murphaph

The only real difference between a BEV and an ICE is the power train. The electric motor/transmission contains far less "complicated stuff" than an engine block/head/transmission. In 2019 there were no lithium iron phosphate batteries in production vehicles. These are now commonplace. We have even figured out a way to use sodium (even more abundant) as a replacement for iron. A 2019 study is already out of date to be honest. Batteries are getting lighter, cheaper, more energy dense and requiring fewer rare earth metals with every passing year. They also will very likely last to 80% after 11 years thanks largely to modern thermal regulation (for example generation 1 Nissan Leafs had no thermal regulation at all, causing the batteries to degrade much much faster than batteries in current production vehicles do). Batteries are also highly recyclable. Almost all the material inside a lead acid battery is recovered during recycling and the latest EV batteries can be recycled using similar techniques. These studies are essentially comparing the pinnacle of fossil fuel burning engines, refined for well over a century at this stage (and still only delivering max 50% or so thermal efficiency), with an emerging technology that has only just begun the same journey of refinement. Personally I am quite confident we'll see 1000km range batteries in the next five years at the latest and with 10-80% charging times that rival filling up on the forecourt. It's all academic anyway at this stage because there is no turning back now. No major mass manufacturer is persisting with internal combustion at this stage. No significant money is being spent on developing a next generation of ICEs. They have all pretty much accepted that cars and light commercials will be battery powered going forward.

Personally I see no future for hydrogen in small vehicles. They will all be battery electric. The trend is clear to see there. Even Toyota which was clinging to hydrogen is heading the BEV route. Hydrogen has a transitional role to play in HGVs I reckon, but these too will eventually be BEVs. Only stuff like shipping and perhaps aviation will rely on hydrogen long term if you ask me. Hydrogen however can be used as a replacement for natural gas in heavy industry especially and this is where I reckon most of it will end up within a generation.

We will though. Ireland aims to have a whopping 37GW of installed offshore wind energy by 2050. That's 31GW more than we currently use and doesn't include any other onshore sources or other potential offshore sources like tidal. Ireland is a literal goldmine of renewable energy and it will make the country strategically important to our European partners. Ireland already generates getting on for half its electricity from renewables, mostly wind. The world's largest flywheel has been installed in Moneypoint to help stabilise the grid frequency as more renewables are added and tradtional turbine mass is taken offline. More of these flywheels are due to be installed. They weigh in excess of 100 tonnes and rotate at 3,000 RPM in a vacuum. Very exciting times ahead I believe.

Welcome to the forum James

They look the business.

@BosKonay Are they the actual production ones Stephen?

Ah I really love this layout and its stock and people. Everything about it, every time I see it.

Without wishing to backseat moderate, I suspect if it involves any sort of copyright infringement then it would be unwise to post it on the (open) forum. Folks can always PM you for "random modelling advice" I suppose

She really is a little beauty. Cracking stuff.

Unfortunately a lot of the cottage industries in this hobby are not even VAT registered as they have insufficient turnover to necessitate it. You just get stung for the VAT, MwSt or whatever your having yourself on top of the original price. Brexit has decimated this sort of trade between Britain and Ireland, especially Britain->Ireland.

Did the 4/6 wheelers always have their running boards into the 50s/60s?

So I managed to find a copy of the first edition (for 1p) and it seems at time of print in August 1987 the following coaches were all in the process of being converted from open firsts to open standards, remaining firsts bolded: 5101 - conversion complete - 56 standard class seats 5102 - conversion complete - 56 standard class seats 5103 - conversion complete - 62 standard class seats 5104 conversion incomplete - 42 first class seats 5105 conversion complete - 56 standard class seats 5106 conversion incomplete - 42 first class seats 5106 seems to have remained like this until withdrawal as it ran on Enterprise duty until the DD's came along to relieve the mk2d's on the Belfast corridor. I suspect 5104 was already being converted to standard class in or about August 1987. It would be nice to see the post conversion vehicles (increased seating, not necessarily lined up with the 7 windows) modelled at some stage given most of them ran their entire IR/IE livery lives like that.

Thanks chaps!

Thanks @Anders112 and welcome to the forum! That answers the second part of my question nicely. So the remaining part is, when did a Hunslet propel a mk2 set for the last time?

When was the very last time a Hunslet propelled one of these sets? Anyone know? Did they ever do so after the 111's entered service?

@WRENNEIRE Dave do you have any pack A of the bubbles?

Very crisp indeed. What's the story with the black axles? Any particular reason you've changed the design there compared to the P42s?

Awesome, thanks!

Some useful info on the handful of mk2d firsts and what became of them here: https://www.steamtrainsireland.com/rpsi-collection/76/304-mk2-first-open I've decided to just pre-order 1 rake of IR ones. The way things are going with the hobby I will be suprised if either MM or IRM don't do these again in a few years so I am not buying any to renumber.

I have pre-ordered the 5 tippex ones. I'd rather have them and not need them than need them and not have them. @BosKonay I inadvertently placed the pre-orders without being logged in but the pre-order name/email form confirmation popup said the pre-order was successful. I am assuming this is ok and that I don't need to repeat in a logged in state? Edit: The 5 confirmation emails arrived so I guess it's all good.

Another couple of questions for the experts before I pull the trigger and place a pre-order for these.... 5103 is listed on the IRM shop as a first. According to my second edition 1989 Irish Railways T&T 5103 was a standard by then. Was it converted from a first post the 1987 rebranding to IR, or is the book perhaps in error? 5154 was a standard by 1989, having started life as a composite. Does anyone know if the modelled version will be the composite type or standard type? Were there even any internal changes to the coach.

Great stuff! It seems I didn't miss anything that I "need" to model my chosen 1994/5 era. I had some black roofed stuff but sold it as they only started painting the roofs black much later. The Galway livery is also too late for me.

Has someone got a complete list of the "original" IE run of these from MM? I have the following and am trying to figure out which ones I missed out on: MkIId MM MM5229 5229 MkIId open std, IE MkIId MM MM5236 5236 MkIId open std, IE MkIId MM MM5609 5609 MkIId EGV, IE MkIId MM MM5407 5407 MkIId restaurant, IE

071's??

A couple of short videos from the above two locations...