murphaph

I did check the price of flights but couldn't justify it

Thanks a lot Nick. Much appreciated.

Will the unique details (GM roof vents instead of roevac, long grab irons, mk2d doors) of 4112 be modelled or is that too much given it's the only one with all these oddities? I could certainly understand it if the numbers don't stack up.

Does anyone know how long 174 stayed in that STIR livery?

Thanks chaps. Hmmm, sounds like I need to save the pennies. I'd be interested in all 5 of those loco liveries!

With all the IRM excitement this topic has gone a bit quiet. Was anything formally announced by Paddy at the MRSI show today?

I can only imagine the price of decently finished resin models when these coaches start hitting peoples layouts! Thank u.

Lovely. Absolutely lovely. To my own amazement I finally guessed right (though it was fairly heavily hinted at previously). I will definitely be taking the two IR packs which absolutely fit my chosen era. When did the roofs start to be painted black? Does anyone have a year please? Perhaps I missed it in all the excitement but what will the packaging be like? Will the 4 coaches be in a single box or 4 cartons shrink wrapped together a la MM's mk2a's? Does anyone need a dozen BR Lima mk2b's?

This is going to be something very special isn't it. It's not my era but as Robert says, the knowledge gained will surely be applicable to future railcars that are. It's kind of nice that Irish modellers got the first loco and now the first railcar/DMU from the IRM/AS stable. This is some leap from a humble ballast wagon just a few short years ago!

Yep. Could have modified one of the engineering samples to be played like a flute!

You don't happen to own one of those tartan shopping trolleys that old women use to bash their way through to the sales do you?

Ah that's a real shame. Chris is exactly the type of trader whose life was made so easy by being in the single market and customs union. A van load of mixed new and used stock is going to be difficult to manage paperwork wise. Even if you could be sure everything was properly accounted for, the time required to do so is time you're not being paid for.

Nicely done Noel.

You're welcome Sven. I was quite surprised too because the last time I went to Sweden it was by car routing Berlin-Rostock-(ferry)-Gedser-Copenhagen-(Oresund Bridge)-Malmö and that time there were no passport checks entering Denmark at Gedser ferry port (the police did look at the car and wave us through) but we were stopped and passport checked entering Sweden after the bridge tool booths. I was actually expecting passport checks entering Sweden again on the train but there were none. I also visited Denmark last year also taking the Rostock-Gedser ferry and there were no passport checks then either. A few more pics from Stockholm on our return via Arlanda. We took the Arlanda express which gets up to 200km/h and has you at the airport in 18 minutes. Non-stop service from Stockholm Central. Not cheap though, 299 SEK for 2 adults. Stockholm Central: This looks like a station but it appears to be the carriage valet station just outside Stockholm Central: A couple more blurry shots taken at speed on the Arlanda Express: And for completeness a few snaps from my home airport station, Berlin-Brandenburg: The buffer stops signify the end of the line for the S-Bahn. The regional and intercity tracks run through the station and trains arrive and depart in both directions. I am not sure if the S-Bahn can be extended without additional tunnelling and I don't know if there is anywhere sensible it could go to from here to be honest. A locally built 481 unit from AD Tranz (taken over by Bombardier before the units were delivered) bound for Spandau on the other side of the city. We would also pass through Spandau on the way home but on a regional train. A regional express to Berlin Hbf. We would not board this but wait for a direct RB14 that took us all the way home without changing. Unfortunately at some stage in the coming years our direct airport connection is due to be lost as the Bahn reorganises regional routes in and around Berlin. This train takes half an hour or so to reach its destination and stops twice on the way. Not quite the Arlanda Express but it only costs about a tenth the price So, that concludes the lesson

Good call. Conversion to an ex-shale Tara is a really good idea as these two fairly unique wagons are let's say, probably not a high priority for IRM.

I adNIRe your optimism. Sorry, I'll get my coat...

I'm sure it's mostly down to increased demand in a growing market. This bodes well for us all in time. Have we ever had a week with so many announcements? And the IRM lads aren't even finished yet! (and PM may have something else to say too, from what some members have hinted at). I just hope that too much stuff doesn't hit the shelves simultaneously or some of us will have to make difficult choices.

I'm not sure a straightforward conversion to the shale wagons is there. The top profile is not present at all on the shale wagons. Removing it would be more than trivial as it's a single piece moulding. The strakes (my new word for the day) are also not equidistant from each other on the shales like on the Taras. An approximation of a shale wagon is as close as one is likely to get without fairly major surgery. The thing is IRM is likely to make the shale wagons anyway at some stage. I can't justify all that work for a wagon that will likely be released in RTR in better quality than I can achieve. I think they are most likely going to be a very cheap way to extend one's fleet of Taras. You could add bits of plasticard to complete the strakes then heavily weather the wagons to conceal any colour differences. I think that's what I will do with them anyway, after renumbering of course.

I thought the 121s and A's would result in some baby GM price moderation but if anything the opposite happened as new people presumably came into the hobby and then demand for the rarer pre-owned models just increased. I wouldn't be surprised if the same thing happens again. Long term it's clearly the best thing for (almost) everyone if there are more people involved in the hobby of course.

Same. I've ordered a rake of kegs and the empty triple pack. Excellent value per wagon (almost as cheap as the Black Friday spoils deal!) and the run is fairly small by the looks of it. I wouldn't wait around too long either. Lyons Tea and Harp containers sadly (or maybe thankfully!) out of era for me.

I was actually hoping that the bargain would also be open to those unable to attend the show. It's great that IRM has remembered its customers in the farther flung reaches of the planet I shall definitely be taking some come Black Friday.

Will there be a bundle discount? Just kidding, that's an awesome deal. Fair play for not binning these.

Ah she was just "resting in my account" so to speak. The original owner, a good friend of mine is the real gentleman. I just handled the advertising and postage

There are still a few gentlemen in the hobby. Not every 141 that changes hands goes for silly money .