IRM Latest! H Van Heaven - Unfitted H Vans Next For Accurascale IRM!

[Warbonnet]

Continuing our odyssey into the quintessential wagon load trains of the CIE era, and the maximum usage of the legendary Bulleid triangulated underframe, we are delighted to announce the humble H Van, this time in its widespread, "unfitted" format.   

History

As part of the programme of standardisation and rolling stock renewal instigated by Corás Iompair Éireann (CIÉ)’s Chief Mechanical Engineer, Oliver Bulleid, in the 1950s, a fleet of over 1,300 H vans was introduced. With a body resembling earlier CIÉ types but mated to an underframe constructed to Bulleid’s patented triangulated design, these wagons quickly became a common sight across the entirety of the Irish railway system, being found at practically every station where goods were transhipped, from remote branch lines to the busiest yards, and could even be observed on through workings in Northern Ireland.

The loads conveyed in these vehicles was varied, often being employed to carry a broad range of wagonload sundries, as well as serving higher volume flows such as bottles and barrels from the Guinness brewery at St James’s Gate in Dubbin, and beet pulp from sugar factories to be used as fodder. H vans were commonly observed on a wide range of workings, from short branch services consisting of one or two wagons in the company of the locomotive and a brake van, to long rakes of vans or mixed wagon types, and even on mixed trains on branch and secondary lines.

The rise of fitted trainload ‘liner’ trains in the 1970s heralded the demise of CIE’s wagonload services, and the H Van fleet became increasingly redundant, with most being withdrawn by the latter half of the 1970s. Today, a single complete example has been preserved and is to be found at the Downpatrick & County Down Railway, though numerous bodies still survive, having been sold on by CIÉ upon withdrawal, mostly to farmers for use as animal shelters or equipment sheds.

The Model

The unfitted H Vans marks the latest, and one of the most numerous wagons using the famous CIE Bulleid triangulated underframe design which helped standardise Irish freight stock from their introduction in the 1950s. It's our aim to offer all wagons based on this underframe design.

Featuring prototypically accurate simplified brake rigging compared to its rarer, fitted sisters, these wagons reached the four corners of the network, often seen in long mixed goods trains, and were a feature of almost every siding and freight spur around the country.

Coming in our famed triple packs, we have six different packs to offer modellers, featuring original grey with Flying Snails, grey with CIE roundels and brown with CIE roundels, giving a wide range of possibilities and variety for the modeller. 

Due in Q3 2025, these models are already nearing production completion at our factory. Priced at £109.95 per triple pack, and 10% off when you buy two or more packs, you can order them below direct, or via your local Accurascale/IRM stockist. 

Pre-Order Your Unfitted H Vans Here!

View the full article

[murphaph]

Nice one, flying snail ones ordered

[GSWR 90]

Good to see 18864, the one in Downpatrick, represented. Will definitely be ordering that one

[Tractionman]

excellent, I like the wagon plates!

 

cheers,

 

Keith 

[StevieB]

I assume that the one preserved at Cultra is the GSR predecessor.

Stephen

[mfjoc]

When did they start painting them brown? I think that I remember a lot of gray wagons still around the the 1970's

[DJ Dangerous]

12 minutes ago, mfjoc said:

When did they start painting them brown? I think that I remember a lot of gray wagons still around the the 1970's

1970’s they would have gone brown.

What’s the difference between fitted and un-fitted from an operational aspect?

Did it determine what loco could haul them and what other stock they could run with?

[Tony]

Would they need a brake van to go with them?

[BosKonay]

7 minutes ago, Tony said:

Would they need a brake van to go with them?

Yes unfitted means there is no braking system (like vacuum brakes or air brakes) fitted. So the train would need a brake van. 

[DJ Dangerous]

15 minutes ago, BosKonay said:

Yes unfitted means there is no braking system (like vacuum brakes or air brakes) fitted. So the train would need a brake van. 

Ahem, cough cough, hint hint!

[GSR 800]

4 minutes ago, DJ Dangerous said:

1970’s they would have gone brown.

What’s the difference between fitted and un-fitted from an operational aspect?

Did it determine what loco could haul them and what other stock they could run with?

Fitted vans could be used as part of passenger and mail consists to carry mail and other such items. They were also just used as regular H vans as a part of an unfitted freight consist IIRC.

 

[DJ Dangerous]

6 minutes ago, GSR 800 said:

Fitted vans could be used as part of passenger and mail consists to carry mail and other such items. They were also just used as regular H vans as a part of an unfitted freight consist IIRC.

 

So, fitted and unfitted could be mixed, provided there was a brakevan, and unfitted could ONLY run with a brakevan?

[GSR 800]

Just now, DJ Dangerous said:

So, fitted and unfitted could be mixed, provided there was a brakevan, and unfitted could ONLY run with a brakevan?

AFAIK yes.

[Galteemore]

Strictly speaking, too, the fitted stock should be marshalled together next to the loco, unless the unfitted stock is piped.

 

[chris]

Why is the pricing in GPB?

[Tractionman]

7 minutes ago, chris said:

Why is the pricing in GPB?

It'll be for us folks up here!  

[DJ Dangerous]

1 hour ago, chris said:

Why is the pricing in GPB?

You can change the currency if you scroll to the bottom of the sales page:

 

[leslie10646]

2 hours ago, Galteemore said:

Strictly speaking, too, the fitted stock should be marshalled together next to the loco, unless the unfitted stock is piped.

 

In "The County Down" there is an account of a guard who was in too much of a rush at Ballynahinch to put the coupled wagons at the front of the train and ended up in an embarrassing situation when they tried to stop the train at Ballynahinch Jct. @Patrick Davey could have re-enacted it on his first layout of the Junction!

Ye Gods, I've just become aware that the vacuum-fitted version did NOT have builder's plates - COME ON IRM, that was poor. Even I did them on my kit! 

 

Edited 13 hours ago by leslie10646

[chris]

13 hours ago, DJ Dangerous said:

You can change the currency if you scroll to the bottom of the sales page:

 

I'm aware of that but using GBP pricing for an announcement of an Irish model on an Irish forum and by a company called Irish Railway Models is a little tone deaf don't you think?

[DJ Dangerous]

7 minutes ago, chris said:

I'm aware of that but using GBP pricing for an announcement of an Irish model on an Irish forum and by a company called Irish Railway Models is a little tone deaf don't you think?

Meh, doesn’t bother me. Price displays in Euro, I pay in Euro, happy days!

I mean, they’re made in China and distributed from the UK, so I’d be OK with pricing in Renminbi OR Sterling, once I can pay in Euro.

[Darren.d]

16 hours ago, DJ Dangerous said:

Ahem, cough cough, hint hint!

Might need to cough louder.