Rapido Trains UK moves Loch class into production, adds Jones Goods batch

Rapido Trains UK has turned its Highland Railway pipeline into a clear progress report, with the Loch class scheduled to enter production in the coming weeks and a limited extra slot opened for three more Jones Goods locomotives. For pre-order customers, that means one long-awaited Scottish project is finally moving into manufacture while another popular prototype gets a brief second chance.

The Jones Goods return as a batch 2 release for 2026 in OO gauge, 1:76 scale, and Rapido has made plain that the extra allocation is small. Rails of Sheffield said the new run includes three of the fastest-selling first-batch liveries, among them Highland Railway yellow and Highland Railway green, now paired with new running numbers. RMweb added that the order book closes on Friday 22 May, making this a short window rather than an open-ended rerun.

That urgency fits the appeal of the prototype itself. The real Highland Railway Jones Goods were built in 1894 by Sharp, Stewart and Company, became the first 4-6-0 locomotives in Britain, and only 15 were constructed. Rapido’s own product page notes that model No. 103 was retired in 1965 and is now one of Glasgow Riverside Museum’s exhibits, a preserved link that helps explain why heritage-era liveries keep drawing attention from collectors and Scottish layout builders.

The Loch class gives the update broader weight. Rapido described the locomotive as David Jones’s passenger counterpart to the Jones Goods, created after the success of the “Big Goods” to give the Highland Railway an equally successful express design. Published trade coverage puts the Loch class total at 18 locomotives in two batches, with 15 built in 1896 and three more in 1917. That makes the class a natural follow-on for anyone already invested in Highland Railway motive power, especially modellers working Inverness, Perth or Glasgow themes.

The timing also matters because this is not a one-off announcement. Gaugemaster’s report and Rapido’s own update both point to the same signal: the Loch class is close to production, while the Jones Goods batch was added because room could still be found in the schedule. Taken together, the two projects show Rapido keeping related Highland Railway subjects moving in parallel, which should steady confidence for collectors waiting on pre-grouping Scottish releases and for modellers who build around a sharply defined era.

For buyers watching the Highland Railway line-up, the message is simple. The Loch class is no longer just on the horizon, and the extra Jones Goods slots are a narrow opportunity attached to the same pipeline.