IRM Cement Bubble Latest News

[Irishswissernie]

Received my first order for Packs A B & C here in Haltwhistle (Centre of Britain according to the Town Council) this afternoon. Stephen at IRM in response to my query regarding my second order for Packs C & D says all outstanding orders are awaiting pick up by the Courier today. Outstanding work boys!  How are you going to fill your weekend?

 

Ernie 

[ak425]

Santa popped by this morning and left me 12 bubble wagons.   Absolute stunning models.    Christmas has arrived in South Dublin on November 17th.

[rebelred]

My Packs A,B,C & D got delivered to me yesterday evening, absolutely stunning models, delighted with them. Well worth the wait, thanks guys! 

[heirflick]

17 hours ago, RedRich said:

Was your Dad a railway enthusiast also Seamus. Lovely memory by the way and also very nice to see someone refer to their parent in a loving and respectful way, you don't see much of it these days on forums, maybe only on here.

Rich,

He had no interest at all - he would take me just to shut me up!!!  Mind you,  I can always remember ending up in some ould snug drinking a glass of TK lemonade while he supped at a pint of plain - and we even split a pack of 'Petes Penuts'!!! - Great days my friend!!!

 

 

[Garfield]

3 hours ago, Irishswissernie said:

 How are you going to fill your weekend?

With a long lie-in, mostly! 

[RedRich]

2 hours ago, heirflick said:

 

Sounds great Seamus Trains a TK red and a pack of peanuts = a good day out.

Rich,

[Irishswissernie]

I'm looking at doing some 'bubble' weathering and have blown up a few details from my photos. I have added them to the Miscellany album on flickr for anyone looking for inspiration! The right hand wagon at Limerick Works  is probably a step to far but I could perhaps use one of my previous bubbles built by son Alan from his 3D printed body/Dapol chassis. He used some unusual weathering techniques on these including tooth paste which then developed some kind of mould over time.

 

Ernie

[Noel]

16 minutes ago, Irishswissernie said:

I'm looking at doing some 'bubble' weathering and have blown up a few details from my photos. I have added them to the Miscellany album on flickr for anyone looking for inspiration! The right hand wagon at Limerick Works  is probably a step to far but I could perhaps use one of my previous bubbles built by son Alan from his 3D printed body/Dapol chassis. He used some unusual weathering techniques on these including tooth paste which then developed some kind of mould over time.

 

Ernie

Some fabulous photos in your album Ernie.  A treasure trove.

[RedRich]

There are some really good shots in that collection that can be referenced for future projects. I particularly love the shot of 25067 at the junction in June 2005. Little oddities and difference's  like on that one make the wagons stand out in a rake. I love the shots of Muine Bheag, what a really lovely set of buildings. It would make for a fantastic project to model the station with lot's of traffic to make it really interesting. Thanks for adding that collection Ernie I've really enjoyed looking at it.

Rich,

[Irishswissernie]

Thanks for you kind comments Rich! I have been pestering Dave Dunn at the Armstrong Railway Photographic Trust to check through the Trust Files for more Irish material with some success. Hopefully I should have some more before the end of the year although it will be mainly 1950's - 60's and probably steam. I do have some black & white negatives from 1977 which should be appearing in the next hour or so.

 

Ernie

[RedRich]

Great Ernie I really need to familiarize myself with the steam era and the history of our railways before the diesel era. 

Rich,

[flange lubricator]

Received my packs A,B,C and D yesterday really outstanding models well done guys.

 

[heirflick]

Got my load this morn and am pulling myself asunder since! - Yep...multiple organisms all over the place!!!Surprised at how sturdy they are, despite having delicate parts.  I am truly holding the best in miniature in my hands!   Well done IRM

[WRENNEIRE]

Got my load this morn and am pulling myself asunder since! 

Jasus Shem, there are children on this forum

Mop up, Aisle 3 ............

[RedRich]

6 hours ago, heirflick said:

Got my load this morn and am pulling myself asunder since! - Yep...multiple organisms all over the place!!!Surprised at how sturdy they are, despite having delicate parts.  I am truly holding the best in miniature in my hands!   Well done IRM

They are amazing models Seamus but that little beauty really stands out.

Rich,

[heirflick]

She's my favorite Rich

[Dhu Varren]

Received my 12 bubbles this week, absolutely exquisite models. The only criticism I have is the lack of close coupling with the standard NEM coupling, a problem that also afflicts the ballast wagons.

On rummaging through my spare couplings, I found the Bachmann 36-027 Short Cranked NEM Coupling is 2mm shorter than those supplied with the wagons. A simple calculation reveals that fitting the Bachmann couplings reduces the gap between wagons by 4mm, not perfect, but much better. A check online revealed that Track Shack were the cheapest, and an order was placed, received today. I am now in the process of replacing all the couplings on my bubbles.

BEFORE                                                                                                                             AFTER  

              

 

[popeye]

That does look much better.  

[aclass007]

That's well worth doing! Looks much better. 

Have you test run them yet? How did they behave crossing points, and on tight curves? 

[Dhu Varren]

All couplings have now been replaced, and the wagons tested. No problems at all, either being hauled or propelled through pointwork and crossovers. As the minimum radius anywhere on my layout is 2ft, I had to do a static test on a piece of 1st radius Hornby track to test for buffer clearance. This turned out to be about 1mm between buffers when being propelled, which is more than adequate.

[BosKonay]

21 minutes ago, Dhu Varren said:

All couplings have now been replaced, and the wagons tested. No problems at all, either being hauled or propelled through pointwork and crossovers. As the minimum radius anywhere on my layout is 2ft, I had to do a static test on a piece of 1st radius Hornby track to test for buffer clearance. This turned out to be about 1mm between buffers when being propelled, which is more than adequate.

Nice work... we're checking with the factory

[Irishrailwayman]

18 hours ago, Dhu Varren said:

Received my 12 bubbles this week, absolutely exquisite models. The only criticism I have is the lack of close coupling with the standard NEM coupling, a problem that also afflicts the ballast wagons.

On rummaging through my spare couplings, I found the Bachmann 36-027 Short Cranked NEM Coupling is 2mm shorter than those supplied with the wagons. A simple calculation reveals that fitting the Bachmann couplings reduces the gap between wagons by 4mm, not perfect, but much better. A check online revealed that Track Shack were the cheapest, and an order was placed, received today. I am now in the process of replacing all the couplings on my bubbles.

BEFORE                                                                                                                             AFTER  

              

 

The same could be achieved using the shorter NEM Kadee couplers.

[Dhu Varren]

2 minutes ago, Irishrailwayman said:

The same could be achieved using the shorter NEM Kadee couplers.

Not everyone wants to use Kadee couplers.

[RedRich]

I agree with Gerry regarding the Kadee's. they aren't prototypical ( neither are tension lock )  but they are less unobtrusive. Hopefully in the future the tension lock will be replaced but the question is what will it be replaced with. I never tend to add them to the mix when forming my own opinion on whether a model is a hit or a miss and leave them out of the equation. It's just so fantastic to actually have some top class accurate wagons and that's what does it for me.

Rich,

[WRENNEIRE]

Not really concerned about the couplings one way or the other

Brought some Bubbles for a jaunt this afternoon

One 141 was able to pull them all but I thought 2 would look better

 

 

[Irishrailwayman]

4 hours ago, Dhu Varren said:

Not everyone wants to use Kadee couplers.

That's true but they have the advantage of enabling wagons to be removed from the centre or other part of a train without disturbing the others (something that is difficult with Hornby-style couplings). They can add stability to trains over less-than-perfect track quite apart from delayed uncoupling capabilities for shunting.

[Noel]

41 minutes ago, WRENNEIRE said:

Not really concerned about the couplings one way or the other

Brought some Bubbles for a jaunt this afternoon

One 141 was able to pull them all but I thought 2 would look better

 

 

40 Cement Bubbles - just brilliant. 

PS: There were no tail lamps on the end wagon  

18 minutes ago, Irishrailwayman said:

That's true but they have the advantage of enabling wagons to be removed from the centre or other part of a train without disturbing the others (something that is difficult with Hornby-style couplings). They can add stability to trains over less-than-perfect track quite apart from delayed uncoupling capabilities for shunting.

+1 and when fitting shorter couplings the gapping can be reduced

[RobertRoche]

I tested out mine yesterday at WMRC. They are excellent runners.

 

 

[Noel]

Looks good.  11 wagons?   

[RobertRoche]

3 hours ago, Noel said:

Looks good.  11 wagons?   

Just to keep you on your toes! 

 

One lost a buffer in transit - I kept it aside for other to have a look at the great detail.

[Glenderg]

1 hour ago, robbie58 said:

Just to keep you on your toes! 

 

One lost a buffer in transit - I kept it aside for other to have a look at the great detail.

If you're short a buffer Robbie, give us a shout on info@irishrailwaymodels.com and we'll send out a replacement, or replace the entire wagon to your satisfaction. I know it's a method of getting super close coupling by loosing a few buffers, but not recommended  R

[RobertRoche]

15 hours ago, Glenderg said:

If you're short a buffer Robbie, give us a shout on info@irishrailwaymodels.com and we'll send out a replacement, or replace the entire wagon to your satisfaction. I know it's a method of getting super close coupling by loosing a few buffers, but not recommended  R

It's in the box, a bit of glue should sort it out, thanks! 

[WRENNEIRE]

Still reckon its hard to beat the old MIR Bubbles  

[Glenderg]

Those Alan Gibson wheels must be worth a fortune!

[enniscorthyman]

On 11/27/2017 at 4:38 PM, WRENNEIRE said:

Still reckon its hard to beat the old MIR Bubbles  

The MIR bubbles were quite Good,although they had to be built correctly and the chassis square.