Bowaters Models Irish Range

[angr607]

Hello All,

Time to formally announce this. Bowaters Models is releasing a range of Irish models in Gauge 1 1:32 scale. Covering NCC, GNR(I), CIÉ, Mark 2, Mark 3 and GSR coaches, CIE wagons and various diesel engines, these models will run on 45mm gauge track for compatibility reasons with other UK models as well as making use of G1MRA buffer and coupling standards for ease of operation. We currently have 3 engines in design, 2 engines in production and a set of 5 coaches all for deliver in the first third of 2023 with Wagons to follow later in the year (container flats (20ft, 42ft and 62ft), Tara mines wagons and 4w hoppers). Renderings are should have the 071, 141, 611 and the GSR Pullman Coach all now ready for prototyping over the Annual Christmas break.

It is hoped these will form the start of a much bigger range with NCC and GNR(I) coaches to follow in 2024 along with further wagons.

Obviously any questions do let me know and I’ll be happy to answer them to the best I can considering everything is currently in development.

Jon, Bowaters Models

[murrayec]

I would be interested in the 071 and Duetz kits

Eoin

[WRENNEIRE]

Price range?

[jhb171achill]

Very interesting stuff - particularly the Pullman. With only a few of them, only on two routes, and never more than one in a train, it’s a surprising but interesting choice. Will it be in GSR maroon or CIE green?

[connollystn]

Pity these will be in kit form. When it comes to model building I've two left hands.*

 

*For those of you who are left handed I've two right hands

[jhb171achill]

Ah - kits….. ok. 

I mis-read it, thinking they’re RTR.

Interesting, all the same - anything new is to be welcomed.

 

[Georgeconna]

Tough enough keeping up with the OO Stuff so despite a lovely scale and hopefully impressive models it wont be for me.

[angr607]

5 hours ago, murrayec said:

I would be interested in the 071 and Duetz kits

Eoin

Excellent. I'll keep this thread updated accordingly for those interested.

3 hours ago, WRENNEIRE said:

Price range?

Class 611 will be about £110. Class 141/181 £380, Class 071 £450 due to the more expensive bogies. The Class 071/141/181 would all come with Roller Bearing equiped bogies with 2 motors per bogie. The 611 would be 4w drive and a single motor.

Coaches are expected to be very similar to thier UK counterparts price wise being roughly £95 in MDF or £110 in Plywood. The Pullman again inline with its UK counterparts would be £150.

All kits come complete with wheels, bogies, couplings and all required 3D prints requiring paint, glue, some time and glazing (for some kits, there is a glazing kit available. All kits are available without those options as needed including motorless bogies for those who wise to display their models ie non functional.

2 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

Very interesting stuff - particularly the Pullman. With only a few of them, only on two routes, and never more than one in a train, it’s a surprising but interesting choice. Will it be in GSR maroon or CIE green?

Some would say a odd choice but as we already have them in the range for the UK side, a easy addition and one that is distinctive at the same time. Also the perfect match for the upcoming GSR Coaches.

32 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

Ah - kits….. ok. 

I mis-read it, thinking they’re RTR.

Interesting, all the same - anything new is to be welcomed.

 

Sorry I didn't make that clearer. Bowaters only sells kits of its products but we do have people we recommend if you'd prefer a RTR solution.

3 minutes ago, Georgeconna said:

Tough enough keeping up with the OO Stuff so despite a lovely scale and hopefully impressive models it wont be for me.

Kind comments and a fair comment. This is viewed as a experiment and it also matches with my own present modelling interests. It also gives something different for Gauge one modellers who are a little bored of the normal prototypes on offer.

Obviously, any questions please keep them coming and I'll be more than happy to answer them.

Jon

[Galteemore]

3 hours ago, connollystn said:

Pity these will be in kit form. When it comes to model building I've two left hands.*

 

*For those of you who are left handed I've two right hands

Don’t rule it out at all. You can probably do more than you think. Look at typical instructions here: looks eminently doable….  And the pricing is very keen - amazing value.

 

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/7855/5456/files/BMGW_GWR_Box_Vans.pdf?v=1619788802

Edited December 22, 2022 by Galteemore

[angr607]

21 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

Don’t rule it out at all. You can probably do more than you think. Look at typical instructions here: looks eminently doable….  And the pricing is very keen - amazing value.

 

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/7855/5456/files/BMGW_GWR_Box_Vans.pdf?v=1619788802

Ease of construction is a big thing for me. Where possible, I want things to be as easy as possible while retaining prototypical construction and good detail. Hopefully the first coaches will be ready to go end of next month ready for test running.

Jon

[murrayec]

12 minutes ago, angr607 said:

Ease of construction is a big thing for me. Where possible, I want things to be as easy as possible while retaining prototypical construction and good detail. Hopefully the first coaches will be ready to go end of next month ready for test running.

Jon

Have you any information/detals on the 071 kits, and when they might be available?

Eoin

[angr607]

27 minutes ago, murrayec said:

Have you any information/detals on the 071 kits, and when they might be available?

Eoin

It's drawn up along with the 141, 611 and GSR Coaches. I'm planning to cut and test build most of the first one before end of January. Then hopefully bogies to follow in Feb/March. Hopefully released some point in April (or at least, that's what the release plan says )so it'll be confirmed nearer to the time.

If you want a idea how it will go together, then please look at the BR Class 33 instructions. Basically the exact same method of construction only slightly more bits to keep it prototypical. The Class 33, 071, 141 and BR Class 73 will also share the exact same construction for ease of assembly and because it works so well - https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/7855/5456/files/BMGL_BR_Type_3_JA_JB.pdf?v=1627510969

Jon

[Patrick Davey]

Not my scale but wishing you every success with an innovative venture.

[Peter]

Is there anything to be said for an n gauge model. Just one, that'd be grand

Happy Christmas everyone. 

[angr607]

37 minutes ago, Peter said:

Is there anything to be said for an n gauge model. Just one, that'd be grand

Happy Christmas everyone. 

I’m sure something can be arranged in time….. once the major cad is done once, making mini versions is possible.

 

Jon

[Kevin Sweeney]

1 hour ago, angr607 said:

I’m sure something can be arranged in time….. once the major cad is done once, making mini versions is possible.

 

Jon

I would also be in the market for N gauge Irish models.

[MikeO]

As loco chassis always seem to be a big factor for N gauge models have the 071 and 141 locos been designed with a specific chassis in mind? 

Chassis for the coaches would be more easily obtained. I would be interested in N gauge versions of the 071 and 141 locos as well as the pullman and other NCC/GNR(I) coaches.

 

MikeO

[angr607]

25 minutes ago, MikeO said:

As loco chassis always seem to be a big factor for N gauge models have the 071 and 141 locos been designed with a specific chassis in mind? 

Chassis for the coaches would be more easily obtained. I would be interested in N gauge versions of the 071 and 141 locos as well as the pullman and other NCC/GNR(I) coaches.

 

MikeO

Hi,

These being native Gauge one models, there is no chassis for a N gauge version. If one is created, then a specific chassis would be sorted at the time however as N gauge is not a focus for us at the moment, it doesn’t feature in current plans but it is a possibility.

Jon

[angr607]

Time for a small update. Progress has been slow due to illness but things are now moving again. Once a material order arrives, the first coaches will be cut. But what to pull them..... Somethings may around be available. Others on the way. Some a lot sooner than others.......

https://shop.bowatersmodels.co.uk/collections/coras-iompair-eireann

https://shop.bowatersmodels.co.uk/collections/1-32-irish-industrials

https://shop.bowatersmodels.co.uk/collections/great-southern-railways-ireland

That's all I'll say..... For now.

Jon

[DJ Dangerous]

So just to be clear, this is literally a complete kit, only requiring assembly and painting?

https://shop.bowatersmodels.co.uk/collections/coras-iompair-eireann/products/1-32-scale-cie-class-071?variant=42376057192627

Why did I think that they were wooden kits with no detailing parts?

[angr607]

14 minutes ago, DJ Dangerous said:

So just to be clear, this is literally a complete kit, only requiring assembly and painting?

https://shop.bowatersmodels.co.uk/collections/coras-iompair-eireann/products/1-32-scale-cie-class-071?variant=42376057192627

Why did I think that they were wooden kits with no detailing parts?

Mostly. Electronics are still needed but they're simple and cheap enough (switch, batteries and some wire at minimum). You otherwise get everything you need to produce the model. If you look at the BR Class 33s, that's what you get abet in Class 071 form. I'll update the motive power listings as you're not the first person to ask.

Jon

[DJ Dangerous]

15 minutes ago, angr607 said:

Mostly. Electronics are still needed but they're simple and cheap enough (switch, batteries and some wire at minimum). You otherwise get everything you need to produce the model. If you look at the BR Class 33s, that's what you get abet in Class 071 form. I'll update the motive power listings as you're not the first person to ask.

Jon

That sounds excellent! Now to find some poor sucker who I can cajole / convince / beg / bribe / threaten into packing their air gun into their suitcase and doing some work!

[connollystn]

Is there much of a market for 1 gauge (spur 1) models of Irish prototypes?

[Colin R]

48 minutes ago, connollystn said:

Is there much of a market for 1 gauge (spur 1) models of Irish prototypes?

I think we are just about to find out 

[angr607]

1 hour ago, connollystn said:

Is there much of a market for 1 gauge (spur 1) models of Irish prototypes?

I’m hoping there is some. Because I’m hoping that with something available, while it’ll be slow at first, things will slowly pick up. Same as they did for Murphy Models abet bigger and competitively priced for the sizes involved. Plus the 071 has a lot of interest in it which helped green light the other initial kits.

Ironically, the 071 will be the last of the 3 CIE engines produced while the sales of the 611 and 141 are watched (the investment required just in bogies for the 071 makes it a very expensive engine to produce while the other two use existing proven commercial solutions). Its little older ‘sibling’ (141) might be sat on my workbench right now…..

Once the 611 and 141 are complete, I plan to take them to the local model engineering club for some detailed test running which I will of course video for everyone to see.

Jon

Edited February 25, 2023 by angr607

[Colin R]

Hi Jon this could not have happen at a better time for me really since if things work out how I hope to be moving and I can see myself having a gauge 1 garden layout with more that a hint of Irish flavour to it  

[murphaph]

I am guessing the 45mm track in Gauge 1 (1:32) doesn't look as bad as 16.5mm in 00 (1:76). It's off by 5mm I guess but over the 45mm maybe not as noticeable?

[Galteemore]

It’s an interesting figure, as it’s about 5mm actual discrepancy give or take in OO , O and gauge 1. OO gauge is about 25% underscale for 5’3”. In gauge 1 that shrinks to 10%. 

Edited February 26, 2023 by Galteemore

[angr607]

52 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

It’s an interesting figure, as it’s about 5mm actual discrepancy give or take in OO , O and gauge 1. OO gauge is about 25% underscale for 5’3”. In gauge 1 that shrinks to 10%. 

In theory, the correct gauge exists (gauge 2) but for compatibility purposes, 45mm/Gauge 1 was chosen. The buffers and couplings are set to UK G1MRA standards again for compatibility reasons. Otherwise, they’re the correct size. Surprisingly close to UK models loading gauge which helps.

59 minutes ago, murphaph said:

I am guessing the 45mm track in Gauge 1 (1:32) doesn't look as bad as 16.5mm in 00 (1:76). It's off by 5mm I guess but over the 45mm maybe not as noticeable?

They actually look the part. I’ll have detailed images soon once the 141 is done and I can get some PR images done.

Jon

[angr607]

Time for the first release of 2023! And the start of something not done before in Gauge 1, models from the land across the Irish Sea! The Córas Iompair Éireann Class 611 and shown for the first time prior to release, the Córas Iompair Éireann Class 141/181. 

Before I go on, there are modifications made compared to the real things. Mainly buffer and couplings. We’ve used the UK G1MRA standards for this to allow maximum compatibility. They also operate on 45mm gauge (Gauge 1) rather than 50mm gauge (Gauge 2). Obviously for those who would prefer 100% accuracy, we can supply all models with no wheels, power bogies and motors to allow for this.

The CIE Class 611 is a small 4 wheel drive Deutz Diesel. Running on our proven standard power unit with 3 link couplings and 3D printer buffers, it is the first piece of the Irish range released and available now! Priced the same as the other 4 wheeled shunters, it represents amazing value for money for the size being the biggest of the small engine range by size. 

Buy it here - https://shop.bowatersmodels.co.uk/collections/coras-iompair-eireann

The CIE Class 141/181 is a medium sized Bo-Bo built by General Motors and the improved version of the earlier Class 121s by the same manufacturer. Running on Fosworks Bogies and again with 3 Link couplings and 3D printer buffers. This model has the exact same mechanics as the Class 33s and is expected to have very similar power output. The 141 is currently awaiting its motor bogies which won’t be here for a little while. However once they arrive, it won’t be long until they are fully ready. We are now accepting orders for this engine as well! 

The Class 141 will be joined by another Irish Bo-Bo in time for Peterborough all being well. But what’s the point of engines with nothing to run behind them. More coming very soon!

Edited March 2, 2023 by angr607

[Galteemore]

Well done. More power to you!! 

[Robert Shrives]

Rats ! I have more than a smattering in G1  and the fosse bogies shown on the 141 are lovely runners - such temptation.  

Robert 

[murrayec]

@angr607 The 141 is looking great.

Will your final kit incorporate louvres on the engine compartment doors?

And will the bogies have 141 detailed sides?

Thanks

Eoin

[angr607]

On 6/3/2023 at 9:18 PM, murrayec said:

@angr607 The 141 is looking great.

Will your final kit incorporate louvres on the engine compartment doors?

And will the bogies have 141 detailed sides?

Thanks

Eoin

Hi,

Thanks! Final kit I can look at it. It’s doable but in gauge one the thinner you make the plastic the more it warps. I can look at trying in thinner materials to see if that is any goood though. And yes, once the proper motor bogies arrive (not the current ambulance pair), they will have full appropriate sides. As will the 121 which has jumped the cue over the 071 due to bogie constraints…..

Jon

[angr607]

Forum Exclusive

While it might not run for a while (the bogie steel work is now in progress), here it is. The CIE Class 071. Again shown on Ambulance bogies, the engine is certainly the longest Diesel Bowaters Models has produced to date and has a huge presence even on the laser. Clearly the most popular model in the upcoming range, it sadly will be last engine released motive power wise (for now) due to those bogie issues but they are now being resolved.

Shown in the raw material pre painting, the model has been stored while the weather is bad before painting in time for Peterborough where it, the 611, 141 and hopefully 121 will be the star items on display with the rolling stock which is literally on the laser right now being cut! Which I can now reveal will be from the Great Southern Railway of Ireland Bredin Stock! For the stock release, I need to draw up one more kit (CIE Dutch Van) and then they're ready to go. After Peterborough, what else Irish wise? Some freight stock as well as maybe some more coaches although this isn't set in stone as I have a number of other projects that need attending too as well. If any more coaches are done, they'll either be NCC (Various) or CIE coaches (Cravens and BR Vans) as they lasted longer into dieselisation.

Jon

Edited March 20, 2023 by angr607