The New Accurascale BR Class 33 - IRM's Revenge!

[Warbonnet]

Hi everyone,

We all know the story...

Many years ago an Italian model railway manufacturer produced its Class 33 locomotive in CIE orange and black livery to replicate the Irish Metrovicks. It inspired us to one day make a proper model of the Metrovicks which we delivered under our 'IRM' banner late last year.

So, why not reverse the roles, and produce a Class 33 based on an Irish Metrovick for Accurascale? Well, we have!

Presenting the Class 33 by Accurascale, featuring some retro touches of yesteryear following research for feedback on social media and of course, YouTube comments sections.

Does it look like a 33 from 25 ft away? Kinda!

Sprung buffers? Pah! Who needs them? We hark back to the plastic grey, rigid goodness of the good old days!

Tension locks that look like bumpers from a 1980s Saab? Certainly!

Just drink in the pinnacle of "That'll do" model railway manufacturing, just like it was all those years ago... 

We launch with 33 056 "The Burma Star" as a homage to that old model, with others to follow based on YOUR suggestions! Let us know below what liveries you'd like to see, and place your pre-order via your local stockist.

Cheers!

Fran 

[Galteemore]

Presumably for running on the ‘Burma Road’. Love it

[Westcorkrailway]

5 minutes ago, Warbonnet said:

Hi everyone,

We all know the story...

Many years ago an Italian model railway manufacturer produced its Class 33 locomotive in CIE orange and black livery to replicate the Irish Metrovicks. It inspired us to one day make a proper model of the Metrovicks which we delivered under our 'IRM' banner late last year.

So, why not reverse the roles, and produce a Class 33 based on an Irish Metrovick for Accurascale? Well, we have!

Presenting the Class 33 by Accurascale, featuring some retro touches of yesteryear following research for feedback on social media and of course, YouTube comments sections.

Does it look like a 33 from 25 ft away? Kinda!

Sprung buffers? Pah! Who needs them? We hark back to the plastic grey, rigid goodness of the good old days!

Tension locks that look like bumpers from a 1980s Saab? Certainly!

Just drink in the pinnacle of "That'll do" model railway manufacturing, just like it was all those years ago... 

We launch with 33 056 "The Burma Star" as a homage to that old model, with others to follow based on YOUR suggestions! Let us know below what liveries you'd like to see, and place your pre-order via your local stockist.

Cheers!

Fran 

It’s the Boris bridge A class 

[Georgeconna]

Defo one for Daves Collection..

and would certainly fit on my layout. Order placed.

Edited April 1, 2022 by Georgeconna

[DJ Dangerous]

Have they already sold out on pre-order? Can't find them on the website.

Will you be launching a decoder for them with maybe Ford Transit sounds?

[Warbonnet]

8 minutes ago, DJ Dangerous said:

Have they already sold out on pre-order? Can't find them on the website.

Will you be launching a decoder for them with maybe Ford Transit sounds?

You know, we recorded Lima sounds onto a Loksound, but I've got the plague so couldnt do our original plan of filming a video for it. I'm gutted!

We will film it when I'm out of isolation though and stick it up!

[DJ Dangerous]

1 minute ago, Warbonnet said:

You know, we recorded Lima sounds onto a Loksound, but I've got the plague so couldnt do our original plan of filming a video for it. I'm gutted!

We will film it when I'm out of isolation though and stick it up!

That'll be worth waiting for.

Get better soon!

[Northroader]

All very well, I’m just looking at the date on the calendar.

[Westcorkrailway]

30 minutes ago, DJ Dangerous said:

Have they already sold out on pre-order? Can't find them on the website.

Will you be launching a decoder for them with maybe Ford Transit sounds?

If this is a real old school loco, won’t exactly be “Dcc ready”

Edited April 1, 2022 by Westcorkrailway

[StevieB]

Wonderful stuff.

Stephen

[MD220]

She's a beaut! 

[DB JOE]

order placed!!!

 

[jhb171achill]

Congratulations on another great release. Must be an all-time record to have them all sold out by 12 noon on release day!

I want one in MGWR lined green, and also in GNR blue & CDRJC red for Eamon Ryan’s new Sligo - Donegal - Derry-Hi line.

[Robert Shrives]

Great model of BR prototype goes along with  Rapido Apt -e new livery options.   IRM on Face book advise Q5 delivery in a train pack with the every man coach model from this time last year.   

Good work gents !  

[connollystn]

To be honest, it's a bit nightmarish. It harks back to the day when I had to use all my powers of illusion to pretend that the Lima '33' was a Metro-Vick. Still haven't fully recovered from that experience. I feel the only cure for that is for IRM to announce a brand new model for the Irish modeller.

[DJ Dangerous]

14 minutes ago, Robert Shrives said:

Great model of BR prototype goes along with  Rapido Apt -e new livery options.   IRM on Face book advise Q5 delivery in a train pack with the every man coach model from this time last year.   

Good work gents !  

...although Rails are also offering the "What If" APT-E for sale, with a valid SKU, so unless Rapido have fooled Rails, too...

[Lambeg man]

1 hour ago, jhb171achill said:

I want one in MGWR lined green, and also in GNR blue & CDRJC red for Eamon Ryan’s new Sligo - Donegal - Derry-Hi line.

Me too, as well as one in BCDR green please!

[Old Blarney]

Wonderful model. When I saw this post and it's Sister on Facebook, I ldecided to conduct my own research into this Locomotive Class.  There is little information however, having in modern parlance, "Mined" the information available , I discovered the following:

Five locomotived of this class were constructed for British Railways.

They were a sub-order placed with Metropolitan-Vickers and were delivered to British Railways after completion of the sixty A Class Locomotives to Córas Iompair Éireann 

These were catagorised as -Experimental -   a prefix of "A"  was  allocated.  This stood for "Additional" No further comment is noted, my interpritation of "Additional" is that these were an additional build to the CIE order!

Trials of these Locomotives took place in the Scottish Region of BR. The Locomotives being bases at -  Aberdeen - Perth -  Rosyth - Inverness - Laurenskirk. 

They were used primarily over the Edinburh to Inverness route on Duties to assertain their reliability over a line with a significant number of challanges. Gradients and weather conditions. One Locomotive, based at Rosyth, was used for hauling heavy trains of Coal throughout the County of Fife. It was also used on the Rosyth, Cowdenbeath, Kinross, Perth to Inverness Line to haul heavy Coal Trains and Oil Train too.  BR measured the capabilities of this experimental Class of Locomotive over these undulating routes for information on future projects as well as possible further orders of this class. 

According to the Documentation I hold, the initial code BR allocated to these five Locomotives was identical to CIE's A. 

A1 - Aberdeen

A2 - Perth

A3 - Rosyth

A4 - Inverness

A5 - Laurenskirk 

These locomotives were in use prior to the delivery of the Metropolitan-Vickers Class2 (D5700- D5719) which were delivered to BR six months after the last C Class were delivered to CIE. 

Happy AFD to one-and-all.

 

Edited April 1, 2022 by Old Blarney

[Bob229]

Looking forward to this can pay in instalments, due for delivery on November 31st

[jhb171achill]

IRM have privately told me the ship left China at 11:59 this morning, and is due at IRM Towers at 00:01 on 1.4.23.

The shipment will be in two containers in complementary liveries.

[BEANO3005]

2 hours ago, Bob229 said:

Looking forward to this can pay in instalments, due for delivery on November 31st

Delivery pushed back to 29.02.23

[jhb171achill]

It will also have the De Deitrichs in CBSCR olive green, and the West Clare railcars in BCDR maroon.

[mphoey]

needs to come as a train set with a park royal and a craven in it and not forgetting some sort of brake van just like we used to get with the class 33s

[Noel]

Gud won Clouseau  

[spudfan]

I would hazard a guess and say once 2nd April comes the stock will be gone........

[murphaph]

I like it 

[Broithe]

If you look closely, you can see that the wheels are different to "ours".

There is a moulded boss where the axle passes through, to prevent them being moved out to 21mm.

[Hadren Railway]

I'm going the be crucified for this, but the MetroVick doesn't look that bad in Rail Blue, I kinda like it.

[jhb171achill]

19 minutes ago, Hadren Railway said:

I'm going the be crucified for this, but the MetroVick doesn't look that bad in Rail Blue, I kinda like it.

The gallows have been prepared…….

 

 

(Actually, you’re right, even if they’ve got the shade of blue quite wrong!)

[spudfan]

Don't forget that British Rail were very impressed with the 071 class and were precluded from buying them by politicians. If BR had been able to purchase 071 locos we would have had the 071s in rail blue, large logo, wrap around yellow ends etc not to mention sectorisation liveries. Would be nice to see some photo shopped images of the above.

[DB JOE]

18 hours ago, Hadren Railway said:

I'm going the be crucified for this, but the MetroVick doesn't look that bad in Rail Blue, I kinda like it.

Crucifixion???   Yes????  Lying against the door ......one cross each!!!!!!

[jhb171achill]

On 2/4/2022 at 3:43 PM, spudfan said:

Don't forget that British Rail were very impressed with the 071 class and were precluded from buying them by politicians. If BR had been able to purchase 071 locos we would have had the 071s in rail blue, large logo, wrap around yellow ends etc not to mention sectorisation liveries. Would be nice to see some photo shopped images of the above.

Indeed; similarly, the three “Hunslets” were ordered by NIR against the advice of old UTA engineers, but to please the politicians in Stormont who insisted on “buy British” the loco engineers wanted 181s after seeing almost a decade of the 121/141/181 story being highly successful with CIE.

We could easily have had three maroon 181s….

Edited April 4, 2022 by jhb171achill

[roxy_guy10]

Any chance ye could do one in these SNCF colours . . . .it really happened . . . 

[jhb171achill]

Though real, it looks like a badly "colourised" photo! The film-makers got the "SNCF" livery wrong too - nothing the SNCF ever had was remotely like that...!

[Broithe]

9 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

Though real, it looks like a badly "colourised" photo! The film-makers got the "SNCF" livery wrong too - nothing the SNCF ever had was remotely like that...!

And, it's hard to be sure, but somebody may have painted the chassis black...