CIE TPO and Brake Coaches

[Darius43]

I obtained these RTR from eBay and they have been knocking around the storage cupboard for a few years.  

The bogies were fitted with 10mm diameter wheels, which looked odd, so I replaced them with 12mm diameters.

I replaced the handrails on the TPO coach with thinner brass wire examples and re-touched the paintwork on both coaches.  The brake coach interior was painted and pax added. A light weathering of the chassis and bogies completed the operation.

There is an “IFM” logo on each chassis - Irish Freight Models perchance?

Cheers

Darius

Edited April 24, 2022 by Darius43

[Westcorkrailway]

19 minutes ago, Darius43 said:

I obtained these RTR from eBay and they have been knocking around the storage cupboard for a few years.  

The bogies were fitted with 10mm diameter wheels, which looked odd, so I replaced them with 12mm diameters.

I replaced the handrails on the TPO coach with thinner brass wire examples and re-touched the paintwork on both coaches.  The brake coach interior was painted and pax added. A light weathering of the chassis and bogies completed the operation.

There is an “IFM” logo on each chassis - Irish Freight Models perchance?

Cheers

Darius

Almost undoubtably Irish freight models.

Edited April 24, 2022 by Westcorkrailway

[Noel]

Yes SF and IFM, I have plenty of their coaching stock including Park Royals, Laminates and the bogie TOP as well as a tin vans and HLVs. Suits my 1960s and 1970s era well and perfect hauled behind MM baby GMs or IRM 001s.

IFM TPO kit

Kitbashed Bachmann to CIE Bogie Parcel Van

Before and after surgery 

2 axle TPO

 

Park Royal

Rebuilt Dutch GSV suitable for mk2d stock 

Park Royal

HLV

2 axle TPO

SF 6 wheel HLV

Scary SF HLV before weathering removed the need for sun glasses

All these resin kits and resin RTR models filled a vacuum very nicely for their time. The demand too small and specialised niche era for the main IMP manufacturers. Hopefully will have some brass versions later in the year.

 

 

[Mike 84C]

I bought a Worsley Works Park Royal kit last year, still in the to do drawer. Projects my love, just projects!!    I do like Park Royals they are so different to any other design.

[connollystn]

Have to agree with you @Mike 84C - The Park Royals are unique and can't be confused with other stock which operated on these islands. I wasn't aware that they carried the Irish Rail 'Tippex' livery.

[Noel]

5 hours ago, connollystn said:

Have to agree with you @Mike 84C - The Park Royals are unique and can't be confused with other stock which operated on these islands. I wasn't aware that they carried the Irish Rail 'Tippex' livery.

Yes near the end they were tippex, used more on commuter trains by then and the limerick shuttle than mainline.

[Horsetan]

On 24/4/2022 at 11:56 AM, Darius43 said:

....

 

I think this view shows that flush glazing would help the overall look.

IFM seem to have had a difficult time recently. They had a website for a while which then went down. Then the only way you could buy anything was via their Farcebook shop ...which then meant having to join Farcebook just to buy IFM stock. I remember buying a Laminate kit this way, but can't remember where I put it. Now they have a website again, but seem to have stopped making Park Royals and Laminates. I'm never entirely sure what's going on. 

Edited October 6, 2022 by Horsetan

[Noel]

I feel fortunate that I managed to collect a reasonable array of CIE ere coaching stock from Tom about 5 years ago (eg Park Royals, Laminates, HLV, Tin Vans, TPOs, Dutch, etc), before his original web site was lifted. But managed to buy some stock from him a few years ago via his FB shop.  He's still on the go from what I can see: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063706927208 and https://www.irishfreightmodels.net/ Also managed to buy 20ft container flat wagons from him and CIE brake vans 20ton and 30ton. I was perhaps just fortunate with the timing of my return to the hobby in 2014, that IFM and SF were still selling RTR resin models and some RTR 3D stuff. Not hi-res, but more than passed the 2ft rule for my CIE Era layout. Happy days. I missed out on the MIR era, but the IRM bubbles helped make up for that. Provincial wagons were a great source of kits for CIE era H-Vans, Cattle and open wagons. 

 

[the Bandon tank]

I bought a RPSI Dutch van from Tom a couple of weeks ago, so he is still producing stuff. As you say Noel not hi- res, but I am happy enough with it.

[Darius43]

On 6/10/2022 at 12:22 PM, Horsetan said:

I think this view shows that flush glazing would help the overall look.

In a way it’s a nostalgic reminder of the photos in 1970s MRC and Railway Modeller magazines.

Cheers

Darius

[DiveController]

On 24/4/2022 at 9:41 AM, Noel said:

HLV

2 axle TPO

SF 6 wheel HLV

Scary SF HLV before weathering removed the need for sun glasses

All these resin kits and resin RTR models filled a vacuum very nicely for their time. The demand too small and specialised niche era for the main IMP manufacturers. Hopefully will have some brass versions later in the year

TBH I'm surprised there isn't sufficient market for an rtr model of the 4w LVs, HLVs with its several variants and TPO all running on the same chassis in silver, green and BnT liveries, possibly even the 6w HV. The didn't run in rakes but one or several of each were in so many trains.

Granted they are mostly built pre-70s 

Edited November 26, 2022 by DiveController