Patrick Davey

Great article - such a loco!

But there's audio playing in the gallery, so sound chips needed.

I've always wanted to build a model of Cultra - no excuse now for not getting started!

Must say I am enjoying the reaction to this!

Pricing observation: STG£300.00 (minus a penny) for the basic DCC-ready version, that’s only £25.00 more than what I paid for the OO Works GNR U class 4-4-0 back in 2016. I don’t know much about these things, but allowing for inflation, and bearing in mind the much larger size of this locomotive, plus the insane quality and huge level of detail, that seems to me to be very decent pricing? And yes I know OO Works are a much smaller operation than IRM/AS, with fewer resources.

I had asked earlier how the sound files might be created - a comprehensive answer to that indeed! Jaw dropping in every way and a very reasonable price too. And for once, I was right

Gulp

Fran just to clarify, I hope I have this right…. The in-person event (lucky folks) starts at 7:00pm…..the actual reveal is at 8:00pm and the video of this follows at 9:00pm? Or have I totally misunderstood and the video is going out live with the reveal? I’m working this evening so trying to work out how to have the feed playing without anyone else seeing me drool….

So the day has arrived and, surprisingly, I did manage to sleep last night. So what are our final predictions? Mine are as follows: I believe that we are at last about to see the IRM steam release, going by Fan's use of the word 'special', so although I would dearly love it to be a GNR loco, ideally an S class, I'm leaning more towards the GSR 800s, going by Fran's use of the word 'ambitious'. If so then my wallet will be safe for a while as these magnificent locomotives are out of my area of interest. But I have been wrong with every previous prediction and they could be about to surprise us in some way........? Whatever happens, it'll be sensational!

Thanks for the mention above Leslie but this is wayyyyyyy above anything I could produce!!! Sensational stuff!!!!

Just thinking - IF it is a steam release, and IF it’s an RPSI loco, then authentic sound files won’t be an issue. IF it’s the 800 class, where would the sound files come from?

Wowzers!

Would be good to get these in 4mm........?

I read somewhere that he felt he was above the other locos. Shades of a Rev. Awdry yarn.......

Magnificent!

I was getting to all that......

Am enjoying the suggestions and speculation here - it’s a great read! Further musings from me: * I don’t think that the location of the event necessarily indicates that something GNR will be launched. The venue houses the priceless Fry collection, which represents virtually every single railway which operated in Ireland, so I think that makes it an appropriate location, whatever the new locomotive will be. * Fran’s use of the word ‘ambitious’ is still the clue here - it could refer to a complex prototype, so the 800s might well fit the bill (anyone for a 3-pack boxed special edition?) or it might refer to the complexity of the project, in terms of the breadth of versions and liveries being made available, although that is pretty much the case with everything IRM/AS does, so I’m guessing it’s a complex prototype. And just when you think I’m being uncharacteristically sensible, I’m going to suggest that as this year is the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Belfast Central Railway, perhaps we are going to be presented with a BCR train pack, limited to 150 pieces.

Could also be a S class 2-4-2 narrow gauge compound of the NCC/UTA. Or a BCDR baltic tank. Certainly both could be described as ambitious projects!

Predicting this will become the most active and 'hot' thread on the forum in recent years. With a generous helping of crackpot suggestions too.

I think a C Class is a cert eventually but probably not this time - I think there is a clue in Fran's use of the words 'most ambitious' which makes me think it's a completely new departure for IRM/AS - my £ is on a steam loco but 'ambitious' makes me think it'll be something other than my desired GNR 440 or NCC Jeep, neither of which would be more 'ambitious' than for example the Accurascale Manor. Am thinking something big and green, the surviving member of which class is located not a million miles away from me right now. But I have been wrong on every single previous occasion I have tried to guess what the lads are about to reveal!

Will it be streamed live? I can imagine the loco confidently STEAMING out of one of the Bray Head tunnels in the casino, with a Johnny Cash song playing through the house sound system.

Just in time for my birthday 3 days later - whoooo hooooooo!! Sorry not to be able to attend what will be a fantastic event but it really should have been held in The Adair Arms Hotel in Ballymena due to the locomotive being a Ballymena & Larne narrow gauge one.

Wow must have been some operation shipping that fine layout!!! Looking forward to seeing what you do with it!!

You must have a good head on you to come up with that!

Great work - such a tidy finish!