Warbonnet

The latest entry in our "Powering Britain" range comprises of the most numerous wagon built for British Railways; the 16 Ton Mineral Wagons. Announced in September last year, our first run follows the story of the unfitted Morton braked wagons, with 1/108, 1/109 and MCO rebodied versions being released in a variety of liveries and running gear combinations. Models produced in this run exhibit the following variations: • Three types of end door; fabricated and two types of pressed steel. • Three types of buffer housings, including the Dowty Hydraulic Buffer. • Welded and rivetted original bodies. • Welded rebodies. • BR standard and square axle journals. • Standard and pressed steel handbrake handles. • Morton unfitted and double unfitted independent brakes. Production is now complete and the models are on the high seas. We have reviewed and signed off on these production samples, which you can feast your eyes on below! Of course, we also cannot resist some private owner, industrial and internal user options when it comes to our wagons for additional interest, and one variant is called POO it makes it all the more fun to do! Our 16 tonner stunners are now well under way on their voyage from the factory and are due in stock with us approx December 12th 2024. We will of course endeavour to get as many parcels out to customers as we can before the Christmas break, but some may spill over into the new year. Fancy some to add to your wagon collections, or build a new train behind your latest Accurascale Class 31, 37 or even Andrew Barclay saddle tank? Pre-order yours now below, or via your local Accurascale stockist! Pre-Order Your 16 Ton Mineral Wagons Here! View the full article

Hi Colin, So you want me to produce evidence, but do not to engage further? Right. Okay. Just give up using the provocative and confrontational language, and nobody will have a problem. Talk to people as you would talk to them if you were visiting them in their home. That's all we ask. Cheers! Fran

Hi Gibbo, You referred to people as numpties in your last post (which I hid, not deleted.) In the above you call people cretins. That is not in keeping in the tone of the website and community we share here. Not to mention posts dripping with passive aggression as above. I like your modelling, but the tone needs to be a bit more friendly. If that's too much for you, then you know where the door is. Cheers! Fran

Hi folks, Can we keep this forum for all things model trains and leave the provocative language and sniping outside please? We all come here to avoid such things. Let's leave terms like woke at the door, and talk about vac braking and soldering techniques etc instead. If that's too much to ask, then please find another website. Cheers! Fran

It's that time of year again; the nights draw in, the heating goes on and modelling gets done! But also, we think of the dreaded winter conditions and adverse weather, such as snow. Thankfully, it does not affect our attic empires, as the trains still run on time and even continue in summer conditions. However, we can prepare you for the worst with our Beilhack ZZA Snowploughs! History The 'Beilhack' ZZA Snowplough dates back to 1982, when BR identified a need for medium sized snowploughs on the network. BR already had a fleet of around 40 of the larger ‘Independent’ ZZV/ZZA snowploughs which were built on old tender chassis during the mid 1960s to deal with heavy snow drifts, and obviously a large number of locomotives were fitted with ‘miniature’ 3 piece snowploughs on their bufferbeams to deal with smaller amounts of snow without having to call in a full sized plough. There was a need for a medium sized snowplough to deal with amounts of snow that the small 3 piece loco mounted ploughs couldn’t handle. With the support of specialist German company Beilhack, the plough blades were originally intended to be mounted to locomotive bufferbeams. Trials were carried out in Scotland between 1982-1984, but the ploughs proved to be too heavy for Class 37 bufferbeams as these weren’t the strongest out there to support the weight/stresses of the heavy plough. The ploughs were however successfully mounted to Class 20s as they had a stronger bufferbeam, but the need to remove the buffers to fit the ploughs and essentially have a small fleet of dedicated locomotives semi-permanently fitted with large ploughs proved operationally inconvenient and a better solution was sought. A novel solution was found using redundant bogies from withdrawn Class 40 and 45 locomotives, which were fitted with the Beilhack plough blade at the inner end, thus leaving the original locomotive bufferbeam at the other end for haulage. This design also gave the driver of the locomotive an unobstructed view over the plough. Extra weight was added to the ex locomotive bogies in the form of a large ballast box, the pony wheels removed, and a conventional air brake system fitted. A total of 10 were built – the first six examples ADB965576-81 converted at Stratford during 1984-5 from Class 40 bogies, and a further four ADB966096-99 again by Stratford using Class 45 bogies in 1989-1990. All 10 Beilhack ploughs were finished in all over yellow from new, and during British Rail days ADB965576/77/80/81 were typically found at the northern end of the WCML with the other six based at Stratford, Ashford and Eastleigh. The latter received Network SouthEast lettering as the sector had paid for the work, as well as the famous ADB965579 ‘Stratford Shark’. As built, ADB965576/77 had a flat top ballast box, the more usual triangular type being fitted to the rest of the build and the first two were subsequently modified to match. Although rarely pictured, the plough blade could be reconfigured with the central panel on one side or the other being extended outwards and downwards at an angle and then braced from behind with a substantial bar. This then allowed snow to be ejected clear of the line to one side only rather than both sides in the normal ‘V’ position. Seemingly only ever deployed on the Scottish based Beilhacks, it is unclear weather the ploughs still have this ability. Like the BR standard ‘independent’ snowploughs, they were all overhauled in the early 2000s, being outshopped in all over black with RAILTRACK branding, with yellow ploughs and red buffer shanks. They had solar panels and electrical boxes fitted at this time in readiness for head and tail lights to be fitted at the plough end, but some never received the lights themselves before being overhauled in 2011 and this equipment was removed. With the demise of Railtrack, Network Rail took over the operation of the Beilhacks, they stayed in the all over black livery with yellow blades and red buffer shanks, but with stencilled or full Network Rail branding applied alongside the old Railtrack slogan ‘the heart of the railway’ which was left in place. The Railtrack era solar head/tail lighting equipment was mostly removed during the late 2000s, with conventional battery white and red head/tail lamps being used on the lamp brackets. All remaining ploughs saw works overhaul in 2011 via Brodie Engineering at Kilmarnock, with ADB966096/97 being scrapped as parts donors during this period. Overhauls had started again in 2021, and the ploughs are placed in strategic locations on the West Coast and East Coast mainlines including Doncaster, Crewe and Motherwell. They are favoured on routes with overhead electrification due to their low height. The livery has remained unchanged, all over black with Network Rail branding, yellow plough blades and red buffer shanks. The Beilhack company was acquired by Swiss based aebi Schmidt group in 2005, and their 150 year history and experience continues under this name, aebi Schmidt itself was founded as far back as 1883. Only two Beilhack ploughs have been scrapped to date, and it looks like their mainline duties could potentially last for decades to come. The Model Another member of the "Hattons Originals" range we took over earlier this year, the ZZA snow ploughs feature a large amount of diecast construction, along with some rather tasty detail separately applied and etched metal parts. Picking up the baton from the Hattons closure and the cancelled production run of these finely detailed models, we are delighted to add them to our range, and prepare your layout for winter and provide you with a prototypically short train. Not only have the ploughs been used for snow clearance, they have also featured in test runs in preparation for adverse conditions, so can be seen running on the network in normal, no snowy conditions. They are also seen in yards and depots, adding some extra interest to your TMD layouts. Available in four twin packs to replicate their top and tail formation when running, our packs cover varying eras when these ploughs were in operation up to the present day, so a perfect match for our Class 37s and 66s, among others! Each twin pack is priced at just £69.95 and as with our other releases from the Hattons Originals range, are available as exclusives direct only from our website. Delivery is slated for Q4 2025 and production numbers are strictly limited, so early pre-ordering is advised. Pre-order yours for no money down, or payment spread over up to 6 months at no extra cost below! Pre-Order Your Snow Ploughs Here! View the full article

Coaches are a difficult one to do when it comes to manufacturing. The factories feel that they are the work and assembly complexity of a locomotive, just without the motor, but know they cannot charge locomotive prices to assemble. I know from our own POV we have to fight tooth and nail to keep the prices on our coaches somewhat respectable. Still, we always welcome coaches that make ours look like bargains, and when you look at our Mark 2s, Park Royals, Mark 1 Suburbans for Accurascale etc you can see what value for money they really are. Cheers! Fran

Hi everyone, One of the stars of the show at the recent MRSI show in Dublin was the unveiling of the decorated samples of our Park Royal coaches in CIE black and tan, IR orange and black with white strips and classic CIE green with silver underframe and bogies liveries. For those of you who missed them, here is a closer look! As per our most recent update, there are some tweaks and adjustments to be made ahead of delivery next summer. Pre-order yours below before the order book closes ahead of production! Pre-Order Your Park Royal Coaches Here!

Hi everyone, We had plenty of new shiny models to show at the recent Dublin Exhibition, but perhaps the production samples of our lovely fitted H Vans passed under the radar. We received these samples just before the show and put them in our cabinet and they got some very favourable comments. An absolute essential item for any CIE layout from the 1950s-1980s, the humble H Van visited the 4 corners of the network in both mixed and block train formations. These fitted vans also found their way on mail trains, mixed in with TPO coaches. Check them out below! These models are now complete and on the way from our factory. We expect to have them in stock in January 2025. Pre-order yours below for just €89.95 per triple pack, with 10% off when you order 2 packs or more, and 15% off when you order over 5 packs! PRE-ORDER H VANS HERE!

The announcement of Run 3 of our Class 37 locomotives has certainly captured the excitement of modellers, not helped by the fact we've drip-fed what's in the full run. Today, we can confirm that 37418, the next addition to Run 3, is in the striking Red and White Loram livery. Eagle-eyed attendees of the recent Great Electric Train show will have seen a teaser on the front cover of the latest catalogue. This is the latest addition to our "Accurascale Exclusives" range of special edition models. Stored by EWS at Motherwell in April 2005, No. 37418 was purchased by preservationist Steve Beniston from Toton at the end of 2007. The former No. 37271 (built as D6971) initially spent a year at Allelys’ yard at Studley, before moving somewhat appropriately the to the East Lancashire Railway, after which it was named in April 1994. Repainted into the same EWS livery, albeit with its Railfreight Petroleum era name Pectindae, it entered service on the ELR almost immediately. Unfortunately a power unit failure the following year in put it out of action until 2015, by which time it was half way through a repaint into large logo. In July 2017 it moved to Barrow Hill for further attention which would eventually lead to a long-term hire contract with Colas Rail. This was eventually realised in November 2018 when the Class 37/4 returned to the main line, now fully finished in its 1980s paint scheme complete with Highland ‘stag’ logo and its classic An Comunn Gaidhealach name (after the organisation that promotes the use of Scottish Gaelic) that it wore between October 1986 and February 1991. It’s first year of Colas hire saw it used on Cardiff-Rhymney commuter turns, Network Rail test trains, and infrastructure/freight workings, while 2020 often found it partnered with NR saloon No. 975025 Caroline. In September 2022, Loram Rail, based at the Derby RTC, took over the hire of No. 37418. As well as its Caroline duties, which continued, the locomotive was common on shuttling vehicles between Toton and Derby in conjunction with the MRA to JNA-Y ‘Hawk’ rebuilding programme, as well as stock moves of both wagons and coaching stock. In January 2024 it was repainted into Loram Rail’s house colours of Flame red, black and white making it one of the most recognisable locomotives on the current railway network. Building on the already class-leading specification of the existing Accurascale Class 37s, our new production run sees all new tooling to cater for the Class 37/4 variant (and other future variants!) which now includes the operating roof fan which is synced to the DCC sound file and also operates on DC! With subtle tweaks around the bonnet top doors, improved glazing fitment to stop them popping out in rough handing through the postal/courier systems, grille tweaks and building on the already impressive drive train and sound set up, the ultimate Class 37 in OO/4mm gauge has taken another step forward from the competition. The DC/DCC Ready locomotives are priced at £189.99 and the DCC Sound Fitted locomotives are priced at £289.99. These models are now available to pre-order our website direct with NO DEPOSIT required. As with any Accurascale Exclusives model, it will come complete with bespoke presentation packaging and limited edition certificate. Delivery will be Q4 2025. Pre-Order Your Class 37418 Here! Common Features Include: Heavy die-cast metal chassis Accurate tumbleholme, nose, cab roof and cantrail curves taken from 3D Laser scan and extensive surveys Timeframe specific details, including but not limited to; Bogies (Fabricated and three variations of Cast) Fuel tanks (As built and with later smooth-sided long range fuel tank) Three styles of buffer: large round Oleo, oval and squared oval With or without cab roof vents and bodyside windows Nose and roof aerials and antennas (where applicable) Three styles of windscreen: standard, centre toughened and all toughened Three styles of cab interior: as built, refurbished and modern DRS locos Four bufferbeam variations with different piping configurations Door kickplates where applicable Multiple body and nose slides to accurately represent almost every member of the class, including three variations of cantrail grille: early EE (for D6700-D6704), later EE and RSH Four roof styles: Original double riveted, single riveted, welded and welded with antennas Separately applied etched metal and high fidelity plastic detail parts, including grab handles, aerials, steps, wipers, nameplates, crests and more. Etched metal door kickplates (where applicable), ‘frost’ grille (where applicable) & super fine etched metal roof grille Scale width wire handrails Turned brass roof-mounted horns on centre headcode examples Full underbody tank detail with brackets and pipework Bogies feature separate footsteps, etched footsteps, brake cylinders, speed recorder, end brake rigging and very fine brake chain Brake blocks on trucks (bogies) in line with wheels (can be moved for EM/P4 gauges) RP25-110 profile OO gauge wheels with fine scale ‘drop in’ EM (18.2mm gauge) and P4 (18.83mm gauge) wheels available separately Accurate high-fidelity miniature snowploughs Fully sprung metal buffers, extra-fine factory-installed pipework and screw couplings Correct height mini-tension-lock couplers with NEM socket as well as a fully detailed bufferbeam Every model includes PowerPack / Backup Power Capacitor Bank for up to ten seconds of power free running, flicker free lighting and continuous sound High Performance traction, to include; High-quality five-pole motor with two flywheels Metal Helical Gear box for maximum performance and slow speed running Gearing arranged so locomotive can achieve a scale top speed of 100 mph (160 km/h) DCC ready with PowerPack Super-capacitor for uninterrupted power and super low speed running All wheel drive and all wheel pickup View the full article

In a new occasional feature, our Project Mangers explain just why they picked to do the models we make. In the first edition, Class 60 Project Manager Steve Purves explains why he fancied a Tug. Take it away, Steve! I grew up in Melton Mowbray. As a young lad, I’d stand at the end of Melton station, watching the hectic daytime shunting of pet food container traffic from loops to yard. My parents would sometimes take me over to Loughborough as a treat to watch the faster trains. The big excitement in the early ’90s was, of course, the Class 60. We’d wander over to catch sight of them at the back of Brush. If we were lucky, we’d see them out on test runs and occasionally even leaving the works. This left a strong impression on me, as it did on many others. Fast forward a few years to 1994, to be precise. My grandad, a local stonemason, got the job of rebuilding the tunnel face at the 10¼-inch gauge Stapleford Miniature Railway, and luckily for me, this fell during the school holidays. The railway had been closed since the ’80s and was being brought back to life, but I hadn’t even known it existed. I went along to work with him, tasked with tramming the stonework from station to tunnel on a flat wagon. I was in my element. Near the end of the job, an older chap called me over and invited me to help prepare the steam locos for their boiler tests. That was all the encouragement I needed, and with my parents’ blessing, I was supervised by the small group of engineers working there: Neil Simkins, Richard Coleby, Bob Moore, and his son David. My folks would drop me off and pick me up, but I owe all my knowledge to those chaps. They never treated me as a kid – I was a peer. One day, David mentioned “his 60.” My ears pricked up. Hanging in the workshop was the classic Trainload poster of four Class 60s lined up in each sector. David told me he was building one in 10¼-inch gauge – a 14-foot-long body, and soon it would be brought to the railway to show the Heywood Society as a work in progress. David worked at Brush and had been a commissioning engineer on Class 60, so he knew them inside out, and his “model” reflected that knowledge. It was spot on – looked like a 60, felt like a 60. Over the next few years, I watched the 60 evolve and come together, though it was still a long way from finished.Fast-forward to 2000, and I was leaving school. I knew I wanted to work on the railway, but getting a foot in the door was difficult. David asked around and managed to secure me an interview with EWS at Toton as an apprentice fitter. I could hardly believe it when I got the job. I spent most of my time studying locos but also had a good bit of time on the lathe. The Class 56, 58, and 60 were my regulars, with the occasional Class 37 as well. The 60 was by far my favourite to work on – clean lines, everything thoughtfully laid out. I had a few runs out on the mainline, and I always favoured a 60. I spent a few years away from railways, but the Class 60 had made a lasting impression. I wanted one! I couldn’t have a real one, and I certainly couldn’t fit a 10¼-inch gauge one, but a trip to Warley sparked an idea when I saw some 5-inch gauge Class 50s.I’d used CAD in a previous job and thought, “How hard can it be?” I started drawing a Class 60 with the aim of making a kit in 5-inch gauge. Working from the original drawings, I completed the bodyshell and most of the chassis work. Coming out at 6 feet long, it was a beast! I thought if I could sell a couple of kits, it would cover the cost of my own loco. Sadly, my day job’s increasing workload slowed progress. When I moved to Accurascale, I had a Zoom interview, and in the meeting, they asked, “What three things would you want to make?” Class 60 was at the top of my list. I’m grateful to Accurascale for finally allowing me to “get on with it.” It was green-lit on my first day on the job over two years ago. I’ve finally managed to put my mark on a Class 60. It’s been a privilege to share my passion for the class and, hopefully, spark interest in its nuances and variations. I’m indebted to David for his advice throughout the design process – who better? I’ve still got a long list of things I’d like to make, but the 60 holds a special place for me. It’s punctuated my life, been part of my core memories, and I think it always will be. Enough rambling! Well done for sticking with me. Oh, and David’s 60? After 28 years, it’s still not quite finished – next year’s the year! Pre-Order Your Accurascale Class 60 Here! View the full article

Hi everyone, Thanks to you all who dropped by our stand over the weekend. We had plenty of sales, great feedback and it was great to see people and say hello once again. Then again, bringing a celeb like New Junction with us helped too! The support we received regarding the ICR was brilliant too, and would like to thank you all who chatted with us about it. I think many of you were subsequently blown away by our EP samples in the cabinet, alongside our new Hunslet. Finally, and for me personally, most importantly, I would like to extend a sincere and big thank you to the MRSI team for a truly fantastic show. We had many members of the public comment favourably about the new venue, but from a trader point of view they were absolutely first class. It cannot be understated just how much work goes into setting up and creating a show like this, and completely on a voluntary basis to boot. Many people complained about the previous venue 2 years ago. We (IRM) felt a bit guilty about this as a big part of the jam on the Saturday was our sale of the “Dicky Tara’s” and the demand on space that whipped up. I think the MRSI should be commended on listening to feedback, going out and finding a more suitable venue and running an absolutely first class show. Well done to Tony, Dave, Ed and all the club members who gave us a brilliant show. You got bodies in the door and looked after us all superbly. This is why clubs need to be supported, as without them we won’t have shows to go to in the future. It’s great to see new clubs pop up in the Midlands and in Limerick. If you have one in your local area, go down and visit and consider joining. Theyre the ultimate men’s shed that operate in your area of interest. Cheers! Fran

It's that time of year again; where the Dublin show rolls around for the October Bank Holiday weekend and we announce our next big project for the Irish railway scene. Many will have guessed it considering our recent delivery of NIR Enterprise Mark 2 stock, but perhaps few would really believe it. Finally, after many, many years of neglect, the iconic NIR Hunslet locomotives get the full-fat Accurascale/IRM treatment! History Having undertaken a programme of station refurbishment, improved its ticketing arrangements and introduced new on-track plant and shunting locomotives, in 1969 the still embryonic Northern Ireland Railways set out to improve the Dublin-Belfast ‘Enterprise’ service, by replacing the existing diesel railcar sets with a locomotive hauled service. Intended to reduce the time for the 180 km journey to just two hours, the NIR Class 101 (DL) locomotives were designed to run in a push/pull configuration, with a 270 ton 8-car set of BR Mk.2b stock, at a maximum speed of 80mph. When Mrs Joan Humphreys, wife of Northern Ireland Railways’ chairman Myles Humphreys, unveiled the nameplate of 101 Eagle on May 8, 1970, it was an astounding triumph for the Hunslet Engine Company of Leeds; having beaten off stern competition from the likes of General Motors in the United States for the contract, with the event marking the remarkable culmination of a ten-month delivery programme. The pace of the delivery programme was dictated by NIR’s lack of diesel-electric stock to haul the Enterprise to the new timings; the British United Traction 700/900 Class and UTA Class 70 railcars not being up to the task in hand and while Hunslet had secured the order, the company’s workshops were already full, being committed to other orders. For Hunslet, the answer was to sub-contract out the manufacturing work, so having designed the superstructure and bogies, fabrication of the superstructure, along with the final assembly, testing and painting were contracted out to British Rail Engineering Limited at their Doncaster site. Traction was trusted to English Electric/AEI Traction, who designed the English Electric 8CSVT Mk II design prime mover for the project, which essentially was an updated version of the Class 20's prime mover, fitted with an additional intercooler. Linked to a Bo-Bo bogie arrangement, this unit provided 1,350 hp (1,010 kW), of which 350hp was required for the Mk2’s heating system! Completed on schedule, 101 Eagle was handed over to NIR on May 8, 1970, with 102 Falcon following on May 22 and 103 Merlin on June 8 and all three locomotives (on temporary bogies) were subsequently shipped to Belfast on the Ferry from Preston (probably on the MV Ionic Ferry) and on arrival were moved to Queens Road for the fitting of the 5’ 3" gauge wheelsets. The Press Launch/Test Train took place on July 3, 1970, with 102 Falcon leading out to Dublin from Belfast’s Great Victoria station and 101 Eagle trailing, and aside from a few comments regarding ‘hunting’ due to the push locomotive, all went well. The three locomotives alternated on the Enterprise and continued to do so until they were succeeded by the General Motors’ NIR Class 111 fleet in 1983. When not required for Enterprise services, the 101s would run as single engines on locomotive hauled services such as the Saturday Excursion traffic to Portrush. This period also coincided with NIR being awarded the contract for the haulage of spoil from Magheramorne, to the Oil Terminal construction site at Cloghan Point (near Kilroot Power Station). Between October 7, 1974, and August 22, 1975 these spoil trains were generally headed by one of the NIR 101 fleet, hauling the Cravens built wagons from the steam hauled spoil contract of the late 1960s. Their ability to haul significant loads led to each locomotive being fitted with Multiple Unit cabling for Push/Pull working and after their replacement on the Enterprise, the three locomotives were moved to secondary services, such as to Derry and between Bangor and Portadown, along with working diagrams that included haulage of the CIÉ weed control train, freight turns with 42’ Fertiliser Flats and 40T Ballast Hoppers, as well as general shunting duties in Adelaide Yard. All three locomotives were gradually withdrawn from service as mechanical woes set in, with 103 Merlin being first in 1989 and 102 Falcon last in 1998, although after having spent four years out of service Falcon was briefly re-instated as a working locomotive in 2002, before being placed back into storage at Whitehead. 103 Merlin was scrapped in 1997, but 101 Eagle and 102 Falcon remained at Whitehead for some time until being offered by Translink for sale. Both locomotives were purchased by the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland (RPSI) in 2005, with Falcon being selected for full restoration, utilising parts from Eagle where possible. Unfortunately, despite getting tantalisingly close to restoration back into working order, the task proved too much, and 102 Falcon was sold to the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum at Cultra in 2011, where it now resides. 101 Eagle had become no more than a bare shell, as parts had been stripped from it and when no buyer for it could be found the remains succumbed to the cutter’s torch the previous year, in January 2010. So, what of changes to the initial design, was there much variation in the designs of the three Class 101s? The answer, given their short working lives, is unsurprisingly not, but there are some subtle variations for modellers to be aware of. As built, 101 Eagle, 102 Falcon and 103 Merlin were all identical, but somewhere between late 1974 and early 1975, small sections were removed from the headstocks, with each locomotive’s being slightly differently shaped, indicating an ad-hoc modification (a useful identification guide in the absence of visible numbering). Around this time, the roof aerial clusters also changed from the original housing to the more familiar GSM ‘shark-fin’ type at each end. The next visible change came with the addition of Time Division Multiplex (TDM) cabling, allowing the transfer of multiple working data between locomotives and Driving Trailers. At some point in 1988, 101 Eagle obtained a second GSM aerial at No.1 End, but the greatest change in appearance belonged to 102 Falcon, with the removal of the buffing gear at both ends and the vacuum pipe being elevated and centralised at No.2 end. The Class 101s wore all their liveries well, with four distinct livery periods for the trio. As delivered in 1970, all three locomotives were painted in a deep maroon over the body, a light grey roof, with an arced golden yellow panel at each end and a small NIR logo amidships in golden yellow. From 1974 all three locos had the front panel revised to a ‘V’ shaped arced panel, with the locomotive number appearing on the front end for the first time. In mid-1979, the NIR mid-blue livery appeared, with the ‘V’ arc being represented in luminous red and a slightly larger NIR logo in white featuring amidships. As a body livery, the mid-blue did not wear very well, fading unevenly, and during 1988 the paint scheme was refreshed with new large NIR logos amidships, but this time with a luminous red chevron replacing the more elegant arc pattern which, again, faded badly and quite quickly. Of the three, only 102 Falcon received the revised darker NIR blue, sometime in 1996, with small yellow panel, black roof and ‘Zorro’ mask across the cab windows, again with large NIR logo. In preservation, this locomotive is now presented at the Museum at Cultra in a representation of its original maroon livery. The Model Following on from the success of our Mark 2 Enterprise coaches, we asked the question "Well, what will pull them?". While we knew of models of the 111 and 201s, we thought about these NIR icons. With a bucket of charisma and such unique looks, we felt the Hunslets would make for a cracking model. However, it's not all positive. Despite running to Dublin daily for so long, there were only 3 of these locomotives and they felt a bit niche. Buoyed by the sales of our Mark 2s, we decided to press on and make them in a strictly limited run. That's right folks, though we might be proven wrong bit massive demand, we envisage that this might just be a one-off run. With the real loco scanned and research progressing at a rapid rate, we have been able to get the Hunslets designed and tooled in record time and have been testing these samples for several months now. With just a trio of locomotives and a small pool to choose from for variations, we have decided to cover all major liveries for everyone in this first (and possibly only) production run. So, what is the cost for this charismatic, yet quite niche locomotive? Well, with a truly unrivalled spec and museum quality model including a comprehensive lighting package including cab lighting, day and night configurations, a wealth of detail, prism free glazing, operating roof fan, ESU loksound five and large speaker set up on sound fitted models, hefty diecast chassis, era detail differences, and more, they come in for a very reasonable £219.99 DC/DCC Ready and £319.99 DCC sound fitted, or €259.95 DC/DCC Ready and €379.95 DCC Sound Fitted. Delivery is slated for Q4 2025, with decorated samples due with Accurascale/IRM engineering team before Christmas. Tempted? You will be! You do not want to miss out on these beauties. Pre-order yours today for no money down via the IRM or Accurascale websites! As ever, the assistance of trusted stakeholders is vital to the development stages of any model, and we are pleased to acknowledge the outstanding co-operation and contribution of Clare Ablett and the team at the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum, Cultra, who allowed us to descend on them with our 3D scanning associates to map 102 Falcon to the finest detail. And just as important in the grand scheme of the project, we are indebted to Andrew Ross of the Hunslet Engine Company for supplying the original works’ drawings, as well as the benefit of his experience, which was instrumental in converting the project from a ‘what if’ to a ‘let’s crack on’! Click Here to Pre-Order Your Hunslet! MODEL SPECIFICATION: • Die-cast metal chassis, with ABS plastic body. Weight (without decoder) 406g. • Centrally mounted, twin flywheel 5-pole motor, driving both sets of axles, with all-wheel pickup. • Helical gear box for maximum performance and slow speed running. • Gearing arranged so locomotive can achieve a scale maximum top speed of 80 mph (128.75 km/h), with a load of 1.1kg • Supplied as DCC Sound Ready, or DCC Sound fitted. • Scale length of 180.71mm over buffers. • Bogie wheelbase of 30.71mm (93.781mm between bogie centres), allowing operation over a minimum radius of 438mm (2nd radius set-track). • Single style of 13.33mm solid locomotive wheel, correctly profiled both on the inside and outside to RP25-110 standard, set in blackened brass bearings or contact strips and chemically blackened, and conforming to Accurascale standards of 14.4mm back-to-back on 2mm diameter axles, over 28mm pinpoints (to allow for potential re-gauging to 21mm finescale standards). • Brake blocks fitted and aligned with wheel centres for 00 gauge. • Fully detailed die-cast underframe with all cylinders, battery boxes, cabinets and piping applied separately. • NEM pockets at both ends, fitted via full kinetic couplings. • Eroded metal, plastic and wire detail parts, including (but not limited to) roof details, handrails, door handles, kick plates, lamp brackets, nameplates, brake gear, brake discs, draw gear, bogie chains, vents and louvres. • Prism free flush glazing. • Easily removable roof section, to allow access to PCB for speaker and decoder fitting. • Fitted stay alive arrangement. • Designed to work with the ESU LOKSOUND V5 21-PIN Decoder with easy access via removable roof panel. Blanking plate to carry switches for limited DC lighting options. • Fully directional lighting, with full range of light options for day/night running and shunting/yard configurations. • Separate cab lighting configurations. • Working DCC operated roof fans (single fixed speed on DC). • Supplied DCC Sound Ready, with fitted ESU 22mm x 42mm x 8.0mm rectangular 4Ω speaker and Passive Radiator. View the full article

It's that time of year again; where the Dublin show rolls around for the October Bank Holiday weekend and we announce our next big project for the Irish railway scene. Many will have guessed it considering our recent delivery of NIR Enterprise Mark 2 stock, but perhaps few would really believe it. Finally, after many, many years of neglect, the iconic NIR Hunslet locomotives get the full-fat Accurascale/IRM treatment! History Having undertaken a programme of station refurbishment, improved its ticketing arrangements and introduced new on-track plant and shunting locomotives, in 1969 the still embryonic Northern Ireland Railways set out to improve the Dublin-Belfast ‘Enterprise’ service, by replacing the existing diesel railcar sets with a locomotive hauled service. Intended to reduce the time for the 180 km journey to just two hours, the NIR Class 101 (DL) locomotives were designed to run in a push/pull configuration, with a 270 ton 8-car set of BR Mk.2b stock, at a maximum speed of 80mph. When Mrs Joan Humphreys, wife of Northern Ireland Railways’ chairman Myles Humphreys, unveiled the nameplate of 101 Eagle on May 8, 1970, it was an astounding triumph for the Hunslet Engine Company of Leeds; having beaten off stern competition from the likes of General Motors in the United States for the contract, with the event marking the remarkable culmination of a ten-month delivery programme. The pace of the delivery programme was dictated by NIR’s lack of diesel-electric stock to haul the Enterprise to the new timings; the British United Traction 700/900 Class and UTA Class 70 railcars not being up to the task in hand and while Hunslet had secured the order, the company’s workshops were already full, being committed to other orders. For Hunslet, the answer was to sub-contract out the manufacturing work, so having designed the superstructure and bogies, fabrication of the superstructure, along with the final assembly, testing and painting were contracted out to British Rail Engineering Limited at their Doncaster site. Traction was trusted to English Electric/AEI Traction, who designed the English Electric 8CSVT Mk II design prime mover for the project, which essentially was an updated version of the Class 20's prime mover, fitted with an additional intercooler. Linked to a Bo-Bo bogie arrangement, this unit provided 1,350 hp (1,010 kW), of which 350hp was required for the Mk2’s heating system! Completed on schedule, 101 Eagle was handed over to NIR on May 8, 1970, with 102 Falcon following on May 22 and 103 Merlin on June 8 and all three locomotives (on temporary bogies) were subsequently shipped to Belfast on the Ferry from Preston (probably on the MV Ionic Ferry) and on arrival were moved to Queens Road for the fitting of the 5’ 3" gauge wheelsets. The Press Launch/Test Train took place on July 3, 1970, with 102 Falcon leading out to Dublin from Belfast’s Great Victoria station and 101 Eagle trailing, and aside from a few comments regarding ‘hunting’ due to the push locomotive, all went well. The three locomotives alternated on the Enterprise and continued to do so until they were succeeded by the General Motors’ NIR Class 111 fleet in 1983. When not required for Enterprise services, the 101s would run as single engines on locomotive hauled services such as the Saturday Excursion traffic to Portrush. This period also coincided with NIR being awarded the contract for the haulage of spoil from Magheramorne, to the Oil Terminal construction site at Cloghan Point (near Kilroot Power Station). Between October 7, 1974, and August 22, 1975 these spoil trains were generally headed by one of the NIR 101 fleet, hauling the Cravens built wagons from the steam hauled spoil contract of the late 1960s. Their ability to haul significant loads led to each locomotive being fitted with Multiple Unit cabling for Push/Pull working and after their replacement on the Enterprise, the three locomotives were moved to secondary services, such as to Derry and between Bangor and Portadown, along with working diagrams that included haulage of the CIÉ weed control train, freight turns with 42’ Fertiliser Flats and 40T Ballast Hoppers, as well as general shunting duties in Adelaide Yard. All three locomotives were gradually withdrawn from service as mechanical woes set in, with 103 Merlin being first in 1989 and 102 Falcon last in 1998, although after having spent four years out of service Falcon was briefly re-instated as a working locomotive in 2002, before being placed back into storage at Whitehead. 103 Merlin was scrapped in 1997, but 101 Eagle and 102 Falcon remained at Whitehead for some time until being offered by Translink for sale. Both locomotives were purchased by the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland (RPSI) in 2005, with Falcon being selected for full restoration, utilising parts from Eagle where possible. Unfortunately, despite getting tantalisingly close to restoration back into working order, the task proved too much, and 102 Falcon was sold to the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum at Cultra in 2011, where it now resides. 101 Eagle had become no more than a bare shell, as parts had been stripped from it and when no buyer for it could be found the remains succumbed to the cutter’s torch the previous year, in January 2010. So, what of changes to the initial design, was there much variation in the designs of the three Class 101s? The answer, given their short working lives, is unsurprisingly not, but there are some subtle variations for modellers to be aware of. As built, 101 Eagle, 102 Falcon and 103 Merlin were all identical, but somewhere between late 1974 and early 1975, small sections were removed from the headstocks, with each locomotive’s being slightly differently shaped, indicating an ad-hoc modification (a useful identification guide in the absence of visible numbering). Around this time, the roof aerial clusters also changed from the original housing to the more familiar GSM ‘shark-fin’ type at each end. The next visible change came with the addition of Time Division Multiplex (TDM) cabling, allowing the transfer of multiple working data between locomotives and Driving Trailers. At some point in 1988, 101 Eagle obtained a second GSM aerial at No.1 End, but the greatest change in appearance belonged to 102 Falcon, with the removal of the buffing gear at both ends and the vacuum pipe being elevated and centralised at No.2 end. The Class 101s wore all their liveries well, with four distinct livery periods for the trio. As delivered in 1970, all three locomotives were painted in a deep maroon over the body, a light grey roof, with an arced golden yellow panel at each end and a small NIR logo amidships in golden yellow. From 1974 all three locos had the front panel revised to a ‘V’ shaped arced panel, with the locomotive number appearing on the front end for the first time. In mid-1979, the NIR mid-blue livery appeared, with the ‘V’ arc being represented in luminous red and a slightly larger NIR logo in white featuring amidships. As a body livery, the mid-blue did not wear very well, fading unevenly, and during 1988 the paint scheme was refreshed with new large NIR logos amidships, but this time with a luminous red chevron replacing the more elegant arc pattern which, again, faded badly and quite quickly. Of the three, only 102 Falcon received the revised darker NIR blue, sometime in 1996, with small yellow panel, black roof and ‘Zorro’ mask across the cab windows, again with large NIR logo. In preservation, this locomotive is now presented at the Museum at Cultra in a representation of its original maroon livery. The Model Following on from the success of our Mark 2 Enterprise coaches, we asked the question "Well, what will pull them?". While we knew of models of the 111 and 201s, we thought about these NIR icons. With a bucket of charisma and such unique looks, we felt the Hunslets would make for a cracking model. However, it's not all positive. Despite running to Dublin daily for so long, there were only 3 of these locomotives and they felt a bit niche. Buoyed by the sales of our Mark 2s, we decided to press on and make them in a strictly limited run. That's right folks, though we might be proven wrong bit massive demand, we envisage that this might just be a one-off run. With the real loco scanned and research progressing at a rapid rate, we have been able to get the Hunslets designed and tooled in record time and have been testing these samples for several months now. With just a trio of locomotives and a small pool to choose from for variations, we have decided to cover all major liveries for everyone in this first (and possibly only) production run. So, what is the cost for this charismatic, yet quite niche locomotive? Well, with a truly unrivalled spec and museum quality model including a comprehensive lighting package including cab lighting, day and night configurations, a wealth of detail, prism free glazing, operating roof fan, ESU loksound five and large speaker set up on sound fitted models, hefty diecast chassis, era detail differences, and more, they come in for a very reasonable £219.99 DC/DCC Ready and £319.99 DCC sound fitted, or €259.95 DC/DCC Ready and €379.95 DCC Sound Fitted. Delivery is slated for Q4 2025, with decorated samples due with Accurascale/IRM engineering team before Christmas. Tempted? You will be! You do not want to miss out on these beauties. Pre-order yours today for no money down via the IRM or Accurascale websites! As ever, the assistance of trusted stakeholders is vital to the development stages of any model, and we are pleased to acknowledge the outstanding co-operation and contribution of Clare Ablett and the team at the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum, Cultra, who allowed us to descend on them with our 3D scanning associates to map 102 Falcon to the finest detail. And just as important in the grand scheme of the project, we are indebted to Andrew Ross of the Hunslet Engine Company for supplying the original works’ drawings, as well as the benefit of his experience, which was instrumental in converting the project from a ‘what if’ to a ‘let’s crack on’! Click Here to Pre-Order Your Hunslet! MODEL SPECIFICATION: • Die-cast metal chassis, with ABS plastic body. Weight (without decoder) 406g. • Centrally mounted, twin flywheel 5-pole motor, driving both sets of axles, with all-wheel pickup. • Helical gear box for maximum performance and slow speed running. • Gearing arranged so locomotive can achieve a scale maximum top speed of 80 mph (128.75 km/h), with a load of 1.1kg • Supplied as DCC Sound Ready, or DCC Sound fitted. • Scale length of 180.71mm over buffers. • Bogie wheelbase of 30.71mm (93.781mm between bogie centres), allowing operation over a minimum radius of 438mm (2nd radius set-track). • Single style of 13.33mm solid locomotive wheel, correctly profiled both on the inside and outside to RP25-110 standard, set in blackened brass bearings or contact strips and chemically blackened, and conforming to Accurascale standards of 14.4mm back-to-back on 2mm diameter axles, over 28mm pinpoints (to allow for potential re-gauging to 21mm finescale standards). • Brake blocks fitted and aligned with wheel centres for 00 gauge. • Fully detailed die-cast underframe with all cylinders, battery boxes, cabinets and piping applied separately. • NEM pockets at both ends, fitted via full kinetic couplings. • Eroded metal, plastic and wire detail parts, including (but not limited to) roof details, handrails, door handles, kick plates, lamp brackets, nameplates, brake gear, brake discs, draw gear, bogie chains, vents and louvres. • Prism free flush glazing. • Easily removable roof section, to allow access to PCB for speaker and decoder fitting. • Fitted stay alive arrangement. • Designed to work with the ESU LOKSOUND V5 21-PIN Decoder with easy access via removable roof panel. Blanking plate to carry switches for limited DC lighting options. • Fully directional lighting, with full range of light options for day/night running and shunting/yard configurations. • Separate cab lighting configurations. • Working DCC operated roof fans (single fixed speed on DC). • Supplied DCC Sound Ready, with fitted ESU 22mm x 42mm x 8.0mm rectangular 4Ω speaker and Passive Radiator. View the full article

To be honest James your argument falls flat on its face when we see wagons like the bulleids still in stock, a decent amount of Park Royal’s available to pre-order, and our orange and black mark 2s currently on sale following poorer than projected sales. I was glad to have a call from Paddy Murphy today who has read this thread and said he also has noted a slow down in the market when it comes to his releases in recent years. This is beyond merely the ICRs.

Another long overdue project update is finally here, and thankfully it's much more positive as we get to reveal decorated samples of our hotly anticipated Park Royal coaches! Firstly, we shall let the images do the talking, as a splash of colour adorns these splendid vehicles. Arriving just in time for the MRSI October Bank Holiday Weekend show in Dublin, we have received decorated samples in green with silver underframe, CIE classic "Black and Tan" livery of orange and black, and IR Orange and Black livery of post 1987 with white pin stripes, the final livery they wore in squadron service with Irish rail. We are delighted to see colour on these models, so we can get a real feel for the coaches and the progression of the coaches. We still have work to do though! When the first engineering samples arrived, we noted that the bogies had been incorrectly moulded in the wrong type of plastic, which would cause significant operational issues and a high failure rate as it is difficult to glue. Thankfully, this has now been sorted, and the iconic commonwealth bogies, a signature of so many Irish coaches from this period, look and perform superbly. Paint coverage needs to be and will be improved and some of the colours will be tweaked before production, along with a general improvement in build quality, but that is typical of samples at this stage. Once this issues are resolved we will progress to production. The revised delivery date of these models is now mid-2025. Drop by our stand this weekend and take a closer look at these beauties. If you have experienced our Mark 2 coaches, then you know how special these are going to be! We still have a limited supply of Park Royals available for pre-order. To add some to your collection, place your pre-order below! Pre-Order Your Park Royal Coaches Here! View the full article