IRM Latest! The Hunslets Enter The Final Frontier - Delivery Update December 2025

[Warbonnet]

If you’re keeping an eye on our upcoming releases, then our NIR Hunslet locomotives are certainly in the minds of fans of all things 5ft 3'. Due to land around now, there has been a very slight delay, but the good news is that they're about to depart the factory in China.

We have Production Samples in hand but with our Christmas rush we've yet to take proper photographs of them, so look forward to seeing the final results in January! 

You might notice that the project took a little longer than expected. That’s because extra time was needed to refine the sound project. But trust us—it’s worth the wait. The attention to detail and the quality of the audio really make these models stand out, capturing that distinctive English Electric whistle which echoed along the Great Northern Main Line for so many years.

The factory has been incredibly busy lately, handling multiple projects at once. If you’ve been following our activity, you’ve probably noticed how packed it is with new releases right now. This makes the extra care they are taking even more reassuring—you know they’re focused on quality rather than rushing things out.

After the Hunslets they will begin on the Mark 2 coaches too, so you can expect a lovely matching train with matching paint shades hammering around your layout.

When you finally get your hands on a NIR Hunslet, you’ll see why it’s such a must-have. It's highly unlikely a Ready-to-Run Hunslet will ever be available again, and we highly doubt a second run will ever happy, so now is your chance to grab one. Pre-order below for a Q1 2026 delivery.

Pre-order Your NIR Hunslet Here!

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[John-r]

Stunning, really looking forward to these beauties, can't wait to hear the sound version.

[Jonathan Allen]

Some images of the Accurascale "Hunslets" on display yesterday at Model Rail Scotland. Paul Isles told me the models are about to dispatch and should (little disturbance in the Gulf permitting) arrive Q2 2026.

[Mol_PMB]

50 minutes ago, Jonathan Allen said:

Some images of the Accurascale "Hunslets" on display yesterday at Model Rail Scotland. Paul Isles told me the models are about to dispatch and should (little disturbance in the Gulf permitting) arrive Q2 2026.

Many thanks for the update and photos. 
I don’t suppose there were any Park Royals on show? 

[Jonathan Allen]

28 minutes ago, Mol_PMB said:

Many thanks for the update and photos. 
I don’t suppose there were any Park Royals on show? 

No.

[Patrick Davey]

Those white roofs will need weathering!  The locos look amazing!

[Horsetan]

Seems my Hunslet was delivered by DPD to the doorstep yesterday. Regauging should be gas.

[Mol_PMB]

15 minutes ago, Horsetan said:

Seems my Hunslet was delivered by DPD to the doorstep yesterday. Regauging should be gas.

I look forward to seeing what's involved - please would you post some pics of your process?

[Horsetan]

4 hours ago, Mol_PMB said:

I look forward to seeing what's involved - please would you post some pics of your process?

If it's anything like the "A" and the BR Class 31, it shouldn't hold any surprises....

[Horsetan]

Well, here we are now....

The box is massive. Possibly bigger than it needs to be...

There's a bunch of paperwork that you get for free. And a spares diagram that shows around 200 parts went into the thing.

[Horsetan]

As someone who generally only goes for models of preserved stock, I went for 102 Falcon in fairly late NIR livery.

It has been said in the past that the Hunslets owed their styling to BR's Class 52 Westerns, but I'm not so sure. The general look of the Hunslet has much in common with metre-gauge diesels that were supplied to South East Asia, particularly Thailand and Malaysia, and there's a bit that seems to resemble the 5'6" engines that went to India and Sri Lanka.

For something relatively compact, the model is quite heavy. There's a mass of fine detail, much of it underneath, and a small bag containing even more detail to be fixed to the model.

Both bogies have chains, actual miniature chains, attached to brake levers on the bogie and on the underframe. These are likely to pose a problem if you’re opening up the bogies for general maintenance or regauging, as it means that you only get a certain degree of clearance to get into the geartrain or to remove the wheelsets.

[Horsetan]

Once we get underneath, there's a lot to like, but also a lot to be wary of.

The good news is that the bogie outside frames are easy to lever off. Mine lifted off in my hand, no screwdriver necessary.

The bad news is that the frames can only be lifted as far as the brake chains will allow. An initial try does suggest it's possible to lever the driven axles out without necessarily damaging anything.

Less certain are the brake rods that surround the lower part of each wheel - they're fine for standard OO, but unhelpful for 21mm gauge, so may have to be re-mounted further out or, if not possible, split before repositioning. 

[WRENNEIRE]

Still waiting for my delivery, another cluster*uck as DPD are looking for duty/tax payment to be paid before delivery!
You couldn't make this s*it up

[Georgeconna]

31 minutes ago, WRENNEIRE said:

Still waiting for my delivery, another cluster*uck as DPD are looking for duty/tax payment to be paid before delivery!
You couldn't make this s*it up

Sure you have loads of dosh lad. Pay up!! LOL!

Mines coming Fed Ex not DPD. Hopefully not the same shenanigans as DPD.

[Darius43]

Cheers

Darius

[Galteemore]

Wow wow wow. If that doesn’t make the case for an RTR WT nothing will - that scene deserves one 

Edited 3 hours ago by Galteemore

[jhb171achill]

31 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

Wow wow wow. If that doesn’t make the case for an RTR WT nothing will - that scene deserves one 

I'm just thinking at this level of detail. a "WT" Jeep would have to have a fully-working Willie Graham, Barney McCrory and Frank Dunlop in the cab......

[Horsetan]

1 hour ago, Galteemore said:

Wow wow wow. If that doesn’t make the case for an RTR WT nothing will - that scene deserves one 

The Indians had a WT class as well - a substantial 2-8-4T, with a lot of the Stanier look about it.