We Boldly Go To Deco Stage - Enterprise Mark 2 Coach Update

[Warbonnet]

Following the news that our brand new magnesite wagons are complete and will be in stock from next week, we can now reveal the decorated samples of our first IRM coach project, the NIR Mark 2B and Mark 2C Enterprise coaches.

These samples were first displayed at the Bangor show in late April and since then have been under assessment by the IRM Engineering and Project Management team. 

As previously explained, we insist on decorated samples of all models before production as an indicator of correct livery shades and details. Decorated samples are usually suffering from poor assembly and livery application, with fuzzy elements and poor masking before it is perfected for production.

The NIR Mark 2 samples are probably the worst we've seen so far for fuzzy lines, so please excuse this and rest assured the final models will be much, much better!

These samples are also lacking some interior and exterior parts, so once again please excuse this. These models are missing things like headrests, partitions and interior handrails in some places, while exterior is missing the brass contact strips in the bogie for interior lighting (hence bowed bogies). Glazing and general fit and finish will also be improved on the models you receive upon delivery.

The drivers window on the driving car is also being further refined.

Okay, so that's the drawbacks taken care of (and all will be sorted on the models that will glide along your layouts!) so let's move to the strong points.

Once again we have gone to town on tooling, with the unique to NIR generator car, driving car and buffet all modelled as per the prototypes, allowing modellers to model a complete Enterprise train. We even take it further, with correctly widened bogies for Irish track gauge over their BR counterparts. Fully detailed interiors are also present, right down to the diesel generator in the generator coach! There is also full bespoke interiors in the buffer car and drivers control desk in the driving car.

Full interior lighting is available and controlled by magnetic wands, allowing you to turn on and off the lighting, as well as the head and tail lights in the control car (which will also have cab light, and a DCC socket if you want to control your directional lights via DCC than a wand)

We are pretty excited about them as you can imagine, and production will commence in the coming weeks, keeping us on course for a Q4 2022 delivery date. While these samples are very rough, they do give us all a nice flavour of what we can expect from these models when they arrive. Overall, we're petty pleased with them at this stage!

Our Mark 2 range has proven very popular indeed since we first announced them with now over 50% of the production run already sold out on pre-order. Given the popularity and collectability of NIR models, and that these will include the first bespoke NIR tooled models ever produced, they will likely appreciate in value and become collectable for many years to come.

Prices for all this awesomeness is €189.99 per triple coach pack, with 10% off when you order two or more, as well as free postage and packaging to Ireland and the UK.

Our RPSI coach pack will also arrive at this time, with the triple pack priced at €219.99 with proceeds going to the RPSI for railway preservation efforts!

To help spread the cost ahead of arrival, you can now select to pay a deposit and then the balance when the coaches arrive in stock, or easy installments over six months at no extra cost! These buttons will appear in your cart ahead of check out. Just follow the simple steps and you will have flexible payments set up in no time. 

So, if you want to recreate those classic Enterprise trains of the 80s and 90s, when Hunslets, 111s and NIR blue 201s reigned supreme on international trains between Belfiast and Dublin, not to mention railtour trips across Ireland, make sure you get your pre-order in right here before they sell out!

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[DoctorPan]

Simply stunning.

[NIRCLASS80]

Can’t wait for these to arrive. Hopefully I will have a layout sorted again. 

[Robert Shrives]

Certainly getting there and as you note some tweaking required but at least nothing "fatally wrong" with work, just obvs no maroon and blue option - keeping your powder dry on that one for the hunslet news later this year ...

At least it keeps me busy detailing Lima ones in the time ahead. 

Thanks to all involved

Robert. 

[jhb171achill]

Excellent stuff. The rumour mill will now abound of IRM Hunslets!

Serious point, though. You correctly mention the growing interest in NIR, and I would also suggest the UTA.

This has often been dismissed before as too small a market, but it’s barely yesterday that the ENTIRE Irish market would have been described such, and anyone proposing to set up a Murphy Models or IRM type business would have been dismissed as a nutcase.

The market has grown and is growing by the look of it - interest CERTAINLY is - largely fed by this website. Congrats are due to those who set it up!

Long may it last - but to go back to the growing NIR market, I’ve been saying for yonks that I believe a RTR NCC “WT” 2.6.4T would sell. I suggest that now, this is even more the case?

An AEC railcar set is an absolute no-brainer too, as they monopolised main line CIE services throughout the 1950s, even in Tramore and Bantry - as WELL as the GNR main lines, which fed into the UTA and NIR too.

[jhb171achill]

Found these in my old photos.........

[popeye]

Great photo's, keep looking. 

[connollystn]

Great stuff, however, I feel that IRM wouldn"t be producing these coaches unless they had something else up their sleeve!

[BosKonay]

5 minutes ago, connollystn said:

Great stuff, however, I feel that IRM wouldn"t be producing these coaches unless they had something else up their sleeve!

Oh we’ve lots up our sleeves  

[jhb171achill]

17 minutes ago, BosKonay said:

Oh we’ve lots up our sleeves  

Let us hope that multiple octupii are now employed by IRM, with attendant number of sleeves..........

23 minutes ago, connollystn said:

Great stuff, however, I feel that IRM wouldn"t be producing these coaches unless they had something else up their sleeve!

Methinks along the same lines............

[Moxy]

Excellent stuff.  A question for those of us who live on the wrong side of the Irish sea, in the UK.  Is the 6 month installment option available to UK residents?  I couldn't see it on the checkout page.

 

Thanks

[Northroader]

8 hours ago, BosKonay said:

Oh we’ve lots up our sleeves  

There’s no ‘arm in that.

[DJ Dangerous]

19 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

Found these in my old photos.........

 

What are the dates of the photos, JHB?

Any more?

Great shot of 113 with a mixed livery rake!

[jhb171achill]

45 minutes ago, DJ Dangerous said:

 

What are the dates of the photos, JHB?

Any more?

Great shot of 113 with a mixed livery rake!

The one with 113 is 1989. The one with the Hunslet I didn’t record, but it’s easy to tell as it is whatever year that the old Howth platform was filled in, as can be seen.

[josefstadt]

15 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

The one with the Hunslet I didn’t record, but it’s easy to tell as it is whatever year that the old Howth platform was filled in, as can be seen.

I'd suggest very early 1980s. As you say the Howth Bay has been filled in but hasn't yet got the final surface. Also, no OHLE into Platform 4.

[Sean]

any pics of them being pulled by a brand new NIR 201 circa 1994/5?

Edited June 12, 2022 by Sean

[jhb171achill]

5 minutes ago, Sean said:

any pics of them being pulled by a brand new NIR 201 circa 1994/5?

Not sure, Sean. I don’t recollect taking any pics of a blue 201…..

[Barl]

The models look great and even though I wasn't planning on getting any as they're not my area of interest, I'm seriously considering getting two packs of the Corporate Intercity livery to run behind 112 (with some modeling licence!).

I'm not very familiar with NIR coaches so was wondering if anyone could help with which 2 packs would be best? Could the driving trailer run with the bar/grill or world I need the generator van either way? I couldn't justify a 9 coach train on the new layout I'm planning unfortunately!! 

[Robert Shrives]

Hi  corp pack one with - gen brake and two coaches gives minimum adding pack 3 in corp livery gets the coaches and buffet add on, albeit 6 vehicles but could stand some down/ sell on ...   the DBso brake ceased being a driver once hunslets finished and used as a second brake  as required. 

Robert  

[murphaph]

Does anyone know why NIR didn't allow for continued push pull operations with the 111s? Seems retrograde to introduce shunting when with the Hunslets there was none required previously.

[Robert Shrives]

Phil,

Differing braking system a 3 pipe air brake on the Hunslets and  normal twin pipe on the 111s  . The 3rd pipe was a straight air brake - I guess so engine only  brake could be applied remotely when two engines on the train.    

This change why 8xx vehicles became 9xx to show change to two pipe when both classes of loco overlapped and some push pull work was possible.    Oh and confuse folk like my me working out the evolution of the fleet!

Robert 

 

[NIRCLASS80]

Here’s a good little clip of a DVT along for the ride 

 

Also 201 pulling the Mk2 stock

 

[murphaph]

Third last coach in the first video seems to have been bricked too. 

[Robert Shrives]

8 minutes ago, murphaph said:

Third last coach in the first video seems to have been bricked too. 

Yes a good one with both skins broken through, which takes some doing and must have scared passengers, sadly part of the fabric of life at the time. 

Robert   

[Blaine]

First video is interesting - proof that they didnt always run a genny at each end, guessing this was filmed in the summer. First coach also has a broken window...

Second video - look at the offset buffer on 209, rough shunt.......

20 hours ago, Sean said:

any pics of them being pulled by a brand new NIR 201 circa 1994/5?

I've seen them, DBSO anywhere in the set really, second/second last coach behind a genny, quickly thrown in to extend the set