Revolution Trains was delighted to present a cheque for £1810 to the Royal British Legion raised through sales of the crowdfunded N Gauge model of 390103 ‘Virgin Hero’ produced by Rapido Trains.
The prototype became affectionately known as the “Poppylino” when it was branded with the Royal British Legion poppy motif, and the words “We Will Remember Them,” to mark the centenary of the start of WW1 in 2014.
The cheque was handed over by Corporal Gareth Atkinson of the Mercian Regiment, who was instrumental in negotiating the use of RBL’s logo, at their London headquarters.
The models of 390103 carried a £10 premium, with the full amount donated to the RBL, and Revolution was delighted that despite the additional cost the model was, by some margin, the biggest selling of the 10 different versions offered.
Mike Hale of Revolution Trains said: “We are delighted that this crowdfunding campaign led not just to a fantastic Pendolino model but also gave us the opportunity to help such a good cause.”
Accepting the donation on behalf of TRBL, London Area Manager Ryan Allain said: “Thank you to Gareth and to Revolution Trains for supporting the Royal British Legion and raising valuable funds that will allow us to provide lifelong support to serving and ex-serving personnel and their families.”
Corporal Atkinson added: “As a serving soldier and N gauge enthusiast I was right behind the Pendolino project from the start, and was delighted to be able to help ‘Virgin Hero’ be produced as a model.”
The Revolution/Rapido Pendolino was the first UK crowdfunding campaign to produce a complete train, and has been the springboard for Revolution’s ongoing successful campaign of crowdfunded models.
Revolution and Rapido are proposing further Pendolino models in the attractive new “flowing silk” livery for 2020 and the order book is expected to open in due course.