2024 Irish Model Speculation Thread!

[Patrick Davey]

Interesting ideas @mphoey 

[raymurph]

I would LOVE a few C Class locos. In silver, black with orange roundel , black n tan. Great looking little diesel.

[skinner75]

56 minutes ago, raymurph said:

I would LOVE a few C Class locos. In silver, black with orange roundel , black n tan. Great looking little diesel.

I would too! I suspect there are plenty here would as well.

Plenty of different liveries to choose from, just like the A class

[leslie10646]

On 19/1/2024 at 2:48 PM, mphoey said:

if looking at speculation 

 

the only area that irm is still to break into is the emu area and nothing in the post says it will happen but maybe in a couple of years a dart or a luas tram will appear

No, they're waiting for IR to order their electric locos for the newly electrified Cork - Dublin - Belfast lines, so that they are "hot off the press". then they'll do the EMUs (I thought that they were birds?).

[jhb171achill]

6 hours ago, skinner75 said:

I would too! I suspect there are plenty here would as well.

Plenty of different liveries to choose from, just like the A class

Eleven (not nine as I initially posted) livery variations, in fact!

Edited January 22 by jhb171achill

[DiveController]

On 7/1/2024 at 6:41 PM, jhb171achill said:

 

1.   00 Works GNR 4.4.0  

2.  00 Works GNR 0.6.0  

3.  00 Works CBSCR 0.6.0T  

4.  NCC Jinty

      18    19   O gauge  

5.  Bachmann "Woolwiches" in several liveries 

         

6.  00 Works J15s (2 varieties) 

        

 7.   IRM Steam Loco?   …..

8.   IRM Second  Steam prompted by renewed

      interest in Steam …….  

9.   IRM 800 class …….  

 

[DJ Dangerous]

Who's going to speculate on a joint MM / IRM Mk3 project?

Suburban sets from IRM and mainline sets from MM?

And since @BosKonay sold his IE autoballasters a while back, they must also be on the radar...

[JasonB]

On 24/1/2024 at 10:23 AM, DJ Dangerous said:

Who's going to speculate on a joint MM / IRM Mk3 project?

Here we go again. 

[DJ Dangerous]

12 hours ago, JasonB said:

Here we go again. 

 

Well, you say that...

Who wouldn't want some Mk3 stock, AND who wouldn't be frothing at an IRM / MM team-up?

Not @BosKonay leaking info on this particular occasion - he's now using incognito mode for browsing, thwarting my attempts to snoop!

[DJ Dangerous]

How about some IRM Hino's?

 

 

[mfjoc]

My priority wish list if anybody from IRM reads this:

GSVs to go with the Cravens and Park Royals, BR vans perferably but would accept an unrebuilt DEW van as an alternative

Either a 20 ton or 30 ton brake van to go with all the Bulleid stock now on order.

A re-engined C class

The footbridge that we were already promised

My origonal intention was to only buy what ran in the 1980's but the recent offerings have reset this to 1970's and 1980's

I know I will probably buy whatever is produced but the layout is filling up. 10 years ago I did not think I could ever be in this situation

[DJ Dangerous]

I wonder if a Dutch van would fit the IRM modular approach better than a Mk1 GSV.

A Mk1 GSV would overlap with the UK Mk1's, though.

A Dutch van could run with such a variety of coaching stock, Craven's, RPSI Mk2's, IRM's very own Mk2's and Park Royals.

[knawa]

On 28/3/2024 at 2:28 PM, DJ Dangerous said:

I wonder if a Dutch van would fit the IRM modular approach better than a Mk1 GSV.

A Mk1 GSV would overlap with the UK Mk1's, though.

A Dutch van could run with such a variety of coaching stock, Craven's, RPSI Mk2's, IRM's very own Mk2's and Park Royals.

I wonder if an accessory pack with the refurb ends could be included as a snap on piece to knock two birds with one stone (Not the prettiest solution but probably depends on viability of making separate models)

Edited April 24 by knawa

[jhb171achill]

On 28/3/2024 at 2:28 PM, DJ Dangerous said:

I wonder if a Dutch van would fit the IRM modular approach better than a Mk1 GSV.

A Mk1 GSV would overlap with the UK Mk1's, though.

A Dutch van could run with such a variety of coaching stock, Craven's, RPSI Mk2's, IRM's very own Mk2's and Park Royals.

Either would be good, actually, as both ran with Cravens, Park Royals, every single type of laminate, even the very last few Bredins, and the RPSI stuff.

And not forgetting the BR van at Downpatrick, which has seen service on passenger trains too…

Both types of vans could also be seen on mail trains in the 70s & 80s…..

[DJ Dangerous]

Will we have an IRM announcement tomorrow?

H Vans maybe?

Or a Hunslett?

[jhb171achill]

47 minutes ago, DJ Dangerous said:

Will we have an IRM announcement tomorrow?

H Vans maybe?

Or a Hunslett?

That would be an ecumenical matter.

[BosKonay]

Indeed. We even have a countdown. 

[Horsetan]

2 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

That would be an ecumenical matter.

YES!!

[DiveController]

5 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

That would be an ecumenical matter.

Arse!

5 hours ago, BosKonay said:

Indeed. We even have a countdown

Previously, we had a countdown to a countdown!

Which one is this? And where is the countdown , not visible on the site?

Arse…, Feck! …., Fran is coming again

Edited May 5 by DiveController

[DJ Dangerous]

On 5/5/2024 at 2:15 AM, DiveController said:

Previously, we had a countdown to a countdown!

Which one is this? And where is the countdown , not visible on the site?

 

It's the final countdown!

 

On 5/5/2024 at 2:15 AM, DiveController said:

Arse…, Feck! …., Fran is coming again

 

Uh, phrasing?

 

So, anyway, speculating...

First O Gauge loco from IRM, something small like a shunter?

N Gauge A Class and Container Flats?

Hybrid wagon like the tank body from the current batch of Fuel Oil Tanks on Ballast / Bubble chassis, tweaked to allow for 21mm conversion?

Gonna say they've hit the brakes on the brake vans until there's a consensus on Irish or UK buffer spacing for loose-coupled stock.

 

[DJ Dangerous]

Speculation time again!

Three weeks to launch day but no countdown widget on the IRM website this time.

So, is it something so spectacular that it blew the timer up?

Is it O Gauge???

[Mol_PMB]

On 8/10/2024 at 4:27 PM, DJ Dangerous said:

Speculation time again!

Three weeks to launch day but no countdown widget on the IRM website this time.

So, is it something so spectacular that it blew the timer up?

Is it O Gauge???

No CSET livery on the O gauge 88DS is surely a missed Irish opportunity? Though I only ever saw the prototype in pink/rust livery at Fenit.

[DJ Dangerous]

11 minutes ago, Mol_PMB said:

No CSET livery on the O gauge 88DS is surely a missed Irish opportunity? Though I only ever saw the prototype in pink/rust livery at Fenit.

Nearly sure, but not fully, that the IRM / A/S boys said that the Irish ones were different up close.

Maybe a wider body or something.

Just in case I'm wrong, I have one on order.

P.S.: Welcome to the forum. Friendly bunch we are, never arguing nor fighting, always well-behaved. You'll love it here.

[David Holman]

Be interested to know if the 88 can be regauged to 36.75mm. Given its tiny size suspect a broad gauge version would have to be wider.

[Mol_PMB]

10 hours ago, David Holman said:

Be interested to know if the 88 can be regauged to 36.75mm. Given its tiny size suspect a broad gauge version would have to be wider.

In the new book 'Ruston and Hornsby Locomotives' (Tonks) two of the CSET 88DS locos are pictured, and the caption says 'These are to the Irish 5'3" gauge but otherwise identical to the standard gauge 88DS'. However, I don't think that's quite correct. On a standard gauge 88DS, the cab is the full width of the footplating. However, on the CSET locos the footplate is about 6" wider than the cab. So I suspect the underframe of the broad gauge ones is wider, and the bodywork is standard.

Here are my photos of one at Fenit many years ago. the view from above shows the width difference quite clearly. But from most angles it's not obvious.

 

[Mol_PMB]

How about another run of the 42' bogie flats, but this time with 3-piece bogies? 

Apologies for the quality of this image scanned from an old print, but it does show the original bogie type on the cleaner 42' bogie flat on the left, while the loaded flat is a 47'6" example with Y33 bogies. Some 42' wagons still had these bogies well into the IE 'plug and socket' era and I can scan some better photos if it helps.

Also note the 3 different liveries of the 10' containers, including a grey one with tan roundel. I don't think IRM have done 10' containers yet? Again, I have some detail photos of these in various other liveries too.

[ttc0169]

@Past-Avenuedoes a superb 3D print of the 10’ Uniload containers. 

[Past-Avenue]

11 hours ago, ttc0169 said:

@Past-Avenuedoes a superb 3D print of the 10’ Uniload containers. 

Thanks Noel they look right at home on Tara Junction

The Uniload containers could be seen on rail, road and in yard's across the country 

[NIRCLASS80]

20’ flats for container traffic would be fantastic release. 

[Mol_PMB]

4 minutes ago, NIRCLASS80 said:

20’ flats for container traffic would be fantastic release. 

Absolutely, there are several variants and they could also form the basis for 4-wheel timber wagons and 4-wheel Guinness wagons.

[jhb171achill]

On 8/11/2024 at 5:15 PM, Mol_PMB said:

In the new book 'Ruston and Hornsby Locomotives' (Tonks) two of the CSET 88DS locos are pictured, and the caption says 'These are to the Irish 5'3" gauge but otherwise identical to the standard gauge 88DS'. However, I don't think that's quite correct. On a standard gauge 88DS, the cab is the full width of the footplating. However, on the CSET locos the footplate is about 6" wider than the cab. So I suspect the underframe of the broad gauge ones is wider, and the bodywork is standard.

Here are my photos of one at Fenit many years ago. the view from above shows the width difference quite clearly. But from most angles it's not obvious.

 

is it just me, or were those things by far the ugliest and most unwieldy looking things ever to take to the rails in Ireland!

[murphaph]

As my father often used to say, they are an acquired taste.

[Galteemore]

I think this takes some beating….

[ttc0169]

1 hour ago, Past-Avenue said:

Thanks Noel they look right at home on Tara Junction

The Uniload containers could be seen on rail, road and in yard's across the country 

As can be seen here….

[jhb171achill]

16 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

I think this takes some beating….

A worthy equal!