IRM 2018 Range; 'Project 42' and Plough

[Accurascale Fran]

The wait is finally over. March 3^rd has arrived, and we can now reveal the most ambitious range ever announced by Irish Railway Models. It’s disappointing we could not do this at our planned IRM Social event, but we’re sure that our 2018 range will warm you up with excitement during this cold snap!

 

 

We are releasing no less than six completely new models over the next 12 months, not including the Tara Mines wagon due in June! We have put the Taras on pre-order, and almost 20% have sold already. Remember, you get 10% off a rake (all five red oxide packs) if you use the discount code you got in the ballast packs bought from us directly. Click here to secure your pre-order.

 

CIE Fertiliser Wagon

 

 

Project 4 will be the distinctive CIE bogie fertiliser wagon, an iconic Irish wagon which could be found across the system for over 30 years. This will be the first wagon in our ‘Project 42’ series, which sees a number of wagon releases based around the humble 42ft flat wagon.

 

A total of 90 were built by CIE to carry pallets of fertiliser from the IFI plant near Arklow, Co. Wicklow across the country. The IRM release will consist of multiple packs of two wagons in a variety of markings to allow the formation of a prototypical train. The Ferts are due late Q2 2018.

 

CIE Ballast Plough Van

 

 

Book-ending the ballast hopper wagons already made by IRM, the CIE ballast plough van will be project 5. Four of these vans were built by CIE in 1978 and were used to spread the ballast dropped from the hopper wagons.

 

 

These will be highly exclusive, made in very limited numbers and will be released in packs of two vans in original CIE yellow livery and the later IE livery they wore before withdrawal in 2013.

 

 

The vans will feature a full lighting package including interior lights and tail lamps with analogue switch and DCC operation. CAD is complete, and this will be in stock in Q3 2018.

 

 

Guinness Train

 

 

The ubiquitous CIE 42ft flat wagon, as used as the chassis on the fertiliser wagons, allows us to offer a variety of authentic freight train formations. Guinness trains, featuring keg cages and loads to replicate another iconic Irish freight flow, forms IRM project 6 and they are due in Q3.

 

Modern Spoil Train

 

 

We want to offer something else from the current scene to complement our Tara Mines wagon, so project 7 will see the modern spoil train complete with the spoil containers used on current permanent way traffic across the country. This is also due in Q3.

 

Weedsprayer Pack

 

 

(Above pic courtesy of 'The Wanderer')

 

Another current train (and a gricers favourite!) due in Q3 is Project 8, which will be the weedsprayer train with tanks and CIE container. The train will be a special triple pack made in a limited production run, featuring the wasp stripe headboards which can be affixed to your 141/181 or 071. The weedsprayer coach itself is under consideration as a future model, subject to demand. If you want it, let us know!

 

Iconic Liners

 

 

Finally, thanks to a collaboration with C-Rail Intermodal, the iconic Bell liners will be available for the first time in accurate RTR format, with 40 ft containers on IRM 42ft flats being released. These containers will use new tooling from C-Rail to give an alternative pattern to other Bell releases. These containers will have new identities not previously released by C-Rail. IRM is also looking into other containers that ran on the flats, such as B&I containers.

 

 

There will be packs of flats featuring the humble CIE 20ft container, which is being tooled as part of our weedspray train. The 20ft container will be released as a separate standalone item too to pose on the back of trucks and yards on your layouts. The liner packs form IRM project number 9 and they are due in Q4. Bare wagons may also be released later, allowing customers to add containers they already own.

 

 

 

The container, Guinness and spoil wagons will be released in packs of two with a variety of running numbers. Prices for all new releases will be confirmed in the coming weeks. We will publish ordering information as each model gets closer to release! 

 

Cheers,

 

Fran (on behalf of the IRM Team - Patrick, Richie and Stephen)

Edited March 3, 2018 by 071

[Robert Shrives]

Hi Gang,

Let me be first to say on here - Wow !!! a great set of projects and hope you get good sales off these , I will be after 4 Ferts, 2 ploughs, weed train set and at least two of the flats - sidings getting very full... the yard master will complain!

 

The Spray coach is a leap from wagons but yes please if numbers safely stack up - its a good place to start for back dating to and EGV/ SGV for existing stock from MM - of course it might be natural to have some common tooling - the B4 bogie from MM models and say a few euros and on the way for a class 80 !! or NIR stock - pretty please !

 

Still on wish list game is the A & C class  and I know that to complement the ballast spoils you must have been planning the ICR sets ..  

Robert 

[Accurascale Fran]

Hi Gang,

Let me be first to say on here - Wow !!! a great set of projects and hope you get good sales off these , I will be after 4 Ferts, 2 ploughs, weed train set and at least two of the flats - sidings getting very full... the yard master will complain!

 

The Spray coach is a leap from wagons but yes please if numbers safely stack up - its a good place to start for back dating to and EGV/ SGV for existing stock from MM - of course it might be natural to have some common tooling - the B4 bogie from MM models and say a few euros and on the way for a class 80 !! or NIR stock - pretty please !

 

Still on wish list game is the A & C class  and I know that to complement the ballast spoils you must have been planning the ICR sets ..  

Robert

 

Thanks Robert, there is certainly a lot in the 2018 range to choose from! ICRs? Plenty of other models to do first before we get to them!

[KDG]

What a well thought out, and packaged, range of releases of interesting prototypes.

 

I don't model Irish railways, or even know much about them, but I can discern quality when I see it, in the design stage. Those 42ft flats look.........tempting.

 

This bodes very well for the future planned British range of models.

 

I wish you every success.

 

With less than a year from announcement to planned release date, isn't this what other manufacturers could aspire to?

[Accurascale Fran]

What a well thought out, and packaged, range of releases of interesting prototypes.

 

I don't model Irish railways, or even know much about them, but I can discern quality when I see it, in the design stage. Those 42ft flats look.........tempting.

 

This bodes very well for the future planned British range of models.

 

I wish you every success.

 

With less than a year from announcement to planned release date, isn't this what other manufacturers could aspire to?

 

Thank you for your very kind words Andy. We want to be a manufacturer that pushes the hobby forward in quality and fidelity, and our Technical Director really puts that philosophy into practice with his design work.

 

Accurascale will be the same story, albeit with models announced when we receive a sample from the factory, cutting down on those waiting times before release.

 

Cheers!

 

Fran 

[Wickham Green]

 

 

CIE Ballast Plough Van

 

0201.jpg

 

Book-ending the ballast hopper wagons already made by IRM, the CIE ballast plough van will be project 5. Four of these vans were built by CIE in 1978 and were used to spread the ballast dropped from the hopper wagons.

 

0203.jpg

 

These will be highly exclusive, made in very limited numbers and will be released in packs of two vans in original CIE yellow livery and the later IE livery they wore before withdrawal in 2013.

 

Plough Van NW.JPG

 

The vans will feature a full lighting package including interior lights and tail lamps with analogue switch and DCC operation. CAD is complete, and this will be in stock in Q3 2018.

 

0202.jpg

 

 

Any chance you might follow the 1978 ballast plough vans with the GSWR van(s) that also lasted into relatively recent times ? : it seems to have been a GWR design which was adopted by other railways this side of the water too ( even the LSWR ! ) so might find a place in the Accurascale range as well ........... 

 

Or is Granny already sucking eggs ?

[Accurascale Fran]

Any chance you might follow the 1978 ballast plough vans with the GSWR van(s) that also lasted into relatively recent times ? : it seems to have been a GWR design which was adopted by other railways this side of the water too ( even the LSWR ! ) so might find a place in the Accurascale range as well ........... 

 

Or is Granny already sucking eggs ?

 

We did look at the GSWR vans (one lasted right up to late 2000s!) but they became a real 'triggers broom' over the years, each carrying heavy and in most cases unique modifications along the way. 

 

We do like our brake vans though.... 

[Revolution Ben]

 

Hello gents,

 

Great CAD work - love the shadows! Nice set of coherent releases - look forward to seeing your progress.

 

Cheers

 

Ben A.

[Grampus]

Just a brief note to say that I was thrilled to bits with the arrival of both my recent purchases: sets of ballast hoppers and cement bubbles respectively.  I thought both were absolutely fantastic, so I will look forward to the ballast ploughs and the fertilizer wagons in particular.  Mind you, I don't claim to be a modeller of the Irish railway scene: I just needed something to run behind my beautiful little Bachmann small GM - honest!  It's catching though...  and with a swift change of buildings on the new shunting plank, who's to know any different?!  

 

Thanks for such lovely models and best of luck with the new items.

 

Best wishes, 

 

Paul

[NoelG]

We did look at the GSWR vans (one lasted right up to late 2000s!) but they became a real 'triggers broom' over the years, each carrying heavy and in most cases unique modifications along the way. 

 

 

HI Fran.  

Two questions if you don't mind.  First, were the CIE ballast ploughs yellow from the very beginning or were they ever grey or bauxite? Second, will your pair of wagons be weathered or pristine (i.e. like IRM image below)?

Thanks

Noel

 

[Accurascale Fran]

Hello gents,

 

Great CAD work - love the shadows! Nice set of coherent releases - look forward to seeing your progress.

 

Cheers

 

Ben A.

 

Thanks Ben! Really appreciate the kind words. 

 

 

Just a brief note to say that I was thrilled to bits with the arrival of both my recent purchases: sets of ballast hoppers and cement bubbles respectively.  I thought both were absolutely fantastic, so I will look forward to the ballast ploughs and the fertilizer wagons in particular.  Mind you, I don't claim to be a modeller of the Irish railway scene: I just needed something to run behind my beautiful little Bachmann small GM - honest!  It's catching though...  and with a swift change of buildings on the new shunting plank, who's to know any different?!  

 

Thanks for such lovely models and best of luck with the new items.

 

Best wishes, 

 

Paul

 

Thanks very much Paul, we're delighted that you are happy with your purchases. Thanks for the order!

 

With the ballasts now virtually sold out, over 77% of the bubbles gone and over 20% of the forthcoming Tara Mines wagons allocated already, there seems to be many people catching the Irish buzz! 

 

Cheers,

 

Fran

Edited March 7, 2018 by 071

[Accurascale Fran]

HI Fran.  

Two questions if you don't mind.  First, were the CIE ballast ploughs yellow from the very beginning or were they ever grey or bauxite? Second, will your pair of wagons be weathered or pristine (i.e. like IRM image below)?

Thanks

Noel

 

 

Hi Noel,

 

These ploughs were yellow from the beginning. Our ploughs will be pristine, not weathered. 

 

Cheers!

 

Fran

[mckinneyc]

I grew up in Lisburn, County Antrim. I still remember vividly a grubby orange locomotive hauling Guinness trains past Bow St Mall. The siding to the Guinness site in Belfast is still there I believe. I think I'll be buying a pack!

[Wickham Green]

I grew up in Lisburn, County Antrim. I still remember vividly a grubby orange locomotive hauling Guinness trains past Bow St Mall. The siding to the Guinness site in Belfast is still there I believe. I think I'll be buying a pack!

Pack of wagons ?    þ

Pack of Guinness ? þ

[Accurascale Fran]

I grew up in Lisburn, County Antrim. I still remember vividly a grubby orange locomotive hauling Guinness trains past Bow St Mall. The siding to the Guinness site in Belfast is still there I believe. I think I'll be buying a pack!

 

We were just reminiscing yesterday about how much we miss cross border freight. There are rumblings that a cross border liner may begin again, but who knows.

 

Our reminiscing was brought about by this wonderful pic by Ernie Brack, featuring a lovely A and all those lovely orange bubbles which we have in our range!

 

(Warning; The following image also features Guinness!)

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/16033984825/in/photolist-qqSn5e-7WzUU7-qB97bT-bczRDP-aLB41i-ZizCqM-K8Pqrp-KcwntF-Dw5WHG-Dw5WwE-Dw5WFs-Qf1GDh-P1rmgg-9Evr5L-7Ufe1j-XCTPfr-7VCRRz-23F2XqL-9Ynjkp-dLeKkT

[Nile]

Pack of wagons ?    þ

Pack of Guinness ? þ

 

Both of course.

[mckinneyc]

As much as I like pouring Guinness at work I'm afraid I'm a cider drinker!

 

My Granda and I used to walk my Great Gran's dog over to Windsor Park. We'd stop on the footbridge and watch any shunting going on. Of course I was too young to know or appreciate what I was watching.

['CHARD]

Just noticed the Accurascale banner on the site announcing/ advertising the ubiquitous BR 24T hoppers.  

 

Well, that's a bundle of pre-TOPS ordered, a train in a transaction!  Excellent and exciting times you guys, can't wait to see them in the plastic, so to speak.

 

Just wish I had an excuse to get a rake of Guinness wagons, they look beautiful!  

[Accurascale Fran]

Just noticed the Accurascale banner on the site announcing/ advertising the ubiquitous BR 24T hoppers.

 

Well, that's a bundle of pre-TOPS ordered, a train in a transaction! Excellent and exciting times you guys, can't wait to see them in the plastic, so to speak.

 

Just wish I had an excuse to get a rake of Guinness wagons, they look beautiful!

Many thanks for the order, ‘Chard! You can get all the latest info on the HOP24 here http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/130571-accurascale-announce-4mm-scale-huo-and-buffer-detailing-kits/page-10

 

Pity the Guinness train never traversed the Waverley, we’re in dire need of them again after the weekend over here!

Edited March 19, 2018 by 071

[BritishRail60062]

Those wagons do look grand. As this year, I shall be gradully growing my model train fleet and also I hope to start work on my new layout in the fall. So I shall be putting these on my shopping list.

[AY Mod]

On 03/03/2018 at 16:04, Accurascale Fran said:

CIE Ballast Plough Van

 

 

Book-ending the ballast hopper wagons already made by IRM, the CIE ballast plough van will be project 5. Four of these vans were built by CIE in 1978 and were used to spread the ballast dropped from the hopper wagons.

 

 

These will be highly exclusive, made in very limited numbers and will be released in packs of two vans in original CIE yellow livery and the later IE livery they wore before withdrawal in 2013.

 

 

The vans will feature a full lighting package including interior lights and tail lamps with analogue switch and DCC operation. CAD is complete, and this will be in stock in Q3 2018.

 

 

Mind. Blown.

 

 

Simply stunning. I'd best sit down, compose myself and get the rest of the pics and review done.

[woodenhead]

@newbryford if only these ran in the UK

[Robert Shrives]

Wot Andy said ! 

 

The models capture the design and run really well  with ability to chip for best light controls - With tongue firmly in cheek no easy way to fit servo motor for ploughing if you want a speaker to enjoy the sound of tea being slurped and  the "craich" of the staff enroute to a job !!

 

Easily said but another bar raised, I think the 42` flats and ferts will be in the next Irish  Olympics team as high jump contenders.     Of course with the A class loco making progress and the MM model range a good time to make good recent times past Irish models  with plenty of vids and pics on he web for inspiration. 

[Bucoops]

11 hours ago, Robert Shrives said:

Wot Andy said ! 

 

The models capture the design and run really well  with ability to chip for best light controls - With tongue firmly in cheek no easy way to fit servo motor for ploughing if you want a speaker to enjoy the sound of tea being slurped and  the "craich" of the staff enroute to a job !!

 

Easily said but another bar raised, I think the 42` flats and ferts will be in the next Irish  Olympics team as high jump contenders.     Of course with the A class loco making progress and the MM model range a good time to make good recent times past Irish models  with plenty of vids and pics on he web for inspiration. 

 

I'm sorry, but could you be a bit clearer on whether you like these or not? I can't tell from the vagueness of your post.

 

As above, shame they didn't run on UK metals!

[Accurascale Fran]

 

After months of research, CAD, CAD checking, corrections on CAD, amendments to corrections on CAD and tooling, the first sample of our massive 'project 42' has arrived, sporting a first sample view of our weed spray tanks!

 

The fully diecast underframe provides a lovely weight with excellent detail and fidelity in plastic and wire fittings. It also comes on our excellent Y33 bogies as first seen on the Tara Mines wagons, so rotating axle hubs are included!

 

 

We have some corrections to make, but overall it looks excellent! Here are some images to whet the appetite! (Please note that this is a pre-production sample, and details like the headboards will not be on the weedspray wagons. It is just to demonstrate parts, fit and finish!)

 

 

 

 

Cheers!

 

Fran