murphaph

Model railway items are zero rated under the WTO. It's only vat and the handling charge so really it's just the handling charge as vat rates are close enough as to make no difference. If you can combine orders you will push the per item handling charge down of course. But if sterling loses further value then at least in the short term your UK purchases get even cheaper. Eventually the UK manufacturers will have to put up prices as they aren't paying the Chinese factories in sterling. Used items would not necessarily increase in price however but the typical sellers on eBay can't deduct the vat.

In some of the transfer kits for these vans I see a max 30mph decal. Was this only applies after they were transferred to brake van duties at the end of their lives?

The thing outside the window is the Ghost of Brexit Future.

Anyone know when the last ballast wagon lost its CIE roundels?

They all sold out on preorder with Hattons so it's impossible to tell but I've heard nothing from them regarding my preorder.

Yep I ordered some small bits and pieces from Des the other day and got a prompt response from him

When did the dolomite traffic cease? Were the wagons identical?

I hope Hattons do a better job packing my 121s than they did last week. Multiple broken display cases on Oxford diecast items. Virtually no protection inside the parcel. One thin layer of standard bubble wrap inside the parcel and that was it.

Fantastic stuff. I see an awful lot of similarities between Heljan and IRM. Small home market diversified into larger neighbouring market but the home market still being well catered for. There must be a market to tap into in North America too. Loads of Irish Americans. Loads of model railroaders. Common EMD heritage.

Any idea where 104 would have been heading in that pic?

Does anyone @WRENNEIRE cough cough know when Hattons of Liverpool will be getting their allocations of IR units? I pre-ordered with them months and months ago and feel bad cancelling even though Brexit is drawing nearer and nearer and I don't much fancy my models spending weeks in a customs warehouse in January. If they don't have them soon I expect my shipment will not make it back out of the UK and over to me in Germany before the end of the year, what with Christmas and Covid slowing the post right down.

I've posted links to both offers on the (admittedly small!) German 00 forum I'm a member of. I hope that's not a problem.

Some folks clearly saw the red eBay mist towards the end pushing the price way up. That's why I can only recommend people who place bids on eBay to do so using a bide sniper/proxy setting the max price you feel genuinely comfortable paying and then forgetting about the auction unless eBay tells you you've won. Stuff that sells for £276 today might go for under £200 the next time. If your bid is reasonable then eventually with a bit of patience you will get what you're after for a price you feel comfortable with. You will lose more than you win but if the opposite happens your bids are probably too high Aim to lose most and win the odd one at a reasonable price.

I wonder would the spoil bodies make good barytes bodies? I also have no immediate use for mine. Though the barytes wagons themselves would probably be viable RTR candidates at some stage as they themselves were used as spoil wagons (mostly/only?) on weekends when there was no barytes traffic.

Yeah it ended at that price. Kind of weird as there are two other ones on eBay at £275 buy it now. They are always there too.

Not that picture DJ but same railtour. I had sort of written any C Class off for my mid 90's era but now I'm wondering did they come back down in their new colours much at all? I wonder was this 1991 tour a once off.

On page 40 if the ITG Traction & Travel book (third edition) there is a picture of 104 visiting Athlone with a railtour in 1991. Does anyone have any links or book references to further images of visits of this class south of the border?

Too rich for my blood at those prices (at least the ones I need are heading towards a hundred each) but if anyone wants to sell any of the following for €50 a coach or so plus postage feel free to contact me (I'll list the coach numbers + livery because the Bachmann numbering on these was cryptic): -4101, 4108 in IR livery -4108 in IE livery I have managed to secure the other 5 of these produced thanks to some gentlemen members of this very forum I have a spare 4110 in IE livery which I would be willing to swap for one of my missing ones. I'm in Germany but the coach is in Dublin and can be posted within Ireland or the UK if a swap comes along

Nice one and well done to Aidan. I'm sure he'll be blown away by his prizes. I'd love to get in to the works myself! Have to make to with the Deutsche Bahn works open days around here but sure there's no EMD diesel to see in those!! This hobby is tactile and will survive and thrive. IRM have brought it into the 21st century with its web presence and the world is your marketplace. Well done all!

One of the few genuine black Friday deals I've found today I have to say. No fake price increases here.

Sales going well on these spoils it seems! My IRM emails from sales@irishrailwaymodels.com always end up in my Gmail "promotions" folder no matter how often I move them or star them. I've added the email address as a contact now in the hope these mails land in my inbox in future.

Were there other quarries from where ballast was sourced or just Lisduff and Lecarrow?

Can't say fairer than that. Sold! Works out at just 30 quid a wagon Inc VAT. Much appreciated way for me to boost my container flat fleet. A quick repaint of the bogies and they're back in the 90's!

Yeah I found it strange to imagine that they would have been sure that they'd need ballast every week. Still if anyone has any more details about other timetabled workings elsewhere or in other years I'd love to hear about them. Or about this working. Interestingly the timetable entry is "real". That is it's not a "path" in the WT which they could easily have made it (like the best trains were). Possibly just an oversight? Maybe it did always run but sometimes only took a small quantity?

Looking at my 1992 WT it strikes me that I can only find a single pair of explicitly timetabled ballast workings. One empty train departed Athlone 07.25, arrived Portarlington 08.29, departed Portarlington 08.41, arrived Lisduff (quarry) at 09.35. The return laden working departing 11.15 and arriving in Athlone at 13.55. Is this the only timetabled working of a ballast train or have I just missed others? Why was this particular working timetabled? Did it always run? Was the train unloaded in Athlone or just stabled there for use elsewhere on the network? Cheers!