Warbonnet

Hi there, Just to let you know that prices must be included with any sales listings. Could you update your post with prices? Cheers! Fran

Hi George, We've exceeded 20% pre-sold already, so we're quite happy with progress in a few months. End of the day, these are the trains people see every day across the country and have done for over 15 years now. I'm sure we'll get round to the 2600 in time Cheers! Fran

Hi everyone, Fantastic News! Our ICRs are now in the tooling room and the creation of the moulds is well under way! We will have a 3D print of the final CAD to show at the upcoming North Down Model Railway Society show at Bangor in April and the Wexford Model Railway Club show in early May. The first tooling sample will be with us over the summer, and we may look to organise an event to premiere it for the first time... In the meantime pre-orders have been coming thick and fast for what promises to be an exquisite model, the very first bespoke Irish Railcar in high quality, ready-to-run format. We're over 20% already sold on pre-order, so don't hang about! Ordered yours yet? Get your order in today: https://irishrailwaymodels.com/collections/railcar-class-22000-icr

Since we announced our second run of Deltics, the question we get asked most often is; "When can I order a Class 37?" We've got our second production run waiting to announce once the first tractors arrive, and the first production run is long sold out. Or is it? Well, we actually have one from that first production run that we never announced. So welcome to our latest "Accurascale Exclusives" locomotive, available only direct via Accurascale; D6703 in BR Green with small yellow warning panels! Our ‘early’ split headcode Class 37/0 with its characteristic riveted multi-part cantrail grilles proved to be one of the breakout hits of our first production run, being among the first versions to sell out. This variant represents the first five English Electric Type 3s, D6700-6704, constructed at Vulcan Foundry, Newton-le-Willows, between December 1960 and January 1961. However, there was one omission from the previously announced examples, with one loco glaring by its absence. Therefore, we are very pleased to reveal the last member of this quintet, and the final release in our first production run, D6703 in British Railways green with small yellow panels. The locomotive is finished in early 1960s condition as allocated to 30A Stratford and during its glory days of passenger service on the Great Eastern main line and in charge of such iconic workings as the Liverpool-Harwich boat trains. As an extra special treat and recognising this loco's historic position as the first of the class to be named, we're including etched 'First East Anglian Regiment' nameplates that it carried for several months in mid-1963 before being removed. The plates will not be printed on the locomotive but are provided as optional accessories. Never before produced accurately in any scale, the Accurascale model sports four-character headcode displays with etched winding gear, pre-fitted headcodes and a range of pre-cut alternatives for customers to install. Other optional parts depending on running number include nose corner grabs, boiler exhaust panel (open or plated) and boiler water tank sight glass. Other key spotting features are the double-riveted roof, bodyside water filler access door and steps, bufferbeam cowling with large round Oleo buffers, and correct early bufferbeam configuration with vacuum/steam/control piping only. D6703 will arrive in special presentation packaging like you have come to expect from our exclusives range and will arrive as part of "Batch 3", due for delivery in June 2023. The production run is limited to 550 pieces split between DC/DCC Ready and DCC sound, so pre-ordering is recommended to avoid disappointment. Pre-order yours with a £30 deposit with balance due later, pay in full now or spread the cost across 3 months using our flexible term options at no extra cost right here: DC/DCC Ready: https://www.accurascale.com/products/d6703 DCC Sound Fitted: https://www.accurascale.com/products/d6703-dcc-sound-fitted (Please note that locomotive in the images provided is first decoration sample, with slight improvements to fit and finish made on production models you will receive) View the full article

Our NER 20t coal hoppers are the latest chapter in our 'Powering Britain' range of coal wagons through the ages. Announced in November, they have proven very popular indeed, covering a variant of wagon never before adequately catered for by Ready-to-Run (RTR) models. The first batch of wagons have been very popular, with 8 packs covering various diagrams. However, many modellers were disappointed not to see many LNER era packs with the famed 'NE' branding. So, it's about time we made up for that and bring you batch two, along with some additional industrial and BR goodness too! Let's have a look at what's coming up, with 8 new packs on offer... BROWSE AND PREORDER THE RANGE BY CLICKING HERE! The NER P7 Hoppers; 52528, 55985 and L86, are shown in the 1911-1922 NER livery of Mid Grey, with unshaded 12" N.E.R initials. End braked, these hoppers served under the Central Division of the North Eastern Railway and the ‘Plimsoll’ type marking on the top plank at the sides shows that a section of the lower end planking had been removed, to save wear and tear on the hoppers when working cable hauled on inclines. Under the LNER, P6 Hoppers were classified as DGM 11, with the P7 type Hoppers being classified as DGM 12 and the vehicles continued to be built in some numbers after Grouping in 1923. Typically recognised by the replacement of the wooden end stanchions with stanchions made of metal, by and large the type were unchanged from their NER origins, being repainted into darker grey, with 18" x 12" N.E initials, at the earliest opportunity. We have four new triple packs reflecting this era, from pristine to distressed/patched finishes with later BR numbers. A large number of the 20t Hoppers made it through into the Nationalisation period, post-1948, some even surviving long enough to be painted into BR Freight Grey in the 1956-58 period, with black wagon information panels being added along with the painting of the handbrake handle ends into white. By the late 1950s, wooden 20t hoppers had largely been removed from mainline use, with survivors either being scrapped, or sold on to Private Owner, or Internal Users. Two such Internal Use liveries are featured in this second batch; one being the ‘industrial’ green paintwork exhibited by examples used at Cantley Sugar Beet Factory between Norwich and Great Yarmouth during the early 1970s and the other being the blue grey livery worn by those 20t hoppers used at the Workington Steel Works. By 1972, wagons at Workington could be seen with a variety of different bodyside legends, from the Workington Iron & Steel Co. to United Steel Corporation initials and even to a handful featuring the new British Steel Corporation logo. So, another eight new packs to choose from that will form our second production run of these wonderfully varied and distinctive coal hopper wagons. Due for delivery in Q2 2024, these wagons are priced at £84.95 per triple pack, with 10% off and free UK postage and packaging, not to mention rewards club points when you buy direct from Accurascale. Browse the range and place your pre-order by clicking here or via your local Accurascale stockist! View the full article

We are delighted to announce today that the Accurascale/IRM family grows larger – Richard Watson joins the A team as Digital Manager! Having spent several years as the Associate Editor at Hornby Magazine, Richard has been at the heart of the model railway industry, particularly with Accurascale. No doubt you’ll have seen Richard’s video launches, photography and reviews of our award-winning models. Relishing the prospect of working with Accurascale/IRM, Richard said: “Watching Accurascale grow over the years, seeing how hard the team work and the passion they drive into every project makes the new role a fantastic opportunity. Both professionally and as a hobbyist Accurascale has been a breath of fresh air to the industry and I look forward to getting stuck in!” As well as working with Accurascale/IRM, Richard will continue to entertain us with his YouTube channel and alter ego ‘New Junction’ (https://www.youtube.com/@NewJunction). We look forward to seeing progress on his 4-track East coast mainline themed home and exhibition layout and what possible new goodies we can bring out to suit. Likewise, Accurascale/IRM Director Fran Buke is delighted to welcome Richard on board; “We are delighted to welcome Richard as the latest member of the ‘a’ team. We have been a great admirer of his content and professionalism while with Hornby Magazine and also his excellent video content and modelling on his ‘New Junction’ YouTube channel. We can’t wait to see where he takes the Accurascale and IRM brands and what great news he will bring to modelers in the coming weeks, months and years”. Look out for even more Accurascale/IRM projects with Richard’s digital stamp on them coming very soon! View the full article

The Class 66 has become ubiquitous across the British railway network and 2023 see’s the 25th anniversary of the introduction of the class. The first Class 66 actually arrived in Britain on April 18th, 1998. It has since been joined by several hundreds more and they have become a vital part of the todays network. This story began with the English Welsh and Scottish Railway Company (EWS) back in 1996. The then new company needed to upgrade its fleet of increasingly unreliable locomotives that it had inherited from the takeover of five of the British Rail businesses (Loadhaul, Mainline, Transrail, Rail Express Systems and Railfreight Distribution). Company Chairman Ed Burkhardt reviewed the UK motive power situation, with low availability, high maintenance costs and a low degree of standardisation. His conclusion was not good. Mr. Burkhardt was also chair of Wisconsin Central over in the USA, where he was used to freights being 20,000 tons or more when 4000 tons would be considered huge in the UK - those heaviest of trains were handled by the EMD Class 59. EWS approached General Motors Electro-Motive Division (GM), which had designed and produced the impressively reliable Class 59 and were asked to design the new loco which was to become Class 66 (EWS wanted it to be class 61 but were refused). The company requested a more modern version of the Class 59, capable of hauling freight trains at 75mph, a maximum of Route Availability 7 category and with a high fuel capacity. Classified JT42CWR by GM, the class 66 design drew heavily of the style of the 59 to ease the certification process for gauging but that is where the similarity stopped. A different engine was fitted (12-cyl against the class 59’s 16-cyl) which made the Class 66 mechanically a closer relation to the Iarnród Éireann 201 Class – with an updated electronics package. Another key area of upgrade was the ‘trucks’ (bogies), The class 66 were the first in the UK to be fitted with the High Traction Radial Bogie (HTRB) type, which steer the wheels into a curve to reduce the force on them, improving ride quality and reducing flange wear. Dubbed the ‘biggest locomotive order since the steam era’ EWS placed £350,000,000 on the table and ordered 250 right off the bat. Design work was completed in October 1996 with work beginning on 66001 in May 1997 at GM’s works in London, Ontario, Canada. Just 9 months later, 66001 was complete and was moved to Albany, New Jersey by rail and loaded onto Jumbo Shipping’s MV Fairload. Following a 2-week sailing, the ship docked at the port of Immingham and 66001 touched down on British soil at 08:53 on 18th April 1998. The loco was taken to Immingham depot to be officially unveiled to the press before moving to Toton to be thoroughly inspected. Following further tests at Derby, 66001 returned to Toton, from which it hauled its first test train to Buxton and back on May 27 before final testing ahead of its first revenue-earning trip on a Bentwick to Drakelow coal train June 2 (with 58049 for insurance) at the same time as this, 66002 was just beginning trials at the Transportation Technology centre in Pueblo, Colorado. With testing proving positive, GM started work on the first batch of 248 production locomotives (66001 and 002 were always considered ‘prototypes’) and, by mid-June, 14 had already been laid out, with 66003 and 66004 almost complete. On July 3, 66001 was moved to Cardiff Canton for staff training. With the rest of the class due for delivery into Newport Docks, it was necessary to train local fitters there. With efficiency at the heart of EWS’ plans, testing on the rest of the batch would be completed before they were loaded onto Jumbo Shipping’s vessels (which could transport up to 11 ‘66s’ at a time) so that only routine checks and fuelling were needed when they arrived. This meant they could be sent straight into traffic once they were unloaded. As an aside, 66002 was kept in America for testing for a year, which is why it did not come over with the second batch. Deliveries continued apace and this allowed EWS to implement widespread withdrawal of older types – initially those that the 66’s were intended to replace but latterly even second generation BR freight locomotives were in the frame. Class 47’s were the worst hit in numbers but the ‘Red Death’ (as it was dubbed by enthusiasts at the time) allowed EWS to withdraw the last of the class 31 and 33 and reduce numbers of class 37s and 73’s too. Between 1998 and 2000 - the height of the phase, the withdrawal ratio could be as high as five old locos withdrawn for every one Class 66 off the boat. The successful introduction of Class 66 was starting to ruffle feathers amongst other freight operators. Freightliner had first-hand experience of using GM power plants having previously had 12 of its class 47s re-engineered to class 57 as part of a reliability programme with reconditioned power units. Whilst cost effective this was only ever a ‘stop-gap’ and Freightliner ordered their first 5 locomotives in March 1999 with a follow up order for another 15 locomotives shortly after. The final EWS Class 66, 66250, was delivered on June 21, 2000, just 26 months after the first, itself, arriving alongside Freightliner’s 66506-66510. These arrivals allowed Freightliner to also withdraw their aging class 47s, Not only did the new class 66’s offer nearly double the fuel range, but Freightliner posted a regular availability of 98% and an average of 70,000 miles between failures, meaning Class 66s were far outperforming the Class 57’s at 30,000 miles between failures and just 7,000 miles of the class 47’s. A new precedent had been set. So dramatic were the operational improvements for EWS and Freightliner, that over the next decade even some of the smaller and younger freight operators would order new Class 66s over older, second-hand locomotives (often displaced by the introduction of class 66’s elsewhere). At the start of 2000, GB Railways (who then operated the Anglia passenger franchise) moved into the freight market with an order for seven class 66’s. These were to be numbered in the 66/7 range and, like the Freightliner 66/5s were identical to the EWS 66/0s. GBR was to use these for its recently set-up freight arm, GB Railfreight (GBRf), which had won a deal with Railtrack to supply seven brand new locomotives to move infrastructure trains in Anglia and the southeast. Up until 2000, all class 66’s that had been built were to the same specification. The 250 for EWS, 20 for Freightliner and 7 for GBRf were all pretty much interchangeable however the first major change came when Freightliner specified and order for locomotives with a lower gear ratio and a higher tractive effort than standard, for use on heavier block trains. This batch of 25 eventually were to become 66/6s. 2002 saw another operator turn to class 66. Direct Rail Services who had originally used Class 20s, 33s and 37s for its traffic but as the company was expanding its operations more locomotives were needed to compete for intermodal business. As a result, an initial order for 10 locomotives was placed in 2002 – these happened to be some the last of the ‘standard’ class 66s to be delivered as the International Union of Railways (UIC) regulations passed a ruling that all locomotives ordered after December 2002 would have to meet new emissions requirements. This new rule meant no fewer than 53 Class 66s were added to GM’s order book in a single day on December 31 2002! This created a backlog, and which took years to clear. The final ‘standard’ 66 was delivered in 2006, 66622 for Freightliner (which was also their 100th class 66). Fortunately, GM had already developed a low-emission variant of the class 66. This was achieved by making changes to the engine cooling system to allow it to run at a lower temperature. Modifications were made also to injectors and the pistons; A bigger cooling group was fitted, and the fuel tank size was reduced to meet weight restrictions. After much discussion about the classification of the new low-emission version (EWS wanted to classify them as Class 68s but the Rolling Stock Library disagreed) they were classified as 66/9s. In April 2006, General Motors’ Electro-Motive Division was sold to a consortium that included Greenbriar Equity Group and Berkshire Partners. It became Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD). There were few issues with the 66, with several hundred now in traffic. Early issues with the self-steering bogies had been rectified however many complaints about the driving cabs had been made to union ASLEF. Excessive heat and noise were the main niggles which led to GBRf requesting modifications for its next batch of locomotives, starting with 66708. A new cab layout with wrap around desks, a new drivers seat, improved sound deadening and air conditioning transformed the working environment on these locomotive for divers. Fastline Freight who had used refurbished class 56’s expanded their operations and required more traction, the obvious choice being to jump on the class 66 bandwagon, they would eventually acquire 6 before their parent companies bankruptcy forced them to close. The 6 locomotives were transferred to DRS. They were among the last examples to be delivered from EMD. In a similar story, Advenza Freight leased four class 66’s in May 2009 at the height of the economic downturn and by October that year Advenza had gone bust and the ‘66s’ were returned to Porterbrook. The final freight to join ‘club 66’ was Colas Rail back in October 2009 to use on intermodal and fly ash trains From this point on, the history and allocation of class 66’s becomes rather interesting. The standardised nature has seen locomotives swap operators, be renumbered, swap again and so on. EWS sent a number of locomotives to France under the ‘Euro Cargo Rail’ banner – some of which have returned, Freightliner likewise sent a number of locomotives to work for its Polish division (as has DB, the successor to EWS) The success of the Class 66/JT42CWR type didn’t go unnoticed on the world stage, the design has been sought after internationally, with orders going in from across Europe and Egypt, over 650 units have been produced for the worldwide market of which 480 were built for the UK. Not all changes have been exports either, an upturn in traffic for GBRf saw them acquire euro-spec class 66’s and bring them to the UK. This has resulted in many smaller variations to the class as not all euro models were identical, nor retro fitted identically. The final batch of class 66’s was ordered 10 years ago now, back in 2013 by GBRf. By this stage, production had moved from London, Ontario to Muncie, Indiana. This shift added new variations to some of the body features and the locomotives from this last production differ from all the others. The final class 66 built, 66779, was painted in a special British Railways green livery, mirroring that of the last British Railways steam locomotive built, Evening Star. 66779 was named to match its coal burning counterpart at the National Railway Museum on the 10th of May, 2016 bringing the curtain down on class 66 production worldwide. A gesture made at that unveiling by GBRf CEO, John Smith, was promising the locomotive to the national collection upon its projected withdrawal following its predicted 40 year working life. Who would have thought 25 years ago, the dreaded shed, the locomotive that EWS foresaw as a game-changer has been exactly that. In over two decades, the type has not seen any significant challenge to its supremacy. The leap of faith taken by the then young EWS company with Ed Burkhardt at the helm paid off and has achieved something that no domestic build locomotive has ever managed to do and spread its success to the continent. Maybe enthusiasts have learned to love a 66, after all there is a whole generation who would know nothing different. Perhaps we should look back with fondness at the dawn of a new era for British rail freight. Not Read Death as they said but Red Revolution. Excited about the Accurascale Class 66? Place your pre-order via your local stockist, or right here! View the full article

So, who guessed right? Welcome to Shed Heaven! The latest locomotive to join our growing range in 00/4mm – the EMD Class 66 diesel electric, is an essential one for our range. It's the perfect accompaniment to haul our now extensive range of high quality modern wagon models. With so many Irishmen in the Accurascale family too, it was about time an EMD locomotive was added to the range, considering they have dominated the Irish scene for 60 years! (Obligatory delicious pic from our friends at Hornby Mag!) So, welcome to the AccuraShed. But how has this come about? WOW - THAT'S THE TASTIEST SHED THIS SIDE OF B&Q! TAKE ME DIRECT TO THE PREORDER PAGE SO I CAN BROWSE THE RANGE! When entering the British outline market five years ago, we were aware of the highly impressive model of the Class 66 that Hattons Model Railways had developed in house and released onto the market. This model received great acclaim, winning numerous awards. In late 2022 a deal was struck between Accurascale and Hattons for Accurascale to take on the Hattons Class 66 tooling, and further enhance the locomotive in running characteristics, build quality, detail variation and electronics to match it to the level of the rest of our locomotive range. This model will now be a part of our range going forwards. So our GM has indeed been Genetically Modified! Don't fancy reading about it? Then check out the sample in action as Steve and Mike Wild of Hornby Magazine discuss the model below: Enhanced features include: Axle boxes have been redesigned to make them more secure and ensure smooth running (drawing on experience with the IRM A Class). There are still some improvements required here with them currently being a tad too long, but these are currently being further refined. Decoder Access has been improved by the provision of a lift off roof section which also reveals the switches for DC operation. Enhanced PCB featuring pogo connectors and twin speakers; a sugar cube speaker and Accurathrash bass reflex speaker. Lighting revised to provide accurate representation of Day, night and yard mode in all configurations. Hall sensor fitted to DCC sound models to automatically activate flange squeal on tighter radii. Cab bulkheads and control pedestal are now moulded with details in relief each end is correct with either single or twin entrance door. Coil springs on the bogie now rotating in the correct direction. Cab access step and handrails have been moved from body mount to chassis mount to allow for breakage free access to chassis (for when fitting crew etc). Roof Radiator fan grille redesigned to be secured better to the model (and be further refined than these pre-production etches show!) The tooling suite for the Class 66 was already extensive, allowing for multiple different evolutions across the life of the real locomotives. However, as with doing models “The Accurascale Way”, further modifications have been carried out to add even greater variation to the range, featuring; Addition of a second style of cab interior, relevant to the model. Either the original pedestal type cab or later wrap around desk Two different types of sandpipe fixture on the bogie; angled or straight. Addition of square cut outs guard irons for relevant locos Cab Front Handrails now have the option of 5 point or 7 point mounting with correct round profile handrail mounts. Parts to cover recent "Euro Imports" currently being tooled and will feature in future production runs. A total of six different locomotives make up the first production run as follows: 66004 – DB Climate Hero Livery The third class 66 to land on British soil back in 1998, 66004 was treated to its eye catching ‘Climate Hero’ livery during 2021 as part of a program to promote freight on rail by owners DB. The real 66004 runs on a diet of Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, living up to its ‘climate hero’ credentials. 66167 – DB Traffic Red The ‘red revolution’ is slowly changing shade. 66167 is carrying the current vibrant house colours of owner DB. Testament to the quality of repaint back in 2019 the loco still looks fresh today and can be seen all across the network. 66171 – EWS Maroon and Gold Approaching 25 years old and still in its original maroon and gold, 66171 has had a few additional warning labels but still carries the moniker of its original owner, EWS. A real go anywhere locomotive and is suitable for use right up to the present day. 66122 - DRS Out of Sequence! The universal nature of the Class 66 means that transfers and sales between owners/operators are relatively common. 66122 is one of those. It was one of several locomotives hired by DRS and as such carries DB modifications like auto couplers and wing mirrors but the house colours of new operator DRS. 66507 – Freightliner Green and Yellow Freightliner were the second operating company to enter the class 66 game with the first of their locomotives arriving in 1999. Nicknamed 'freds' - a portmanteau of Freightliner and Shed, 66507 represents the standard freightliner class 66 of the early noughties, 66763 - GBRf Nearing the end of class 66 orders, production was shifted to Muncie in the USA. This change carried with it some subtle differences that we can see on this model. Named ‘Severn Valley Railway’ in 2016, it can be seen here with the current day ‘europorte’ branding removed. The modification to the tooling is now complete and production for the first batch of six different running numbers/liveries will soon begin, with some “Accurascale Exclusives” special editions to follow later in the year, so keep an eye out for them! Delivery is slated for Q1 2024, with prices of £169.99 for DC/DCC ready and £259.99 DCC Sound fitted. Check out the range and pre-order with your local stockist, or right here! View the full article

A couple of weeks ago we dropped our initial batch of 10 Mark 2c coaches in iconic blue and grey BR livery. It's the first time these coaches have been produced in OO/4mm scale in ready-to-run format and they have certainly gone down a treat, with pre-orders absolutely flying out the door. However, some modellers suggested other liveries from different eras that they would like to see. So, to paraphrase Blue Peter; Here's some we made earlier! CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER YOUR MARK 2C COACHES Network Southeast BFK 17132 With 'West of England' Route Branding NSE TSO(T) 6500 Our first Mk.2 production run includes Mk.2b TSO and FK in Network SouthEast-livery, perfect for operations on 'The Mule' (Waterloo-Exeter) as well as other South Western division loco-hauled trains. However, these formations are not complete without this pair of Mk.2c coaches, which provide much required brake and catering services on these trains. TSO(T) 6500 was the first of 30 TSO converted in 1980-1 to provide 'third level' food provision and roughly a third of the fleet was based at Laira for these trains. Meanwhile, BFK 17132 wears the attractive West of England route branding designed for NSE by Edward Pond. Intercity Scotrail SK (ex FK) SC7551 BSO 9446 Just ahead of Model Rail Scotland it is appropriate to reveal a pair of our phase II Mk.2c coaches with a north of the border theme. While none of this Mk.2 sub type received the iconic ScotRail livery, many vehicles allocated to internal Scottish services did gain appropriate branding. One of the highlights of this new announcement is Corridor Composite SC7551, one of five FK converted in 1985 for Glasgow-Edinburgh to Inverness services and this wears blue/grey with Inter-City ScotRail branding. Also included is BSO 9446, which carries the ScotRail lettering only. Intercity BFK M17130 While many pressure ventilated Mk.2s were still allocated to the InterCity sector in the mid 1980s, repaints into the new 'raspberry ripple' livery were rare. A requirement for BFK vehicles for charter and special train services saw a number of coaches outshopped in the operator's colourful paint scheme with the bulk of the pool drawn from the Mk.2c contingent. Wolverhampton Oxley's M17130 could also be found in WCML and cross-country IC services. Regional Railways TSO 5554 BSO 9458 The remaining Mk.2b and Mk.2c coaches were marked for withdrawal by the early 1990s but a small fleet did gain Regional Railways, mostly former Provincial-liveried vehicles freshened up with new branding. Longsight TSO 5554 and BSO 9458 were usually found on North Western loco-hauled services from Liverpool and Manchester to Blackpool, the famed 'club trains', with the brake coach notably being the last member of the 250-strong Mk.2c to remain in service with BR. Provincial With Transpennine Branding TSO 5614 Provincial-liveried 5614 is one of two TSO allocated to Heaton depot in the 1980s-early 1990s for Trans-Pennine services. These were regularly mixed with Mk.2a and Mk.2b TSOs, Mk.2a and Mk.2c FKs and Mk.1 brakes behind Peaks and Class 47/4s on the North Wales and Liverpool/Manchester to Newcastle/York/Scarborough routes. West Coast Railways TSO(T) 6528 BSO 9440 West Coast Railway's eclectic fleet of Mk.2s includes a range of vehicles that are unique survivors on the main line in the privatisation era, particularly its Mk.2b and Mk.2c examples. TSO(T) 6528 is still operational today and was recorded as recently as March 2022 on the main line. Its colleague, 9440, is one of just two Mk.2c BSO to have escaped the scrapman, and both returned to WCR for charter use after extensive use on the South Wales & West loco-hauled services in the late 1990s. The Model Our Mark 2c coaches build on the research from our Mark 2b coaches, with both variants surveyed together as we embarked on creating a wide reaching and flexible tooling suite for these missing links in the Mark 2 coach family. This was achieved using surveys of numerous surviving vehicles around the UK along with works drawings and even a partial 3D scan to ensure that the characteristic tumblehome and shape of the ends is as accurate as possible. The survey extended to the interiors with particular attention being paid to differences of interior layout, seating styles and areas like the TSOT across the range. A perfect complement to our Mark 2b range which is currently in production, we kick off the 2c range with 10 differently numbered coaches in the iconic BR Blue/Grey livery. The Mark 2c was quite varied, with Tourist Second Open (TSO), Corridor First (FK), Open First (FO), Brake Corridor First (BFK) and Brake Open Second (BSO) formats. In the 1980s four further types were introduced, SK and SO (declassified from first class), Corridor Composite (converted from FK for Scottish Region services) and a mini buffet with trolley space, known as TSO(T). All nine of these versions feature in our tooling suite. Common Features: Highly-detailed OO Gauge / 1:76.2 Scale Models on 16.5mm track Extremely fine exterior rivet detail on roof and coach ends Separately-applied etched metal and high-fidelity plastic parts, including handrails, brake/steam heat pipes, ETH cabling and sockets, footsteps, dummy drophead knuckle coupler, and roof vents Prism Free Glazing Pre-painted etched metal water filler covers provided for customer to install Fully-detailed underframe with numerous separate parts, pipe runs and accurate differences between versions The most accurate B4 bogies ever produced, with provision for re-gauging to EM or P4 (18.83mm) gauges Blackened RP25.110 profile wheel-sets with 14.4mm back-to-back measurements, and 26mm over pinpoints Different buffers for retracted and non-retracted positions Accurate interiors with characteristic 'winged' headrests, separate metal interior handrails on the brake and corridor vehicles and fully-detailed guard's compartment Correct height NEM standard coupling sockets with mini tension lock couplers and kinematic close-coupling Easy conversion to Kadee-compatiable knuckle couplers Full lighting package, including magnet 'wand' controlled interior lighting 'Stay-Alive' capacitor in all coaches Minimum Radius 438mm (2nd Radius Set-track) Coach Length: 269mm These coaches are primed for production and will begin once the Mark 2b production run is complete. They will arrive in stock in Q4 2023 and are the same great price of just £59.95 each and 10% off when you order direct via the Accurascale website. You can spread the cost using our flexible payment terms over 6 months or less, depending on your requirements when ordering direct via our website. Just click on the basket at checkout and follow the simple steps. Pre-order yours via your local stockist, or direct by clicking right here! View the full article

Over the past couple of years we have had to prepare to facilitate our customers from overseas as best as we can with Brexit being implemented. This has lead to us trying several remedies, including have separate European hubs and websites, but this has caused significant delay in moving stock between the two. So, we're going back to basics.This means you can now order from accurascale.com anywhere in the world! No more separate websites, different logins and entering details time and again, accurascale.com is now your one stop shop. Can I order without VAT from outside the UK? All of our website prices are listed dynamically inclusive of VAT (Sales Tax) inside the UK. If you are purchasing from outside the United Kingdom, VAT is not payable and should be automatically deducted by geo-locating your IP address. When browsing the website, you will see the suffix 'inc. VAT' on all prices if you are inside the UK and VAT is payable. If you do not see this suffix, then you are seeing the 'ex. VAT' price by default. Once you get to the Checkout, simply enter your non UK Shipping / Billing Address, and the website will dynamically remove all VAT from your order if it has failed to do so automatically, reducing the cost appropriately! We also ship to the European Union, Delivered at Place (DAP) which means you will pay Import VAT / Tax (but no Duty) when the goods arrive in your country Postage We provide free shipping throughout the UK on all orders DHL Next Day Tracked service which is FREE Shipping to UK Islands including the following is £19.95 flat rate and VAT will not be charged where relevant, automatically Gibraltar Geurnsey Isle of Man Jersey We also ship to the European Union Delivered at Place (DAP) which means you will pay Import VAT / Tax (but no Duty) when the goods arrive in your country Orders up to £100 are charged at a flat rate of £4.95 Orders over £100 are FREE Additionally we ship to the following 'Rest of World' locations at a flat charge of £25 Australia Canada New Zealand South Africa USA If your location is not on the list and you would like to purchase, please get in touch. Please note that if you order pre-Orders and in stock items in the same order, all items will be held and shipped together unless you get in touch and request otherwise. Splitting deliveries may incur additional cost. Currency/Local Payments As well as GBP, you can now shop on accurascale with prices in AUD, CAD, EUR, NZD and USD, with ‘locked in’ pricing when you buy (even with partial.ly) and the price will be billed and remain in your local currency! So, if you're based anywhere other than the UK, what are you waiting for? Get ordering now! View the full article

Following on from our highly anticipated Mark 2b coaches, we are excited to reveal the latest addition to our eagerly-anticipated range of 4mm/OO gauge Mk.2 coaching stock, the late-style Mk.2c variant with their characteristic small 'air con'-style toilet windows. If you paid attention to our sister brand IRM, then you will have spotted that the Mark 2c coaches were popping up in exotic liveries such as Irish Rail and Northern Ireland Railways. We tooled both types together, giving us great flexibility in our Mark 2 range and offering variants never previously offered in ready-to-run (RTR) format or coaches that have not been available in RTR for decades. So, it's great '2c' them finally emerge in OO/4mm, but what are they exactly? Let's look back on their history... CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER YOUR MARK 2C COACHES Prototype History Initially considered a follow on order of the Mk.2b and classified as such, the 250 Mk.2c vehicles built at Litchurch Lane, Derby, during 1969-70 were quickly redesignated as a sub type in their own right. Three of the configurations, Tourist Second Open (TSO), Corridor First (FK) and Brake Corridor First (BFK), were operationally identical to their predecessors, while the Brake Open Second (BSO) variant returned to the fleet having been skipped for the Mk.2b order. A fifth type, an Open First (FO), completed the range, and was introduced to supplement and replace ageing Mk.1s usually partnered with catering vehicles. The Mk.2b was expected to be retro-fitted with air-conditioning when it became available, a modification that never took place, and following builds were to be installed with this feature from new. However continuing delays sourcing the equipment resulted in the Mk.2c being another stop gap with the intention – yet again – of fitting it in due course. To make this conversion easier the design was modified, which notably included removable roof access panels and lowered interior ceilings to accommodate the ventilation ducting. The alterations were in vain as the kit was never installed. As well as the roof panel, the dome vents of the earlier Mk.2, Mk.2a and Mk.2b were replaced with three different types throughout the build, with the FK receiving both ‘GM’ and Roe-Vac TW50 vents, the former being similar to that found on the cab roof of a Class 37, amongst other locomotive types. The FO and BSO were both fitted with the Roe-Vac type, while the BFK and TSO were initially installed with the comically large ‘G’ vent as well as the ‘GM’ and Roe-Vac. The final spotting feature only applied to the final 150 vehicles built, which were fitted with a smaller, squarer toilet window not dissimilar to that found on later air-conditioned stock. This variant is described by us as the primary spotting feature to distinguish Phase I from Phase II vehicles. There was also a separate rectangular vent positioned above at the right hand end only, and in the same corner on the non-toilet side. Many of these were later plated over as corrosion issues plagued the fleet. All five types were fitted with the smaller window in varying numbers, with all BSO and FO coaches being so equipped. While the Mk.2b had been primarily allocated to the Western Region, all but 30 BSO in the Mk.2c order were put into service on the London Midland, being immediately associated with pairs of double-headed Class 50 locomotives on the accelerated WCML Anglo-Scottish timetable, as well as electric-hauled Euston-Liverpool/Manchester services. The remainder went to the WR and were partnered with other Mk.2 variants on Paddington-Bristol, South Wales and West of England trains. All were delivered in blue/grey and the second half of the build were the first to wear the famous Inter-City branding from new. The introduction of the air-conditioned Mk.2d, Mk.2e and Mk.2f along with HSTs on the WR in the middle of the 1970s saw most of the Mk.2c cascaded to secondary Inter-City and inter-regional services, although brake vehicles in particular seemed to find themselves regularly rostered in formations of air-con stock. In 1977, eight TSOs were sold to Israel Railways, while a further seven FO/TSO were acquired by Northern Ireland Railways in the 1980s to supplement the operator’s existing Mk.2b/c ‘Enterprise’ fleet, three examples being rebuilt as 80 Class DEMU cars as replacements for bomb-damaged vehicles. In the early 1980s, 30 TSO were converted as mini buffet cars – redesignated TSO(T) – with a small counter and a trolley space and these versatile coaches quickly found themselves allocated to all five regions, notably becoming almost the sole catering provision on Waterloo-Exeter and internal Scottish Region diagrams. Three further types were introduced in the middle of the decade, SK and SO (declassified from first class, and later dominating on cross-country trains), and a Corridor Composite (converted from FK) also for Scottish Region services, complete with ScotRail branding. Of the rest of the fleet, the TSOs were still principally allocated to the LMR, with the rest north of the border and a handful on the Trans-Pennine route. Meanwhile, the BFK and BSOs were spread to all corners of the network, while the remaining FK were primarily split between ‘The Mule’ (Waterloo-Exeter) and cross-country/Trans-Pennine operations. Liveries included Network SouthEast, Provincial and, even, Inter-City Executive on many of the BFKs. In the early 1990s several also gained Regional Railways, while at least one BSO gained the Swallow variant of InterCity. By the end of the decade withdrawals were beginning to bite. Irish Rail, never one to pass up a bargain, even snapped up seven Mk.2c FO and FK straight from the scrap yard, along with further nine coaches of earlier marks. Repainted in the classic orange Intercity scheme they were used on secondary services to Drogheda, Galway, Limerick, Tralee, Westport and Waterford until the early 2000s. As ‘Sprinterisation’ gathered pace the number of retirements increased. Between 1989 and 1993, cross country, Trans Pennine, internal Scottish and Network SouthEast loco-hauled trains were almost entirely axed leaving BSO No. 9458 as the sole representative of the once 250-strong fleet in daily BR service, principally mixed in with Mk.2a stock in the North West. The huge number of vehicles being axed at the same time was a bonanza for BR’s departmental sector which grabbed a selection of vehicles for use as dead loads in test trains and for other purposes. Most only had a short life before being stopped again. There was something of a reprieve in 1996 as the new shadow South Wales & West franchise hired in a small fleet of Mk.2b and 2c coaches from a predecessor of West Coast Railways to replace its fleet of Regional Railways Mk.2a stock that had been transferred away. Returning to the main line that summer they worked diagrams that took in Manchester Piccadilly and Birmingham New St-Cardiff Central, Cardiff-Bristol Temple Meads and Bristol/Westbury-Weymouth mostly with Class 37/4 power. Taken over by Prism Rail’s Wales & West franchise in October 1996 the Mk.2b and 2c coaches continued in regular operation until replaced by DMUs in September 1999. After a short time out they were back in action in South Wales from 2001 under the aegis of the new National Express-operated Wales & Borders franchise, and the coaches were used extensively on Rhymney-Cardiff-Fishguard trains until replaced by ex-Virgin air-conditioned coaches in 2004. The coaches returned to WCR at Carnforth and several saw regular railtour use right through until the early 2010s. The Model Our Mark 2c coaches build on the research from our Mark 2b coaches, with both variants surveyed together as we embarked on creating a wide reaching and flexible tooling suite for these missing links in the Mark 2 coach family. This was achieved using surveys of numerous surviving vehicles around the UK along with works drawings and even a partial 3D scan to ensure that the characteristic tumblehome and shape of the ends is as accurate as possible. The survey extended to the interiors with particular attention being paid to differences of interior layout, seating styles and areas like the TSOT across the range. A perfect complement to our Mark 2b range which is currently in production, we kick off the 2c range with 10 differently numbered coaches in the iconic BR Blue/Grey livery. The Mark 2c was quite varied, with Tourist Second Open (TSO), Corridor First (FK), Open First (FO), Brake Corridor First (BFK) and Brake Open Second (BSO) formats. In the 1980s four further types were introduced, SK and SO (declassified from first class), Corridor Composite (converted from FK for Scottish Region services) and a mini buffet with trolley space, known as TSO(T). All nine of these versions feature in our tooling suite. Common Features: Highly-detailed OO Gauge / 1:76.2 Scale Models on 16.5mm track Extremely fine exterior rivet detail on roof and coach ends Separately-applied etched metal and high-fidelity plastic parts, including handrails, brake/steam heat pipes, ETH cabling and sockets, footsteps, dummy drophead knuckle coupler, and roof vents Prism Free Glazing Pre-painted etched metal water filler covers provided for customer to install Fully-detailed underframe with numerous separate parts, pipe runs and accurate differences between versions The most accurate B4 bogies ever produced, with provision for re-gauging to EM or P4 (18.83mm) gauges Blackened RP25.110 profile wheel-sets with 14.4mm back-to-back measurements, and 26mm over pinpoints Different buffers for retracted and non-retracted positions Accurate interiors with characteristic 'winged' headrests, separate metal interior handrails on the brake and corridor vehicles and fully-detailed guard's compartment Correct height NEM standard coupling sockets with mini tension lock couplers and kinematic close-coupling Easy conversion to Kadee-compatiable knuckle couplers Full lighting package, including magnet 'wand' controlled interior lighting 'Stay-Alive' capacitor in all coaches Minimum Radius 438mm (2nd Radius Set-track) Coach Length: 269mm These coaches are primed for production and will begin once the Mark 2b production run is complete. They will arrive in stock in Q4 2023 and are the same great price of just £59.95 each and 10% off when you order direct via the Accurascale website. You can spread the cost using our flexible payment terms over 6 months or less, depending on your requirements when ordering direct via our website. Just click on the basket at checkout and follow the simple steps. Pre-order yours via your local stockist, or direct by clicking right here! View the full article

Last week we revealed a couple of our Class 31 "Accurascale Exclusives" which have gone down very well indeed. So, hot on the heels of our special edition peds, we thought we better get the hoovers out and reveal the Class 50 exclusives! When it comes to specials, the 50s really have us spoiled. So, we can say that there will certainly be more exclusives Class 50s in the future. But, in the meantime, here is the first two; 50007 "Sir Edward Elgar" in GWR inspired Green and 50149 "Defiance" in Railfreight General subsector livery. PRE-ORDER YOURS RIGHT HERE! 50007 - Sir Edward Elgar Still controversial almost four decades after being repainted, 50007 was outshopped in Great Western Railway lined green with cast numbers and double arrow in February 1984 as part of the GW150 celebrations that were planned for the following year. At the same time, it lost its Hercules name in order to mark the 50th anniversary of the death of the composer Sir Edward Elgar – who had no connection with Brunel’s famous railway. Rumoured to be the first of a series of Class 50s renamed after famous people, the intense backlash put paid to any future rededications! Refreshed several times up until its final withdrawal in 1994 its livery subtly changed each time and our model represents the classic Network SouthEast 1988-91 period with full-length orange cantrail stripe. 50149 Defiance The second half of the 1980s saw a potential new direction for the Class 50s as passenger work began to dry up. While 1987 brought sad news with the first three examples switched off, Plymouth’s Laira depot also outshopped the former 50049 Defiance in the stunning new Railfreight General livery with re-geared CP7 bogies and new 50149 number. The sole member of the Class 50/1 sub class, it was primarily used in the South West on china clay and Speedlink wagonload duties before the project was cancelled. This was partially due to poor wheelslip protection and lack of sanding equipment, both ironically removed during refurbishment and considered too expensive to reinstate. It was returned to standard condition in February 1989 and repainted in the revised NSE scheme. Naturally, these pair of beauties follow the industry leading specification that can be found on our main range locomotives, including; Highly-detailed OO scale model, 1:76.2 scale Minimum Radius 438mm (2nd Radius Set-track) in OO Die-cast metal chassis RP25-110 profile OO wheels with provision for re-gauging with scale-sized wheels for P4/EM gauges – with simple ride height adjustment – and ability to set brake blocks in line with wheels Separately-applied etched metal/plastic detail parts, including grab handles, steps, wipers, etc. Scale width wire handrails Etched metal pre-painted nameplates and crests (where applicable) provided for customer to install Interchangeable printed headcodes with full description covering the first nine years of the class plus preservation era Scale-sized and mounted snowploughs provided for customer to install, with one-piece NEM mounted option Full underframe tank, battery box and full-formed compressor detail with extensive pipework and other separate parts Fully sprung buffers, super-fine pipework and screw couplings (for display) Kinetic NEM coupler mounts at correct height and mini-tension-lock couplers Separately powered working radiator fan with different speed settings DCC ready [21-Pin MTX Socket] or Factory-Fitted DCC Sound options High Performance traction, to include; Five-Pole motor with two flywheels Metal Helical Gear box for maximum performance and slow speed running Gearing arranged so locomotive can achieve minimum scale top speed of 125 mph (200 km/h) DCC ready with PowerPack capacitor for uninterrupted power All wheel drive (sprung centre axle) and all wheel pickup Fully detailed Lighting Pack, including: Directional lighting, DC and DCC Switchable Red and white marker lights with correctly configured lights for preservation era oddballs 50008 and 50044 Separately switched cab lighting and illuminated, driver’s desk, auto/off on movement Interior lighting with cast electrical compartment and engine bay detail on metal motor enclosure Customised Dual-Speaker Technology with large "Accurathrash" Bass Speaker and smaller ‘iphone’ style cube for higher frequencies (on DCC Sound-fitted models only) Hall sensor for flange squeal effect (on DCC Sound-fitted models only) Delivery is slated for after the delivery of main range locomotives, with the exclusives arriving in Q1 2024. Each loco will come in bespoke presentation packaging to make it feel that extra bit special too! You can spread the cost using our flexible payment terms over 6 months or less, depending on your requirements. Just click on the basket at checkout and follow the simple steps. Remember, our Accurascale Exclusives series of models are open to all customers, and do not require the expense and hassle of joining a club to purchase. Place your pre-order for your EE slab of magnificence by clicking here! View the full article

Our Class 31s have been warmly received since they were announced just under 12 months ago. Our main range has been flying off the shelves at pre-order stage and we are about to enter production in the coming weeks. Everyone also knows that we like a couple of "Accurascale Exclusives"; or series of special edition locos available only direct from our website, open to all without the need for club fees and fair prices that are in keeping with our main range. So, it's about time we revealed our Accurascale Exclusives Class 31s! PRE-ORDER YOURS RIGHT HERE! First up is 31407 in the elegant Mainline Freight livery Second up is 31466 in the the striking colours of EWS Both locomotives capture that mid 1990s era, which was one of great change for Britain's railways as privatisation commenced, with a plethora of colourful liveries adoring heritage stock as new companies made themselves known. It was also the twilight of many Class 31s, as they were withdrawn and stored with the advent of the Class 66 in the late 1990s and they became life expired. This pairing makes up one half of our Accurascale Exclusives Class 31 range, with another pair to be announced soon. They also follow our main range with an industry leading specification; - Highly-detailed OO gauge model, 1:76.2 scale on 16.5mm track - Minimum Radius 438mm (2nd Radius Set-track) - Die-cast metal chassis - Bogie with separate footsteps, brake cylinders, speed recorder and end brake rigging - RP25-110 profile OO gauge wheels - Brake blocks on bogies in line with wheels - Scale width wire handrails - Etched metal/plastic detail parts, incl. grab handles, steps, wipers, etc. - Etched metal roof grille - Etched metal pre-painted nameplates, plaques and arrows (if applicable) - Accurate high-fidelity miniature snowploughs - Full underbody battery box/air tank detail with pipework - Fully sprung buffers, multiple pipework variations and screw couplings - Kinetic NEM coupler mounts at correct height with mini-tension-lock couplers - DCC ready [21-Pin MTX Socket] or Factory-Installed DCC Sound options - Two quality speakers with large sound capsules for best possible sound (DCC Sound models only) - Wheel flange squeal sensor on DCC sound fitted locomotives - Working radiator fan, driven from separate motor High Performance traction, to include; - High quality 5-pole motor with two large flywheels - Helical Gear box for maximum performance and slow speed running - Gearing arranged so locomotive can achieve a scale top speed of 90 mph (145 km/h) - DCC ready with PowerPack capacitor for uninterrupted power - Outer axles on bogies are driven (sprung dummy centre axle) and all wheel pickup Fully detailed Lighting Pack, including: - Directional lighting, DC and DCC - Switchable Red and white marker lights (red can be switched individual lights or both on) - Separately switched cab lighting and illuminated, driver’s desk with auto/off on movement These two locomotives will enter production after our main range and arrive in stock in Q1 2024. They are priced at £169.99 DC/DCC Ready and £269.99 DCC Sound Fitted. Both are only available direct via our website and you can pre-order by clicking here! View the full article

It was a limited edition commission by a 3rd party who decided the quantity themselves. Cheers! Fran

Accurascale’s Class 92 electric locomotives have arrived to great fanfare and delight with modellers around the country and beyond, with a diverse range of “Dysons” carrying a plethora of colourful liveries as adorned by the real locomotives in their careers across the National network and beyond to France. However, there was one last locomotive to arrive in the exciting line up, and it’s likely the most eye-catching, and certainly the most complex of all; Class 92 017 “Bart the Engine” in the loud and proud Stobart Rail livery. This vibrant model, produced in association with Kernow Model Rail Centre, had proven quite the challenge to replicate in model form. With complex printing around the cab sides to capture the distinct fading of the real “Bart The Engine”, it required numerous passes on the tampo printing machine resulting in the models being the last to leave the factory. Thankfully the additional efforts required to capture this complex livery in model form have been worth the effort as they look spectacular in the flesh. They are now being distributed to pre-order customers with Kernow Model Rail Centre. Demand and interest in the model has been very strong since its announcement, with many Accurascale customers contacting direct asking if they could also purchase this model through the Accurascale website. With this in mind, and to cover demand from everyone, Kernow Model Rail Centre and Accurascale have joined forces and now you can buy the limited remaining stock on both websites. These locomotives are in stock, ready to ship and priced at £189.99 DC/DCC ready and £289.99 DCC sound fitted and feature the same great specification and attention to detail as the rest of the Accurascale Class 92 range. The entire production run is limited to just 350 locomotives and wont be repeated in this livery, so make sure you don’t miss out. Order via https://www.accurascale.com/collections/british-rail-class-92 or https://www.kernowmodelrailcentre.com/ today while stocks last. View the full article

Next week marks five years of Accurascale. It's been a wild ride for sure, as we have bought 22 newly tooled models to market (not including our IRM output) and placed them in modellers hands. We have 11 more tooled up that are either in production, or development and testing, and on top of that we have a lot more at drawing board and/or at research stage. So, to mark this occasion we thought it was best to bring back the model that we get asked about most; our awesome Deltics! So, it's the Class 55 for our 5th birthday. Considering the breakneck speed these locos sold out at when they arrived, and the serious premiums they command on the 2nd hand market, it was about time the Deltics made a return journey! SHOP FOR YOUR DELTIC BY CLICKING HERE! Tweaks and Enhancements We are always keen to push the boundaries on any model we do to improve standards and fidelity across the hobby and bring you the greatest replicas in miniature possible. However, we also listen to customer feedback from modellers and know we can always do better and improve. We have taken all the constructive feedback we received from the first run of the Deltics and built it into a list of tweaks and enhancements which we will now implement in the new production run. Firstly, the brake chains on the bogies have been redesigned to make them more robust and a simple process to remove them to take the body off the chassis for driver fitting an routine maintenance. They will be a push fit system, no longer requiring any glue and still give the great detail impression of the real locomotives. The corner step mounting and fuel tank parts have also been revised, with stronger mountings allowing for a more robust assembly. This will prevent them coming adrift in transit and be stronger under careful handling. We will also be improving the nose handrails to give them a more realistic appearance, the speaker baffle will be more secure and other gentle tweaks will ensure that the definitive Deltic is even better. New Identities (Mostly!) So, what Deltics are Accurascale doing? After all, they covered all 22 class members in the first production run, so we have mixed it up a bit for run two. There will be new livery and name combinations across five locomotives, and the return of a favourite from run one due to popular demand. A total of six Deltics make up this production run, with four in the main range and two which will be Accurascale Exclusives. Let's have a look at each one! Main Range D9018 Ballymoss Representing the classic mid 1960s era of English Electric’s finest is D9018 in two-tone green with small yellow panel. The Finsbury Park thoroughbred is still in mostly original condition, albeit with some exhaust and radiator grille modifications and the addition of top lamp irons on the nose ends. 55020 Nimbus One of just three Deltics to never receive plated headcode boxes, 55020 is also notable for retaining the mountings for the cab roof horns worn during the early 1960s. Our model is based on its 1976 condition with standard-sized domino headcodes, although alternative smaller dots will be provided. 55004 Queen's Own Highlander Much requested is our first Haymarket-allocated TOPS blue Deltic, represented here by 55004 in 1977 condition, just after having its headcode box plated over. Notably this was one of just four members of the fleet to feature unpainted front windscreen frames during the mid to late 1970s. 55013 The Black Watch Complementing 55022 from the first run is York’s 55013 in its similar special livery with silver fuel tanks, grey roof, red bufferbeams and white-painted extras, which it retained until its withdrawal in October 1981. It was repainted for the 1980 Rainhill Event, but was replaced on the bill by Tulyar. Accurascale Exclusives 55022 / D9000 Royal Scots Grey 'Virgin XC Condition' The star of our second run and the number one Deltic on many customers’ wishlists is the one and only RSG in its iconic preservation era two-tone green while operating Virgin CrossCountry services between 1997 and 1999. Our unique tooling for this locomotive incudes high visibility headlight. 9016 Gordon Highlander GORDON'S ALIVE! Unveiled in Porterbrook Leasing purple after overhaul at Brush Traction’s Loughborough Works in September 1999, 55016 also controversially received WIPAC light clusters at the same time. Main-line registered, it ran in this condition until it was repainted two-tone green in August 2003. It is back due to extremely popular demand! Price and Delivery What is the price and when can you take delivery of all this awesomeness? Well, prices will continue to be most reasonable for these high specification beasts, with £169.99 for DC/DCC ready and £259.99 for DCC Sound fitted with all the Accurathrash goodness! Delivery is slated for Q1 2024 with decorated samples due mid 2023. The four main range locomotives will be available both direct via our website and from your local Accurascale stockist, and the two Accurascale Exclusive models are available direct only via the Accurascale website. You can spread the cost using our flexible payment terms over 6 months or less, depending on your requirements when ordering direct via our website. Just click on the basket at checkout and follow the simple steps. Place your pre-order by clicking here! View the full article

Hi everyone! The voting for the 2022 Model Rail magazine Model of The Year Awards is now open. We're lucky enough to be nominated in several categories, along with sister brand Accurascale UK including: Category: ‘OO’ gauge diesel/electric locomotive or multiple unit BR Class 55 ‘Deltic’ Category: ‘OO’ gauge freight stock Irish Railway Models Tara Mines Wagons Irish Railway Models gypsum hoppers Irish Railway Models Magnesite hoppers Also – IRM is nominated for ‘OO’ and Overall Manufacturer of the Year categories! 2022 was a great year for us and we would be truly humbled if we have earned your vote for the last 12 months. The ballot box is open, so click the following link to cast your vote: www.model-rail.co.uk/model-of-the-year-2022 Cheers! Fran

Our lovely little Coil A wagons were a big hit when we first announced them a couple of years ago. So, now they're back, with subtle improvements and new identities to reflect the diverse lives and eras of the real things. Welcome to the 2nd run of the BR diagram 1/412 to Lot 3450 Coil A wagons! Similar to the MDO and MDV production runs of wagons, our Coil A models are also receiving some slight tweaks to the chassis area, including 26mm axles to allow finescale conversion to be a little bit simpler. Two packs are on offer in this latest production run, both with TOPS marking of SFV and SFW respectively. To reflect the fragility of the tarp covers throughout their careers, our wagons feature patches and differing colours which are all based on prototype photos to cater for the varied nature of the real wagons. Pack D contains the SFV coded ex-CoilAs, all at the end of Era 7 (BR TOPS period), as SFV branding was carried by the remaining 29 wagons from 1984, all working from South Wales. B949134 circa 1985 at Newport Docks, still carrying its Coil-A-VB designation, as well as SFV. B949164 noted at Newport Docks 26/4/84 B949168 noted ‘out of area’ at Margham 27/4/86. Pack E contains the SFW coded ex-CoilAs, air piped conversions of Diagram 1/412, Lot 3450 Coil-A wagons in 1983. The SFW designated wagons worked Speedlink trains into Newport Docks and Poole, in Dorset, for export traffic, where they ran in block rakes, mixed with other steel wagons, but particularly with Coil B, Bogie Coil V and Bogie Strip Coil K wagons. A total of 29 wagons were converted to SFWs. As the Southern Region was all air brake only at this time, this may have been the main deciding factor for conversion. The SFWs remained in service until 1992, by which time the 21 survivors were all operating out of Llanwern. Both packs are priced at the same great price point as before, at just £74.95 per triple pack, with 10% off when you order two packs or more and free UK postage and packaging thrown in too when you order direct from Accurascale. Check out your local stockist, pre-order here for a Q2 2023 delivery! View the full article

They will look very well with some Mark 2s behind them.... Very nice work!

Hi everyone, In a recent memo from Paddy to traders before Christmas, he mentioned that the Mark IIs and the 141/181s will arrive first, expected in the middle of this year. Naturally we will be retailing them via the website, so when we have concrete info on delivery, stock numbers etc we will advertise them for pre-order. Cheers! Fran

Great news! Our 21 ton mineral wagons (TOPS codes MDO and MDV) are coming back! Demand for these must have wagons has been massive since our first production run sold out rather quickly. A cornerstone of our famed "Powering Britain" range, these wagons are now also joined by the first time by the MDW through pipe variant. As we said, they have also been enhanced and improved, so what exactly have we done to spice them up? Well, firstly we listened to customer feedback. We had worked with the factory to make the first batch as friendly as possible to convert to finescale standards, both EM and P4. Unfortunately, mistakes were made here and instructions were literally lost in translation, so they became a bit more of a challenge than we had aimed for. So, we have gone back to the drawing board and totally redesigned and retooled the chassis on both models. Now we have 26mm axles and redesigned brake gear. While they will still require a small bit of fettling to upgrade to finescale surgery, it will be a keyhole style operation rather than extensive open heart surgery required for the previous run. Secondly, our rather strange phenomenon of the coupling hooks being on the wrong side of the tension lock couplings has also been resolved! We have also readdressed our lamp irons, with the MDVs now having lamp irons on both ends, and MDOs having none at all, just like the real wagons. Another area we have improved, and something we will be rolling out on future open wagons is an improvement in interior decoration. We are now going for a dirtier, more weathered appearance to better reflect the interiors of these wagons rather than clean, fully painted and pristine. Finally, we will now for the first time introduce the MDW, the through air pipe fitted MDVs adapted from 1985 to be used in air braked speedlink trains, mainly on scrap flows, lasting in service until the early 1990s. With the last of the MDVs and MDWs bowing out of front line services in 1992 on coal and scrap trains respectively, these add great options for something a bit different for the sectorisation. Two MDW packs of three wagons apiece will be included in this new production run. To top it all off we have three triple packs of MDO, three triple packs of MDV and two triple packs of MDW available to pre-order at just £74.95 per pack, the same great price as before, with both TOPS and pre-TOPS variants available (TOPS only for MDW as these wagons were converted in 1985). Delivery is slated for Q2 2023 and of course there will be the same usual 10% discount for two packs or more pre-ordered and free postage and packaging for UK orders. Production capacity is limited, so make sure you pre-order your pack today via your local stockist or direct right here! View the full article

With our Class 92s now delivered along with our Mark 5 sleeper coaches, our TPE Mark 5 coaches due to arrive imminently, attention now turns to the delivery of our Class 37 locomotives, our most widely anticipated locomotives to date. We reported back in late October that our Class 37 production was halted due to a lack of required semi conductors to operate the locomotives. We also confirmed that these had been obtained through alternate means, tested and green lighted for production, with a big push to get production of batch one, the Scottish car headlight 37/0s and the modern 37/4s complete and shipped before Chinese New Year. So, that was the plan. How have we done? Well, we firstly need to celebrate and thank our factory staff for their dedication. They took on a night shift, they pulled out all the stops to get them made ahead of a January delivery, working to a tight deadline of Chinese New Year having completed Deltics, Class 92s, Mark 5 coaches, wagons and more this year. They have earned their Chinese New Year break which commenced yesterday. However, as you will have seen in the news, and reported by other manufacturers, COVID has ripped through China in recent weeks as they rescind their "zero COVID" policy. The BBC reports that 900 million people in China currently have COVID. (Read Here) Our factory is not exempt from this wave of COVID, with over 80% of the workers contracting the virus in recent weeks, seeing a near shut-down of production lines. Our factory workers welfare is a number one priority for us and we wish all those impacted a speedy and full, healthy recovery. For those who have avoided illness and continued working, we are indebted for their perseverance. Chinese New Year is now in full swing, with all businesses closed for a number of weeks. Unfortunately, this means our deadline fell back just as we entered the final straight. Our factories and the Class 37 production lines will be back in full swing in early/mid February and the revised delivery of our Class 37s will commence from late March as follows: Batch One - 37/4s and Scottish Car Headlight Class 37/0 - Delivery Late March/Early April 2023 Batch Two - Class 37/6 and 97301 - Delivery May 2023 Batch Three - Original EE Type 3 Green and BR Blue - Delivery June 2023 The assembly of the chassis is the last phase in the production process and this is the stage our first batch is at along with assembly of the bodies. By the time we finish production of these models, we will have made over one million passes with our tampo printing machines so reaching this stage is no small feat. We will share progress of this when the factory resumes after Chinese New Year. We apologise for this delay, and we hope that this is the last time COVID scuppers our plans. Our total Class 37 production run is larger than our Deltic and Class 92 combined, it has certainly been a colossal undertaking for the factory! Having seen what can be achieved with our recent Class 92 release, then you just know that these Tractors are going to be very special indeed. We are very confident you will decide they were worth the wait. We have more exciting variants of our Class 37s coming into stock after these batches later this year that we will have news on very soon. In the meantime, many thanks for your patience and understanding. We're so very close to the finish line, finally! View the full article

The genesis of our "Powering Britain" range, the humble but rather cute Chaldron black waggons really took many modellers by surprise when we first announced them in the Autumn of 2021. Indeed, very few people saw us beyond being a "modern image" (worst term ever!) company, despite us working away on projects such as our Manor steam locomotives. Both eyebrows and questions were raised about the wisdom of doing such rolling stock. However, our gamble in our quest to tell the whole story of coal traffic in Britain during the history of the railways paid off, as they were very well received by pre-grouping and industrial modellers since their arrival into stock late last year. Some of the most popular liveries sold out in quicktime, while there was demand for other railway markings too. So, we are now filling that gap with a whole new run, bringing back favourites and announcing some new liveries! Pack M: Seaham Dock Co. - Three 4T ‘Black Waggons’, in three body styles, circa 1950s A pack that was very popular with industrial modellers was our first Seaham Harbour pack. Seaham Harbour was the final stronghold of the Chaldron waggon fleets and the Vane-Tempest/Londonderry/Seaham Dock Co. fleets could almost be considered to be one, such was the intertwined history of the collieries. To compliment the first pack, we have this latest pack with all new running numbers which once again is likely to be a big hit with 1950s industrial modellers. Pack L: North Eastern Railway - Three P1 style Chaldrons, circa 1890 Our most popular pack from the first run, and the railway most synonymous with the Chaldrons was of course the North Eastern Railway (NER). Once again we have gone for three all new running numbers to compliment the last pack and capture the look of these wagons around the 1890s. Pack O: The Harton Coal Company With two sets of Staiths on the River Tyne, the area around South Shields was the centre of the Harton Coal Company’s operations, its pits being linked by an extensive railway system. This system was electrified in 1907, and the Chaldrons were a common sight on the system until the inter-war years, when the fleet was disbanded, with a number of differing lettering styles being utilised. Two P1 style Chaldrons and an S&DR style Chaldron, circa 1910. Pack N: The Throckley Coal Company Formed in 1867, the Throckley Coal Company owned a number of pits to the west of Newcastle, on the north bank of the River Tyne, and were linked to Staiths situated at Leamington by two separate railway branches. Throckley’s fleet of Chaldrons were in use right up to 1947, when they were scrapped by burning, and the company was one of the few that fitted their ex-NER P1 Chaldrons with additional ‘greedy boards’.Three P1 style Chaldrons, two fitted with additional ‘Greedy Boards’, circa 1946. "So, four lovely packs, but when are they due? Surely it's ages and ages away?" Well, no! They're currently in production and due in stock in Q2 of this year. "Well, okay then, that's pretty quick. But I bet the prices have gone up, right?" Nope, same great price of just £44.99 per triple pack and our same great 10% off when you buy two packs or more and free postage and packaging. This however is a small production so they are only available direct via the Accurascale website. We also have limited amounts of remaining packs on offer, so be sure to check them out too. Check out the Chaldrons by clicking here! View the full article

Great News! Following the arrival of our Mark 5 Sleeper coaches, we have been asked if the highly detailed, magnetic Dellner couplings could be had as an accessory pack to convert other models. Well, we anticipated your every move! We have produced three different styles to cover various styles and needs. In addition to the magnetic Dellner, we also have a fixed bar style for fixed rakes, which looks equally neat for those trains you don't wish to uncouple too often. Finally, we have our magnetic bar couplings as per the TPE Mark 5 sets (yes, there is two different coupling systems on the real Mark 5s) which are perfect for push-pull rakes. The pack of 8 magnetic Dellner and bar couplings are £9.95 per pack and the fixed Dellner is a pack of 4 which retails at £6.95 per pack. Just simply slot them into your NEM pockets and couple up. These items are due in stock at the end of this month. Pre-order below! https://www.accurascale.com/collections/couplers View the full article

We've reached the end of 2022, and what a year it has been! While there has been all sorts of crazy things happening domestically and internationally, it's been our busiest year to date. This year saw us return to the big shows on the exhibition calendar, the arrival of some lovely wagons and some exciting announcements too! So, prepare that turkey sandwich, and that cup of tea and join us as we review IRM's 2022! NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS CIE Mangesite Wagons We kicked off 2022 with a wagon that was likely to shock many. It was certainly a wagon many modellers thought they would never see in RTR format. However, we had the chassis, so we said "why not?" The magnesite wagons are certainly the most interesting an unusual wagon we have done to date, and one that packs detail. A winner with Cork and south east modellers, not to mention collectors, we even went mad and did a single wagon pack to commemorate the last train in 1982. We still have a limited supply in stock, so make sure you don't miss out! ORDER YOUR MAGNESITE WAGONS HERE Coastal Tours Bus We have become known for our commissions of Britbus Irish themed buses in recent years and our fourth commission was a duo in the attractive cream and green "coastal tours" livery which adorned two Dublin Bus Volvo Olympians in the late 1990s. We have more bus commissions planned for 2023 and would love to hear what liveries you would love to see us do! ORDER COASTAL TOURS BUS HERE RPSI Mark 2 Coach Pack Our railway heritage would be nothing without preservation societies and groups. The Railway Preservation Society of Ireland (RPSI) was formed in 1964 to preserve Irish steam locomotives, carriages and rolling stock and to operate them on the Irish railway network for everyone to see, appreciate, enjoy and travel on. Due to COVID19 restrictions, the vital revenue resource of rail tours was cut off from the organisation following two years of postponed trips on the mainline. However in recent years, the RPSI has also received funding from a series of limited edition models which have provided a vital income stream. We have now teamed up with the RPSI to produce our first model in conjunction with them which will be a three car pack of their Mark 2 railtour rake of coaches. Sales since launch back in February were blistering and we soon sold out. Delivery will be in Q2 of 2023! CIE Forklift Pack Accessories have been hugely popular among modellers since we started IRM, as they looked to detail their layouts and yard scenes. We added a new accessory pack, the CIE forklift pack back in the summer, which made a cheap and simple addition to any yard or depot scene. They proved very popular indeed, and have since sold out. Would you like to see another production run? Perhaps in different colours or branding? Let us know! Return of the Ferts 2022 saw the return of some old favourites to the range, including one wagon we never made enough of in its first run. Our fertiliser wagons sold out in rapid fashion when first announced a couple of years ago, so it was time we brought these go anywhere stalwarts back into the range. Arriving in November, they have since sold out completely again! We guess the reduced price of €89.95 per twin pack saw to that! Yer Only Man - The Return of The Keg Liners Another much missed return to the range was our keg liner wagons. Arriving at the same time as the ferts, they were also not produced in enough numbers first time round, so we done another run. Thankfully we have managed to keep some of these in stock, but they have been massively popular with their reduced price too. ORDER YOUR KEG WAGONS HERE Quali-tea Liners Returned The final rerun of 2022 was our container wagons coming back for another run, featuring CIE containers marked out for Harp Larger trains and Lyons Tea twin packs, as well as another triple pack of empty wagons to add your existing containers to. Just like the first run of container liner wagons, these proved hugely popular and sold out almost instantly. We still have the CIE 20ft container packs for sale, which make a great item for yards and lorry loads, as well as for your IRM flats. ORDER YOUR CIE CONTAINERS HERE IR And IE Mark 2 Coaches Part one of our Dublin show mega announcement extravaganza was the unveiling of our Mark 2 coaches in IR and IE liveries. These coaches are based on our latest Mark 2C tooling and are available to pre-order in packs of four coaches. We recently received decorated samples which we revealed on Christmas Eve! With an amazing spec of highly detailed interiors, interior lighting, correctly gauged bogies, a wealth of separately applied parts, realistic close coupling and more, these will be the perfect passenger stock for your layout. They have also been hugely popular on pre-order, so if you fancy some, make sure you get your order in soon. Delivery is slated for Q3 2023! PRE-ORDER IRISH RAIL MARK 2 COACHES HERE The 22000 Intercity Railcars It had been a whole 12 months since our lovely A Class locomotives arrived in stock, and as we know, they sold out rapidly. So, it was about time we announced another powered model. It's our most ambitious announcement ever, but it was about time there was a proper, accurate Irish railcar offered to the model buying public and the ICRs are a massive gap. We have been working on the ICRs for almost a year before we announced, and tooling is underway. We expect to see samples ahead of the Bangor and Wexford shows in April/May 2023, so keep an eye out at those shows! Doing a railcar was a massive gamble, and a much bigger capital investment than any locomotive due to their multiple cars and complex nature, but the reaction and pre-orders have been very strong. So, thank you so much for supporting us so far. Oh, and don't forget the little Sculfort rail tractor from Portlaoise depot, free with every 6 car pack! PRE-ORDER YOUR ICRS HERE PROGRESS UPDATE Enterprise Mark 2s We announced our Mark 2Bs to an amazing reception in late August of 2021, with the models of all variations already tooled in both Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) BR and guise for our sister brand, Accurascale. While overall they looked very impressive, we were unhappy with several areas, mainly around the bogies and some aspects where tooling could be improved. We then completed this work, but getting it spot on took longer than we liked. Delivery of the Mark 2B coaches will now be in Q2 2023, with Chinese New Year close down impacting on our delivery timeline. We apologise for this delay, but we want these coaches to operate and function correctly, as well as looking the very best they can. We're confident that they will set a whole new standard when it comes to Mark 2 coaches in model form. We are fully sold out on pre-order, but some stock should free up when they arrive with us due to cancellations, so keep an eye on the website if you fancy some! 2022 Shows Bangor 2022 After a long COVID layoff, the exhibitions came back with a vengeance in 2022 and we were back in our favourite haunts! First up was Bangor in April, where we took the rather apt opportunity to debut the decorated samples of our NIR Enterprise coaches. They went down rather well! Inchicore Works Open Day In May we took our place alongside our good friends at the Model Railway Society of Ireland for the historic Inchicore Open Day, a very rare opening of the gates of the most historic site in Irish railways to the public. We were there with a display of our models, including our A Classes which were stabled and re-engineered on the site, along with our wagons which were designed and built there too! It was also pretty awesome to see the exhibits positioned into place ahead of opening. The even itself was a huge success and we hope that it will be repeated some time again in the future. Licking the locos is certainly not a good idea though! (Don't worry, he didn't actually lick the loco!) MRSI Dublin Show The biggest show of the year returned in October with the annual three day show taking place in Dublin. The show was hosted this year at the St. Paul's, Raheny as hosted by the Model Railway Society of Ireland. The show was clearly missed as the crowds were unbelievable. It was the setting for us to announce our ICRs and Mark 2 coaches, but it also lead to mass queues as we sold off our "Dicky Taras"; the reject wagons sitting in the corner of a storage unit for many, many years. They sold out rather rapidly and we saw further sales of them during Black Friday, when they were put on our website. Sponsorship Raising Money To Save Ballast Wagons Together During the month of August we asked you all to dig deep to help us raise funds for the Downpatrick and Co. Down Railway to save some ballast hoppers and a plough van. These vehicles obviously have a special place in our hearts, being where it all began for us here at IRM. However, they are the perfect vehicles to help the DCDR gang to maintain their infrastructure and will work for a living for many years to come. We pledged to donate €10 from every sale of ballast hopper and magnesite wagon for the month of August to the cause to cover transportation costs. You guys dug deep, and raised €2000 for the cause. Above is our Gareth with Mike Beckett of the DCDR after the wagons safely arrived in Co Down! Tailte Tours - We Sponsor Our First Railtour In August the newly formed Tailte Tours operated its first railtour and broke some historic ground! It saw a 201 and Mark 4 set operate from Connolly to Killarney and Tralee and back and we were delighted to both be on board and support this event through sponsorship including IRM goodies for the on board raffle. We enjoyed the day out immensely with proceeds going to various Irish preservation causes across the country. Another railtour is to operate in 2023, so keep an eye out for news on that one and we hope to see you on board it again! And Finally... A massive, sincere and special thank you to you, the Irish railway modellers across the globe, for supporting us with purchases, pre-orders and well wishes as well as constructive feedback this year. Our goal is to push the hobby forward in finesse, features, accuracy and innovations for a reasonable price, but none of that is possible without your support. You all make this possible, so thank you! 2022 was a quiet year for us in some respects as we recovered from the impact of COVID on our plans and production, but as you can see above, we still achieved a lot. With all this firmly behind us now though, you can expect A LOT more. 2023 is going to be our biggest ever, with some seriously impressive and tasty new items to be revealed. We're going to make your wallets howl in pain. Keep an eye on our website, our newsletter, our social media and the pages of magazines and of course the IRM forum to keep up to date on all the news as it comes. In the meantime we hope you have had a very Merry Christmas, have enjoyed playing with some IRM toys during 2022 and now have a peaceful and safe New Year, and we will see you again in 2023! View the full article