IRM Latest! ICR Update Oct 2025 - Cutting It Fine To Show Time

[Warbonnet]

Recently we promised and delivered an in-depth update on our Park Royal coaches, which are happily now motoring through the production process after a much longer than ideal development process. 

We promised the same on the ICR too at that time. As you are aware, it's been the long suffering and problem child project for us here at Accurascale IRM. We set a deadline of providing an update ahead of the annual Dublin model railway exhibition which takes place this weekend and we've been cutting it fine.

However, the latest development model landed with us yesterday (Thursday)!

So, the good news is we have it for the show. 

The bad news is that we've yet to test it properly, let alone take photographs of it for this update!

However, more good news! We couldn't resist putting a sound decoder inside with a first draft of the sound project, so we have taken a short video which you will be able to see below!

The model on display represents the latest step in what has been a long journey of development and refinement. Each version has brought us closer to a more seamless and realistic operation — and this latest one takes a major leap forward.

Smarter Couplings, Smarter Control

One of the most notable (and technically challenging) upgrades is the redesigned coupling system. These new couplings allow a single decoder to control the entire train, a feat that required a complete rethink of the system’s internal circuitry, and has never been done on a unit of this complexity anywhere before.

After the factory producing the model felt that it could not be done with our long list of functionality demands off one decoder, we approached the foremost experts in all things DCC, ESU, to help us with the design. ESU themselves have described it as "the most complex project" they have ever worked on, and development took over 12 months to complete between designing, testing and troubleshooting the circuitry for the single decoder design. This was after almost two years of the factory attempting to make it work using their own electrical engineers. 

This new sample is the first ICR to carry this newly designed ESU circuitry for testing.

This change brings two huge benefits:

• Customer cost savings – Previously, achieving full sound across the train meant purchasing multiple LokSound decoders. Now, a single decoder does it all. Otherwise the RRP would be almost double what it currently is.
• Hands-free operation – The need for a control wand has been completely removed, making the experience far more intuitive and immersive, just using your DCC controller for full functionality.

Digital Communication at the Core

With the huge number of lighting functions involved — interior lights, cab lights, dual-colour door lock lights, and more — we needed a smarter way to handle communication. The solution was a digital communication bus, transferring all the output data from the decoder through an integrated circuit (IC) and down just a few wires instead of a nest of complexity! 

This innovation allows every car in the train to “talk” to the central decoder seamlessly, keeping things tidy and efficient under the hood. This allows the technology to be more robust and reliable. 

A Peek Behind the Roof

For those who love to see what’s going on beneath the surface, we’ll be highlighting the new couplings, providing views with the roof removed, and showcasing the intricately designed ESU PCB — the real brain behind this model’s intelligent operation.

View the sample and hear the first draft of the sound file below! 

Please remember this is a first draft, on a test mule, and both will receive improvements before production. The ICR also offers additional complexity, needing to work in 3, 4 and 6 car formations, adding further layers of engineering complexity to the model from an electrical point of view.

So, where does this leave the project? Frankly, we will not know until testing of this sample by us is complete. If it works as it should, then they will go straight into production and delivery will be mid next 2026. If not, it may take longer. It's not the news any of us wanted, but we would rather be honest with you.

However, on even early testing as above, the signs are very positive that our ICR functions as it should, so we are getting confident that it's coming together and it will be with us sooner, rather than later.

Our plan now is to test this after the Dublin show, and then we will film the model in a more thorough update, showing all the features and how it all works. This will have a more accurate timeline on delivery. We expect that video to go live before the end of November, so watch out for it!

We once again thank you for your patience and understanding, and are happy to bring you positive news on our most ambitious model by far to date. With speakers in every car, a serious array of lighting configurations, a wealth of separately applied interior and exterior detail, and everything easily controllable on your DCC controller, our ICR promises to be a show stopping model and the pride of any fleet. We look forward to showing you more this weekend and in our forthcoming video in a couple of weeks.

Fancy one? Pre-order yours today below:

Pre-Order Your ICR Here!

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[Sea Breezer]

Deadly, really looking forward to these

[raymurph]

Looks very impressive. I shouldn't get one but I am more and more tempted by the 3 car set. I know this model will excel on DCC but if possible could the video show some of the functionality when it's run on DC only? 

[jhb171achill]

Unbelievably superb!

Over half a century out of my era but this is something I absolutely MUST have!

[airfixfan]

You can get CAF 3001 and 3006 plus a free wheelbarrow!

[Bob229]

The Dcc model sound and light options are excellent on the test model hopefully the work is near complete a bit disappointing it will be mid 2026 but will be worth the wait

[Patrick Davey]

Very impressive!

[airfixfan]

Reduced Enterprise service tomorrow from Belfast and Dublin. Check Irish Rail website as Translink website is incorrect!

[Sean]

I really wish i had a layout big enough for these trains

 

[airfixfan]

I really wish Translink knew how to operate a railway eg the 09.00 Enterprise is a bus from Grand Central!

[DJ Dangerous]

This looks and sounds incredible!

Well done to everybody involved.

Will DC models be upgradeable with some sort of AccuraThrash kit?