Rapido Trains UK announce New GWR 45xx 'Small Prairie', locomotives and GWR Crimson Lake Evolution coaches in 00 gauge.

Contributed by: Graham Muspratt

27 Feb 2026 00:00am

Rapido Trains UK have announced New GWR 45xx 'Small Prairie', locomotives and GWR Crimson Lake Evolution coaches in 00 gauge.

George Churchward, followed his 44xx, with a 4’ 7 ½” wheeled version in 1906. Churchward made an eclectic mix of tweaks to the 45xx throughout their lifetime to improve reliability, performance and range. This included superheated boilers, front-end support struts, outside steam pipes, and running boards modified from straight to curved front ends. Swindon continued building batches of 45xx locos from 1913 to 1915. The final batch was given superheaters when they were built.

Churchward retired in 1921. His successor, Charles Collett, clearly liked the 45xx design. As he went on to build another batch of them in 1924, bringing the total up to 75 class members. They were built with all the mod cons, including larger bunkers, full-length running boards with curved front ends, outside steam pipes and superheated boilers with top feeds from new. They also gained cab side shutters and had their cab front porthole windows removed a few years later.
From 1924 onwards, the bunkers of the earlier batches of 45xx locomotives were modified to bring the coal carrying capacity up to 3 tons 14 hundredweight, matching their newly-built counterparts.
The class survived through the grouping years and right through to the days of British Railways. Scrapping began in the early years of BR, with the first examples being condemned in 1950. Throughout the 1950s and 60s they were gradually withdrawn in batches, with the last persisting until 1964. Several 45xx locomotives from the Collett batch are preserved.

The models feature a smooth-running mechanism, a factory-installed speaker, NEM coupler pockets, sprung buffers, a Next18 decoder socket, and firebox flicker with a dynamic fire draw effect. Improving further upon the design of the 44xx, the 45xx will be fitted with a MoPower stay-alive capacitor.

Twelve different versions, in both DCC ready and DCC Sound Fitted variants, are being produced as per the image above, and can be pre ordered, due for delivery during 2027 here>>>

Rapido Trains UK have also added GWR Crimson Lake coaches to their Evolution range of coaches as per the image above, and can be pre ordered, due for delivery during 2027 here>>>

Subject to alteration.

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