Rapido MR D299 5-Plank Open S&DJR Grey No.846

845008 Rapido MR D299 5-Plank Open - S&DJR Grey No.846

New release - expected during 2028 

OO Gauge Midland D299 5-Plank Open Wagon - History.

The Midland Railway D299 8-ton high-sided (5-plank) open wagon was built to Derby Carriage and Wagon drawing No. 550 of 1882.

Unlike many railway companies, which were designing high-sided wagons to either be used for minerals or general goods, the Midland developed these wagons to accommodate both freight types.

Measuring 14ft 11in over the headstocks and a 9ft wheelbase, they were fitted with single-sided brakes, continuous draw gear, either-side doors and bottom doors for mineral deployment. 

They were far from the biggest all-purpose wagon, but the design clearly worked perfectly as they numbered in the tens of thousands.

A rolling stock survey in 1905 reported that over 69,000 were currently in service, of which several thousand were replacements for the first examples built in the early 1880s. The Midland's policy of breaking up wagons that had aged out at the twenty-year mark makes it impossible to verify a precise total build number.

It is estimated that the approximate total built over a twenty-year period is an incredible 72,000 vehicles.

When the Midland introduced diagram numbers to its rolling stock in 1907, wagons built to drawing No. 550 were designated as D299.

Although plenty of the older D299 opens were scrapped, 7000 wagons were sold second-hand between 1905 and 1916; these ended up in the hands of industrial users and light railways. The SE&CR also hired some during the Great War, and 180 were sold in 1920 to the Port of London Authority.

It's no surprise then that these wagons got everywhere. You have only got to pick up a book on pre-grouping railways, and it won’t be long before a Midland open crops up in the background.

Over 500 5-plank wagons were built for the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway by contractors and at Highbridge Works; however, bottom doors were omitted, and subtle changes were made, such as a longer brake lever.

The total quantity built for the S&DJR remains a mystery; however, when the S&DJR’s goods stock was divided between the parent companies in 1914, the LSWR received about 224 of these 8-ton wagons.

Around half of these LSWR wagons were then passed to the Southern Railway upon the grouping. The LMS inherited between 43,000 and 44,000 surviving D299 opens from the Midland Railway. Numbers steadily declined as they were replaced by LMS 12-ton open wagons.

Survivors can be found at the Midland Railway Centre and the Avon Valley Railway.

Details specific to this version:

• MR D.299 5-Plank Open Wagon
• SDJR Grey No. 846
• Long handbrake lever
• 8A axleboxes
• Wooden door stops
• Plain floor
• Split-spoke wheels running in metal bearings
• High level of detail above and below the floor line
• High quality livery application
• NEM coupler pockets