Jump to content
 

IRM To Produce CIE A/001 Class Locomotive


Recommended Posts

Interesting. Surprised it never made its way into later Dapol OO gauge models nor even DJM ones.

 

The factory is going to have fun fettling tungsten but the end result is a very solid chassis.

I'm not sure what solid tungsten would be like to machine ........ but we're not ( presumably ) talking about tungsten carbide

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

I'm not sure what solid tungsten would be like to machine ........ but we're not ( presumably ) talking about tungsten carbide

 

 

No, Tungsten Alloy. As well as being very tough and resistant to everything from temperature warping to chemicals, the key value is it's density (19.25g/cm3) which is only 0.05g/cm3 less than gold. Meaning you can have a very heavy, stable chassis, without taking up lots of volume (leaving much more room inside for details, speakers, capacitors, etc).

Edited by McC
  • Like 5
  • Craftsmanship/clever 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

No, Tungsten Alloy. As well as being very tough and resistant to everything from temperature warping to chemicals, the key value is it's density (19.25g/cm3) which is only 0.05g/cm3 less than gold. Meaning you can have a very heavy, stable chassis, without taking up lots of volume (leaving much more room inside for details, speakers, capacitors, etc).

Yep ! - "50% more dense than lead and over twice the density of steel!" according to one manufacturer's website .... the alloy would probably be in the region of 90-95% tungsten so melting temperature ridiculously high and sintering would be the only economical option for 'our' application ! ( Doesn't sound cheap ! )

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • RMweb Gold

The livery descriptions are a bit vague on some of the later models,  no mention of whether they have the white lining or are just black/orange.

 

 

Hi D6975, Yes we're very aware the decoration and livery data is weak at the moment, Warley and our Deltic launch impacted getting this online - but it will be up there asap! Where possible, each version includes a photo also of the prototype in the listed livery, and as always, any questions just let us know!

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • 2 months later...
  • RMweb Gold

Hi everyone,

Here is sneak peek at the design for the internals of the the A. Here you can see the heavy chassis block, large central can motor with twin fly wheels and circuit board. This work has been approved and tooling of the chassis components is well under way!

 

09.JPG.1901bfa26fb1acbced0b1f095564d002.JPG

 

03.JPG.0c8e74c0b9c139f28b3760b357a539f3.JPG

 

04.JPG.9bd9b751db7645d10876650ccb88fc12.JPG

 

02.JPG.21f9b29fb3371f2e1e42a8f64f82028d.JPG

 

01.JPG.20740a02050b4516a6eeacc03e82bfc5.JPG

 

Exciting times I'm sure you will agree!

Cheers!

Fran

Edited by 071
  • Like 11
  • Informative/Useful 1
  • Craftsmanship/clever 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi Fran

 

Looking at your excellent pictures. Can I please ask what is the provision for fitting sound speakers? Is it below the small meshed fan? I ask, as a friend has a few of these on order and it's me that will get landed with fitting the sound trickery. I plan to use two i phone 6's. If that's any help.

 

Best Regards

 

Stephen

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold
52 minutes ago, ayrmrg said:

Hi Fran

 

Looking at your excellent pictures. Can I please ask what is the provision for fitting sound speakers? Is it below the small meshed fan? I ask, as a friend has a few of these on order and it's me that will get landed with fitting the sound trickery. I plan to use two i phone 6's. If that's any help.

 

Best Regards

 

Stephen

 

Hi Stephen,

 

Thats correct. Plenty of room for them there and a big EM2 type speaker if that takes your fancy!

 

Cheers!

 

Fran

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold
1 minute ago, The Stationmaster said:

As a matter of interest how does the motor keep cool - or doesn't it get hot?

 

Hi Mike,

 

They dont tend to get too hot, but there is space either side, above and below for heat to dissipate. It's the same as other proprietary diesel and electric locos on the market with central motors.

 

Cheers!

 

Fran 

  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...
  • 5 weeks later...
  • RMweb Gold

A Class Pre Production First Look!

 

Well folks, today is a very special landmark for us here at IRM, as we received the first pre-production prototype of our highly antcipated A Class!

 

1774355389_20190930_174622(1).jpg.1d2a9cc126c1118055ecda8e3ba7929e.jpg

 

We've already given it a quick spin around our layout, and we are blown away by the crispness of the detail, the etched grills, the shape, and that performance! It's beautifully heavy and very very smooth!

 

 

There are some snags required such as lighting functions, roof details and fit, but overall it is most encouraging! It will take pride of place on our stand at the forthcoming South Dublin Model Railway Show this October Bank holiday weekend, and GETS in a couple of weeks time, so make sure you drop by for a closer look.

 

1619651718_20190930_174706(2).jpg.fa5826985f9bf6378f73320d10549f45.jpg

 

We will soon send our feedback to China and then get some firm delivery details. In the meantime check out this video and place an order if you havent already. These beauties promise to be special! https://irishrailwaymodels.com/collectio…/a-class-locomotive

  • Like 15
  • Friendly/supportive 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

On 02/04/2019 at 21:33, Accurascale Fran said:

Hi everyone,

Here is sneak peek at the design for the internals of the the A. Here you can see the heavy chassis block, large central can motor with twin fly wheels and circuit board. This work has been approved and tooling of the chassis components is well under way!

 

09.JPG.1901bfa26fb1acbced0b1f095564d002.JPG

 

03.JPG.0c8e74c0b9c139f28b3760b357a539f3.JPG

 

04.JPG.9bd9b751db7645d10876650ccb88fc12.JPG

 

02.JPG.21f9b29fb3371f2e1e42a8f64f82028d.JPG

 

01.JPG.20740a02050b4516a6eeacc03e82bfc5.JPG

 

Exciting times I'm sure you will agree!

Cheers!

Fran


Stunning!!!

  • Agree 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

Looks great and to consider that it is not even announced 12 months ago make it a fantastic achievement. 

Some of the established manufacturers would struggle with such a time frame and also the fact that so many other products are being designed and manufactured at the same time. 

Cheers lads and well done. 

  • Like 1
  • Agree 4
  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold
1 hour ago, D6975 said:

Looks brilliant apart from the windows - clearly some serious issues to be sorted there.  Please don't rush, I've got several 121s to pay for sometime soon. :D

 

Hi there,

 

We have checked the dimensions of the windows and found them to be spot on. This particular one has the toughened windscreen, which As got later in life. We are also doing the original windscreens. The glazing itself will be improved too, but that's what EPs are for, to snag.

 

Cheers!

 

Fran

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold
3 minutes ago, D6975 said:

It's not the shape of the windows, it's the glazing, the cabside windows appear as if they are melting (look at the bottom, it sticks out) and they all have a pronounced prism effect.

 

 

Ah yes, sorry, your first post was a tad vague. We are not happy with the glazing, but it has yet to be polished, hence this effect. An easy enough fix and will be much better on the finished models, so dont worry! :)

 

The main thing is the shape and character is spot on, which is the most fundamental aspect. Performance is good too, as you can see in the below video, the capacitors will hold power for almost 10 seconds after removing the loco from the track! 

 

 

Of course our Deltic will have these electronics too, but more on that later :)

 

Cheers!

 

Fran

  • Like 1
  • Craftsmanship/clever 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

So just out of interest, what happens if you have a derailment & you're using stone age DC? You turn the power off, but does the loco just plough on until the capacitors drain? Does this equally apply to when trying to bring the loco to a controlled stop or are the capacitors only in circuit / functioning when operating in DCC mode? 

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold
1 hour ago, 217 RIVER FLESK said:

So just out of interest, what happens if you have a derailment & you're using stone age DC? You turn the power off, but does the loco just plough on until the capacitors drain? Does this equally apply to when trying to bring the loco to a controlled stop or are the capacitors only in circuit / functioning when operating in DCC mode? 

 

Hi there,

 

The capacitors will not function in DC mode, so you will be okay! There will be momentum from the flywheels etc so it will take a bit of skillful driving, but nothing too dramatic.

 

Cheers!

Fran

  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • Moderators

Phil and I met up with Patrick and Fran today and we had chance to give the A Class a good look over and a run. It's probably the best quality D/E loco I've come across in any marketplace. The mass and performance is impressive, silky smooth and virtually silent. It really bodes well for the Deltic in that respect.

  • Like 4
  • Thanks 3
Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...