous but appealing at the same time 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold SHMD Posted February 10 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 10 I'm definitely having one of these. In the village where I grew up in, we had a "fireless" loco, and I was always fascinated as to how it could possible work for more than a minute! I also recommend visiting Mol_PMB's thread, linked to above, as it has ALL the info you could possibly want (well nearly) on Fireless locos - including how they work and for how long. Well done Rapido. Kev. 5 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators AY Mod Posted February 10 Moderators Share Posted February 10 3 minutes ago, big jim said: the white/green one is suitably hideous I'm sure you'll have driven past it's old home a thousand times if that counts as an excuse. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted February 10 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 10 These were very common place on outrageously improbable light railways in the Mid Wales area. Two a penny, in fact. If only that was how much they will cost... 1 1 1 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karl Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 Saw the advert in the free BRM at Doncaster, a very surprising and welcome announcement. Another model for my industrial layout I didn't know I wanted! 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mol_PMB Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 28 minutes ago, big jim said: Very nice, just need to choose which one to buy though, quite taken by the yellow one but the white/green one is suitably hideous but appealing at the same time There were at least two yellow ones, it looks like the Rapido model is the Ardrossan example. Murray Liston photo shows AB 1952 at Ardrossan Refinery, 1981: Paul Bryson photo shows AB 1966 at Monsanto Chemicals, Newport, 1972. The Monsanto loco had previously worked at Colmans of Norwich, as seen here, but I can't help wondering if it was later painted mustard-colour in Norwich before its move to Newport: Mol 6 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSpencer Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 Excellent News. Bowaters No 1 for me. Although I must admit I cannot find a photo of her in the Brownish red of the model. Do we know when she was like this please? Every photo I've seen is either green or green with white. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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