We're excited to share a surprise announcement from our friends at Rapido Trains UK today - the delightful "Pocket Peckett"  herself, ' Marcia'! 

The real locomotive is under the custodianship of Rapido (and general manager Andy Hardy) - so it was only a matter of time until they released a model of this little engine into their OO Gauge range too.

This model would quite literally fit in your pocket. Over its buffers the model is less than 77mm long and is smaller than most wagons! However, it’s packed with detail including a large number of tooling variations, a pre-fitted speaker, compensated front axle and stay-alivecapacitors. It truly is a remarkable bit of model engineering!

Find out more below and pre-order yours at Rails right now!

We were able to catchup with Rapido's own Andy Hardy for a behind-the-scenes chat about the making of the model and current progress on getting the real 'Marcia' back on the rails!

In 1919, the first standard gauge ‘1287’ class locomotive was constructed. The engine weighed just over 12 tons, had 8”x12” cylinders, was 15’ long and could move 185 tons on the level. In 1923, the second and final member of the class No. 1631 emerged from the Peckett and Sons Atlas Works and went new to Constable’s (Matlock Quarries) Ltd. This firm operated the Cawdor and Station Quarries in Matlock producing crushed limestone, which was mostly used for road use. 

With the economic recession the quarries closed and in 1932 No. 1631 migrated further North to Marcus Bain Ltd.’s Ballochmyle Quarry in Dumfriesshire. This quarry produced building block stone and had a small internal rail system adjacent to the Glasgow and South Western Railway’s main line.

By the 1930s, in an attempt to compete with the cheaper common building bricks, the quarry started producing its own bricks made from waste of other products mixed with lime. No. 1631 had been acquired to service these works, but new type of brick was never a commercial success, being apparently regarded as too soft, resulting in closure.

In 1943 No. 1631 was unemployed once more and was sold to the West of Scotland Shipbreaking Co., Troon. There was no internal railway system here, which implies the loco was sold for scrap. 

However, she was soon resold to Manchester Oxide Co Ltd., presumably because she was in operational condition and locomotives were in short supply due to the wartime conditions.

The Manchester Oxide Company obtained No. 1631 for shunting its internal railway system near Pendleton and was first observed there on the 7th of November 1943. By 1948, Manchester Oxide had been taken over by Hardman and Holden Ltd., an old established Manchester Chemical firm.

The diminutive Peckett seems to have been held in great affection by this firm and finally acquired the familiar name Marcia in honour of Marcia Clayton, the managing director’s wife. She worked continuously on the same site for the next 20 years.

In July 1963 Marcia left Pendleton for distant Kent, and in doing so had virtually travelled the length of the country on her tiny wheels.

Hardman & Holden happily donated Marcia to the fledgling Kent and East Sussex Railway. Several of the railway's members, including Richard ‘Dick’ Beckett visited Marcia, and made the necessary arrangements for her transfer to Tenterden.

Marcia arrived on the K&ESR in the spring of 1963 carrying a faded mid-green livery that was left over from her industrial days. She only had two weeks left on her boiler ticket so was steamed for the first time at her new home the following weekend.

Over the coming years, Marcia was steamed for members' AGM days and public events. By 1964 the engine had received some work and been repainted into a dark blue livery lined in red inspired by the original K&ESR locomotive livery and carried K&ESR No.12 on the tank side, continuing the numbering system from the original K&ESR locomotives. 

In 1965, the railway needed to pay for further, larger locomotives for use on the planned future railway. Rather than see her be sold off, Dick stepped in and personally bought Marcia, taking on the locomotive's care for over half a century.

Over the next few years, the engine continued to be used with maintenance and overhauls being undertaken as required. In the 1970s the locomotive was repainted into lined apple green livery – once again similar to that used by the original K&ESR.

In 1981 Marcia became the first locomotive in preservation to work from Rolvenden to Bodiam, hauling a small train as part of the ‘Bodiam in Steam’ event. During this period the engine also acted as a roving ambassador at County Shows and other events.

In 1985, the engine failed its annual boiler inspection and was laid up pending a major overhaul. She spent several decades out of service, but returned to traffic in 2011. 

Unfortunately, during a visit to the Chemin de Fer de la Baie de Somme in France (the K&ESR's twinned railway), the boiler was found to have a further issue, and the engine was once again laid up on its return.

In 2020, extensive boiler works started, which were completed in 2022. The engine once again returned to traffic and appeared on a small number of trains that year.

Sadly, Dick Beckett passed away in March of 2023. Marcia was subsequently put up for sale.

In June of 2024, Marcia was purchased jointly by Rapido Trains UK and Andy Hardy. Andy is not only the Rapido Trains UK Managing Director, but also a long-term volunteer driver at the K&ESR. To say that this loco is close to his heart would be an understatement. Purchasing Marcia and ensuring that she stayed at her K&ESR home felt incredibly important to all the Rapido Team. 

Having worked at several events including visiting the Historic Dockyard Chatham, she went into an intermediate overhaul at the end of the 2025 season. Marcia is currently undergoing a full repaint, with an aim to be ready for the 2027 season. Marcia will return in as close to as-built condition as possible – featuring the original Peckett livery that she has not carried in around 75 years.