New Announcement! IRM Ballast and Gypsum Hoppers!

[DiveController]

Existing tooling, so yes for that reason i would think 

[murphaph]

These aren't the worst wagons to have an issue on the NEM pocket heights luckily enough. They ran in fixed rakes more or less. You wouldn't be (prototypically anyway) shunting these things individually I would have thought. They were all going from point A to point B. Either unit train gypsums from Kingscourt to a cement factory or ballasts that were loaded together at one point and brought together to the works site.

That's the case for me anyway. I'll modify the end wagons in the rakes a la Noel's Kadee fix and use fixed couplings on the intermediates, using the NEM pockets as they are. For me at least there will be no need to modify all the wagons.

I had ordered the IE bundle, all the IR wagons individually (as I have the IR ploughs) and the ore bundle but then I realised I need two ore bundles, one for the laden and one for the empty return workings to Kingscourt! Don't forget your empty workings lol. Another ore bundle ordered so! 

 

 

[DiveController]

2 hours ago, Wexford70 said:

Think I got the last IR pack, my Xmas present to myself. Would also have loved to hear an announcement on coaching stock.

If you missed out on the rush, Marks Models still have some IRM IR Plough Vans

https://www.marksmodels.com/?pid=34697

 

[gm171 kk]

I just took delivery of my last pack of cement bubbles when this announcement came. And sure I had to order a bundle. 

[Georgeconna]

Damn Visa just Cleared and just sold a Vacform Kit on the Bay for STG250 happy days I thought! Gonna have to give this lark up I reckon. 

I'll just go for the Gypsums I think.

you're on overdrive there Murphaph....Man alive.

 

[jhb171achill]

10 hours ago, Warbonnet said:

We have decided to revisit that first model we announced back in 2015..............featuring their iconic roundels, before progressing into the IR post 1987 era sporting the points logo and text, and then entering their final years in IE guise with a smorgasbord of interesting markings and painted out patches. 

Interesting to see the rare "set of points" logo - exceptionally few wagons ever carried them! I only ever saw them on these wagons and a low-sided PW wagon of some sort. The vast majority didn't  have them, so a nice little addition to a rake.

The ferts never had them, of course.....they were just gradually repainted plain brown. 

Another nice touch is the one with the "hand-written" stuff on it, and the one with the "dirty weathered" logo, like on one of the IRM ferts, if I'm not mistaken. Completes the realism!

[murphaph]

Gotta make hay while the sun shines George! Just don't tell the missus!!!

As DJ said to me, sure they're an investment.

[DJ Dangerous]

10 hours ago, murphaph said:

Gotta make hay while the sun shines George! Just don't tell the missus!!!

As DJ said to me, sure they're an investment.

 

Much as that might sound hilarious, I can tell you that from the perspective of anybody in the same position as Murph and I, it rings true.

The time, effort and money that we have both been pouring into catching up, plus the disappointments along the way when things aren't as described, makes the real cost at least twice what it would have been, if not more, for many of the models that we've tracked down.

We are so lucky to be involved in the hobby right now, and to have made as much progress as we have personally with what we have caught up on.

Any modellers of the Irish scene today are luckier than ever, literally speaking, with the RTR options that we have seen, and are likely to see.

This is a weekend to celebrate.

IRM have survived five years in what must have seemed like a dark, deep, chasm in mid 2015, have offered too many amazing models to list, have upped the bar every time, with more detail,  technical improvements, streamlined operations, never mind conquering the UK market, and now, a week after their fifth birthday, they launch thirteen new packs in one day!

That has to be their biggest launch, yet.

Every launch will delight some and disappoint some, as everybody has their own preferences, but I for one think that this weekend is one to sit back and congratulate IRM, and thank them for what they have done for all of us.

Everything will come with time.

Take a bow, lads, take a bow.

[murphaph]

If anyone doesn't believe how tricky it is to catch up once you miss the initial release, all you have to do is look on eBay for IRM stuff. You generally won't find any and if you do it'll likely go for 50% more than the RRP.

I've been lucky in meeting (virtually at least) some really decent people (away from eBay) who aren't price gougers. Otherwise I'd still be scratching around looking for the first few items at highly inflated eBay rates.

By the way I'm still looking for that elusive bubbles pack A if anyone is willing to part with one lol

[Warbonnet]

13 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

Interesting to see the rare "set of points" logo - exceptionally few wagons ever carried them! I only ever saw them on these wagons and a low-sided PW wagon of some sort. The vast majority didn't  have them, so a nice little addition to a rake.

The ferts never had them, of course.....they were just gradually repainted plain brown. 

Another nice touch is the one with the "hand-written" stuff on it, and the one with the "dirty weathered" logo, like on one of the IRM ferts, if I'm not mistaken. Completes the realism!

Hi JB,

We initially thought the points logo on ballasts was rare, but it was more prevalent than we thought the deeper we dug into it, especially once we raided "the archivist" collection of pics. We got enough for a run out of it. 

2 hours ago, DJ Dangerous said:

 

Much as that might sound hilarious, I can tell you that from the perspective of anybody in the same position as Murph and I, it rings true.

The time, effort and money that we have both been pouring into catching up, plus the disappointments along the way when things aren't as described, makes the real cost at least twice what it would have been, if not more, for many of the models that we've tracked down.

We are so lucky to be involved in the hobby right now, and to have made as much progress as we have personally with what we have caught up on.

Any modellers of the Irish scene today are luckier than ever, literally speaking, with the RTR options that we have seen, and are likely to see.

This is a weekend to celebrate.

IRM have survived five years in what must have seemed like a dark, deep, chasm in mid 2015, have offered too many amazing models to list, have upped the bar every time, with more detail,  technical improvements, streamlined operations, never mind conquering the UK market, and now, a week after their fifth birthday, they launch thirteen new packs in one day!

That has to be their biggest launch, yet.

Every launch will delight some and disappoint some, as everybody has their own preferences, but I for one think that this weekend is one to sit back and congratulate IRM, and thank them for what they have done for all of us.

Everything will come with time.

Take a bow, lads, take a bow.

It seems in this thread yet again we disappoint people no matter what we do, but it's posts like this above from @DJ Dangerous that really warm the heart and keep us encouraged and help us carry on. The sales from yesterday were fantastic on the back of this new announcement so we would like to extend a sincere thank you to everyone who ordered. It's very much appreciated!

We're delighted that our newer customers who missed out first time round are now able to get ballast wagons as well as adding the gypsum variant to our range for more operational variety, and that existing customers can add to their fleets! 

Cheers!

Fran

[Railer]

48 minutes ago, Warbonnet said:

 

It seems in this thread yet again we disappoint people no matter what we do, but it's posts like this above from @DJ Dangerous that really warm the heart and keep us encouraged and help us carry on. The sales from yesterday were fantastic on the back of this new announcement so we would like to extend a sincere thank you to everyone who ordered. It's very much appreciated!

We're delighted that our newer customers who missed out first time round are now able to get ballast wagons as well as adding the gypsum variant to our range for more operational variety, and that existing customers can add to their fleets! 

Cheers!

Fran

It's just that imo the Irish customer base and demand has grown dramatically and due to economies of scale production runs cannot now match demand. Minimum production runs are now clearly not enough but the next notch up is not justifiable from IRMs position. 

Which leaves us in a case of keeping a few hundred by at all times so that we don't miss out on any releases.

I was lucky to get any kegs and ferts before they sold out. Same with the empty flats. I got the last pack from Marks. 

Same now happening with MM grey 121s. They are almost fully sold out with all retailers. It just shows to me anyway is that the Irish market is very healthy with high demand across the board.

[Warbonnet]

15 minutes ago, Railer said:

It's just that imo the Irish customer base and demand has grown dramatically and due to economies of scale production runs cannot now match demand. Minimum production runs are now clearly not enough but the next notch up is not justifiable from IRMs position. 

Which leaves us in a case of keeping a few hundred by at all times so that we don't miss out on any releases.

I was lucky to get any kegs and ferts before they sold out. Same with the empty flats. I got the last pack from Marks. 

Same now happening with MM grey 121s. They are almost fully sold out with all retailers. It just shows to me anyway is that the Irish market is very healthy with high demand across the board.

As I said previously, our production runs are being dictated to in size somewhat by COVID restrictions. There is little we can do about this at the moment. 

We still have plenty of spoils, weed spray and RPSI 121s left in stock, so we are getting it more correct in recent times. 

[DJ Dangerous]

1 hour ago, Warbonnet said:

As I said previously, our production runs are being dictated to in size somewhat by COVID restrictions. There is little we can do about this at the moment. 

We still have plenty of spoils, weed spray and RPSI 121s left in stock, so we are getting it more correct in recent times. 

No harm in highlighting that the Spoil and Weedspray loads can be removed and replaced with @Arran's C-Rail containers of choice, effectively making them 42' Container Liners.

Edited October 25, 2020 by DJ Dangerous

[JasonB]

Everybody is entitled to their opinion. But it's quite easy to make comments regarding the size of a certain run of model, when it's not your money tied up in the venture.

COVID or not, these things still have to make sense financially at the end of the day.  

[BosKonay]

For perspective, our first ballast run was 2,499 wagons. This run is nearly 5 times that. So while the Irish market remains small relatively it is certainly thriving and growing. (And these runs are not ‘small’ in real terms. This run runs to healthy 6 figures in cost) 

[murphaph]

There's an article in the Observer today about the boom experienced this year by the UK model rail sector as people have been forced to stay at home and their attention has turned to that old childhood dream.

Even the more established firms are facing big problems due to unprecedented demand coupled with manufacturing constraints.

 

[StevieB]

My local model shop said exactly that the other day, demand is outstripping supply. It won’t be long before prices rise, if they haven’t already.
 

Stephen

[Warbonnet]

11 minutes ago, StevieB said:

My local model shop said exactly that the other day, demand is outstripping supply. It won’t be long before prices rise, if they haven’t already.
 

Stephen

And there is us after REDUCING the price of these wagons by €20 per pack over run one!  

[TimO]

Hi Fran, a great weekend surprise. Are any of the individual ballast running numbers duplicated across more than one livery? 

[StevieB]

52 minutes ago, Warbonnet said:

And there is us after REDUCING the price of these wagons by €20 per pack over run one!  

There’s always an exception to the rule about supply and demand, and we’re so glad it’s your good selves.

Stephen

[Niles]

Excellent. I was 'asleep' from the model rail scene for a few years so nice to be able to get a second chance.

Edited October 25, 2020 by Niles

[BosKonay]

1 hour ago, TimO said:

Hi Fran, a great weekend surprise. Are any of the individual ballast running numbers duplicated across more than one livery? 

No - we always make a point of not duplicating any running numbers. 

[mphoey]

7 minutes ago, BosKonay said:

No - we always make a point of not duplicating any running numbers. 

eventually you will run out of numbers for stock or else we can ask Iarnroid Eireann to buy more stock for you

[Niles]

Actually, re IR livery - anyone know how late the plough vans ran in this? The model has late enough markings - I more remember the 'plain IÉ' ones by then but got the IR set anyway 'cause I like it' and that's reason No.1 for anything!

Edited October 25, 2020 by Niles

[Wexford70]

Could the CIE and IR wagons be mixed? Was there a cross over period when they might have co-existed?

[murphaph]

I'd be amazed if there wasn't a long crossover period.

[Warbonnet]

there was always a long crossover period with Irish railways so quite likely! 

28 minutes ago, Niles said:

Actually, re IR livery - anyone know how late the plough vans ran in this? The model has late enough markings - I more remember the 'plain IÉ' ones by then but got the IR set anyway 'cause I like it' and that's reason No.1 for anything!

pretty sure one at least that we modelled ran into the mid 2000s at least with IR markings!

[jhb171achill]

4 minutes ago, Wexford70 said:

Could the CIE and IR wagons be mixed? Was there a cross over period when they might have co-existed?

Yes, like any livery change anywhere, there will be a period during which each item gets a normal routine repaint, and thus the new version. If something is newly painted the day before a livery change comes into being, it will be pottering about in the old livery, probably, for years to come.

The IE position was generally not to put the new "set of points" let alone the later "three pin plug" on anything. Plain brown instead. There were a few exceptions, like a handful of the ballast wagons shown by IRM above - but generally no logo. However, vehicles with old CIE "roundels" were to be seen for a ling time, most notably among the ferts. Some of these were still to be seen with CIE logos on them right until fertiliser traffic stopped. With pre-fitted stock, that is prior to 1976 in the days of four-wheelers, there were still a good few wagons still in grey (from before 1970), and even a small handful not only in grey, but with flying snails - which were pre-1963!

So, say you're running ferts - even in IE days there will be a good few still with "roundels". Prior to 1987 there would be the odd one WITHOUT any logo, as they just hadn't put one on!

The ballast wagons - if you're in the 1980s either plain or with CIE. The few with IR logos would, of course, be mixed in with these - exactly as the new release of wagons shows - after 1987.

A word on the CIE logo here. Someone asked me recently which CIE wagons had a pale brown roundel, or a white one, in later days - as they had seen one on an IRM fert.

The answer is very categorically NONE. Unless someone can show me a single, experimental, lime green, tartan and pink one, ALL CIE roundels after 1970 (i.e. on brown wagons) were white. However - as highly realistically shown on both the IRM fert which carries it, plus one of the latest ballast wagons, these got dirtied / weathered with brake dust (like the ends of carriages) to the extent they LOOKED brownish - same as the way Donegal steam loco domes LOOKED black, despite being painted red, or CIE steam engines looked black, when they were grey under twenty layers of filth. The weathered brownish one on these two IRM wagons looks most realistic.

While on the subject of wagons, this recalls something else that came up in another recent conversation - WHY some wagons were brown and some grey in the 1970s.

There is a perception that this was something to do with  which ones were fitted or not - no - like black wagon chassis this was a British Rail thing.

On the GSR and CIE, wagon liveries were all plain grey, though the shade lightened in the 1960s. Nothing brown - not a single vehicle - though many were weathered so much that brake dust made them look brown-ISH from a distance, on a dull day. Fitted or unfitted didn't matter.

Plough vans also. The Downpatrick plough van - incorrectly painted brown and black, seems to have given rise to many imitations - but again, dull oul grey. Ballast wagons also - no yellow before the 1990s or so.

The brown was simply a livery change about 1970s. Thus, if we model pre-1970, the whole lot is grey. If we model after that, a mix of grey or brown. If it's after 1976, all brown.

I digress; I'll get back in me box.

[Mick]

The IE Ballast Wagon packs look amazing, particularly Pack F! Popped an order in for a pack, can't wait to get it.

Going to set some money aside next payday and get one of the ballast vans to go along with it. 

[DJ Dangerous]

51 minutes ago, Warbonnet said:

there was always a long crossover period with Irish railways so quite likely! 

pretty sure one at least that we modelled ran into the mid 2000s at least with IR markings!

Are you going to keep it a secret which one?

[jhb171achill]

1 hour ago, Warbonnet said:

there was always a long crossover period with Irish railways so quite likely! 

pretty sure one at least that we modelled ran into the mid 2000s at least with IR markings!

Could well be, yes!

[Vlak]

5 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

 

The IE position was generally not to put the new "set of points" let alone the later "three pin plug" on anything. Plain brown instead. There were a few exceptions, like a handful of the ballast wagons shown by IRM above - but generally no logo.

 

If I recall correctly there was 1x ballast hopper that had the IÉ plug & socket logo stencilled on the sides, as well as one of the tank wagons, used for transporting fuel oil for internal use around the network in years gone by. I’m struggling to think of any other freight wagons that carried the IÉ plug & socket logo with the exception of the weedspray train?

PS: Superb work by IRM for yet another fantastic release!

Edit: There were several tank wagons converted for Molasses traffic that carried the IR ‘points’ logo as well as at least one brake van I seem to recall.

 

Edited October 25, 2020 by Vlak

[DiveController]

57 minutes ago, Vlak said:

 

If I recall correctly there was 1x ballast hopper that had the IÉ plug & socket logo stencilled on the sides, as well as one of the tank wagons, used for transporting fuel oil for internal use around the network in years gone by

 

I don't know which ballast wagon but 26750 is the fuel oil tank wagon seen at Limerick 2005

 

Edited October 25, 2020 by DiveController

[DJ Dangerous]

And what a lovely back-scene of ScaleScenes cardboard containers you have in that photo!

Totally off-topic, but where does one source the gauze to model the platform around the cap on the centre of the oil wagon?

[gm171 kk]

2 minutes ago, DJ Dangerous said:

And what a lovely back-scene of ScaleScenes cardboard containers you have in that photo!

Totally off-topic, but where does one source the gauze to model the platform around the cap on the centre of the oil wagon?

Studio Scale Models sell both types as a brass kit.