Invitation To Exclusive IRM New Locomotive Launch Event At The Fry Model Railway Museum, Malahide

[Mol_PMB]

9 minutes ago, Patrick Davey said:

And just when you think I’m being uncharacteristically sensible, I’m going to suggest that as this year is the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Belfast Central Railway, perhaps we are going to be presented with a BCR train pack, limited to 150 pieces.

Also in 1875 was the merger of the Dublin and Drogheda Railway with the Dublin and the Belfast Junction Railway to form the backbone of what would soon be renamed the Great Northern Railway.

But another important anniversary in 2025 is the centenary of the formation of the Great Southern Railways. 

 

For the 2026 announcement, we can look forward to the 200th anniversary of the first act of parliament for a public steam railway in Ireland - the Limerick and Waterford.

And for 2029/30 it's the 150th anniversary of the two surviving J15s, so if IRM haven't started a J15 already then they need to get that date pencilled in...

 

[Patrick Davey]

49 minutes ago, Mol_PMB said:

Also in 1875 was the merger of the Dublin and Drogheda Railway with the Dublin and the Belfast Junction Railway to form the backbone of what would soon be renamed the Great Northern Railway.

But another important anniversary in 2025 is the centenary of the formation of the Great Southern Railways. 

 

For the 2026 announcement, we can look forward to the 200th anniversary of the first act of parliament for a public steam railway in Ireland - the Limerick and Waterford.

And for 2029/30 it's the 150th anniversary of the two surviving J15s, so if IRM haven't started a J15 already then they need to get that date pencilled in...

 

I was getting to all that......

[Rob R]

9 hours ago, Horsetan said:

Will we set the timer going on this? Let's play County Down!

The PLAY value of your investment can go up as well as down.

Fixed that for you ...

[jhb171achill]

The 150th birthday of Downpatrick's No. 90 is this year, and between now and 20 years from now, almost every year is the 150th of something on the railway.

And this VERY day, it's the TWO hundredth anniversary of 6th March 1825.

Edited Thursday at 00:32 by jhb171achill

[DoctorPan]

Clearly it's going to be a model of Pat and Sambo as a collectors pack...

[LNERW1]

OOn3 Walker railcars- West Clare, Donegal, Clogher Valley (I think) and Isle of Man. Quite a large catchment area and the IoM examples (ex-Donegal) still exist. Maybe not this time around (No 12mm tracks at Casino) but it’s suitable for enough different railways that I would excuse IRM/Accurascale for making one.

[Mol_PMB]

17 minutes ago, DoctorPan said:

Clearly it's going to be a model of Pat and Sambo as a collectors pack...

Did they ever meet?

[Galteemore]

Unlikely. Sambo was Dublin based and Pat was in Cork. Even then, Pat tended to stay fairly aloof from other locos..,.

[Mol_PMB]

7 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

Unlikely. Sambo was Dublin based and Pat was in Cork. Even then, Pat tended to stay fairly aloof from other locos..,.

I wonder whether Pat was a Patrick or a Patricia, to the crew? The painted name was just Pat, and in later years was barely legible:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53813461924/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/110691393@N07/11403709374/

I think Pat was made in Cork and always worked there, while Sambo was made at Inchicore and always worked there. So I like the tongue-in-cheek idea of a collectors' pack of the two together!

 

Incidentally, long after Sambo's demise, the Inchicore pilot loco turn was called 'the Sambo', even if it was an E class diesel rostered to the duty. I don't know whether that continued into more recent times.

[Patrick Davey]

29 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

Unlikely. Sambo was Dublin based and Pat was in Cork. Even then, Pat tended to stay fairly aloof from other locos..,.

I read somewhere that he felt he was above the other locos.  Shades of a Rev. Awdry yarn.......

[Mol_PMB]

1 hour ago, Patrick Davey said:

I read somewhere that he felt he was above the other locos.  Shades of a Rev. Awdry yarn.......

Despite being the smallest, Pat wanted all the other locos to look up to him, and begged the Fat Controller to help hlm. He got EXACTLY  what he asked for...

[Westcorkrailway]

11 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

The 150th birthday of Downpatrick's No. 90 is this year, and between now and 20 years from now, almost every year is the 150th of something on the railway.

And this VERY day, it's the TWO hundredth anniversary of 6th March 1825.

As it turns out upon thinking. 90 wouldn’t at all be the worst pick.

 

with 1, maybe 2 GSWR liveries, GSR livery, gsr without plate and CIE black (probobly preparing for a fight with that one!) 

 

The loco would make for a suitible shunter on grey and green layouts and even a primary loco on small layout working freight and passenger traffic on a light railway of sorts 

 

we can’t forget of course. 90 ran on the mainline in the 1990s which allows a “Westrail” livery to be quite attractive to those modeling the 1990s IE layouts

[Mol_PMB]

4 minutes ago, Westcorkrailway said:

As it turns out upon thinking. 90 wouldn’t at all be the worst pick.

 

with 1, maybe 2 GSWR liveries, GSR livery, gsr without plate and CIE black (probobly preparing for a fight with that one!) 

 

The loco would make for a suitible shunter on grey and green layouts and even a primary loco on small layout working freight and passenger traffic on a light railway of sorts 

 

we can’t forget of course. 90 ran on the mainline in the 1990s which allows a “Westrail” livery to be quite attractive to those modeling the 1990s IE layouts

And for oddballs like me who just can't leave a model alone, I could renumber it as 100 and it would fit my Fenit theme, if not my timeline.

[Westcorkrailway]

2 minutes ago, Mol_PMB said:

And for oddballs like me who just can't leave a model alone, I could renumber it as 100 and it would fit my Fenit theme, if not my timeline.

100 is not different enough I suspect to be a whole new tooling. From memory the side tanks are different. Anything else? 

[Mol_PMB]

4 minutes ago, Westcorkrailway said:

100 is not different enough I suspect to be a whole new tooling. From memory the side tanks are different. Anything else? 

Ah, I hadn't looked in that much detail but you're absolutely right. The tanks are different, as is the cabside cutout and the leading splasher.

Thanks to Ernie again for the illustrations:

There are lots of photos of both on the IRRS archive too.

[meathdane]

Black'N'Tan HST set

Most ambitious crossover of Irish and British outline 

[jhb171achill]

5 hours ago, Mol_PMB said:

Did they ever meet?

Nope - as colleagues in the same business they were, however, on different levels……..!

[Mol_PMB]

3 hours ago, Westcorkrailway said:

As it turns out upon thinking. 90 wouldn’t at all be the worst pick.

with 1, maybe 2 GSWR liveries, GSR livery, gsr without plate and CIE black (probobly preparing for a fight with that one!)

Have you got these two in your count? If indeed they are different, rather than a dramatic difference in colour sensitivity or deterioration of film?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53449699674/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53511737265/

 

[Westcorkrailway]

53 minutes ago, Mol_PMB said:

Have you got these two in your count? If indeed they are different, rather than a dramatic difference in colour sensitivity or deterioration of film?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53449699674/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishrailwayarchive/53511737265/

 

Yes. These are different. And there was a 3rd one for Inchicore open day 1995. How many would buy these liveries though? I see only the one worn at mallow/fermoy being of any nostalgia for people - and that’s a very select few 

[leslie10646]

The guesses at "what it'll be" should get saner now that you lads are off alcohol for Lent.

Here's my self-centred view.

It won't be a J15, but 2029 seems a good year to bring out No.186?

Unhappily, the Class WT looks all too likely, in which case I'll be taking an even more expensive holiday this year with what I've saved.

A GNR S Class is a possibility, BUT No.171 has been in bits when Paul Isles was measuring things up, so maybe not?

Forget No.800 - it wouldn't offer Accurascale the sales volume.

A GNR Q Class would be really nice, but might be too much off peoples' radar despite being around on track recently.

What I really want and will buy a couple of them before Paul sits down after his announcement is a GNR Compound.  No.85 been around for the last ten years, so people are familiar with it.

People have been ranting on about the annoucement being for a Tank and many alternatives have been offered, but not these lovely little engines, just 25 to choose from:

                                                                                 Amiens Street Shed, 1957                                                           Photo the late Lance King, Copyright IRRS

 

 

 

 

 

Edited Thursday at 19:49 by leslie10646

[Galteemore]

Very handy little engines, the Ts, Leslie. On loan to the NCC, one managed Belfast to Carrick in 12’45! 

[jhb171achill]

A GNR suburban tank engine would indeed be a nice little yoke to have. Could be used in a branch setting too, though these particular ones were suburban locos.

Interesting to look at Leslie's list above; now here's a thought to provoke...... Leslie has mentioned SIX locos.

So, question: what existing coaches could run with any of them?

More IRM carriages needed!

[Mol_PMB]

4 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

A GNR suburban tank engine would indeed be a nice little yoke to have. Could be used in a branch setting too, though these particular ones were suburban locos.

Interesting to look at Leslie's list above; now here's a thought to provoke...... Leslie has mentioned SIX locos.

So, question: what existing coaches could run with any of them?

More IRM carriages needed!

There are two existing types of carriage which could run with five of Leslie's six: Cravens and Mk2s.

Park Royals are also suitable for some of them.

[Flying Snail]

5 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

Interesting to look at Leslie's list above; now here's a thought to provoke...... Leslie has mentioned SIX locos.

So, question: what existing coaches could run with any of them?

More IRM carriages needed!

As @Mol_PMB says - RPSI coaches are out there, including IRM's own Mk 2s.  Any chance of a train set like the LMR one Accurascale brought out?

[Mol_PMB]

There's a Cravens and a Park Royal in this train hauled by 186, in 1972. You don't necessarily need RPSI-liveried carriages for an RPSI railtour:

https://www.steamtrainsireland.com/members/galleries/132/north-kerry-railtour-1972

[leslie10646]

2 hours ago, Galteemore said:

Very handy little engines, the Ts, Leslie. On loan to the NCC, one managed Belfast to Carrick in 12’45! 

Indeed they were. They even ran trains as far as Clones.

But the announcement won't be these locos - all gone before the iRM chaps were born .......

Happily I have three of them!

[GSR 800]

4 hours ago, leslie10646 said:

The guesses at "what it'll be" should get saner now that you lads are off alcohol for Lent.

Here's my self-centred view.

It won't be a J15, but 2029 seems a good year to bring out No.186?

Unhappily, the Class WT looks all too likely, in which case I'll be taking an even more expensive holiday this year with what I've saved.

A GNR S Class is a possibility, BUT No.171 has been in bits when Paul Isles was measuring things up, so maybe not?

Forget No.800 - it wouldn't offer Accurascale the sales volume.

A GNR Q Class would be really nice, but might be too much off peoples' radar despite being around on track recently.

What I really want and will buy a couple of them before Paul sits down after his announcement is a GNR Compound.  No.85 been around for the last ten years, so people are familiar with it.

People have been ranting on about the annoucement being for a Tank and many alternatives have been offered, but not these lovely little engines, just 25 to choose from:

                                                                                 Amiens Street Shed, 1957                                                           Photo the late Lance King, Copyright IRRS

 

 

 

 

 

Agree on J15 being unlikely short term

WT is very possible

S class Have a good chance, but I always put them behind the..

..V class, which stand a pretty good chance. Lack of GNRI coaches hurts them a bit, but Merlin is active RPSI

Can't discount the 800s when IRM have the three Hunslets. And you can haul PRs behind them.

Q class and T2s especially would be wonderful, love the T2s, but alas my top three in terms of most likely candidates, in no particular order are..

V class, 800 class, WTs

Steam wildcards are a J26 or Sambo since you mentioned tanks.

On the off chance its a diesel, C class.

 

Edited Thursday at 23:49 by GSR 800

[Horsetan]

4 hours ago, leslie10646 said:

The guesses at "what it'll be" should get saner now that you lads are off alcohol for Lent...

 

I gave up Lent for Lent.

Although I managed to observe Lent for two years, what killed the whole sacrifice thing for me was realising that St. Patrick's Day (and the drink that is sine qua non) always came before the end of Lent.

[leslie10646]

Ah, sure, Ivan - Saint's Days are exempt - at least in the Church of England and the Presbyterian Church - but then the latter disapprove of intoxicating liquor anyway ......

[jhb171achill]

5 minutes ago, Horsetan said:

I gave up Lent for Lent.

Although I managed to observe Lent for two years, what killed the whole sacrifice thing for me was realising that St. Patrick's Day (and the drink that is sine qua non) always came before the end of Lent.

To me, religious zealot that I am, lent means going out on the soup three nights a week instead of four.

 

[Horsetan]

9 hours ago, leslie10646 said:

Ah, sure, Ivan - Saint's Days are exempt - at least in the Church of England and the Presbyterian Church - but then the latter disapprove of intoxicating liquor anyway ......

Ah, but some of us are a bit more....Catholic 

[Galteemore]

10 minutes ago, Horsetan said:

Ah, but some of us are a bit more....Catholic 

Saints days and Sundays are also exempt for Catholics ….

[PaulM1974]

Just wondering if anyone got their confirmation email yet? Hoping I haven't missed out..

[DJ Dangerous]

1 hour ago, PaulM1974 said:

Just wondering if anyone got their confirmation email yet? Hoping I haven't missed out..

Aside from the email confirming that you had entered your details on the form, I don't think there was an actual confirmation email.

[Warbonnet]

Hi everyone,

If you managed to register your details on the form, then you're on the list. If you didn't, then you aren't. 

We will be showing a video announcement on the Accurascale YouTube channel on Monday evening for all of you who cannot make it. Link is below!

Cheers!

Fran