Well then, who could've predicted that? Our second powered model for IRM is an everyday sight, stalwart of the passenger services across the country for the last 15 years and our very first railcar model. 

It is of course, the 220000 Class Rotem ICR railcars!

The ICRs have reached all corners of the rail network in Ireland, and also operated on cross-border 'Enterprise' duties to Belfast in their 15 years on our network to date. Originally delivered in 3 and 6 car formats, there has been numerous reshufflings of the fleet since then, with 3, 4, 5 and 6 car sets common sights. Additional cars are even being delivered currently, with the fleet proving to be totally reliable and completely dependable.

Check out our history file here to learn more about the interesting lives the ICRs have lived to date.

The Model

Following on from the success of our A Class, we have been looking to make a pretty big statement in our second powered model. While locomotives, especially diesels, have become well served on the Irish scene, railcars have been a poor relation. So, we felt it was time to take up the mantle and provide a model of the most numerous train which can be seen around the country today.

Doing the Rotems justice requires doing it 'the IRM Way', so a wonderful mix of the variations, formation lengths and high quality detail and finish has been built into the models which will find their homes on your layout. As you can see from these images, the detail itself is going to be exquisite.

Our friends in Irish Rail have played a pivotal part in this model, giving us access to the fleet at their HQ at Portlaoise Traincare Depot on a number of occasions as we measured up an surveyed the real deals. 

This has allowed us to create probably the most detailed ever railcar model in OO gauge, with a whole host of features, including:

Detail

• Highly detailed 3, 4 and 6 car railcar sets depicting the life to date of the 220000 class railcars
• The Driving Cars (DRBFO and DMSO) are supplied with optional extended magnetic front mounted Voith couplings, to allow for authentic multiple set working.
• The Driving Cars (DRBFO and DMSO) are fitted with poseable front fairings at the front.
• Fully detailed die-cast underframe with all cylinders, battery boxes, cabinets and piping applied separately
• Eroded metal, plastic and wire detail parts, including (but not limited to) roof detail, handrails, door handles, lamp brackets, brake gear, brake discs, draw gear, vents and louvres
• Prism free flush glazing
• Fully directional lighting, with full range of lighting options for day/night running and shunting/yard configurations.
• Full passenger interior lighting in all vehicles, set at correct colour temperature, with hidden stay-alive capacitors, pick up from one bogie and a reed switch to control on/off via a magnetic wand
• Separate cab lighting configurations

• Close coupled gangways, that will be maintained over curves via kinetic couplings

Performance

• Driven car will feature 5-pole skew wound motor with twin flywheels for optimum performance while also maintaining passenger saloon detail, with no blocking of windows by unsightly motor enclosure.
• Die-cast metal chassis with plastic body. Target weight of 650g for the motorised driving car
• Wheelbase of 209.97mm, for all vehicles, allowing operation over a minimum radius of 438mm (2nd radius set-track)
• Metal helical gears fitted for maximum performance and slow speed running.
• Gearing arranged so drive car can achieve a scale maximum top speed of 100 mph (161 kmh), as a 6-car unit.
• DCC ready with PowerPack capacitor for uninterrupted power.
• Un-motored (or dummy) cars, but retain full lighting features, being DCC ready with PowerPack capacitor for uninterrupted power.
• Fully directional lighting, with full range of lighting options for day/night running and shunting/yard configurations.
• Full passenger interior lighting in all vehicles, set at correct colour temperature, with hidden stay-alive capacitors, pick up from one bogie and a reed switch to control on/off via a magnetic wand.
• Separate cab lighting configurations.
• Operable Central Door Locking (CDL) lights on bodyside.
• DCC factory fitted sound option available on all variants with ESU Loksound 5 sound decoder
• Permanently fitted speakers mounted in both types of DMSO and DRBFO.
• All sounds recorded exclusively for Irish Model Railways by our in-house sound engineer.

 Delivery and Payment Options

So, we know these are going to be a bit special, and laden with features and detail to really give it that 'wow' factor. A model in Irish outline that would be the envy of any continental modeller. The big questions now are; when and how much?

Well, one helps with the other. As you can see, we have published CAD renders for the launch. This means that all the CAD design is complete and now tooling is under way. We expect first samples by the Bangor and Wexford shows in April/May 2023, decorated samples this time next year, and modellers will take delivery of these railcars in Q2 2024.

We also are aware that the costs of living has gone up in recent times, so we have fought to keep the prices as keen as possible. Remember, this is a price for a complete train, basically a high specification locomotive and some coaches.

DC/DCC Ready Sound

• 3 Car - £299.99
• 4 Car - £379.99
• 6 Car - £397.99

DCC Factory Fitted Sound Models

• 3 Car - £399.99
• 4 Car - £479.99
• 6 Car - £599.99

Six car packs also get a free bonus model of the Sculfort locotractor used to shunt the real ICRs around the Portlaoise works (unmotorised). It was cute, so we decided to tool that up too!

So, plenty of time to plan our your purchases and it also allows you to make use of our partial.ly and clearpay options, that allow you to spread the cost over easier monthly payments at no extra cost! Just simply add the models to your cart, click on the cart and you will see the options to either spread the cost over 6 months, pay a deposit with the balance when the models came into stock, or up front now to get it out of the way.

The partial.ly system can be used on any model that is 6 months or more away from arrival, so perfect for the ICRs.

Railcars can be costly, but they are also complete trains bought in one go. So, you need not buy more rolling stock to build a train, they're the full train in one go. To keep the models cost effective, we are unable to offer these to trade as their margin increases the price. Therefore, they will only be available to buy direct via IRM. They will also be made in extremely limited quantities (must less than the A Class) so early ordering is advised. 

Click here to pre-order your ICR today!