Rapido Trains UK couldn’t decide if they should make a Southern or Scottish loco announcement, so they have settled on making both! Rapido is proud to announce the next OO Gauge loco in their growing Scottish Legends range; the gorgeous LNER D40 4-4-0 (Originally GNSR Class V & F) and the SECR G Class too!

The Rapido Trains UK OO Gauge LNER D40 4-4-0 range includes tooling variations covering both the saturated boiler F Class and superheated V Class. The models will be available in a variety of liveries, from pre-grouping right through to BR, and of course, the legendary Gordon Highlander. A small number of these locomotives were also sold to the SECR and classified as 'G Class' - which we are delighted to be offering as an EXCLUSIVE here at Rails!

The range features a selection of detailing variants, including different chimneys, whistles, running plates, tender spring dampers, tender coal rails, smoke boxes and smoke box doors. Other small detail variants include different lubricators, wash-out plugs, and lamp iron positioning. Different models are then fitted with clack valves, snifting valves, steam heat and vacuum pipe valances, and boiler side ejector pipes. For that finishing touch, all models have cosmetic inside valve gear.

Those wishing to personalise their model will be pleased to hear that the detailing bag includes lamps, steam heating pipes and tablet catchers. You can look forward to a smooth-running mechanism, factory-installed speakers, NEM coupler pockets, an ESU 21-pin decoder socket, fitted MoPower stay-alive capacitor, tender pickups, and firebox flicker with a dynamic fire draw effect.

We are pleased to say that the project is already at the tooling stage. The order book is open, and you can pre-order your models right now!

The Rapido Trains UK OO Gauge SECR G Class 4-4-0 is exclusively available from Rails of Sheffield.

The models will be available in a variety of liveries, including two in full SECR Wainwright Green, one in SECR Grey, and two in Southern Olive Green. We have represented all 5 locos from the class throughout the range. Each version in the range includes detailed variations and exclusive tooling to accurately represent the SECR G Class throughout its lifetime, and set it apart from its GNoSR cousins.

The Great North of Scotland Railway served all of the major towns and cities Northeast of the Cairngorms. So, despite its grandiose name, the railway covered a rather modest area of Scotland when compared to the other major Scottish pre-grouping companies.

As the turn of the 18th century approached, the GNSR experienced an upturn in traffic. To accommodate this newfound busy period, 10 brand-new 4-4-0 locomotives were ordered from Neilson, Reid & Co. It was requested that the new locos be similar to the T Class that Neilson, Reid & Co had built for the GNSR only a few years before; these new locos would have saturated boilers and be fitted with cab-side windows. They would be classified as Class V.

Despite the original order being for 10 Class V locomotives, when the GNSR took delivery of the first five in 1899, they decided that the remaining five locos were surplus to requirements as they were struggling financially. Neilson, Reid & Co. had already completed the other 5, so they needed to find a buyer. Thankfully, the newly formed South Eastern and Chatham Railway were desperate for new locos, and this urgency played into builder’s hands nicely; they sold them to the SECR at a noticeably higher price. The SECR would classify these 5 locos as the G Class.

It wouldn’t be long before the GNSR wanted additional locos. Throughout the next 12 years, several proposals to increase the fleet of V Class were made by the railway’s Locomotive, Carriage and Wagon Superintendent, William Pickersgill. Each time, the Directors would take many years to agree, and build only a small number of the proposed number. In total,13 V Class would be built between 1899 and 1921.

Pickersgill's replacement, T.E. Heywood, requested additional locos to replace old stock at the end of the Great War; however, these otherwise similar locos would have superheated boilers, and they were classified as the F Class. A total of 8 F Class locos were built, and unlike the V Class, these engines were given names.

Upon the grouping of the railways, the LNER inherited both the V and F Class locos and due to their similarities combined them into the Class designation of D40. Many of the Scottish-based locos would continue to serve Britain's railways for many years, and with only 3 being withdrawn by the LNER, 18 would pass to British Railways.

British Railways would condemn the surviving locos throughout the 50s, with the last being withdrawn in 1958. BR retained a sole superheated survivor, which was reserved for railtours and was earmarked for eventual preservation.

This locomotive, No.62277, better known as Gordon Highlander, was restored at Inverurie Works. Even though this was not technically a livery that it would have carried during its pre-grouping days, it was renumbered as No.49 and repainted in the eye-catching early GNSR Green livery.

Gordon Highlander enthralled crowds across Scotland until 1966. Upon retirement, it spent many years at the Museum of Transport in Glasgow; but is now currently on loan to the Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway and the Museum of Scottish Railways.

The formation of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway took place in 1899, and was an amalgamation of the South Eastern Railway and the London, Chatham and Dover Railway. Despite joining forces and sharing resources, there was a distinct lack of motive power across their newly combined fleet.

Orders were swiftly placed by the SECR Management for goods and suburban tank engines, and delivery of these was expected in 1900. However, a much-needed batch of larger express locos couldn’t be met until the following year.

Thankfully, this shortfall didn’t last, as Scottish locomotive builder Neilson, Reid & Co. had the ideal solution to the SECR's problem.

Neilson, Reid & Co. had built a batch of 4-4-0 tender locos for the Great North of Scotland Railway; the first part of their order was delivered and paid for, but due to financial difficulties, the GNoSR were unable to complete the purchase of the final batch of five engines. These surplus locos were then made available to the SECR, which they immediately and unsurprisingly snapped up, albeit at an inflated price.

These distinctive locos shared very little with their Southern-built and designed counterparts, but this was no bad thing. Fitted with roof ventilators, twin side windows and folding footplate doors, these roomy locos earned the nickname ‘Glasshouses’ from crews. Their official designation became the G Class.

Although they had nice big cab windows, drivers found that the Gs were challenging to drive in some sections of the London area. This was due to them being left-hand drive, and both SECR constituents had placed their signals to better suit their right-hand drive locos.

Originally delivered to the old LCDR works at Longhenge, the G Class would work from this central London base for several years. From here, they regularly worked the Margate and Dover semi-fast expresses. In 1913, they were given a new base of operations, Gillingham (Kent). From here, they were regularly seen on London and coast-bound expresses, local passenger trains across Kent, and ran trains to Sheerness throughout the summer.

All 5 locos were passed to the Southern Railway upon the grouping of the railways, where they continued to work across Kent and London from their North Kent base.

Unfortunately, none of the G Class made it to nationalisation, as the Southern Railway gradually scrapped classes that were non- standard.