Warbonnet

We are very happy to reveal a pair of very special Class 31s in our Accurascale Exclusives range, Nos. 31105 and 31285 in Network Rail yellow. Like many past models in this series, such as ‘Deltic’ No. 9016 Gordon Highlander in Porterbrook purple and Class 97/3 No. 97301, these additional releases showcase a considerable amount of unique tooling to accurately depict these locomotives in 4mm scale. The acquisition of the venerable Brush Type 2s by Network Rail, which eventually totalled five locomotives, was something of a formalisation of the previous arrangement between its predecessor Railtrack and Fragonset to provide motive power for infrastructure monitoring trains. This deal had even seen one member of the class, No. 31190, repainted in Railtrack’s blue and green house colours before the company was forced into administration. No. 31285 was the first Class 31 to be outshopped in NR yellow, being released from Fragonset’s workshops at the former RTC site in Derby in October 2003. While the livery was striking enough, even more dramatic was the addition of five large spotlight brackets (two on the lower cab front and three on the cab roof) and a forward facing camera in the plated nose door at the No.2 end. The ultra violet spotlights – of various designs over time – gave it the nickname ‘scooter’ and were deployed when running with the Structure Gauging Train and were also fitted to Nos. 31233 and 31602 (cab roof only). Meanwhile, the No.1 end also featured various sockets for connecting to the test coaches. At the start of 2008, No. 31285 debuted new larger LED tail lights and, at the same time, lost its original windscreen washer jets and baffles in favour of new wiper-mounted versions. After 12 years of service with NR and some 54 years after being delivered to Tinsley as D5817 in October 1961, it was retired and sold to Harry Needle in August 2015. It has been based at the Weardale Railway ever since, still with full light package, and is operational. No. 31105 was the third of Network Rail’s Class 31s to return to traffic and the only former disc headcode-fitted locomotive in the fleet, although it could often be found partnered with Howard Johnston’s hired in Fragonset, later BR blue-liveried, ‘skinhead’ No. 31106 on test trains. The former D5523, new to Stratford in March 1959 and withdrawn from Bescot in May 1997, was selected in 2002 for rebirth in NR’s QADD pool along with No. 31107. While the latter fell by the wayside, No. 31105 was released from Derby in yellow in August 2004, externally almost unchanged from its previous condition, even retaining the extra lamp iron on its plated nose doors. However, by the second half of 2005, Derby had taken the opportunity to remove the cab roof vent cover from the No.1 end cab roof to match the No.2 end that had been rebuilt in early 1984. While in late 2007, the front ends were further modified with same LED tail lights and the washer jet modifications described above with No. 31285. All good things come to an end though and No. 31105 was withdrawn for the second time in February 2015, leaving just No. 31233 still active for NR. Still in working order, it was occasionally used as a shunter at the RTC site before being sold into preservation at the Mangapps Railway in Essex in October 2018. Accurascale’s extensive Class 31 tooling suite has been designed to cover Nos. 31105 and 31285 and Network Rail’s other trio of Brush machines, Nos. 31233, 31465 and 31602. As well as the modified cab roofs, fully functioning spotlights and No. 31105’s additional lamp irons, other never before produced tooling on our initial NR pairing correctly dates these locomotives to the period from 2008 onwards with LED tail lights / washer jet modifications. Of course, the lights should be more purple in hue and they will be on the finished production models. The brightness will also be dulled down on the production models too. This latest pair of 'Peds' are now available to pre-order direct via the Accurascale website only in both DC/DCC Ready and DCC sound fitted formats. We are due decoration samples towards the end of this year and delivery will take place in Q3 2024. As will all Accurascale Exclusives, both locomotives will be complete with special presentation packaging. Pre-order with no money down by clicking the link below! Pre-Order Your Network Rail Class 31 Here View the full article

Our big announcement at the 2023 Model Rail Scotland show was the addition of the ubiquitous Class 66 to the Accurascale Diesel Depot. Adding the most numerous diesel locomotive of the current era (and indeed, the last 25 years!) was essential to match the vast array of wagons we have produced over the last five years, and indeed what we will produce in the near and longer term future. The announcement of the Class 66 has gone down very well indeed, with significant demand from current era modellers, and those becoming nostalgic for those early years of privatisation, going by the demand for our model of 66001 as delivered with red grilles. As you can see, we have now reached the decorated sample stage as we look to assess the colours of the new batch of locomotives, as well as the fit and finish to the additions to the tooling suite we have made, and the changes to the original Hattons tooling. Overall, we are delighted with how the model is shaping up so far, but as always, some subtle tweaks are required. Firstly, the yellows will be tweaked ever so slightly shade wise. the DB grey band is too light in its shade and the Freightliner green is also too light in our view. The TOPS panel on 66779 will also be altered in colour. We will also be improving the fit of the removable hatch to fit a DCC decoder. The typeface on 66763 is also hilariously wrong and will be corrected on the production models you receive. Overall though, we are pretty pleased with how this locomotive is shaping up, so here a look at each livery announced to date that make up the first run, including Accurascale Exclusives of 66001 and 66779 'Evening Star'. The best news of all is that these minor tweaks have not impacted on the delivery schedule, so we are on course for delivery in Q1 2024 with production soon to get underway. Place your pre-order today via your local stockist, or direct via our website (the only place you can buy our Accurascale Exclusives!) via the link below! PRE-ORDER YOUR CLASS 66 RIGHT HERE! View the full article

With our Class 37s arriving, our Manors on the way and Deltics and Class 92s already delivered, attention now turns to our fifth Accurascale locomotives, the wonderful Class 31/Brush Type 2s. Announced in February 2022 ahead of Model Rail Scotland, our 'Peds' have been quietly rumbling away in the background and progressing nicely indeed. Today we can give you a full update, reveal further deco samples including our Accurascale Exclusives, and let you hear our sound project for these beasts for the first time. Vast Tooling Suite A Skinhead dressed as a royal! As you may know from our previous blogs about our Brush Type 2, our tooling suite for these long lived locomotives is extensive, covering everything from the original Toffee Apple pilot scheme locomotives, right up to the current day as they covered their final years on the National Network. With body arrangements for the original Class 30, and re-engined, not to mention refurbished Class 31s, we have created the most comprehensive tooling suite for the class. This allows us to tell the full story of the Brush Type 2s! Extra Features The Class represents a further step up in our specifications too, with an independently powered operating roof fan included in an Accurascale model for the very first time. This feature is powered by a separate coreless motor. Our operating fan is on top of our already unbeatable specification of our Powerbank of capacitors, ESU Loksound 5 with custom sound recording, hall sensors for automatic triggering of flange squeal when entering curves, twin speaker set up on all sound models featuring an all new second generation "Accurathrash" large bass speaker which has received subtle tweaks to further enhance our sound fitted models. Feast your ears and eyes below! Body Tooling Refinements Despite the first samples of the Class 31 tooling being quite good, we still required some fettling to the final model. These include improving curvature of lower cab sides, rivets, bodyside band and other strapping, grille in bodyside door, window surrounds, body-roof transition, poor definition of certain roof panels, c parting lines (especially on roof, corner of body and at rear of cab rainstrip), base of bodyside door, removing tooling marks, correcting position of fire pull, deformed areas around grille and other injection issues such as warped bottom of body / flash, missing roof tread detail, nose end footsteps on certain versions and cancelled separate parts for cab door footstep (now molded to body). Other part refinements Further improvements to the tooling and part refinements have been made since the first EPs have been in hand including; Improvements to tooling marks on bogie sides, parting lines on top of bogie frame / fuel tank and battery box, removing incorrect cutouts from rear of fuel tank, removing flash from grilles, definition of panel lines on cab control desk, missing bodyside band on various door parts, ensuring that all textures on doors match those on body, extending banding on nose doors, making sure that steps on nose doors match steps on body, missing textures on tablet catcher door, missing raised lip around edge of bufferbeam cowl, poor injection of certain parts, missing rivets, injection release marks, rough edges, faint textures, tooling damage / scratches, flash on ABS and POM parts, especially pipes / grabs, missing textures on bufferbeam cowling, improving definition of NEM snowplough part, removing injection marks from boiler exhaust panel / Mirrlees exhaust surrounds, improving etched fan grille / improve alignment, alignment of buffer holes, scratches on window parts and revising injection of certain pipes to improve flexibility. Corrections to EP Samples Revisions to bodyside grilles to improve fit between parts, modifications to boiler panel and nose doors for tighter fit, additional supports on bufferbeam cowling to improve fit to make almost "seamless" join with body (this was worst feature of EP samples), modifications to separate bufferbeam part on all versions to improve join to body, buffer mods so they do not rotate, fit of all handrails, body / chassis connection to make more secure, removing light bleed, modifications to bogie / bufferbeam interface to avoid interference issues, improvements to Hall sensor mount, strengthening bogie baseplate clips, tweaks to centre wheel on bogie to improve roadholding, working fan improvements, tweaks to make fitting headcodes easier, changed lamp iron method of installation, reduce size of grab holes. This is typical of the development process of any new locomotive model, but it gives an idea the sheer amount of work we undertake from sample level to final production to ensure you get the best possible rendition of a locomotive we can deliver! Accurascale Exclusives Reveal We recently received our first decorated samples of our "Accurascale Exclusives" pairing of 31407 in Mainline Freight aircraft blue and 31466 in EWS maroon. Poor application of the yellow panel aside (which will of course be corrected on the production samples that you press into service on your layout!) they are shaping up rather well indeed. Delivery Schedule So, that's all the good stuff, but where are we at? Well, we did confirm some weeks ago that production for these beauties has commenced and we can report that is is progressing well. Like our Class 89, progress of the project had been hit by the COVID shutdown in China earlier this year, but the impact has been smaller than initially feared, which is great news. Due to the sheer popularity of our 31s, demand has been extensive and the production run as a result requires being split in two for delivery. Therefore they will now arrive in two batches consisting of the following: ACC2741-5544 ACC2742-5544DCC ACC2745-31248 ACC2746-31248DCC ACC2749-31409 ACC2750-31409DCC ACC2753-31402 ACC2754-31402DCC ACC2761-31432 ACC2762-31432DCC ACC2781-31128 ACC2782-31128DCC These will arrive in stock at our warehouse in late Q3 2023. Batch two will consist of the following, along with our Accurascale Exclusives 31407, 31466 and limited edition models for Hornby Magazine, Model Rail Magazine and Rails of Sheffield: ACC2729-D5549 ACC2735-D5615 ACC2737-5803 ACC2738-5803DCC ACC2739-5674 ACC2740-5674DCC ACC2755-31110 ACC2756-31110DCC ACC2769-31420 ACC2770-31420DCC ACC2771-31514 ACC2772-31514DCC ACC2773-31421 ACC2774-31421DCC These models are due late Q4 2023. We apologise for this slight delay but with the COVID shutdowns now becoming a thing of the past in China we envisage a smooth road ahead of us between now and delivery which bodes well for our standard setting Class 31s and other future announcements. We are sold out of the main range first run, but our retailers may still have stock, so make sure you check out your local stockist for availability. We do still have limited stock of Accurascale Exclusives 31407 and 31466 available to order, only available direct via our website. If you fancy one of them, then click on the link below and place your pre-order for late Q4 delivery today! PRE-ORDER YOUR ACCURASCALE EXCLUSIVES CLASS 31 HERE! View the full article

Great news! We've received decorated samples of our exciting new Class 89 special edition locomotive produced in association with our friends Rails Of Sheffield! Yesterday we previewed the beautiful GNER blue Badger on our social media channels and promised a full update on one of our most hotly anticipated projects to date. Now we can bring you up to speed with the progress of the project and reveal the one off loco in its as delivered Intercity Executive livery and of course the Intercity Swallow from its BR days and as it is currently in preservation. As you can see, it has progressed very well since the announcement last summer, with the tooling samples and now these decorated samples looking very well indeed. Our factory has done a truly fabulous job in tooling this marvel of Brush Engineering in miniature, with the complex shape around the face of the locomotive being spot on and matching perfectly with our scan and drawings. Utilising the same DCC operated pantograph mechanism as our much loved Class 92, the 89 has tried and tested technology throughout meaning we have been able to develop this locomotive at a much quicker pace than our Dyson, which once again is the benefit of now having several cutting edge locomotives under our belts. The locomotive is an excellent performer too, with excellent smooth running characteristics, weighty chassis meaning excellent haulage capacity, and of course, our industry leading specification of Powerbank capacitors, helical gearing and multiple lighting configurations means it will be a talking point on any layout. Sound will be of course provided via ESU Loksound 5 DCC decoders with a full custom sound file. It will also make use of our much loved Accurathrash sound set up with large speaker and smaller sugar cube speaker for maximum sound performance. We are anxiously awaiting completion of the repairs of the real locomotive at Brush Loughborough before recording the loco sound in the coming weeks. You can bet that the sound file on this locomotive is going to sound awesome! With China now returning to normal after their change on COVID policy in early 2023 production is gearing up but has been slightly delayed due to the shutdown of factories earlier this year. We will now see delivery in Q4 2023 instead of Q3 2023 as mentioned when first announced but as you can see, the slight delay will be well worth it. Make sure you get your order in via Rails of Sheffield, or direct via our website by clicking the link below. With production about to commence we are about to confirm production numbers with the factory so expect these to sell out quickly in the coming weeks. Don't miss out! PRE-ORDER YOUR CLASS 89 RIGHT HERE! View the full article

Our all new Class 50 has been very well received since we announced the project at the 2022 Warley show last November. At that time we presented the project with a 3D print and some early tooled parts. A fully made EP came to us around the turn of the year, and although we teased shots of it via social media, we haven't shown them in all their splendour, until now! We've been busy assessing these samples and testing them thoroughly, ensuring that we create the very best possible Class 50 we can. While the shape and detail is spot on, and the finesse is largely where we want it to be, there is always room for improvement. Firstly, the body isn't sitting exactly right on the chassis, but this is a fit and finish issue which is common on first samples and will be sorted for production with ease. The pick up strips will also be chemically blackened so they do not stand out on the bogies as they do on these samples. The fit and finish of the bodyside grilles will also be addressed, as although they look very nice indeed, they just require minor fettling to get them spot on. The battery box switch was mounted incorrectly and some of the roof parts also need attention. However, these are minor improvements that are required and will be addressed on the finished models. We're delighted with the overall look and feel of the model, as well as the performance and features like motorised fan, power pack, lighting arrangements and smoothness of the drivetrain. Decorated samples are currently underway at our factory and we will preview them in the coming weeks, along with our samples in action with our sound file to give you a feel for performance and how these beasties will sound on your layout. At this time we are on course for delivery of Q4 2023 at the end of this year. Are you as excited as we are? With Vacs, Mark 2b and Mark 2c coaches all on the way, it's an amazing time to be a BR Western Region modeller. Make sure you get your pre-order in today via your local stockist, or no money down with us direct, including 'Accurascale Exclusives' models of 50 007 and 50 149. Pre-Order Your Class 50 By Clicking Here! View the full article

The first delivery of our highly anticipated Class 37s took place in April and has been met with amazing praise and feedback by modellers who took delivery of our EE Type 3s. Of course, with only three running numbers delivered in the first drop, modellers eagerly awaiting the other 18 running numbers are very excited and wondering when their models will arrive so they can experience the joy of their very own Accurascale Class 37. Well, the good news first! The next three running numbers, 37026, 37027 and 37051 are in our warehouse and shipping begins today (June 2nd) now that the Siphon G pre-orders have more or less cleared. Also now in stock are the DCC decoders for the 37s, as well as the EM and P4 drop in wheelsets and Class 37 drivers from Modelu. We were delighted to join the 'Charwelton into the 80s' team at Railex last month to give these three locos an outing. The exhibition visitors certainly seemed to enjoy seeing them! We are currently reviewing the next three locos to be delivered which will be 37043, 37402 and 37409 and will share photos of these production samples later next week. These will arrive in stock in late June 2023. Batch 2 will see delivery of our Class 37/6 locomotives, including 37610 for our friends Rails of Sheffield and it will also include Accurascale Exclusive Network Rail 97301. Delivery for this larger batch of locomotives will now be mid August 2023, with production samples due with us in early July. Finally, batch 3 which consists of the original 5 locomotives in as-built condition (D6700 NRM special edition, 37001, D6702, Accurascale Exclusive D6703 and D6704) are now due in late August 2023. We apologise for this delay, but due to the sheer demand for our Class 37s the production run has been very taxing for the factory. Production of these locomotives begun over 12 months ago, and is three times greater in volume than our Deltics. As it is the biggest locomotive production order our factory has ever dealt with to date they have learnt a lot during the process when it comes to time expectations. As you can see from the reaction so far, they will be well worth the wait and we have plenty more planned for the future. With the first run pretty much sold out direct, make sure you check out our retail network for availability. Also, sign up for our email notifications on any sold out 37 as you never know when some may come back into stock. Just be prepared to act fast! In the meantime click below if you want to order DCC decoders, drivers, wheelsets or pre-order production run 2! Order Your Class 37 Goodies Here! View the full article

Hi everyone, I would rather not go into too much detail but Junctionmad has been a little bit under the weather recently, hence lack of updates. Cheers! Fran

Our beautiful Mark 1 suburban coaches have reached decoration sample stage and are looking very nice indeed. The 56ft 11" Mark 1 suburban coaches have been high on the wishlists of many modellers for sometime and required a 21st century model of these distinctive carriages to match our forthcoming Class 31 locomotives. We were delighted to take on that challenge, and have given them the full Accurascale treatment, particularly when it comes to the interiors. As previewed with our recent announcement of the Accurascale Exclusive BR BTU Tool Van ADB 963952, the decorated samples for the subs have arrived and while they show how attractive the coaches look with a lick of paint, they also show there is room for some improvements. Firstly, the footboards will be corrected, with the samples using wavy parts that will have much better rigidity once on the final models that run on your layout. On the whole, we are very happy with the colour shade of the coach bodies, between BR Blue and Carmine they look excellent and faithful renditions of both liveries. However, the shade of brown used for the BR Blue coaches is incorrect, and will be a much darker shade on the finished models. There will also be improvements to the shade used on the battery boxes. Lots of lovely detail though, right? Interiors are also shaping up nicely, with the decorated samples showing the lengths we have gone to when producing accurate representations of these coaches. With fully painted interiors, etched luggage racks and printed detail such as route maps, all visible via the removable magnetic roof and fully lit, they promise to add something a bit special to the coaching stock on your layout. With the corrections now fed back to the factory production can now commence and a delivery date of Q4 2023 is envisaged. With a museum quality specification of full diecast chassis, next level interior detailing and lighting, beautifully smooth running characteristics, a wealth of detail both internally and externally and close coupling system these aim to set yet another benchmark when it comes to OO gauge coaching stock. Pre-order yours today, with each coach priced at £64.95 which represents excellent value for money considering the high specification, via your local stockist or direct via our website. Remember too that you get 10% off when you order two or more coaches and free postage and packaging via the Accurascale website, as well as loyalty bonus points off future purchases! Pre-order below: Pre-Order Your Mark 1 Sub Coaches Here! View the full article

Time for another progress report, and this time it's the first showing of the decorated samples of our lovely Southern Railway D1478 and D1479 Diagram Banana Vans in OO/4mm. We alluded to receiving decorated samples of these vans when we launched our latest "Accurascale Exclusive" model last week, which was the Departmental Ballast Cleaner Support Van, repurposed from a D1478 wagon. Now, we get to share the rest of the Banana Van range with you. Particular attention has been paid to the logos of the differing banana importers, and getting the torn and worn look of these labels spot on, just like the prototypes. Distressing has also been added to the roof area of the departmental 'Tadpole' vehicles, to reflect their later life condition complete with replacement and beaten planking. The roof distressing is a complex and expensive process of tampo design and printing, but we feel it just adds that extra bit of realism to the models. These models are now signed off for production and it is now underway, with our delivery schedule of Q3 2023 remaining on course. Prices are £84.95 per triple pack of individually numbered wagons, each with their own unique decoration and each feature market leading specification from diecast chassis, a wealth of separately applied details and brass bearings for axles to ensure silky smooth running. Remember too, that if you buy direct from our website you get 10% off when you buy two packs or more and free UK postage and packaging. Pre-order below, or via your local stockist. Pre-Order Your Banana Vans Here! View the full article

Hi everyone, Just 20% of these beauties left. Looks like they wont last much longer in stock, so if you want them now is the time to act. Around 10% of our costal tour double deckers left too, so make sure you don't miss out! Shop: https://irishrailwaymodels.com/collections/exclusive-irm-buses/availability_in-stock Cheers! Fran

Hi everyone, Time for a quick update on our NIR Mark 2b coach project, which is now rapidly progressing through production. Here you can see the body shells and interiors are being painted, in this case RPSI Green. Once this is complete then it is onto final assembly which will be completed at the end of June, ahead of delivery with customers of all NIR and RPSI packs in mid-August! These sets are completely sold out, but register your interest on our website by clicking on the notification email on each set you desire and should any go back on the website you will get an email prompt then. https://irishrailwaymodels.com/collections/mark-2-coaches Cheers! Fran

Our 56ft 11' Mark 1 Suburban coaches have now progressed to decoration stage, so look out for some tasty images showing them off in BR Blue and Carmine in the coming weeks. However, in the meantime we have a special treat; a look at our new Accurascale Exclusives model from the Mark 1 Sub range. Welcome to BR BTU Tool Vans ADB 963952! History The introduction of Diesel Multiple Units gathered pace during the 1960s, meaning much of the Mk1 non-gangway stock was phased out of traffic, but for some of the vehicles new uses were found, especially in freight flows and, later, as Departmental vehicles. With the introduction of Freightliner trains, British Rail and the Train Drivers’ Union, ASLEF (The Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen), were unable to come to an agreement over where Guards should be housed in these new fully fitted trains. Initially, containers were converted into ‘Caboose’ style accommodation but with the ride and safety severely compromised, it was decided to convert a number of redundant Mk1 Brake vehicles into Freightliner Guards’ Vans as a temporary measure until a more permanent solution could be found. The majority of these vehicles were converted from Mk1 non-gangway Brake Seconds, with 43 ex-Midland, Eastern and Scottish coaches being converted at Derby and Swindon works between June 1966 and October 1967, entering service on Freightliner flows in a plain grey livery. Once BR and ASLEF had reached an agreement for Guards to ride in the rear cab of the hauling locomotives, the Brake vans were once again surplus to requirements, with just seven vehicles being pressed into service as Departmental vans: DB 963904, 963906, 963925 and 963947 as Crane Runners and ADB 963943, 963952 and 963953 as BTU Tool Vans. ADB 963952 started life as Sc43326, one of the 1955 York built Brake Thirds built to Lot 30057 and once retired from the Scottish Region, was converted into a Freightliner Brake Van at Swindon in September 1967. Conversion to a BTU Tool Van took place at Doncaster in 1980 and the vehicle stayed in service until June 1988, when fire damage rendered the coach unusable and it was eventually cut up at Temple Mill Yard in June 1992. The Model Using photographs of the real ADB 963952 we have captured the eye-catching and distinctive departmental yellow livery synonymous with breakdown trains of the 1980s. We have also modelled the roof in "distressed" condition, capturing the patchy and marked condition Mark 1 coaches tended to accumulate in later life, particularly when removed from squadron service into departmental duties. Corrections on this first decorated sample are required, especially around the finish of the plated over windows, which will be executed more convincingly on the production models modellers will receive. The running boards will also be straight as an arrow, and not wavy like this sample! As with all our models, the specification list is extensive: Scale length of 227.67mm over headstocks, width of 36mm across body at waist. Minimum Radius 438mm (2nd radius set-track). No visible moulding ejection marks or pips. Die-cast metal chassis with plastic body. Accurate BREL BR1 bogies, with separate detailing where appropriate. Wheels RP25-110 profile for 00 gauge, set into blackened brass bearings. NEM standard coupling sockets, with mini-tension lock couplers with a kinematic close-coupling system. Body, interior and underframe are handed, therefore CAD should account for this with fitting being only possible in one axis. Scale width wire handrails, water pipes, passenger communication gear. Separately fitted door handles and lamp brackets. Headstock pipes and cabling included in accessory polybag for customer fitting. Fully detailed die-cast underframe with vacuum cylinders, battery boxes, dynamo and piping applied separately. To feature accurate ‘L’ shaped bracing struts on underframe. Easily removable roof, to allow access to interior for customer detailing. Accurate interior layouts, with detailed seating and luggage racks. (Decorated where appropriate) Interior bulkheads to feature picture frames, an important interior feature of this stock. Full guard’s compartment area detailing where appropriate, including use of etched metal detailing. Prism free flush glazing. Interior coach lighting with stay-alive capacitor, pick up from one bogie and a reed switch to control on/off via magnetic wand. Separately fitted roof vent types, set in correct locations. Delivery is slated for late Q3 2023 with the rest of the Mark 1 suburban range. Priced at £64.95, this converted coach is part of our "Accurascale Exclusives" range and will come in special presentation packaging. Grab yours by clicking here! View the full article

God, that eejit talks some nonsense!

As above, there were blue taras running into the early-mid 1990s, just absolutely filthy under the grime. Some were patched with large amounts of red oxide paint and the wagons were gradually turned out in this livery. So, the blue ones give you an operating scope of about 15-20 years from mid-late 1970s to mid 1990s... Cheers! Fran

Nice photo here. If you zoom in you can see that they're blue

Back in October we went bananas and announced our lovely range of Southern Railway D1478 and D1479 Diagram Banana Vans in OO/4mm scale. We have recently received decorated samples for this fleet of vans, so keep an eye out for their beauty shots in the coming weeks. However, these vans also gave us an opportunity to create a little "Accurascale Exclusive" model detailing these wagons in departmental use. So, as a little deco taster, and an all new exclusive model available direct from our website only, here is ballast cleaner support van DS50594, featuring some rather nifty decoration techniques to display the model in worn condition! History During the 1950s, British Rail’s Research Unit had revealed compacted track beds full of irregular stones, steam engine ash and often material from the construction of the line across the rail network, none of which helped to create satisfactory tamping operations, or for maintaining good track geometry as track speeds increased. The best way to rectify this was to remove at least nine inches of sub-track material and to replace it with regular sized 70mm railway ballast. To do this BR ordered a number of ballast cleaning machines to mechanise this process, these being initially built to two designs by the Swiss Matisa SA company. As the project developed Austrian firm Plasser & Theurer developed a larger self-propelled RM62 ballast cleaner unit and BR ordered 20 of these machines between 1966 and 1974 to work across the rail network. These ballast cleaning machines were formed into self-contained trains, and were typically formed with a 20T brakevan at the head, followed by the ballast cleaning unit, then a 12T type ‘tool’ van, a staff coach and, finally, a second 20T brakeman. The stock was sourced from existing end-of-life vehicles and this was how ex-D.1478 Banana Van S50594 came to be used in Departmental service. Modelled in its post-February 1972 condition, taken from a photograph supplied by Mike King, DS50594 was largely unaltered, albeit that the former codes have been painted out and Ballast Train legends and numbering applied. At this time, even the Yellow spot remained, with a faint trace of the Tare weight remaining. The Model First announced at GETS in October 2022, our D1478 and D1479 banana vans saw us enter the vast wagon area of the big four railways for the first time, offering a much needed 'missing link' for Southern Railway and BR modellers. Banana vans have been poorly served by the 'Ready to Run' market for many years and we were keen to step up to the mark. We also love a departmental wagon, and couldn't resist the opportunity to model these wagons in their later guise from the 1970s. Depicting this D1478 van in its later condition also allowed us to go one step further with our decoration of the model, presenting the van in its later worn condition with faded paint, torn labels and bleached and distressed roof, as per the real wagons! This is an intricate decoration process which we hope to add to more models in the future if popular. All you need to do is add some road dirt to take these vans one step beyond. This van is now available to pre-order via the Accurascale website only at a price of £29.95 and will of course feature special presentation packaging and documentation. It will arrive with our first run of banana vans in Q4 2023! Click Here To Pre-Order Your Ballast Cleaner Train Van View the full article

Hi everyone, Check out the weathering job our warranty man Tony did on one of our lovely blue Tara Mines wagons. It really captures the look of these wagons as they were in service during the 1980s and 1990s and brings out all the detail. behind the bright blue paint finish of the prototypes. Many of us would love a filthy blue Tara in our lives, and you can enjoy this excitement to your life by picking up some packs of our blue Taras via our website and get the weathering materials out. These Taras are quite cheap too, making them an even more enticing prospect of just €63.96 per twin pack, and 10% off when you buy two packs or more! This limited time offer ends very soon, so make sure you grab them now: https://irishrailwaymodels.com/collections/tara-mines/availability_in-stock Cheers! Fran

Our Accurascale family grows ever stronger as Alex Carpenter has joined us in the role of Project Manager (Special Projects and Reproductions). Alex will be familiar to many within the hobby through his business "ABC Workshops", set up by Alex at the tender age of 14 to detail and weather models to a professional standard in 4mm and 7mm. Alex has also written numerous articles on detailing and improving existing ready-to-run (RTR) models for "Rail Express Modeller", further demonstrating his excellent eye for detail and wish to push RTR models to the next level. In 2011 Alex began working with Bachmann Europe on their annual catalogue and from 2019 joined the company full time as a a Researcher and Design Engineer, a role which he held until joining us last month. A long time member of Derby club, Mickleover MRG since 1998, Alex has been heavily involved in organising the Derby roundhouse show and overseeing MMRG Exclusives, limited edition models for the club. Away from the model railway scene, Alex also holds interest in the real railway, and there have been some big developments recently in this area. As part of the 125 group, Alex has taken the plunge into real train ownership, realising a life long ambition with the purchase of a HST powercar! 43025 has been secured for preservation and recently moved to Ruddington to being its new life after finishing its career in squadron service on the mainline. The plan for 43025 is to restore it to mainline operating condition so while Alex will be working on producing museum quality models for you to enjoy by day, he will also be working to restore 43025 to her former glory for you to enjoy on railtours and galas at the weekend! Speaking about joining Accurascale, Alex expressed his excitement about the job ahead; “I’m very pleased to have been invited to be a part of ‘The A Team’, and I’m genuinely excited to start on a new chapter in my working life with them doing what I love. "The industry has changed significantly in the last few years, and I firmly believe Accurascale has changed the UK market for the better, bringing modellers and enthusiasts high quality well presented models at reasonable prices, whilst also actively pushing the boundaries of what is physically possible in a model regardless of what has gone before. Price doesn’t mean compromise. "For me it’s also about the presentation and launch of a model and not just the work that goes into it behind the scenes, breathing fresh air into key things like packaging, paperwork, accessories and even social media. Another big one for me is being able to buy an entire rake of wagons off the shelf, all with different running numbers and variations, a novelty which simply didn’t exist in the UK market before. "The use of high quality DCC sound and speakers as a factory fit, to the same standard that was previously only achievable via the aftermarket has also become a major game changer. All of these things have now become the standard by which other manufacturers are measured by, and I’m excited to be let loose on some new projects large and small.. or is that small or far away..! Here’s to the future.” Accurascale Managing Director Stephen McCarron outlined his excitement on adding Alex to the team; "As accurascale continues it’s drive to bring innovation, fidelity and fair pricing to the market, we are delighted to welcome our newest team member, Alex, to help us maintain and exceed our high standards of delivery and customer experience. "With extensive industry and ‘real’ train experience, we’re excited to showcase what Alex brings to accurascale in the months and years ahead! He is already working on some very interesting projects which we know will delight and excite the hobby as they come on stream in the coming years." Look out for some exciting and interesting models from Alex in Accurascale boxes very soon! View the full article

Hi everyone, Less than 30% of these left, so if you want them, go get them! Cheers! Fran

Hi everyone, Thanks for all the pre-orders which continue to flow in, very positive. These were probably part of the last truly interesting era of coaching stock on the network, and we would dearly like to add to that range in time should these be a successful model sales wise. So, support it and you never know; more coaches from this era and we will seriously look at doing a top of the line heat van too. Which steam heat van would you like to see though? Cheers! Fran

Hi everyone, Thanks for everyone who has placed a pre-order so far, these have been unbelievably popular! We’ve had these under way in one form or another for a long time, but of course circumstances and covid put pay to best plans and that. Thank you to everyone who came by our stand at the excellent Wexford Model Railway show over the weekend to check out the first 3D print of the CAD. Eamonn very kindly let me pose it on the wonderful “Bog Road” too, check it out! Roll on the tooling sample! Cheers! Fran

Commodious. Comfortable. Quirky and quintessentially Irish, the Park Royal coaches represent the maximum use of our generous loading gauge and an iconic piece of Irish coaching stock. It was about time it was represented faithfully in OO/4mm. A project that has been in-hand for a while now, we're delighted to bring you the news of the IRM CIE Park Royal coaches, representing these icons from the 1950s which served CIE and later Irish Rail well into the 1990s. Check out our extensive history of these unique coaches over a tipple below... HISTORY On July 1, 1948 the Irish Government asked Sir James Milne, last General Manager of the United Kingdom’s Great Western Railway, to investigate the state of internal transport in Ireland and his report, published later that year, suggested that diesel traction alone would not be the answer to Córas Iompair Éireann’s problems. Deemed inadequate to meet the needs of the population, Milne’s report highlighted that the average age of CIÉ’s coaching stock was 47 years old, with 155 vehicles being over 60 years old and that a large proportion of the vehicles had not had a general repair for over 10 years, with some not being overhauled since 1929. Milne noted that, as at January 1, 1948, coaching stock (exclusive of the Drumm Battery trains), amounted to 1325 vehicles and of these, 1251 were broad gauge, with 369 bogie passenger carriages and 394 non-bogie passenger carriages, while other coaching vehicles amounted to 29 bogie vehicles and 459 non-bogie vehicles. Six-wheel stock was prevalent and of the 763 passenger vehicles, 155 still had no heating, and two even had no form of artificial lighting. There were only 34 coaches of what could be considered as modern design and all these vehicles were at least 11 years old. Something needed to change. On January 1, 1950, Córas Iompair Éireann was nationalised and within a couple of years the board of CIÉ had approved a capital expenditure programme of almost £1 million on new coaching stock under the direction of Oliver Bulleid. In September 1949 Bulleid had retired from his role as Chief Mechanical Engineer of British Railways Southern Region and was well placed to assist with the CIÉ’s move towards modernisation, having been one of three further technical assessors to Sir James Milne during his reporting phase. Bullied became a consulting mechanical engineer to CIÉ at the invitation of T. C. Courtney, the new chairman of CIE, and succeeded to the post of Chief Mechanical Engineer in February 1950, becoming the architect of the major construction programme that saw almost 500 new coaching stock vehicles entering service over the following 14 year period. The bulk of these new vehicles were constructed of a steel-clad, wooden framed body, mounted on a steel underframe, but there were notable exceptions to this method of construction; the first of these being two sets of coaches that were supplied by Park Royal during 1955 and 1956, in which the timber framing of the body was replaced by a metal frame, and was mounted on an all-welded triangulated 61’ 6” underframe, running on Commonwealth bogies. These underframes were made in the United Kingdom, by the Wolverhampton firm of John Thompson Pressings Ltd. Supplied in component form, the use of prefabricated components supplied by Park Royal allowed for volume construction using a semi-skilled workforce and a single bodyshell type was used for both suburban and main line use, to diagrams 176 and 177 respectively, but with different interior layouts. The body was built integral with the frame and bus pillars (unsurprisingly, given Park Royals coach building credentials) gave support, with the roof being carried on closely spaced hoopsticks, three to a bay. The bodyside was only as thick as it needed to be to carry the window frames and was sealed inside, before plywood lining panels were fitted direct to the frames. Lateral support came from two channel sectioned, externally fitted waist rails on each side, giving the Park Royals their distinctive external appearance. The coaches made full use of the Irish loading gauge, being 61’ 6” inches long and 10’ 2” wide, this width reducing by 8” at each end, necessary to maintain gauging on curves. Due to their aluminium and steel construction, they only weighed 26 tons tare for the D176 suburban and 27¼ tons tare for the D177 main line type. Initially, two seating layouts were offered; the D176 suburban seating 82 passengers in a 2+3 arrangement, with 6 seats in each vestibule area, and the D177 main line seating 70 passengers in a similar 2+3 arrangement, but with toilet facilities at each vestibule end. Initially both diagrams were supplied with inward opening ‘bus’ type doors, however these proved unpopular and confusing to the passengers and so the coaches were fitted with conventional outside opening doors as they next passed through Inchicore, the door window position being lowered in the process. This work was carried out by 1958 and there were no more changes to the coaches until the Train Lighting conversions during 1972, the Park Royal’s lighting initially being generated on-board via dynamo and battery. There were, eventually, several variants in service, with two main conversions giving rise to ‘Snack Cars’, and then Brake Standards. Six main line vehicles were converted to ‘Snack Cars’ in 1968, with one vestibule end incorporating a small counter and serving area and the seating reduced to 56, before being either reconverted to main line standards or Brake Standards in 1984. In all, eight vehicles were converted to Brake Standards at this time, being drawn from Snack Car, suburban and Ambulance vehicles; the latter conversions being the creation of two Ambulance vehicles from existing suburban coaches, to convey invalided pilgrims to Knock Shrine in County Mayo. Two suburban vehicles also found use on the Waterford & Tramore Railway, one having bus seating installed to act as a 93 seat trailer, the other (No. 1408), being converted for use as a Driving Vehicle Trailer on the branch until 1960. During the 1980s, appearances began to change, and the distinction between suburban and main line versions became blurred in some instances. Many of the coaches lost the circular window at the vestibule ends, with the remaining windows sometimes being reduced in size. On other vehicles, the water pipes on toilet equipped coaches were sometimes arranged in different configurations as pipes were renewed, and passenger communication gear was adapted, or removed entirely from the vehicle ends. The Park Royal coaches continued in service until the early-1990s, before being barred from certain routes due to their construction, with the last few Park Royal carriages being withdrawn following the delivery of the first Japanese 2600 Class DMUs in 1994. During their period in traffic, Bulleid’s coaches carried a full gamut of liveries; the 40 D176 suburbans carrying the lighter standard overall mid-green livery, with the thinner eau-de-nil stripe carried below the windows, on the waist channelling. Vehicle ends were observed as being the same colour but were prone to extreme discolouration by weathering, and so it is difficult to ascertain whether, in the later years of mid-green application, the body ends were green, repainted black, or just merely filthy. The ten D177 mainline vehicles initially appeared in unpainted Aluminium, with red class designations and running numbers between 1955 and 1958, before this impractical arrangement was covered with the application of mid-green, with lined Eau-de-Nil class designations. In 1962 the mid-green scheme was replaced with black upper panels, roof and body ends, and deep orange (or golden brown/tan) lower panels with a 6” white band between the windows and the roof. In 1987, under Iarnród Éireann, the 6” band was dropped and replaced with two 3” white bands, either side of the black panel, although it was possible that some Park Royals carried a single white band, reduced to 3”. The Model This first run of Park Royal coaches concentrates on the D.176 suburban variants throughout their service life, but also includes a couple of ex-D.177 Snack Car vehicles. We will, in time, also add the D.177 mainline versions to the range, along with BSO conversions and the two Knock Ambulance cars; AM14 and AM15. With an unrivalled specification list such as a wealth of separately applied parts, both plastic and etched metal, with also fully detailed Irish commonwealth bogies for the first time in ready-to-run format, detail variations, wire handrails, bespoke detailed interiors depending on coach type, full interior lighting with stay alive powerpack for flicker free lighting and a die cast underframe to ensure smooth running, they offer unbeatable value at just €69.99 per coach, with our usual 10% off when you buy two coaches or more! We are delighted to time the announcement of these beautiful coaches with the Wexford Model Railway Show this weekend, where we will have a 3D print of the final CAD on view. In the meantime, you can place your pre-order with no money down now via our website for a delivery date of Q2 2024. Expect to see a fully finished sample over the summer too! Pre-order here below: PRE-ORDER YOUR PARK ROYAL COACHES HERE (Despite their widespread service, and longevity of service, good clear photographs of individual Park Royal coaches are rare, and so Irish Railway Models are grateful for the photographic contributions from the Irish Rail Record Society, Jonathan Allen, Colin ‘Ernie’ Brack, Neil Smith and Noel Dodd. Thanks must also go to John Beaumont for his valuable knowledge on livery issues, as well as Peter Rigney, but the final mention must go to Robert Gardiner and the volunteers at the Downpatrick and County Down Railway, who accommodated us on several survey visits.) Key Statistics Highly-detailed 00 gauge model, 1:76.2 scale on 16.5mm track Scale length of 246mm over body, width of 40.67mm across body Operation over a minimum radius of 438mm (2nd radius set-track) Die-cast metal chassis with plastic body. Accurate CIÉ Commonwealth bogies, with separate detailing where appropriate, that allows for the option of re-gauging to Irish Broad Gauge (21mm). Brake blocks aligned with wheels, allowing for the option of moving outwards for Irish Broad Gauge. 12mm wheels are blackened RP25-110 profile for 00 gauge, set on 2mm axles, 28mm over pin-points and with 14.4mm back-to-back measurement. NEM standard coupling sockets, with mini-tension lock couplers with a kinematic close-coupling system. Scale width wire handrails, water pipes, passenger communication gear. Headstock pipes and cabling included in accessory polybag for customer fitting, along with Kosan Gas Tank for the Snack Car. Fully detailed die-cast underframe with vacuum cylinders, battery boxes, dynamo and piping applied separately. Accurate interior layouts, with detailed seating and decorated where appropriate. Full guard’s compartment and kitchen/snack bar area detailing where appropriate, including use of etched metal detailing. Prism free flush glazing. Interior coach lighting with stay-alive capacitor, pick up from both bogies and a reed switch to control on/off via magnetic wand. Separate roof vent types, set in correct locations. View the full article

Hi everyone, Just to point out, there is a wee typo on the box of the Galway Hotel Shuttle bus. On the box it says "Cork Shuttle". This is incorrect, the bus inside is in Galway condition. Apologies for this, and totally my fault. Cheers! Fran

Hi everyone, The bank holiday weekend is here, and to celebrate we have some excellent IRM news coming your way. First up is a weekend only sale, with our lovely magnesite wagons now just €99.99 per triple pack, reduced from €124.99! These are at this amazing sale price both online and at the Wexford show from now until midnight on Monday. Oh, and 10% when you buy two packs or more still applies, as does free postage and packaging around Ireland! Order here: https://irishrailwaymodels.com/collections/magnesite-wagons Cheers! Fran

Hi everyone, Wow, we've sold 50% of the entire run in just over 24 hours! Thank you to everyone who has ordered so far. Dispatch began today and will continue tomorrow. Ordered yours yet? https://irishrailwaymodels.com/collections/exclusive-irm-buses/availability_in-stock Cheers! Fran