Mark 2b, By Accurascale and IRM!

[GWR 802006]

21 minutes ago, McC said:

 

The irish mk2’s are in Dublin and shipping should start tomorrow. 

The accurascale mk2 (and banana van) container is now due in about 8 days thanks to Berth congestion due to traffic jams caused by the Houthi issues. We’ll provide updates as always as we have them. 

I can't wait to get my RTC pack as I am looking forward to seeing what the box looks like

[McC]

[XChris]

Can’t wait for my WCRC pair the arrive hopefully they get out to my retailer quickly after they arrive with you guys!

[McC]

6 minutes ago, XChris said:

Can’t wait for my WCRC pair the arrive hopefully they get out to my retailer quickly after they arrive with you guys!

 

Delighted to report the Mk2b Irish range / Northern Irish range is now in stock in Dublin, with preorders shipping at the moment ex Dublin and ex UK preorders will ship early next week. 

 

https://irishrailwaymodels.com/collections/mark-2-coaches/availability_in-stock

 

If you want a taste of an Accurascale Mark 2 - now is your chance :)

Edited February 1 by McC

[Krieghoff]

I cant wait to get my RTC liveried coaches. Im absolutely, positively salivating at the thought of them 🤣🤣

[Colin_McLeod]

IRM NIR Mk2bs with Murphy Models NIR GM on my layout today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited February 7 by Colin_McLeod
To add video link.

[Accurascale Fran]

Hi @Colin_McLeod,

 

Thanks very much for sharing!

 

Should any Accurascale customers be getting jealous, I can confirm that the ship carrying their coaches docks later this week, and after transfer to our warehouse, checks and counting into stock is complete, dispatch will commence later next week.

 

Cheers!

 

Fran 

[Enfys_Rainbow]

I'm hoping some of the Mk2's may yet become available because I could be tempted by at least one!

[JSpencer]

latest e-mail. The UK 2b's are about to arrive. 2c will come later.

 

Filling another gap....

[The Evil Bus Driver]

7 hours ago, Accurascale Fran said:

Hi @Colin_McLeod,

 

Thanks very much for sharing!

 

Should any Accurascale customers be getting jealous, I can confirm that the ship carrying their coaches docks later this week, and after transfer to our warehouse, checks and counting into stock is complete, dispatch will commence later next week.

 

Cheers!

 

Fran 

That's awesome news! Maybe a few days of Accurascale Towers* looking like the interior of a great maze made of nice quality coach boxes, shipping to retailers and pre orders and then maybe another few days to receipt. So maybe 2 weeks to get our grubby mitts on them, give or take a couple of days?

 

*I hope you don't mind me calling your premises that.

Edited February 7 by The Evil Bus Driver

[McC]

47 minutes ago, The Evil Bus Driver said:

That's awesome news! Maybe a few days of Accurascale Towers* looking like the interior of a great maze made of nice quality coach boxes, shipping to retailers and pre orders and then maybe another few days to receipt. So maybe 2 weeks to get our grubby mitts on them, give or take a couple of days?

 

*I hope you don't mind me calling your premises that.

 

Not at all :) We actually just updated some of our webpages https://www.accurascale.com/pages/contact

[aureol40012]

2 hours ago, Enfys_Rainbow said:

I'm hoping some of the Mk2's may yet become available because I could be tempted by at least one!

Unfortunately fighting a legal battle I didn’t start is going to be costing me a considerable 5 figure sum in solicitors fees and I’ve already started selling records and models I thought I’d have forever.  Even my beloved TR6 owned for 31 years may have to go.

 

In short, I’m likely to have to sell some or all of the 30 coaches I ordered when announced, so there will be some on eBay, from me at least!

[The Evil Bus Driver]

6 hours ago, aureol40012 said:

Unfortunately fighting a legal battle I didn’t start is going to be costing me a considerable 5 figure sum in solicitors fees and I’ve already started selling records and models I thought I’d have forever.  Even my beloved TR6 owned for 31 years may have to go.

 

In short, I’m likely to have to sell some or all of the 30 coaches I ordered when announced, so there will be some on eBay, from me at least!

Oh man that doesn't sound good.

[Robert Shrives]

Well my Irish Bumble bee sets collected from PO - lovely models the BR folk are in for a treat. 

Great models and with  3 coach boxed sets good value and great documentation on fleet and diagrams. There is a lovely touch with what at first glance is an OLE notice but is in fact a set of details about coupling options and buffers provided in the detail packs.

 

Another great leap forward for NIR / Irish modelling  thanks to all involved around the globe, especially the factory staff for taking a massive pile of kits and parts and with some hard work creating rtr for us to use/play..

Robert  

[reddragon]

Looking forwards to their arrival, just the minor issue in that the buffet car will be a Mainline coach renumbered to WR as nobody does a WR buffet car in blue / grey!

 

AS have kindly resolved this for my NSE rake with a 2C though.

[wombatofludham]

Having missed out on the pre-order I was able to take advantage of the spares made available to snap purchase a six car NIR "bumblebee" rake which arrived today.

Astounding models.

The detailing is off the scale and prism free flush glazing is genuinely prism free.  Printing and colour rendition is spot on and when you turn them over and see the bogies are set up for Irish gauge it does rather hammer home that those of us sticking with 16.5mm track (in my case a necessity because my Irish stock will run on my 1927-34 LMS seaside branch layout.  Don't ask...) really are running on narrow gauge.  Sadly we don't have an IRM Hunslet to run with them (I'm sure you could do one on the back of a BR Class 20...) nor an 80 class to park next to them, but on this basis my incoming order for a Mk2b/c BR rake will make everything else look toy like.

Genuinely impressive.  Now, about the 80 class...and Hunslet...and Dutch Van (for the IR Mk2 rake...)

[aureol40012]

11 hours ago, The Evil Bus Driver said:

Oh man that doesn't sound good.

Mate, it’s horrible. Really horrible.  It’s the kind of money that effects us setting our 11 year old son up when it comes to Uni, buying his first house, etc.

 

I’ll say one thing.  I dreaded logging back on and seeing that I was being accused of profiteering, etc.  The fact that the only responses are 9 “hearts” and yours has renewed my faith in human nature when it’s been severely tested!  Rest assured that anything I sell will go on an auction with a 1p starting price, as I always do.

Edited February 8 by aureol40012

[The Evil Bus Driver]

On 08/02/2024 at 15:22, aureol40012 said:

Mate, it’s horrible. Really horrible.  It’s the kind of money that effects us setting our 11 year old son up when it comes to Uni, buying his first house, etc.

 

I’ll say one thing.  I dreaded logging back on and seeing that I was being accused of profiteering, etc.  The fact that the only responses are 9 “hearts” and yours has renewed my faith in human nature when it’s been severely tested!  Rest assured that anything I sell will go on an auction with a 1p starting price, as I always do.

I've got everything crossed (including a few things I didn't know I had) that you can sort it out and you're son can make it into uni. Hopefully you'll be able to claim any costs back when you win and be able to buy back your models. Sorry about the car though. They're getting rare. 

Edited February 10 by The Evil Bus Driver

[The Evil Bus Driver]

2 hours ago, wombatofludham said:

Having missed out on the pre-order I was able to take advantage of the spares made available to snap purchase a six car NIR "bumblebee" rake which arrived today.

Astounding models.

The detailing is off the scale and prism free flush glazing is genuinely prism free.  Printing and colour rendition is spot on and when you turn them over and see the bogies are set up for Irish gauge it does rather hammer home that those of us sticking with 16.5mm track (in my case a necessity because my Irish stock will run on my 1927-34 LMS seaside branch layout.  Don't ask...) really are running on narrow gauge.  Sadly we don't have an IRM Hunslet to run with them (I'm sure you could do one on the back of a BR Class 20...) nor an 80 class to park next to them, but on this basis my incoming order for a Mk2b/c BR rake will make everything else look toy like.

Genuinely impressive.  Now, about the 80 class...and Hunslet...and Dutch Van (for the IR Mk2 rake...)

An 80 class would definitely be logical. There's one at the East Lancs Railway which I'm sure they'd allow access to for 3D scanning. I think there are only 2 driving trailers left though and (I'm fairly certain) no centre cars so they'd have to cone from drawings. Do you model Irish gauge too? In 4mm that's 21mm iirc

[GordonC]

2 hours ago, aureol40012 said:

Mate, it’s horrible. Really horrible.  It’s the kind of money that effects us setting our 11 year old son up when it comes to Uni, buying his first house, etc.

 

I’ll say one thing.  I dreaded logging back on and seeing that I was being accused of profiteering, etc.  The fact that the only responses are 9 “hearts” and yours has renewed my faith in human nature when it’s been severely tested!  Rest assured that anything I sell will go on an auction with a 1p starting price, as I always do.

 

Would it help to cancel your orders and be refunded to free up some cash?

[Colin_McLeod]

The 80 class are based on mk2b bodies so are a natural candidate for another batch of mk2b coaches. They ran in a number of liveries.

 

Also a re-run of the mk2b FO, TSO, driving trailer and dining car in the original NIR blue/maroon 1970 livery would give a rake of coaches for the Hunslet hauled Belfast-Dublin train for our MIR Hunslets to haul.

 

The TSO ex FO ran for a number of years in the NIR blue/grey livery as side corridor second class (is that SK?) before reconfigured as open coaches.  Does IRM plan to produce this version?  It would be a change of internal arrangement only.

 

[wombatofludham]

7 hours ago, The Evil Bus Driver said:

An 80 class would definitely be logical. There's one at the East Lancs Railway which I'm sure they'd allow access to for 3D scanning. I think there are only 2 driving trailers left though and (I'm fairly certain) no centre cars so they'd have to cone from drawings. Do you model Irish gauge too? In 4mm that's 21mm iirc

I'm afraid I'm strictly narrow gauge as the layout I'm planning for the Irish stock will also be designed to represent a North Wales LMS branch terminus.  I did some train travel in Ireland back in the early 1990s and was struck by just how some stations still retained the atmosphere of the steam era so with a bit of Rule 1 together with sticking to 16.5mm I should manage to create a dual purpose station.

I'm more an impressionist than a Dutch Master

[wombatofludham]

12 minutes ago, Colin_McLeod said:

The 80 class are based on mk2b bodies so are a natural candidate for another batch of mk2b coaches. They ran in a number of liveries.

 

Also a re-run of the mk2b FO, TSO, driving trailer and dining car in the original NIR blue/maroon 1970 livery would give a rake of coaches for the Hunslet hauled Belfast-Dublin train for our MIR Hunslets to haul.

 

The TSO ex FO ran for a number of years in the NIR blue/grey livery as side corridor second class (is that SK?) before reconfigured as open coaches.  Does IRM plan to produce this version?  It would be a change of internal arrangement only.

 

A maroon Hunslet, and 80 class and Enterprise set in Caribbean Blue and Morocco Red would get me to part with some money.  Although some probably regard it as dull, I always thought the livery was both unusual and classy.

C'mon IRM, cash waiting!

[Colin_McLeod]

@wombatofludham I agree that the Caribbean Blue and Morocco Maroon livery is classic.  I once had a set of Lima coaches repainted in that livery but  sold them.

 

There is some useful information in a thread called "NIR Mk2 Loco Hauled Stock" in the "Irish Railways Group" in "Continental amd Overseas" section of this forum.

[Robert Shrives]

The MK2 coach history book by Colin Harris also has a good section on both CIE and NIR coaches along with 80 class .  

IIRC The middle cars were a varied bag with "augmentation" trailers converted from 800 series vehicles when needed to replace or strengthen fleet.   The original and second batch middle coaches had doors and windows shuffled about being a toilet less MK2b TSO so currently etched, 3D printed or cut and shut are only options.  All of which I have done so ensuring and rtr will land in 2025 along with the Hunslet thus inspiring  the current "missing link" in the IRM range - but it will allow the funds to be restored to the accounts ...

Robert