Irish Royalty - Park Royal Coach Next For IRM

[Bob229]

Any chance of Mk 4 coaches and DVT

[Mol_PMB]

Good question, Fran!

For the green era, there are many coaches that could re-use the Park Royal underframe and bogies. There have also been calls for coaches that could be hauled by an 800. One type ticks both those boxes and that’s the 1953-built corridor composites (with traditional body construction). They would also be useful to add some first class seating to a train of Park Royals.

For a long-lived and very necessary vehicle suitable for the 1970s to the present day, the priority ought to be a BR BGSV. You have the broad gauge B5 bogies and a lot of Mk1 CAD and detail parts already. 

I’ll leave those modelling the modern scene to clamour for Mk4s or DeDietrichs! 

[Horsetan]

40 minutes ago, Warbonnet said:

... thoughts must now turn to our next IRM coach project. Any suggestions?...

GSR Bredins?

CIE Laminates?

[Flying Snail]

1 hour ago, Warbonnet said:

We’re delighted with how they’ve gone, and thoughts must now turn to our next IRM coach project. Any suggestions?

Sure if you're ever cooking up up a few Mk3's for our friends on the big isle, would you stick a few on the pan for us too?   

(or is the market for Mk3's already too well taken care of over there?)

[BosKonay]

6 minutes ago, Flying Snail said:

Sure if you're ever cooking up up a few Mk3's for our friends on the big isle, would you stick a few on the pan for us too?   

(or is the market for Mk3's already too well taken care of over there?)

That might indeed be on the roadmap 

[GSR 800]

1 hour ago, Mol_PMB said:

Good question, Fran!

For the green era, there are many coaches that could re-use the Park Royal underframe and bogies. There have also been calls for coaches that could be hauled by an 800. One type ticks both those boxes and that’s the 1953-built corridor composites (with traditional body construction). They would also be useful to add some first class seating to a train of Park Royals.

For a long-lived and very necessary vehicle suitable for the 1970s to the present day, the priority ought to be a BR BGSV. You have the broad gauge B5 bogies and a lot of Mk1 CAD and detail parts already. 

I’ll leave those modelling the modern scene to clamour for Mk4s or DeDietrichs! 

the early 50s coaches or laminates would be very nice indeed. I'd buy a few of each. The real gap in 50s rolling stock with no representation at all is of course, gswr and mgwr bogie stock, your tea car will be the first to give some much needed coverage!

I would like a DD set, completely out of my usual era but close to me regardless! They will be the last loco hauled Enterprise other than steam specials.

Edited yesterday at 18:43 by GSR 800

[Flying Snail]

26 minutes ago, BosKonay said:

That might indeed be on the roadmap 

[west_clare_wanderer]

Although not a coach per se, it would be great to see a tin van/HLV etc. Quintessentially Irish and mandatory for any layout. 

[Signal Post]

Tin vans,

Tin vans,

Tin vans...

And some BGSVs too.

 

[John-r]

All of the above,  with a Dutch van thrown in as a surprise.

[west_clare_wanderer]

25 minutes ago, west_clare_wanderer said:

Although not a coach per se, it would be great to see a tin van/HLV etc. Quintessentially Irish and mandatory for any layout. 

 

6 minutes ago, Signal Post said:

Tin vans,

Tin vans,

Tin vans...

And some BGSVs too.

 

 

1 minute ago, John-r said:

All of the above,  with a Dutch van thrown in as a surprise.

 

That's three sales for IRM already

[flange lubricator]

3 hours ago, Mol_PMB said:

Good question, Fran!

For the green era, there are many coaches that could re-use the Park Royal underframe and bogies. There have also been calls for coaches that could be hauled by an 800. One type ticks both those boxes and that’s the 1953-built corridor composites (with traditional body construction). They would also be useful to add some first class seating to a train of Park Royals.

 

This would certainly tick a number of boxes to utilise the tri angulated underframes and 8'0" Commonwealth bogies on the Park Royals and run behind  the 800 class my suggestion would be the 1372-1378 standard class side corridors and the 2137-2161(1633 survives at Dunsandle station)  side corridors built in 1954 and would have possibly run behind the 800's on occasion and a brake standard to go with them would be 1904-1908  built 1953/54 of which 1906 and 1907 had commonwealth bogies or 1909-1913 brake standards bult 1959 . If a Buffet car was needed 2420-2422 built 1956( 2421 is at Maam Cross and 2422 is in Whitehead) .

1909-1913 brake standard behind the loco

Edited yesterday at 21:29 by flange lubricator

[Tractionman]

3 hours ago, Mol_PMB said:

the priority ought to be a BR BGSV

Yes please  

[Mol_PMB]

7 hours ago, flange lubricator said:

my suggestion would be the 1372-1378 standard class side corridors and the 2137-2161(1633 survives at Dunsandle station)  side corridors built in 1954

Yes, I agree, those were the compos I was thinking of. (Sorry, away from my references at present). They were the most numerous type of composites and would be ideal to add first class to a train. There are also some drawings of them in existence. Some IRRS links:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53508672646

https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53508990164

https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53509198220

The contemporary standards also good, but there were fewer of that type and we already have Park Royal (and Cravens) standards. 

Here’s a couple of those standards when fairly new:

 

Although on the triangulated underframe and commonwealth bogies, these had the traditional body construction and the bodyshells were near-identical to the 1951/52 built coaches on conventional underframes and bogies. 

[DJ Dangerous]

13 hours ago, Warbonnet said:

Hi folks,

Thank you all for your support and custom on the Park Royal’s. We’re delighted with how they turned out and if truth be told a project that had been many, many years in the making, back to among our early days! To say they caused a few headaches and even became a bit infamous for delays internally before even announcing them wouldn’t be lying! Like the ICR, anything that can go wrong, went wrong in the development of these, but our team’s determination to nail it meant that the final product turned out very nice indeed and the ICR will be the same (news on that next week).
 

We’re delighted with how they’ve gone, and thoughts must now turn to our next IRM coach project. Any suggestions?

Cheers!

Fran

Powered units?

i’ll take a 1980’s DART, please!

Failing that, a 29000 or a 2600 would be nice.

Unpowered?

Your O Gauge 071’s will need some Mk2’s to haul, and it would be a shame to spray over these gorgeous NSE ones.

Would also make @murphaph’s holidays here more touristy and less businessy.

Stepping down a scale, Mk3 coaches, specially suburbans with a DVT, definitely number 1 on the list.

Dutch Van next on the list, even if it has to be priced higher due to it’s uniqueness.

Mk1-based GSV’s and Weedspray coaches would tie in with a UK coaching range, but Bachmann and Hornby seem to have the Mk1’s covered - so a bonus point for the Dutch Vans.

Mk4 and De Deitrich coaching ranges would be super - there must be a lot of 201’s out there just begging for both of those.

I guess De Deitrich’s would need to wait until after the Mk3’s, so you could tool up the Enterprise livery Mk3 EGV’s, but no such shenanigans with the Mk4’s.

Bottom end of the list would be something to intersperse with the Park Royals, and Tin Vans.

Anything 1970’s and newer would be a delight, whatever it may be. The last couple of years’ models have mainly targeted the grey era’s.

[DJ Dangerous]

On 17/6/2026 at 6:08 PM, DJ Dangerous said:

Fourteen of the sixteen Park Royals, including the four green models, now available from Mark’s Models at €89 each:

http://www.marksmodels.com/?cid=51

Hunslets also available for €262 / €380 each.

Down to twelve variants in stock at Mark’s Models:

http://www.marksmodels.com/?cid=51

One green sold out and one black and orange sold out.

[Ironroad]

Agree with all of the above, but AEC railcars must be on he agenda at some point.

[Mol_PMB]

15 minutes ago, Ironroad said:

Agree with all of the above, but AEC railcars must be on he agenda at some point.

Absolutely agree, a priority for me too. I’m doing a lot of research into them at present for my IRRS talk in November, and will happily share that material with IRM. 

[exciecoachbuilder]

2 hours ago, DJ Dangerous said:

Down to twelve variants in stock at Mark’s Models:

http://www.marksmodels.com/?cid=51

One green sold out and one black and orange sold out.

I just bought a green Park Royal in Mark's, the lad there said that the black and tans are selling quicker than the greens. The Hunslets are a bit slow to sell at the moment seemingly.? My layout is 70's / 80's, but i couldn't resist these green ones, and they look fabulous. 

                   Paul..

[exciecoachbuilder]

4 minutes ago, exciecoachbuilder said:

I just bought a green Park Royal in Mark's, the lad there said that the black and tans are selling quicker than the greens. The Hunslets are a bit slow to sell at the moment seemingly.? My layout is 70's / 80's, but i couldn't resist these green ones, and they look fabulous. 

                   Paul..

Sorry, black and orange, black and tans?, no thanks....

34 minutes ago, Ironroad said:

Agree with all of the above, but AEC railcars must be on he agenda at some point.

Also ammonia tankers. 

[Wexford70]

On 19/6/2026 at 6:20 PM, Warbonnet said:

thoughts must now turn to our next IRM coach project. Any suggestions?

1) brake van

2) tin vans 

3) laminates to mix with the park royals

4) railcars (including push pull version)

 

[jhb171achill]

5 minutes ago, Wexford70 said:

1) brake van

2) tin vans 

3) laminates to mix with the park royals

4) railcars (including push pull version)

 

Yes to all !!!!!!

[Niles]

For my tuppence, laminates or GSR "Bredin"* stock.

*likely designed by Harty but hey ho

[StevieB]

Heljan, Accurascale’s recent acquisition, produce a model of the GWR diesel railcar, the forerunner to the GNR/CIE railcars. Bearing this in mind, maybe Heljan should be looking into the Irish variant.

Stephen