Ironroad

An Art Deco version in Dublin, now a pub and it sits beside a bridge over the railway  It doesn't seem that long ago when there were petrol pumps in front of this building

http://dublinpubs.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/porterhouse-north-exterior-1024x665.jpg

Leave aside loyalty points etc.

On a like for like basis the retail price of a three pack of Fitted H vans was 99.99 euro, and today the basic price of a single three pack of Unfitted H vans is advertised as 130.95 euro and that is a 31% increase.on the full retail price. 

While the price of the fitted version is no longer recorded on the Accurascale i website, the full retail price is still recorded on the Mark's website.

1 hour ago, BosKonay said:

Should be all sorted out now 

Wow, 130.95 euro for a three pack. 

In effect a 31% increase on the price of the fitted version I'm stunned.

5 hours ago, Blaine said:

If its not brand new it is 'sold as seen'. Not everyone in the scene is friendly or trustworthy, been proven several times now

'Caveat Emptor'

Which is a terrible shame, in what is a fairly small community

Sale agreed on Irish Rail packs MM4101 and MM4102

IE Intercity packs MM4108 and MM4110 are still available. 

This story fascinates  me;

Interesting pictures. In the first picture the coach behind the loco is a MK2A and in the second picture the first and third coaches are MK2A's.  So the Murphy Models/Bachmann MK2A model which is the only RTR Irish model of this coach ever produced is a must for anyone wishing to complete a train consisting of MK2A/B/C coaches.

Passing through Drumcondra

Sale agreed

50 minutes ago, mfjoc said:

Sorry Fran

I feel exactly the same. I have ordered one Hunslet with sound but I can't justify either an 800 class or ICR as I want my models to operate on my 1980's layout, not sit on a shelf. I too will order at least four C class locos when they eventually appear.

Unfortunately the reality seems to be that a C Class is conditional on the sales of ICRs  Hunlets and 800s and from a business perspective I can understand that. 

So maybe give this a second thought, the Hunslets did run in the '80's.  The 800 is an iconic must have for anyone interested in Irish Railways,and a show piece even in a display case.  And while the ICR is very modern it looks and promises to be fabulous and it seems to me regardless as to the period of a layout, all you have to do is park all those models of older trains out of sight and run a liner freight train and an ICR and bingo it's 2010.

Four twin packs of Bachmann/Murphy Models MK2a coaches (complete set) in mint condition, price 110 euro per pack.  Packs are; 

IR logo, Pack MM4101 (running nos 4101 & 4108, and Pack MM4102 (running nos 4102 & 4110)

IE logo, Pack MM4108 (running nos 4101 & 4108 and Pack MM4110 (running nos 4102 & 4110)

These are complimentary to the MK2b/c coaches produced by IRM,  (Difference is the MK2a features a centre door)

Note these packs are unopened and still in original shrink wrapping.

May be collected or delivered in Dublin. If interested please send me a PM

Pack of three Mk2 coaches in Galway livery, in mint condition 160 euro, located in Dublin. If interested please send PM.

1 hour ago, DJ Dangerous said:

Here ya go, perfect for those Park Royals:

https://silverfoxmodels.co.uk/ir-ie-201-class-c-class-bo-bo-metropolitan-vickers/
 

https://studio-scale-models.com/ACkit.shtml
 

Naah, let's move forward, we've gone beyond that.

Oh Dave, please don't put the kybosh, on a Class C.

I can understand the Hunslet project is a consequence of the release of the NIR MK2 coaches which in turn were a logical extension of the UK Mk2s, and it's wonderful to see a model  of a prototype of which there were only three that didn't circulate widely being offered and selling well. 

That being the case it seems logical that models of items such as the Class C and AEC rail cars which were ubiquitous for a long period of time, would be a standout success regardless as to how much seems to be coming on stream. Both also complement the Park Royals. It also seems to me that what is currently in the pipeline is long promised and there is pent up demand for more. Personally while it's great to see the 800's in that pipeline I would have preferred to have seen that effort applied to the more mundane stuff that was everywhere.

My message to IRM is "bring it on"

19 hours ago, irishmail said:

 

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/forums/topic/190481-model-rail-baseboards/#comment-5732726

On that basis, their inclusion in the "Services" section of this forum needs to be amended.

Hi Fran, do we have the option of redirecting delivery to say an Irish address? I accept this would mean paying VAT but that may be less expensive.  Thanks Tom

53 minutes ago, DJ Dangerous said:

That’s an assumption on the ethics. We don’t know if there was wording in the contract that permitted the sale of the extras. If it IS permitted, it’s not unethical, it’s just bad luck.

Price difference between the extras and original models for sale is quite extreme. Around €150 including postage, for mine, with a similar example quoted elsewhere by @Darren.d.

I had been hoping that my experimental one would have been different internally, cheaper motor or something, or wouldn’t run, or would sound like a bag of spanners, to help identify the different models, but that was not the case.

Hopefully, Murphy Models publish an official statement on their website, explaining how this happened, and what steps they have taken to prevent future occurences. In the absense of such a statement, it’s prudent to at least be open to the possibility that the extras have been legally produced, albeit to the disdain of some.

I think it’s about two years now since the extras appeared for sale online, but I’m open to correction.

On the bright side, the originals were long sold out everywhere before the extras appeared, so there was no harm caused to sales of the originals.

I’ve used the terms “originals” and “extras” as they seem to encompass the models well, without making any accusations.

It would be helpful if Paddy himself would comment on the matter. But on the face of it, it's a copyright issue and since these "new" items are not sold through the channels used by the copyright owner it is reasonable to assume that they represent theft of the copyright.  Following the principle of copyright established in Ireland as early as the 6th century, the items on offer by the factory technically belong to Murphy Models.

https://opensource.com/law/11/6/story-st-columba-modern-copyright-battle-sixth-century-ireland

In this case what we seem to be seeing is excess production being offered by the manufacturer. That excess production is a necessary part of the production process as it is unlikely every item produced will pass quality control, but the likelihood is that some of the excess will be perfect. It is not uncommon for example for  a printer to turn over the excess production of a book to the publisher, otherwise the excess is destroyed, and that should  be the principle here. It is important to keep in mind that the cost of producing that excess was factored into the price quoted for the production run and therefore was paid for by the producer, in this case Murphy Models.

All of this has been discussed before on this forum.

12 hours ago, DJ Dangerous said:

How will buying these hinder further production from Murphy Models?

I assume he has put safeguards in place to prevent this happening again.

Clearing the market of these (and the 141’s) before Paddy’s next loco will BOOST his sales, not hinder them.

The only ones who would benefit from people being afraid to buy them are out for their own interests.

 

Hi Dave, In my view this is at very least highly unethical behaviour on the part of the factory and should be boycotted to discourage it.  I take your point that there are vultures who might attempt to benefit from this but at the prices they are currently being offered the incentive is marginal.  On the warranty question, there is nothing to distinguish them, so regardless as to any stipulation on the part of Murphy Models, in the final analysis I the ball ends up with Murphy Models and that is a very real problem for Paddy.

Serial numbers might be a good idea going forward.

On 2/8/2025 at 9:04 PM, MOGUL said:

Unfortunately any of the parcelforce services would be negotiated separately to Royal Mail ones on commercial accounts

Even at the scale we are now operating at(having landed 4 newly tooled loco projects and 2 wagon projects since the 20th May, which was over 50K units of stock) in terms of the overall volume of orders shipped by our warehouse provider a minute fraction would be shipping to overseas customers and over the 2kg max weight for Royal Mail Airmail services. Our products are very much an outlier in many ways in an ecommerce fulfillment setting, both in terms of size, value and geographical reach. This means while in theory it sounds like a simple case of just slapping a Parcelforce label on the box instead of a Royal Mail one, the reality is much more complex. 

Thank you for that clarification. More to "weigh" up when placing a order. 

50 minutes ago, James Regan said:

They explained offline that they tried to ship by mail but it wasn’t accepted. For me that was a test order. Unfortunately, it means a up to 40% (30% tariff plus 10% fed ex fee) surcharge on most accurascale models which are purchased retail from outside the US. For a plastic model the prices no longer make sense for me. Though I like to support Accurascale/IRM it will impact my order volume. Perhaps they should have a US distributor as Hornby do. Then the imports would be taxed at wholesale prices.  

Likewise, this will dictate more limited and selective purchasing. It's a fine line on Maslow’s pyramid

1 hour ago, BosKonay said:

Not forgotten just not possible. Also Royal Mail will only accept parcels up to 2kg for usps and the dimensional or volumetric weight is also a factor. Our large locos for example are all ‘more than’ 2kg from a shipping point of view. 

That raises another question. Parcelforce was established by the Royal Mail to handle larger parcels and while operating like a courier company they use the US postal service for delivery in the US.  They apparently only hand over to the USPS in the states. But having handed over they cannot collect any tariff that may be due and so presumably this becomes the responsibility of the USPS and accordingly the option of paying a maximum tariff of $100 would apply. Perhaps clarification should be sought from Parceforce on this. 

19 hours ago, skinner75 said:

 

Looks like the Orange One has done away with the below $800 thing:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c939q47xlleo

Yes as may have been expected and the effective date is Aug 29. As to how this will play out in practise remains to be seen

In the  meantime however as outlined in my post on May 19,  the current position is:

"All shipments sent via commercial carriers will have a tariff of 30% applied.

All shipments sent via the post office with a value of $1 up to $800 will be subject to a 54% tariff, but with a option for the consignee to pay a flat tariff of $100."

Accordingly AS offered customers the option of using a courier or the mail. It would seem that this was forgotten in the case that James Regan is complaining about and cost him.

Not good.

On 4/7/2025 at 12:23 AM, LSK181 said:

Hi seagoebox,

 

I am compiling a list of (oown) Irish railway stations for me to visit and their histories.  I am trying to determine when various lines serving them were singled.  At present I am looking at MGWR lines to Galway and Sligo, but I will also be looking at all lines that are still ecxtant.  I have been caculating the mileage oo double track singled each year from 1927 to 1930, based on the stats in the GSR annual reports. From these, on the Galway line  over 5 miles were singled in 1927, over 12 miles in 1928 and over 33 miles in 1929, coming to a total of 51 miles and 9 chains.  The latter suggests that this was the esection from Clonsilla.  However, the distance from Clonsilla to Ballinasloe was 84 miles and 40 chains, so this does not compute.

There was a big row in the Senate in 1928 involving Senator Walter Nugent, who just happened to be Chairman of the GSR, about the singling, which specifically mentioned Balliasloe, suggesting to me that work started there in advance of 1928.  Up to now i had read that lines were singled in 1931, while other sources suggested that it was in May 1929.  This was a major project as it involved singling over 50 miles of track and installing Whitaker ETS equipment and automatic tablet catchers on the Galway line alone to enable trains to travel trhough block posts at 60 mph.  A 3 year period, 1927-1930 ,a) soudns a more reasonable timescale for this level of work and b) that is when the mileage was reduced.  Hiwever as some double track was left in situ as sidings, the actual mileage cannot simply be calculated based on the distances between stations. 

 

I have the map showing the lines singled by December 1930 from the Railway Gazette and your diagrams.  Do the Railway Gazette articles or diagrms give dates when the various sections were singled?   Where would I be able to find these issues of the Railway Gazette so I could read these articles?

 

Thanks in advance,

Liam

Being intrigued, I searched for the Senate debate you refer to and for anyone interested here is a link; 

 https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/seanad/1928-10-23/7/

Railway related events;

https://www.heritageweek.ie/event-listings/mullingar-railway-station-tour

https://www.heritageweek.ie/event-listings/175-years-of-navan-railway

https://www.heritageweek.ie/event-listings/guided-walk-on-part-of-the-skibbereen-to-baltimore-railway-line-2

https://www.heritageweek.ie/event-listings/waterford-to-limerick-junction-railway-line

https://www.heritageweek.ie/event-listings/a-history-of-the-waterford-to-limerick-junction-railway-line-5

https://www.heritageweek.ie/event-listings/illustrated-talk-the-kinsale-railway-line-past-and-present-by-cathal-deasy

https://www.heritageweek.ie/event-listings/waterford-to-mallow-railway-line-a-history

8 hours ago, Mayner said:

Hi Tom

As far as I recall the old GF coaches were basically a generic coaches with the same body shell appearing in GWR, LMS, LNER & SR liveries. The MGW/GSW/GSR do not appear to have built main-line coaches with guards compartments (3rd, Composite, possibly 1st only) apparrently preferring to build a Full Brake (Bogie or 6w). I think the GSR built some non-gangwayed Brake End coaches for Bray suburban services during the late 20s similar in general outline to the Farish suburban coaches.  

Hi John, much appreciated