IRM Latest! All Aboard The Enterprise And Matching Hunslets!

[Tractionman]

14 minutes ago, Mol_PMB said:

but not the maroon/blue.

aha thanks, that explains things, it's the maroon/blue driving trailer that it looks like I have missed out on -- on pre-orders

 

https://www.accurascale.com/products/nir-mk-2b-bdts-812-nir-maroon-blue

 

 

Edited yesterday at 11:43 by Tractionman
link

[Louth]

On 25/2/2026 at 12:05 AM, Mayner said:

There certainly seemed to be a greater interest in railway modelling in the north and east (particularly ex-GN,NCC territory) compared to the rest of the country, possibly because for a long time CIE was considered drab and un-interesting in comparison with the GN and NCC with their colourful (modernish) express locos smart rakes of uniform coaches. I once recall a railfan from Kilkenny speaking about finding the local early 50s railscene drab and boring and eventually modelling the GNR instead. 

NIR demonstrated a lot of courage and confidence in the future of the Enterprise (and the railways) with the early 1980s introduction of its 111-113 locomotives and two MK2 Enterprise carriage sets increasing the frequency of the Enterprise from 4 to 6 return workings daily at a time CIE Enterprise was made up mainly of Craven stock. 

Interestingly Model Irish Railways the main Irish kit producer between the 80s early 2000s was established by a group of Ulster based modellers, while during the last 20 or so years modellers in the "greater' Belfast area have been pro-active in encouraging Worsley Works to produced etched parts for  several of the distinctive railcar classes introduced by the UTA

Odd that there is only one good model railway shop in NI, Modellers Corner in Enniskillen. Nothing in Belfast area unless I'm missing something!

[Galteemore]

Nope. Used to be a few around but has always been niche. Mind you things in GB aren’t always much better. I live close to Swindon - home of the GWR - which has nothing. About to move to west London - again, nothing. On the other hand, we once lived in middle of Buckinghamshire and the tiny village within walking distance had a terrific shop! 

[Horsetan]

6 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

..., we once lived in middle of Buckinghamshire and the tiny village within walking distance had a terrific shop! 

Sounds like Aston Clinton, in which case that would have been Transport Treasures. That's also gone now.

No model railway shops worth the name in London, not since The Engine Shed in Leytonstone shut down following the sudden death of its owner many years ago. 

[Galteemore]

Just now, Horsetan said:

Sounds like Aston Clinton, in which case that would have been Transport Treasures. That's also gone now.

No model railway shops worth the name in London, not since The Engine Shed in Leytonstone shut down following the sudden death of its owner many years ago. 

Indeed it was. Yes, London used to have loads. Jane’s Trains Tooting is the closest in now I think. 

[Horsetan]

29 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

Indeed it was. Yes, London used to have loads. Jane’s Trains Tooting is the closest in now I think. 

There still is, I think, a model shop in Northfields, along the way from the Tube station. It's at 217 Northfield Avenue.

I visited a few times when I worked in Ealing. Run by a Polish fella - Witek is his name - and very chaotic - models and boxes all over the place. He only has limited opening hours, as he's actually a teacher/college lecturer. 

Edited yesterday at 14:25 by Horsetan

[Galteemore]

1 hour ago, Horsetan said:

There still is, I think, a model shop in Northfields, along the way from the Tube station. It's at 217 Northfield Avenue.

I visited a few times when I worked in Ealing. Run by a Polish fella - Witek is his name - and very chaotic - models and boxes all over the place. He only has limited opening hours, as he's actually a teacher/college lecturer. 

Sadly he’s dropped off too….would have been handy for where we’ll be 

 

[Horsetan]

5 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

Sadly he’s dropped off too….would have been handy for where we’ll be 

 

That's the end of that, so.

It'll probably become another Turkish barbers / vape shop / mini-mart

[ttc0169]

8 hours ago, Louth said:

Odd that there is only one good model railway shop in NI, Modellers Corner in Enniskillen. Nothing in Belfast area unless I'm missing something!

I visited the modellers corner earlier today-Warren has a great selection of railways and was expecting a fresh delivery of model railways  over the next two days-needless to say I will return on Monday   

Edited yesterday at 20:56 by ttc0169

[Colonel]

The decline of the local model shop is matched by the decline in what they can offer. With everything ever more ready to run, kits and especially scratch building materials are harder and harder to find. Plus since the demise of Maplin, a local electronics outlet is rare too, so basic stuff like layout wire, switches and connectors all have to come from on line orders.

[Ironroad]

Not as many stores as Maplins but Radionics  are a very good alternative. List of UK stores  https://uk.rs-online.com/web/content/services/branch-finder

They also have a store in Rialto Dublin

[Broithe]

33 minutes ago, Ironroad said:

Not as many stores as Maplins but Radionics  are a very good alternative. List of UK stores  https://uk.rs-online.com/web/content/services/branch-finder

They also have a store in Rialto Dublin

I still keep a full set of RadioSpares catalogues from the old days - virtually a reference work.

People offer them at remarkable prices on eBay these days...

[jhb171achill]

3 hours ago, Colonel said:

The decline of the local model shop is matched by the decline in what they can offer. With everything ever more ready to run, kits and especially scratch building materials are harder and harder to find. Plus since the demise of Maplin, a local electronics outlet is rare too, so basic stuff like layout wire, switches and connectors all have to come from on line orders.

Having only very recently joined the ranks of brass kit modellers (I’m only on my 3rd), I’m informed by the more experienced in this field that things like soldering wire, soldering irons, flux (both liquid and paste), brass sheet and fibre pens are also only stocked by a tiny handful of suppliers now, and in many cases nothing like the extent or range as held before. 

Thankfully I’m OK myself as I’m being guided by a lifetime brass modeller who can point me in the right direction, but for those who perhaps live in provincial turns or rural areas, mail order (increasingly very expensive) seems the only way.

[Horsetan]

2 hours ago, Ironroad said:

Not as many stores as Maplins but Radionics  are a very good alternative. List of UK stores  https://uk.rs-online.com/web/content/services/branch-finder

They also have a store in Rialto Dublin

One in Watford. Grand.

[Georgeconna]

20 hours ago, Galteemore said:

Sadly he’s dropped off too….would have been handy for where we’ll be 

 

Jeepers The old stomping ground, Use to get off the Tube in Northfields but would only get as far as the Spinning wheel for few bevs and then go back up to the station for last tube to Hounslow and never knew there was a model shop a few doors down!! the Pub now a shop Sadly, Still have some great memories. Used to go to West Drayton and the Aviation Hobby shop to get my stuff, that has gone too. Was not into the trains so much then. The Change of Demographics is stark in London.  Before and after shots of the SW.

Edited 8 hours ago by Georgeconna

[Georgeconna]

This is a vid of it open... Brace yourself.

 

and to bore you the Aviation hobby shop 1992 in glorious VHS quality. Bus ride is free.

 

[Horsetan]

1 hour ago, Georgeconna said:

This is a vid of it open... Brace yourself.

 

Witek was never particularly well-organised. He did have small waves of newish Bachmann stock (such as ex-SDJR 7Fs) coming in which invariably got placed on top of older items.... I always wondered how he was able to unearth anything for customers.

God only knows what happened to it all after he closed down. 

Edited 7 hours ago by Horsetan

[murrayec]

7 hours ago, Ironroad said:

Not as many stores as Maplins but Radionics  are a very good alternative. List of UK stores  https://uk.rs-online.com/web/content/services/branch-finder

They also have a store in Rialto Dublin

Radionics is an absolute rip here in Ireland, I source electronic stuff from Europe in places like  https://www.tme.eu/ie/en/ an order from this place arrives here quicker than an online order from Radionics and at half the price, sometimes even less......

Eoin

 

[jhb171achill]

19 minutes ago, murrayec said:

Radionics is an absolute rip here in Ireland, I source electronic stuff from Europe in places like  https://www.tme.eu/ie/en/ an order from this place arrives here quicker than an online order from Radionics and at half the price, sometimes even less......

Eoin

 

Don’t tell the postal and customs, delboys, brexiteers and tax people that, or they’ll dream up a special range of fees for those things! 
 

Item price £5.40

Tax: £11.28

Brexit surcharge: €21.13

Customs charge: €7

Surcharge: €3

Parcels post: €18.56

€ / £ conversion: €5.70

 

Total: €107.88.

 

[Broithe]

49 minutes ago, murrayec said:

Radionics is an absolute rip here in Ireland, I source electronic stuff from Europe in places like  https://www.tme.eu/ie/en/ an order from this place arrives here quicker than an online order from Radionics and at half the price, sometimes even less......

Eoin

 

RS have never been cheap.

I would never use them for myself, if it was me that was paying, but the old catalogues were a great way of working out what you really wanted and what would do the job.

There was also Farnell, but they didn't have quite the range of products that RS had.

I do miss Maplin, not cheap, either, but not so exorbitant, really, if they had what you needed now.

[Horsetan]

1 hour ago, Broithe said:

RS have never been cheap.

I would never use them for myself, if it was me that was paying, but the old catalogues were a great way of working out what you really wanted and what would do the job.

There was also Farnell, but they didn't have quite the range of products that RS had.....

In my school days, the school had accounts with both RS and Farnell, so this was an ideal way to acquire LEDs, semiconductors, etc. - our CDT Technology and Physics teachers encouraged it so that we could experiment for ourselves. All our individual orders were added onto the fees bill each term, so it was either our parents or the Government (some of us benefitted from the Government Assisted Places Scheme) who paid!

I still have loads of RS equipment - LEDs, CMOS-logic chips, a big tub of red resin gel flux (works well on electrics, brass and nickel-silver, and isn't as corrosive as phosphoric acid-based fluxes) - that I dip into, 36 years after leaving school....

[Broithe]

Our orders were very carefully scrutinised, but this was done by people who would have struggled to change a light bulb by themselves, so it wasn't impossible that the odd item for a 'Home Office' job may have slipped in by accident - or, so I'm told.