Warbonnet

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 the first (and second!) Accurascale locomotives and some exciting announcements too! So, prepare that turkey sandwich, and that cup of tea and join us as we review Accurascale's 2022! New Model Arrivals HYA/Cutdown HYA and IIA Bogie Hoppers Our first newly tooled model arrival of 2022 was the family of HYA, cut down HYA and IIA Biomass modern hopper wagons. These popular family of wagons landed in early April and soon went to work on layouts across the land. They have proven very popular indeed, with the cutdown packs selling out in very quick time, and only a smattering of HYAs and IIA hoppers left in stock. Look out for news of another run of these in 2023! We have a smattering of HYAs and IIAs left, and at just £74.95 per twin pack with 10% off when you buy two packs or more. These were an integral part of our "Powering Britain" range of coal wagons across the ages, and more on that theme was to come... ORDER HYA WAGONS HERE ORDER IIA BIOMASS WAGONS HERE HAA Family of Wagons Our second "Powering Britain" family of wagons were the classic MGRs; HAA, HBA, HCA, HDA and HMA hopper wagons. These have been the most requested wagons from modellers since we started Accurascale almost five years ago and are an integral part of our range for years to come. The original bodied HAAs arrived in early May and flew off the shelves, with the hooded HCAs arriving soon after. Our HCAs, HDAs and HMAs would then arrive in the Autumn to give you a taste of what's to follow in the coming years as we offer a comprehensive family of these iconic wagons. We still have a smattering of types left, with more to come next year! Check out the website via the link below to order yours ORDER MGR WAGONS HERE Class 55 Deltic Locomotives A massive milestone in the life of Accurascale occurred in early June, as our Deltics began to arrive with customers! After a development process that was impacted by COVID lockdowns, it was really satisfying to land our first ever Accurascale locomotive. Thankfully they were very well received, even scooping up the coveted "OO Locomotive of The Year" award from the readers of Hornby Magazine. In June we were able to visit the place where our Deltic journey began; the Deltic Preservation Society at Barrow Hill. We couldn't resist taking the finished models back to where we first began surveying and measuring the real beasts some 4 years previously. Remaining stock of the Deltic sold out within 24 hours of the models arriving in stock and pre-orders were dispatched which was simply incredible and a testament to the popularity of the model. We have been asked time and again about an all new run, so look out for that featuring improvements to the bogie chains and underside detail in the new year. You have been warned! CDA Wagons Although an extension of our MGR range of wagons, we classify the China Clay carrying CDAs as separate wagons in their own right due to their unique bodies and hooded canopies, as well as other slight detail differences. Our CDAs arrived in stock in July to an amazing reception as part of our second delivery of our MGR project (along with HCA hoppers!) and focus was on EWS and DB variants, allowing for current era operations. Look out for classic ECC variants in the near future! In the meantime, check out your local stockist or direct below for EWS and DB liveried CDAs. ORDER CDA WAGONS HERE PFA Wagons With Newly Tooled Nuclear Waste Loads We brought back and old favourite in summer 2022, with the return of our lovely little PFA flat wagons with favourite loads such as our Cawoods containers. However, we also brought a fresh angle to them and tooled a plethora of new loads representing a multitude of low level nuclear waste loads which are synonymous with the current era operations of these distinctive wagons. Dragons, Novapaks and Nupaks as well as differing styles of 20ft containers allowed us to create distinctive wagon packs which form prototypically short trains of colourful interest for modellers and make the perfect bedfellows for our Class 37/6 locomotives as well as the modernised Class 37/4s and other DRS locos. Some have since sold out, but we still have some interesting packs remaining which you can order below! ORDER YOUR PFA WAGONS HERE 4t Chaldron Black Waggons In September we took delivery of what is arguably our most leftfield model announcement to date, but one that was absolutely essential for British outline OO/4mm ready to run models, and our "Powering Britain" range. Our NER 4t Chaldron wagons saw our first step into the world of pre-grouping models and further enhanced our industrial modelling range. They proved a hit with modellers too, with the production run already largely sold out. Grab what's left, including our "Accurascale Exclusives" NCB pack on our website below, and perhaps look out for more packs in 2023! ORDER YOUR CHALDRONS HERE MHA Ballast Spoil Wagons Engineering wagons was new ground for us to break and we finally did so in October with the arrival of our MHA "Coalfish" wagons. These MHAs were built using redundant HAA underframes by RFS(E) Doncaster in 1997. An initial order for 250 extended several times until eventually over 1,150 wagons were converted using two distinct body styles. Early examples wore the fish-kind name "Coalfish" and some are still in use today with DB. Our first run with diecast chassis, brass bearings and a body style not previously available in a OO ready to run model has made them immensely popular. Available in both DB and EWS guises which the remaining wagons are found in today. ORDER YOUR MHA WAGONS HERE Class 92 Our second locomotive delivery of 2022 took place in early December as our Class 92 Electric locomotives arrived in stock! After a long period of testing and development to make the most technologically groundbreaking locomotive ever seen in OO/4mm gauge, it has been a utter joy to see our Dysons arrive and bring joy to so many people as they run along layouts across the land and indeed around the world. Check out the in depth review above by Dean Park to see it in action. We have less than 10% of the production run remaining in stock, so if you want one it's best to move fast as they're selling quickly! ORDER YOUR CLASS 92 LOCOMOTIVE HERE Newly Tooled Model Announcements While there were plenty of new arrivals in 2022, we were also working away on creating the new models for 2023 and beyond! This included three all new locomotives, along with some delectable coach and wagon stock which form essential cornerstones in our growing range! Class 31 We kicked off our 2022 announcements with a rather large bang, as we announced our all new Class 31/Brush Type 2 locomotives in OO/4mm scale in February ahead of Model Rail Scotland. Introducing what may be our most extensive tooling suite yet, our model aims to be the definitive representation model of the classic BR mixed traffic design and covers almost every detail variant that existed throughout their 65-year life, including trip cock fitted variants, the classic skinhead and headcode box fitted variants, refurbished, ETH fitted, original Mirrlees and re-engineered English Electric variants and more. As well as our standard and well regarded traction, light and sound package, our Class 31 introduces working radiator fans – driven from a separate motor – and separately switched tail lights, allowing not just the either end to be illuminated as required, but also individual tail lights or both depending on era. This is on top of our standard spec which includes powerbank capacitors, illuminated control desk and and there will be a flange squeal sensor included on DCC sound fitted versions. So, as per usual we've gone out! In the Autumn we did receive some decorated samples with some very poorly applied paint. The finish was so bad that we haven't really showed them off, but you can rest assured that the finished models will be to our highest standards. Roll on the summer of 2023 when they arrive on our shores. PRE-ORDER YOUR CLASS 31 HERE Mark 1 Suburban 56ft 11' Coaches Well, we needed something to go with our newly announced Class 31s, so we decided to tackle the star of 'wish lists' across the land. The people movers of the 50s. 60s, and 70s. The unsung heroes of the Mark 1 family. It was. of course, the 56ft 11" Mark 1 suburban coaches, announced in June! As you can imagine, we have gone to town on these coaches, offering all the body variants so you can build up a prototypical rake for your layout. Not only that, but we have a fully lit, fully detailed interior with easy access and other innovations, beautifully detailed underframe, bogies and bodysides as these distinctive carriages get the full Accurascale treatment. Multiple running numbers in both BR Carmine and BR Blue make up the first run, with runs in BR Maroon to follow later. Delivery is anticipated for Q3 2023. PRE-ORDER YOUR MARK 1 SUBS HERE A Glimpse of Our Next Class 37s With 37/7s In June we previewed where our Class 37 range goes next with the unveiling of the limited edition model of the Heavy Tractor Group's 37714. This was the very loco used as a basis for our 3D scan at the start of the Class 37 design and a key subclass which will cater for some truly excellent class members. It was great to visit the real thing once again at the Great Central Railway and reveal the model with the HTG gang, while getting a quick tour of the real thing! PRE-ORDER YOUR 37/7 HERE Class 89 In Partnership With Rails of Sheffield Remember when we asked about doing the Class 89 alongside Rails of Sheffield a couple of years ago? Well, in late June we formally confirmed that it's going ahead! The 'Badger' had long been a subject on our roadmap that we longed to do, with pretty much everyone in Accurascale Towers a fan of the unique Brush beast. Teaming up with Rails of Sheffield allowed us to bring the model to market and it's had an amazing reaction with pre-orders flying in. We teamed up with our friends at Hornby Magazine to reveal the locomotive which was filmed at Barrow Hill Roundhouse (A big thank you to Mervin at Barrow Hill for hosting us!) We showed off the first tooled samples at Warley in November, and decorated samples are due early 2023 and then delivery slated for Q3 2023. Orders can be secured via the Accurascale and Rails of Sheffield websites for just a £30 deposit, so make sure you get your pre-order in soon! PRE-ORDER YOUR CLASS 89 HERE SR D1478 and D1479 Diagram Banana Vans We went bananas in October with two different wagon announcements for the Great Electric Train Show exhibition at Milton Keynes. First up was another big gap in grouping era models with two flavours of Southern Railways banana vans in OO/4mm. Both diagrams D1478 and D1479 were selected with differing bodies catered for in the range, with early and late versions of both to give a full range of these distinctive wagons which roamed far and wide beyond SR metals. The chassis and running gear are of a common design across both diagrams, however the bodies differ in profile and width. Further differences across the range include no fewer than three different styles of wheel design catered for; split spoke, single spoke and 3-hole disc. The detail is there too, with plenty of separate eroded metal, plastic and wire detail parts, including (but not limited to) separate handrails, grab handles, door handles, lamp brackets, vacuum and steam pipes, through pipes, steam heating cock and brake gear. Turned metal sprung buffers set off these beautiful little vans. Due in stock this time next year, they're offered in a wide variety of liveries, running numbers and markings, with some exclusive packs offered by our friends at TMC. PRE-ORDER YOUR BANANA VANS HERE FNA-D Nuclear Flask Carrier Our second all-new model announcement at GETS in October was the modern day FNA-D nuclear flask wagon. An essential addition to our growing nuclear wagon range and the logical progression following delivery of our new PFA nuclear range, the FNA-D is the latest addition to our very popular “Powering Britain” range of freight stock which focuses on energising a nation. Each twin pack is priced at £74.95 with 10% off when you buy two packs or more direct via our website. Pre-ordering is now open via local stockists and Accurascale direct, with an anticipated delivery date of Q3 2023. PRE-ORDER YOUR FNA WAGONS HERE NER 20T Coal Hopper Wagons Having delivered our full range of wagons apart from the newly announced SR Banana vans and FNA-D, it was time we got some new projects out there. Our next chapter in our "Powering Britain" story was another wagon which has long been overlooked in the ready to run market and one that offers long life and bags of character. It is, of course, the distinctive NER 20t hopper wagons. Of course we could've just announced one type to satisfy the market with. But no, that's not the Accurascale way! This family is made up of the P6, P7, P8 and Q3 variants of these distinctive 20 ton hopper wagons. Four different types, with differences within the range, based on period. A variety of liveries are offered across our traditional triple packs. Tooling is complete with improvements and tweaks fed back to the factory, with a delivery date of Q1 2024 slated for delivery. PRE-ORDER YOUR NER COAL HOPPERS HERE BR Class 50 Our final new model announcement for 2022 was a big one. Well, a massive one in fact. Our announcement ahead of the 2022 Warley show at the NEC was one that surprised nobody; the Class 50! The Class 50 is the third and final member of our iconic English Electric (EE) six-axle trio that began with the Class 55 in 2018 and the Class 37 in 2019. With our award-winning ‘Deltic’ now in customers’ hands and the first of the much anticipated Type 3s due to leave our factory in the coming weeks, it is now time to reveal the full details of the next classic main line locomotive to join our growing roster. It's also the most requested loco we've had for the last three years, so it's about time we obliged! Our Class 50 is the culmination of over three years of development that began with a 3D laser scan of No. 50017 at the Great Central Railway in 2019. Building on our growing range of diesel and electric locomotives, the EE Type 4 features their most impressive specification yet, with our ground shaking twin-speaker set up, working radiator fan, flange squeal sensor, full lighting package that includes preservation era oddballs, engine room and cab lighting with auto off feature and eight cab configurations with illuminated driver’s control desk. Our Hoovers are due for delivery at the end of 2023, with the first tooling sample due in the new year. Prices are £189.99 for DC/DCC ready and £299.99 for DCC sound fitted with all the bells and whistles. Look out for further limited edition and "Accurascale Exclusives" in 2023 too! PRE-ORDER YOUR CLASS 50 HERE New Accessories AccuraFolk In Partnership With Modelu During 2022 we teamed up with the innovative people at Modelu and began developing drivers packs for our locomotives including the Deltic and Class 92. These will be followed up with drivers packs for the Class 37 and Manors in early 2023, and of course 31s, 89s and 50s beyond that. We had some great fun getting scanned too! We've also done a "Accurascale Research Pack" which features members of the Accurascale team conducting a research survey, perfect for your layout if you want to drop us suggestions on what we do next as a model. We're even running a competition! All you have to do is pick up one of our survey packs, pose it on your layout and send us a photo. The most interestingly placed crew as deemed by the Accurascale team wins a £50 voucher! Order Accurafolk Here Accurathrash We go big on the spec of our DCC sound fitted models, and sometimes modellers miss out on the sound fitted variants, or they decide to upgrade later on. Well, that doesn't mean you have to miss out on all the great features of our sound fitted models. We now sell our DCC sound decoders for our Deltics (and will do the same on other sound fitted models apart from the Class 92, which you can source from Legomanbiffo) as well as our larger Accurathrash speaker, which just plugs directly into the circuit board, so no soldering required! Modellers have also been using our speakers in other manufacturers locos too. We are also growing our range of DCC lokpilot non sound decoders to give you all the lighting and feature functionality for our models. Expect this range to grow further in 2023! Order DCC And Accurathrash Here Progress Updates Mark 5 Coaches They've taken forever and a day to complete their voyage but we can confirm that our Mark 5 sleeper coaches are now in the UK an have been released by customs! Dispatch will commence from January 4th so make sure your pre-order is fully paid up so you can take delivery. We will put some packs back on sale when the pre-orders have been sent out, so keep an eye out for those as they will be very limited in supply. Our TPE coaches will arrive in stock in another two weeks, so dispatch will begin shortly after for delivery to customers in mid-January. We really cannot wait for them to get on your layout! We still have some TPE Coach Pack 2 left, so make sure you get ordering before the sell out! Order TPE Mark 5 Rake Here Class 37 The Deltic arrived, the 92s have landed and we'd hoped to complete a hat trick with the 37s landing end of year but it wasn't quite to be. However, the debut of our hotly anticipated EE Type 3s is now getting tantalisingly close. Chips and COVID have done their upmost to derail all delivery schedules but we have been pulling out all the stops to get these landed as follows: Batch 1 is the Scottish Headlamp 37/0s and modern 37/4s. January 2023 Batch 2 is the 37/6s and the Yellow 97/3. March 2023 Batch 3 is the Blue/Green 37/0s. April 2023 Following the reception of the Class 92 in recent days you just know that the wait will be worth it! Look out for news on Run 2 in early 2023! Siphon G One project that has quietly rumbled on in the background and progressed swiftly is our lovely range of Siphon G vans. Announced late in 2021, they have been previewed at decoration stage a few months ago and now production is nearing completion for a delivery date right on schedule of Q1 2023. As is customary with our Accurascale Exclusives, we do bespoke packaging for our limited edition models as an extra bonus, so the Enparts van has been so treated. However, we did bend the rules a bit, and couldn't resist giving the ambulance version a bit of special treatment too, despite it being a main range item. Tim, our graphic designer extraordinaire, has excelled himself once again! Look out for delivery around March 2023! PRE-ORDER SIPHON G HERE 78xx Manor Class Locomotives Production of our first steam locomotive, the GWR 78xx Manor Class, is well underway at the factory. While it did not arrive in 2022 as we previously hoped, it is now in the final leg of its development and brings with it the excitement of being our first ever steam locomotive! delivery is really not to far away, with completion of production expected just after Chinese New Year, which commences in early January and then testing and shipping which will see delivery in late Q1, March 2023. We apologise for this further slight delay, but as you can see, we are really on the home straight now and these will arrive just after our first batch of Class 37s. Our first steam locomotive has been a learning curve for us, but a very enjoyable one. The response from modellers has been hugely positive too, so expect more steam from us in 2023! PRE-ORDER MANOR HERE Mark 2B Coaches We announced our Mark 2Bs to an amazing reception in late August of 2021, with the models of all variations already tooled in both BR and Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) guise for our sister brand, Irish Railway Models. 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. These models are completely sold out on pre-order. We should probably get going on the next chapter in our Mark 2 journey pretty soon! New Additions To the 'A' Team! 2022 saw the Accurascale team grow larger as our business and range grew too. Simon Howard - Engineer And Support Simon has been a member of the Accurascale team for a few years now, operating on our warranty repairs on a part time basis. However, this year Simon became a full time member of the team adding technical support and testing to his role. If you have any issues with any Accurascale model, make sure you email us so Simon can give you the benefit of his expertise from many years as a professional model maker to troubleshoot and rectify your issue! Steve Purves - Project Manager Steve joined the A Team in September as a Project Manger. Having spent seven years with Bachmann Europe as a Project Engineer, Steve has overseen the research, design and development of a range of locomotives, wagons, coaches and accessories across OO, N and 009 gauges. Many of these models have won various industry awards and won plaudits from across the hobby. Previous to his experience in the model railway industry, Steve has also worked in various roles within the real railway. Working for WH Davis Ltd, Steve was responsible for and maintained a fleet of 50 PHA/JGA Bardon Aggregates hopper wagons, developing an expert, in-depth knowledge of them during this time. Steve also worked for EWS as a fitter at Toton, working with locomotives, undertaking periodical exams and preparing them for tyre turning. We look forward to unveiling Steve's projects during 2023! AWARDS! This year has been a very productive one for us in delivering new models as well as working on and announcing new projects, landing our first locomotives and seeing our business grow with new team members and more people experiencing Accurascale models for the first time as we stretch across different eras. It's been hugely rewarding work for us all. However, the awards that you, the modelling public have festooned upon us really blew our minds. We began the year winning "Overall Manufacturer of the Year", "OO Manufacturer of The Year" and "OO Rolling Stock of the Year" for our KUA flask wagons from Model Rail magazine readers back in February. We were also honoured to be asked to provide a Deltic for the cover shot of their 300th issue in May! In March We took home the "OO Wagon of the Year" with our KUA flask carrier, and narrowly missed out on "Overall Manufacturer of the Year" by just 0.3% in the British Railway Modelling Awards. In October it was time for the Hornby Magazine awards and we did very well indeed, with our Deltic picking up "OO Locomotive of the Year" as well as "Innovation of the Year" for our powerbank capacitor system and a hat trick of "Manufacturer of the Year". As you can see, we were absolutely beaming, but of course someone appeared from nowhere to try grab some of the plaudits! Thank you to everyone who took time out to vote for us this year. We really do appreciate it and it has made some very memorable times for us during 2022. We're immensely proud of them all and humbled too! And Finally... A massive, sincere and special thank you to you, the British railway modellers across the globe, for supporting us with purchases, pre-orders, votes 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 our greatest year to date, seeing us deliver our first locomotives, grow the team further, new announcements and more models to come in 2023 and beyond. In 2023 Accurascale will celebrate its fifth birthday, and will do so by sponsoring the magnificent Model Rail Scotland, our first big show! We will be there with a new, special announcement too to celebrate this significant milestone. If you thought 2022 was action packed, just wait till you see next year... Keep an eye on our website, our newsletter, our social media and the pages of magazines and RMWeb 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 Accurascale toys during 2022 and now have a peaceful and safe New Year, and we will see you again in 2023! View the full article

Hi everyone, Thank you all for your fantastic support of both this forum and IRM during 2022. You all help to make this a thriving modelling community and encourage us to push Irish Railway Models further and further. We have a VERY exciting 2023 planned with some exciting and eclectic announcements in store, as well as progress on current models like our ICR. Cheers! Fran

Merry Christmas from the IRM team! It's been another exciting year for us (which we will detail in our review of the year next week) and we hope you are all settling down to have an excellent and relaxing festive season with your family, friends, and of course playing trains too! However, we couldn't let Christmas pass without bringing some more cheer, so we are offering a first look at decorated samples of our lovely IR and IE Mark 2C coaches. These beauties were announced at the Dublin show in October and decorated samples arrived with us last week for inspection. As you can see, they're shaping up very nicely indeed. 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 and you can pre-order right here! View the full article

Hi everyone, BACK IN STOCK in very limited numbers is the Bus Éireann Expressway Scania Irizar tri axle coach. Perfect for your OO layout and/or your bus collections, this popular item continues to sell out double quick but we have secured further, limited supplies. We cannot guarantee Christmas delivery, but it's worth grabbing one before they sell out! https://irishrailwaymodels.com/products/irizar-i6-bus-eireann-expressway-tri-axle-coach-route-x8-dublin-airport?_pos=1&_sid=8c74d7d4a&_ss=r Don't forget our own exclusive commissions of the Britbus Dublin Bus Olympian double deck bus in coastal tours livery, with stock running low. More commissions coming in 2023! https://irishrailwaymodels.com/collections/exclusive-irm-buses/availability_in-stock? Cheers! Fran

Hi everyone, Looking for that last minute purchase and need the goodies before Christmas? Well, you have just over 24 hours left for all domestic Irish orders! Our deadline for orders ahead of Christmas Day for Ireland is tomorrow, Wednesday, December 21st at 2pm. So, if you need to get shopping, get clicking on our in-stock items below. Remember; 10% off when you buy two or more wagon packs, free postage and packaging and the best value in town. Check out some highlights below, and treat someone interested in model railways, or yourself! SHOP HERE: https://irishrailwaymodels.com/collections/wagons/availability_in-stock? Cheers! Fran

As the year draws to a close it's time we issue a delivery update on our Class 92 and Mark 5 coaches, two models that are highly anticipated in our range! Class 92 As of today all running numbers apart from 92010, 92020 and sound equipped version 92043 have arrived in stock. The latest information we have on these final three locomotives is that they will arrive in our warehouse this coming Wednesday (21st Dec) and we will work to get as many sent out to customers as possible before Christmas cut off. However, we cannot guarantee that these locomotives arriving before Christmas. We apologise for this delay, but will do our very best to get them out as fast as possible. Any orders for multiple locomotives which include 92010, 92020 and 92043 are getting split out, so the in stock items will be sent today/tomorrow and then the outstanding locomotives will be sent in a separate parcel when they come into stock. Once these pre-orders are cleared the remaining stock of these last three locomotives we be available to purchase on our website and 020 and 043 will also be available from Accurascale retailers (010 is an Accurascale Exclusive) The two limited editions for Rails have arrived at our warehouse and are being checked before sending onto Rails, while the Stobart Rail Class 92 for Kernow Model Centre will be the final locomotive to arrive in early January 2023. 92022 and 92032 are fully sold out, while some others are sold out in DCC sound or DC/DCC ready guise and are shifting fast. Order yours here! Mark 5 Coaches Our Caledonian sleeper coaches are still with customs and we have now been advised by our shipping company that they will arrive at our warehouse on December 30th. This is a bitterly disappointing delay on the final straight for us after trying to pull out all the stops to get them here ahead of Christmas, but logistics and customs issues have slowed delivery to a crawl. Dispatch of the sleeper coaches will begin first week of January 2023. The TPE coaches are approx 10 days behind the sleepers, and will be dispatched from mid January 2023. Pre-order your TPE set here! View the full article

Hi @mmie353, Nothing has been decided yet, just canvassing opinions. If we were to push ahead delivery would likely be in the second half of the year. Cheers! Fran

Time for another project update, and this time we turn our attentions to our lovely Mark 2 NIR Enterprise coaches; a subject that has been crying out for a high fidelity, up to date model of this classic, crossborder service. So, where are we at? 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. Another area that needed improving was the internal lighting, which while very effective looking was causing an odd issue. We noted that with extensive testing that the lighting board was causing heat issues which could distort the detail, so these had to be redesigned and further tested. We're delighted that the boards now do not suffer from excessive heat and perform excellently. Production was scheduled to be completed by now with the models arriving in stock. However, the longer time than envisaged to complete the Accurascale Mark 5 coaches has also impacted this schedule. The good news is that production is now well underway. 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 completely sold out on our Enterprise and RPSI coaches on pre-order. However, you can pre-order the next chapter of our Mark 2 odyssey, the IR and IE Mark 2C coaches, due in stock in Q3 2023 right here. View the full article

Time for another project update, and this time we turn our attentions to our lovely Mark 2B coaches; a subject that has been crying out for a high fidelity, up to date model and the perfect companions for our new Class 50 locomotives due in late 2023. So, where are we at? We announced our Mark 2Bs to an amazing reception in late August of 2021, with the models of all variations already tooled in both BR and Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) guise for our sister brand, Irish Railway Models. 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. Another area that needed improving was the internal lighting, which while very effective looking was causing an odd issue. We noted that with extensive testing that the lighting board was causing heat issues which could distort the detail, so these had to be redesigned and further tested. We're delighted that the boards now do not suffer from excessive heat and perform excellently. Production was scheduled to be completed by now with the models arriving in stock. However, the longer time than envisaged to complete the Mark 5 coaches has also impacted this schedule. The good news is that production is now well underway. 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 completely sold out on our Mark 2B coaches on pre-order, but your local Accurascale stockist may still have availability, so be sure to check them out! In the meantime, you can keep abreast of all our latest news and updates, including the next chapter of our Mark 2 odyssey by signing up to our newsletter by clicking here. View the full article

Hi everyone, There might be another bubble run in 2023! Let us know what liveries you would like to see! Ivory with CIE roundel (new numbers) Ivory with Irish Cement branding (would be same numbers again as we can only find evidence of 6!) Orange Grey Happy to listen and take on feedback. Cheers! Fran

Interestingly Overland Models stopped commissioning brass models about 7 or 8 years ago, citing that the latest generation of plastic injection moulded models now carried as much bells and whistles for a much lower price point. Their speciality was diesels, and the models then coming from the main US manufacturers were of excellent fidelity and quality. They also ran properly out of the box, something which brass trains in many cases needing some adjustment. Others seem to produce in the steam sphere still, but as you say it's mainly collector market and a lot smaller than it once was. Indeed, in our earlier days of IRM we did establish contact with a brass model train producer, just in case any special projects warranted such attention. Cheers! Fran

Interesting, where is this diesel shunter do you know? Would be a great help to us! Cheers! Fran

Hi Dave, Any idea how they managed a recording? The real Class 28 hasnt run since the 1970s. Cheers! Fran

Hi everyone, After a period out of of stock, our EMD A Class sound decoder is back in stock! Grab one here: https://irishrailwaymodels.com/products/a-class-emd-sound-decoder And before you ask; no. No news on the Crossley as yet. Cheers! Fran

It would also be scale size... #justsayin!

My Christmas present for @BosKonay...

Hi everyone, In the run up to Christmas and to respond to the heavy ESB and heating bills hitting us all we have left the blue Taras on offer for a little while longer. So, if that special someone wants to pick you up something IRM related for Christmas... https://irishrailwaymodels.com/collections/tara-mines/availability_in-stock? Cheers! Fran

Hi GM, We will have an update in week or two but can confirm won’t be this side of Christmas. Cheers! Fran

It's been a long time coming, but finally, there is some GREAT news regarding our first coach project; the lovely CAF Mark 5 and Mark 5a coaches. What is the news? Well, they are almost here! Our Caledonian Sleeper coaches dock and land in our warehouse W/C December 12th (subject to customs, naturally!) where they will be unloaded, have the pallets broken down, counted into stock, checked, then picked, packed and posted out to modellers around the world. Of course, with our Class 92s arriving at the same time, it's going to be a very busy period in our warehouse, but we will endeavor to get them all out to you in as a timely fashion as we can. We thank you in advance for your patience. So, that takes care of the sleepers. What about the TPE Mark 5s? Well it's more good news there too! Firstly, we need to get this off our chests; TPE livery is very challenging to paint and print in model form!!! It's a fantastic livery though, and although it took a long and complex process to get right, as you can see from the below shot taken last month at the factory it has been well worth the effort. Production of the TPE Mark 5s is also now complete, and they're also in transit to us. Due to land with us at the warehouse W/C December 19th. Once again, subject to customs checks and arrangements. They will also have to be unloaded, have the pallets broken down, counted into stock, checked, then picked, packed and posted out to modellers around the world. As this goes into Christmas week we will do our very best to get some dispatched before Christmas shut down, but the vast majority of orders will be dispatched after Christmas and into early January. We will do our very best to get the orders out as quick as we possibly can and try to work around postal strike action too as much as possible. So, our Mark 5 production odyssey is now at an end, and delivery is in the next few weeks! It's been a huge challenge, but we think you'll agree that they make for very, very pretty models indeed. Both have been so popular that only the TPE Mark 5 Pack 2 set is available on pre-order still. Pre-order these coaches exclusively from Accurascale today by clicking here. View the full article

Okay folks! After some teasing and an unveiling at the Warley show over the weekend, it's time to drop our badger on the internet. We're just catching our breath after an extremely busy 2022 Warley show, but every time we look at this sample it is taken away again! The 2022 Warley Model Railway Show at the NEC, Birmingham saw the unveiling of the first engineering prototype (EP) sample of our forthcoming Class 89 locomotive in 00 gauge, an exclusive edition model in association with Rails of Sheffield. Announced in late June of 2022, the unique design and mouth-watering specification of this special edition locomotive has captured the imagination of modellers, with a large volume of pre-orders being placed on announcement, and samples on both the Rails of Sheffield and Accurascale stands drawing much favourable comment and admiration. Both samples arrived early last week in time for the Warley show, and this week our design team will now run the rule over the samples, ensuring that the model delivers on the highest standards of quality and fidelity demanded by both Accurascale and Rails of Sheffield for our exclusive models. Initial impressions are very favourable, with a crispness to the mouldings which can be seen around the bogies in particular, along with some beautiful detail touches on the front, underframe and of course the pantograph well. Any tweaks will be fed back to the factory and rectified ahead of decorated samples due in early 2023. The project remains on schedule too, with delivery still anticipated for Q3 of 2023. Orders can be secured via the Accurascale and Rails of Sheffield websites for just a £30 deposit, with prices for the DCC Ready version priced at £229.99, and the DCC sound ESU Loksound 5 fitted models £329.99, reflecting the limited nature of this very special release. When ordering direct with us you can also select to pay a deposit and then the balance when the locomotives arrive in stock, or easy installments over six months at no extra cost! These buttons will appear in your cart ahead of check out. Pre-ordering is now open on both websites. Click here to order direct or order via Rails www.railsofsheffield.com View the full article

Sold out in 14 mins and was 3 times the amount of stock that we had at the show. Still an amazing deal on the blue ones (which are much nicer!) all weekend long, or while stocks last to console yourself with if you missed out on the rejects.

Black Friday is here and our remaining stock of "Dicky Taras" are on sale. But that's not all, we have a very nice deal on their newer, prettier and better blue counterparts too. Sale runs until 5pm on Cyber Monday (November 28th), or whenever stock runs out! Deal 1: Dicky Taras Each pack will be €25 euro each, with FREE POSTAGE to Ireland and 3% rewards points earned! 10% Rake Deal applies when you buy two packs or more! Due to limited amount of stock and high demand, each customer is limited to a max of 2 packs per running number (10 packs total) Deal 2: Blue Tara Sale They're pretty, flawless and come with brass bearings, but we still have an amazing deal on them. 20% off each pack with Free Irish postage A further 10% off when you buy two packs or more 3% cashback on each pack through our loyalty points. SHOP FOR YOUR BLACK FRIDAY TARA DEALS RIGHT HERE View the full article

Fancy the chance to get 20% off any in stock item on our website this Black Friday on top of your bundle discounts and free postage and packaging, not to mention cash back for future orders? All you need to do is register an account with us and you can use the coupon code BLACKFRIDAY22 to receive your discount! If you already have an account, you're ready to go! 20% off All In Stock Items This Weekend Only Bundle Discount Still Applies! 3% Cash Back On Your Purchase! Free Postage and Packaging to the UK! One Use Per Customer No Minimum of Maximum Purchase Requirement Cannot Combine With Other Discounts Offer Runs from 9am, Friday 25th to 6pm Monday 28th Discount Will Be Displayed on Checkout Screen Click here to browse all our stock and make your purchases! View the full article

Hi everyone, We all know about our Dicky Tara sale beginning tomorrow at 9am, but we have another tempting offer concerning our lovely blue taras! They're pretty, flawless and come with brass bearings, but we still have an amazing deal on them. 20% off each pack with Free Irish and UK postage A further 10% off when you buy two packs or more 3% cashback on each pack through our loyalty points Offer open to Irish, international (on the IRM website!) and British customers (via the Accurascale site!) This incredible bargain runs between 9am Black Friday and 5pm Cyber Monday (28th November) or sell out, whichever comes first! Ireland, Northern Ireland and international customers: https://irishrailwaymodels.com/collections/tara-mines Customers based in Britain: https://www.accurascale.com/collections/tara-mines Cheers! Fran

Warley is back! And as is known, we like to make a bit of a splash ahead of the big Brum show. It's also been a bit of an EE theme for us, having previously announced the Deltic and the 37 around the biggest show on the calendar. So, let's complete the set; welcome to the Class 50, from Accurascale. The Class 50 is the third and final member of our iconic English Electric (EE) six-axle trio that began with the Class 55 in 2018 and the Class 37 in 2019. With our award-winning ‘Deltic’ now in customers’ hands and the first of the much anticipated Type 3s due to leave our factory in the coming weeks, it is now time to reveal the full details of the next classic main line locomotive to join our growing roster. It's also the most requested loco we've had for the last three years, so it's about time we obliged! Browse the range and pre-order yours direct by clicking right here! Why the 50? Check out our video with Hornby Magazine! Prototype History The class developed a huge following towards the end of the 1980s as older locomotives fell by the wayside and the ‘Hoovers’ were lined up to be the next major victim of ‘Sprinterisation’. With just 50 examples built and all – initially – wearing evocative names drawn from Royal Navy warships that were applied from the late 1970s, many enthusiasts developed intense bonds with individual Class 50s that rivalled even the last days of the ‘Deltics’. Although the final withdrawals came in 1994, this passion for the class was happily translated into preservation and 18 examples are still extant with five currently main line registered. Delivered from Vulcan Foundry, Newton-le-Willows, between September 1967 and December 1968, the new 100mph diesel-electrics were developed from EE’s successful DP2 prototype with the intention of speeding up services north of Crewe to complement the accelerated electric timetable on the southern section of the West Coast Main Line. They were numbered D400-449, later 50001-50050 under TOPS, and were initially allocated to Crewe, albeit leased to British Rail as part of an innovative deal that made their approval much more palatable to government officials. The 2,700hp locomotives were the first class to be entirely delivered in BR corporate blue and later gained the ‘Hoover’ nickname due to the intense sucking sound created by the twin inertial filters at the No.2 end. The fleet was initially deployed on passenger and parcels services between Crewe and Glasgow, with forays north as far as Inverness, as well as trains to Blackpool, Liverpool and Manchester. Notably they were also fitted with rheostatic braking – already common on electric locos – that was particularly useful on the long down grades from the summits at Beattock and Shap. As the wires began to march north again from 1970, multiple working equipment was installed fleet wide while freight work became a greater part of their remit, their slow speed control kit proving particularly useful for MGR coal operations to Ironbridge and other power stations. Although EE had hoped to deliver what would have essentially been a fleet of ultra-reliable DP2s in a restyled carbody – courtesy of the Design Panel – BR eventually settled on a substantially revised specification that was packed with electronics and would prove to be the Achilles heel of the class, especially when they began to move to the Western Region from October 1972, initially just 400 (the ‘D’ prefix having been dropped from the late 1960s) spending seven months at Bristol Bath Road for training purposes. In 1973, the lease deal ended with the fleet becoming BR property and by the end of the following year – which had seen the introduction of the full Euston-Glasgow electric timetable as well as the new TOPS numbers – almost three quarters of the class had transferred south, with Bath Road, Old Oak Common and Plymouth Laira taking over maintenance. They replaced the ‘Westerns’ on Paddington-Bristol and Penzance workings, as well as other West of England services and parcels duties. The whole fleet was reunited on the WR by the end of 1976, which also saw a nadir in performance; just 38% of the class being active, a far cry from the 84% that EE had promised in its original availability guarantee, or the 75% achieved during their last year of LMR service. The problems were not easily solved. While routine maintenance issues could be mostly overcome as the former diesel hydraulic depots became used to their new charges, their complicated mixed traffic design was susceptible to spares shortages and frustrated WR bosses that were looking for a more thoroughbred passenger loco, while the internal electrical equipment was plagued by the ingress of dirt and oil via the inertial filters. Although HSTs were starting to take over on the principle expresses in 1976, retiring the Class 50s was not a serious option. The result was an extensive refurbishment that would strip superfluous kit to a minimum and resolve contamination issues, as well as introduce several cosmetic improvements and bring forward various upgrades that would have typically come due during half-life overhauls a few years later. No. 50006 was the first to enter BREL Doncaster in September 1977, but it would be November 1979 before it would be released. By the time No. 50014 – the last to be refurbished – arrived in South Yorkshire in May 1983, the time had been slashed to just over six months, and Warspite returned to traffic in December of the same year. Notably, all but the first six locos in the programme were released in the new ‘large logo’ livery. By the early 1980s class was mostly employed on secondary services, such as Paddington to Birmingham, Cheltenham, Hereford, Gloucester, Oxford, Worcester and South Wales destinations, Waterloo-Exeter, inter-regionals (South West to Gloucester or Birmingham, and Bournemouth or Poole to Reading) and South West locals, like Penzance to Plymouth. The run-up to the Great Western 150 celebrations in 1985 included No. 50007, which was repainted in lined brunswick green with cast numbers and double arrow in February 1984, controversially losing its Hercules name to mark the 50th anniversary of the death of the composer Sir Edward Elgar, who had no connection with the GWR. Rumoured to be the first of a series of locomotives renamed after famous people, the intense backlash put paid to any future rededications! The implementation of sectorisation in 1986 co-incided with the colourful launch of Network SouthEast – the blue, white and red scheme eventually being rolled out on around half the class – and the fleet found itself split between passenger, parcels and departmental work. Several years on from refurbishment and the extensive rebuild was not the panacea that had been hoped. While reliability was improved, generator issues continued to hamper the class, an earlier plan to replace this with an alternator having been shelved due to cost. A lack of spares and a reduced workload meant the first withdrawals took place in 1987, Nos. 50006, 50011 and 50014 all being switched off, the latter pair scandalously having only been refurbished four years earlier! The same year, Laira out-shopped Defiance in the stunning new Railfreight General livery with re-geared CP7 bogies and new 50149 number heralding a potential freight future for the class. After just under two years of use, the project was cancelled partially due to poor wheelslip protection and lack of sanding equipment, both ironically removed during refurbishment. It was the arrival of ex-Great Eastern Class 47/4s between 1987-90 and Class 47/7s from Edinburgh-Glasgow services from 1989 that really sounded the death knell. Taking over on Paddington semi-fasts, the Class 50s were down to half strength by the end of 1990. Faltering reliability saw further inroads as the ‘Brush 4s’ began to encroach on the ‘Mule’ during 1991, the arrival of the new NSE ‘Turbo’ DMUs in 1992 releasing enough Class 47s to almost finish the job by June 1992. This wasn’t entirely the end as Nos. 50050 (running as D400), 50007 and 50033 were retained until March 1994 for railtours and open days, all three subsequently passing into preservation along with numerous other favourites. While many locomotives have enjoyed long preservation careers, seven of the class have returned to the main line, with an eighth expected to head back out in due course. Incredibly five are still active on Network Rail metals, the Class 50 Alliance’s Nos. 50007 Hercules (running as 50034 Furious on one side) and 50049 that both wear GBRf livery along with No. 50044 Exeter (cosmetically backdated to pre-refurbished condition), Hanson & Hall’s No. 50008 Thunderer and Boden Rail’s No. 50050 Fearless. Our Model Our Class 50 is the culmination of over three years of development that began with a 3D laser scan of No. 50017 at the Great Central Railway in 2019. Building on our growing range of diesel and electric locomotives, the EE Type 4 features their most impressive specification yet, with our ground shaking twin-speaker set up, working radiator fan, flange squeal sensor, full lighting package that includes preservation era oddballs, engine room and cab lighting with auto off feature and eight cab configurations with illuminated driver’s control desk. The Class 50 Alliance also graciously allowed us to visit their fleet based at Kidderminster Diesel Depot on the Severn Valley Railway on several occasions, even raising No. 50044 on jacks to allow the our research team unprecedented access to the underframe! The full gamut of changes experienced by this class have been included on our extensive tooling suite to create the definitive Class 50. This includes optional multiple working equipment, missing handrails on D400, original headcode or plated with marker lights or sealed beam lights, no headlight, blanked headlight and headlight, wind deflectors, sandbox fillers, ‘grilled’ windows on refurbished locomotives (including the first pair which retained the window grommet for several years), early or late cast bogies, dynamic brakes, roof scavenger port, NRN or GSM-R radio equipment/fittings, seven- or 12-blade radiator fan and roof walkways. Tooling is almost complete but due to a local COVID shutdown in China the first sample has been delayed in arriving in time for the 2022 Warley show. This first sample will follow early in the new year. Six locomotives make up the first announcement, with some Accurascale Exclusives to follow soon. Prices range from £189.99 for the DC/DCC ready examples to £299.99 for the DCC Accurathrash sound fitted models. Delivery is slated for late Q4 2023. Locomotives can now be pre-ordered via your local stockist, or direct via the Accurascale website, where 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. Browse the range and pre-order yours direct by clicking right here! Specification 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) View the full article