Rapido Trains UK is proud to announce they are adding the OO Gauge GWR Dia. O19 Open C ‘Tube’ wagon to their highly regarded and growing Great Western Railway range.
Originally built to deal with timber loads, the Open C design started life in 1907 as Diagram.O8, the Great Western Railway continued making tweaks to the 15ft wheelbase design and subsequently produced the Dia. O16 in 1913/ 14, and the O19 in 1914. The Open C were also one of the first wagons to be designed to use the DC III brakes.
The O19 was produced right through to 1927, making it the longest-produced diagram of the Open C class of wagon. Further similar diagrams of the Open C were produced into the late 1940s.
Despite its original designation as a timber wagon, it wasn’t long before the class was recoded. By World War Two they were considered tube vehicles, as steel tubing had since become their most common load. During this time period, they were also uprated to a 15-ton load capacity.
Surviving the rigours of two World Wars the Open C continued to transport steel tubes across the nation, and continued to do so right through to the nationalisation and beyond. Due to their specific role, they often ventured further afield than the GWR or BR Western region network, one being photographed as far south as Eastleigh, and some even being under the direct ownership of the Port of London Authority. So, if you want to model anything from a pre-grouping freight train, through to a busy 1950s industrial setting, the GWR Dia. O19 Open C ‘Tube’ wagon is the perfect addition to your collection and rakes.
Incredibly several examples have survived into preservation, and thanks to the clear works drawings Rapido have sourced, the Dia. O19 was the obvious choice for them to pick when looking at Open C variants to produce.
