GWR Diagram AA20 ‘Toad’ brake van

◆ GAUGE ‘OO’ ◆ MODEL Rapido Trains UK 918001 GWR ‘Toad’ brake van ◆ PRICE £39.95 ◆ AVAILABILITY Rapido Trains stockists Web www.rapidotrains.co.uk

Like the GWR ‘Loriot Y’ machinery wagon, the AA20 ‘Toad’ brake van is another spin-off item from the Titfield Thunderbolt train packs which has reached the UK ahead of them. The sample sent for review is

No. 114756 in GWR grey and branded for Hereford Barton. It represents the archetypal GWR brake van which everyone will recognise as a ‘Toad’, the 25ft long, 20-tonner with a single, large verandah at one end.

Two ‘Toads’ were used in the movie, though for continuity purposes they were both numbered W68740. The style of rainstrips differed between the two vans, however, and in order to accommodate both styles Rapido has had to produce two different roof tools. This has led to the roof being a separate fitting and that, in turn, no doubt, led to the modelling of a full interior. The result is a ‘Toad’ that’s way ahead of any previous ready-to-run ‘OO’ brake vans and is even a cut above some in ‘O’ gauge!

Starting from the top, our sample has the full-length rainstrips and a hollow stovepipe chimney. The roof is removable, being held in place by four small magnets on locating tags which prevent the roof being fitted the wrong way round.

Inside, there’s a representation of the sanding gear, a stove and chimney, benches and lockers, plus all the wall planking detail, and even a bolt on the door!

On the verandah there is the bench and sandboxes plus the handbrake standard. All features are fully finished in authentic colours, too. The floor is planked and finished in a dull brown.

Rapido’s model represents a 1934 design and reproduces the metal plating on the lower bodysides and ends, with planked wooden doors and upper bodysides. Windows are flush-glazed and the glazing flanges do show on the inside of the model although not sufficiently to detract from the exceptional detailing.

Externally, separate lamp irons are fitted on the ends and sides, while the most obvious feature, the white-painted rectangular handrails, are also separate fittings. These have the capacity to let a model down by either being moulded-on, or flexible and out of shape, but Rapido has come up with a plastic which not only retains its shape but also takes paint. Thus, the handrails, which were essential for shunters riding on the long footboards, avoid the pitfalls of either being bendy or self-coloured or both.

The underside of the vehicle has panel and rivet detail to represent the box structure which Swindon filled with scrap iron to weight the vehicles, plus separately-fitted brake rods and brake shoes in line with the ‘OO’ wheelsets. Three-hole disc wheels are fitted on pin-point metal axles with plastic bush insulation.

Tension-lock couplings are fitted in pivoted NEM pockets and, as is inevitable with ready-to-run models, these do set the models rather far apart in order to negotiate train set curves. Very neat and crisply moulded taper-shank GWR buffers are fitted, together with dummy coupling hooks.

Like the ‘Loriot’ the weight has been limited by the haulage capacity of Thunderbolt and the ‘Toad’ weighs in at 46gm or 1.62oz.

This seemed very light but, in fact, is little different from a much older Bachmann ‘Toad’ or from other Rapido wagons. However, I found both the Rapido ‘Toad’ and ‘Loriot’ sensitive to slight track defects, due I suspect, to the combination of lightness and long, fixed wheelbase. It would not be difficult to add a little extra weight to either model, should you find this necessary.

This is without doubt, a state-of-the-art ‘Toad’ and I suspect Rapido will need to keep it in the range, with slightly different liveries and markings for some time to come. (CJL)