Our Year In Review; 2024
We know we say this every year, but 2024 has been our biggest yet. Our 2024 has been a year of growth, rivalry, intrigue, charity, taking on the great work of others and delivery.
Indeed, so much has happened it's likely that we have missed something! However, there is plenty to reflect on as we build towards 2025 as we aim to grow even more!
So, pour yourself a beverage of your choosing, crack open a selection box or the biscuit tin, and join us as we look back on 2024!
Hattons Originals Join The Accurascale Range
2024 began in a rather negative mood for the hobby in general as one of the biggest names in the industry, Hattons, announced that they were to close. The news sent shockwaves throughout the hobby and industry, transcending into the mainstream news media who howled that it was the death of the hobby, along with the cancellation of the annual Warley show.
Thankfully, us enthusiasts knew that this simply was not the case, but losing Hattons has been a sad loss with many fine people losing their jobs. Thankfully, many have found roles elsewhere in the industry since the closure, giving other businesses the benefit of their experience and expertise.
Primarily known as a retailer, Hattons had also designed and produced a significant amount of models themselves in the years prior to their closure which had been very well received. Possibly the most famous was the Class 66, which had previously joined our range (more on that later!), but what of the other models?
Following weeks of negotiations, and having built upon our already strong relationship with Hattons as a supplier and purchaser of their Class 66, a deal was struck between us to take on a significant portion of the "Hattons Originals" tooling.
Already delivered are the OO gauge Warwells and Andrew Barclay tank locomotives, with the P Class about to commence delivery to modellers in January and the Beilhack snow ploughs due in 2025, along with the ICI hopper wagons. Further announcements from the old Hattons range will continue throughout 2025, so keep an eye out for those. You never know what might still be in our tooling bucket from Hattons!
We Raise £35,000 For Two Wonderful Charities
2024 saw the delivery of our first production run of Class 66 locomotives in OO gauge, and with it our two charity special fundraisers for Prostate Cancer UK and Samaritans UK.
We were delighted to work with both charities along with GBRf and Freightliner UK to raise these much needed funds for two brilliant causes. We were honoured that the CEO of Freightliner UK CEO, Tim Shoveller, could join us for the handing over of the cheque for £10,000 to Samaritans UK too, and very thankful to Freightliner UK for having 66415 present for the handover!
Our first announced fundraiser was for Prostate Cancer UK with a model of 66769 in its unique livery. Modellers got behind both models, but one customer who wishes to remain anonymous was so inspired by our initiative that they donated £15,000 to Prostate Cancer UK by themselves. A huge thank you to them and all modellers who both both models!
2025 will see the delivery of our next charity locomotive, as we work with DB Cargo UK this time to deliver 66190 "Martin House" with the aim once again to raise £10,000. We will have an announcement of a further charity fundraiser or two in 2025, so make sure you keep an eye out for those!
We Help Raise Funds For Railway Preservation
Samaritans and Prostate Cancer UK weren't the only charities we worked with in 2024. Naturally, we work close with and support a number of railway preservation groups to ensure the wheels of our railway heritage keep rolling, and 2024 was no different.
This year saw the delivery of our limited edition model of 37714 for the Heavy Tractor Group, as well as Deltics for our friends at the Deltic Preservation Society and Locomotion.
These models help raise vital funds to keep these English Electric greats rolling, and benefit greatly from your purchases. You win by doing your bit to keep these amazing machines rolling, and you get a beautiful model for your collection. Everyone wins!
In 2025 we will have further preservation fundraisers, including our special edition model of 37403 for our friends at the Scottish Railway Preservation Society to celebrate 60th birthday of the locomotive in 2025!
We Introduce "AccuraCare" And Open Our Warranty Repair Facility
We started 2024 with something that may well revolutionise the model railway industry, the introduction of our lifetime limited warranty! Not only did we announce it for new models, but also backdated it to cover previously released models too, including all locomotives, coaches, wagons and accessories.
It certainly struck a chord with the public, as it picked up the "Innovation of The Year" award from Hornby Magazine, as voted for by the public!
The introduction of our lifetime warranty coincided with the opening of our dedicated repair facility based in Darlington, which handles repairs for our growing range with our UK based customers.
So, if you ever have a problem with your Accurascale model, hit that chat icon on the bottom right of the screen and you will go through to our warranty repair and customer service team!
Speaking of awards....
Accurascale Wins Again, Thanks To YOUR Votes!
We dont know quite how we manage it, but once again we retained the "Manufacturer of The Year" and "00 Wagon of The Year" across all the major industry awards this year. Simply amazing!
We were especially delighted to see our Class 66 take the 00 Locomotive of The Year" crown in the recent Hornby Magazine Awards. It was a brilliant recognition of the improvements we made to the model to make it the model it always could be, and bring it into line with the rest of our range.
Once again, a big thank you to everybody who voted for us. We're working harder than ever to try secure your vote for 2025 with the models that are on the way!
We Take A Class 37 To A Show
As mentioned earlier, the discontinuation of the annual Warley show at the NEC had even the mainstream media bemoaning the demise of the hobby along with the closure of Hattons. "Hogwash!" was our response.
Not satisfied with taking on the Hattons toolings, we decided to throw our weight behind the TWO new NEC shows that took place this year. For Model World Live, we went big for the first edition of this new event, and teamed up with our mates at the Heavy Tractor Group and bring 37108 to NEC as the centrepiece. It certainly made an impact, and even ended up on the news!
We also attended and sponsored the replacement event at the NEC for the Warley show in November. We brought along a smaller train for that show, but it was able to move under its own power and operate throughout the weekend!
2024 was our biggest year for shows, doing 5 of the biggest shows around the country, beginning with Glasgow in February and ending with the NEC in November, with specialist and regional shows such as the Darlington show, DEMU Showcase and Irish shows such as Dublin and Wexford thrown in for good measure.
We'll see you at a show in 2025!
We Hit The Road And Visit Our Retailers
Supporting our retail network and meeting our customers who purchase our models via their local model shop. This year we paid a visit to our friends at Rails of Sheffield, Malcs Models, among others! Thank you to all the model shops who hosted us this year, and to everyone who came out to see us when we were in your local area.
We plan to visit more retailers in 2025, so if you want us at your local model shop, let them and us know!
New Models Announced
Class 60
Back in June we caused quite a stir when we announced our latest diesel locomotive project; the Class 60.
Why the Class 60? It fits our range beautifully and we explain more in our launch video!
These will roll onto your layouts in 2025, with sound recordings including doing what the Class 60s do best; hauling heavy loads (in this case 2500 tons) at 60mph on the mainline...
A big thank you to the folks at DCR and DB Cargo for their assistance with our Class 60s!
Hunslet Austerity Saddle Tanks
Our final locomotive announcement of 2024 was another essential part of our "Powering Britain" range along with the Class 60, the Hunslet Austerity tank engines in OO.
We have just received the decorated samples of these over the Christmas holidays, so keep an eye out for some rather lovely images of those in January when we return to work!
Also, it was not the only Hunslet locomotive we announced in 2024...
Pre-Order Your Hunslet Austerity Here
NIR Hunslets
October saw the latest diesel locomotive announced, and one that is both a bit niche and a bit quirky; The NIR Hunslet locomotives.
Announced under our IRM brand which covers models of the Emerald Isle, they will mark a closer synergy between IRM and Accurascale which will become clearer to modellers in 2025. Exciting times!
Pre-order Your NIR Hunslet Here
Class 37/9
Although the Class 37 has been a part of our range for a couple of years now, the Class 37/9s are such different beasts to the mainstream tractors we felt they deserved a mention all of their own.
We are covering the Mirrlees variants in our first production run of these interesting machines, with their much modified roof sections and detail differences between each other, not to mention the other Class 37s.
A variant of the iconic EE Type 3 story that has been on our radar since day one, we are delighted to bring these to you (along with the original 37/4s of course!) in 2025!
BR 21 Ton Hoppers HTO HTV
As you probably know, we love our wagons here at Accurascale, and 2024 saw us announce some much needed "missing links" in OO wagons. First up was the humble BR 21 hopper and their rebodied stablemates, TOPS codes HTO and HTV, along with engineering ZDVs!
We still don't quite know how these stalwarts of BR coal operations have never been produced in model form before, and were a must on our large list of projects from day one. Fitting perfectly into our "Powering Britain" range and complimenting our 16 tonners, 21 ton MDO and MDVs and of course our HUOs, these will be a large slice of our 2025 wagon range and currently are in production.
Pre-order Your 21 Ton Hoppers Here!
FCA Family of Container Wagons
Another large "missing link" in the 00 gauge wagon world are the FCA container flats and their variants. Again, we're a bit astonished that there has not been a "Binliner" or MOD traffic train offered in ready-to-run model form to date, so we set out to rectify that with our first run consisting of MOD containers and 20ft waste containers. Perfect for our Class 60 and 66 too, these are due in 2025 with decorated samples to be revealed in the new year.
IRM H Vans, Grain Wagons and Bulleid Tankers
All new wagon announcements weren't just confined to Accurascale, as IRM announced and delivered some rather tasty models on the common Bulleid triangulated chassis. These included the announcement and delivery of some rather smart fuel oil tankers, which sold out in a blink of an eye.
We have also announced grain wagons converted from H Vans and the fitted H Vans which will arrive with us in early 2025! Keep an eye out for them.
Speaking of IRM and tank wagons...
IRM Teams Up With Heljan To Cover The Esso Tank Wagons
We're delighted to have been approached by our friends at Heljan to collaborate on a wagon project covering the BR A and B tanks as they were sold and repurposed for use in Ireland in the late 1960s. With the distinctive additional bracing tooled and added, these quad packs allow modellers to build an authentic "Sligo Oil" train. These are on the high seas and due in stock in early 2025!
Pre-order Your Esso Tankers Here
So, that's what we announced. But what matters most is what we delivered. Let's have a look at what we landed in 2024!
Delivered Models
Class 66
It has been very much a "Type 5" sort of year for us as our first run of Class 66s arrived in the summer just ahead of our Class 60 launch. Our sheds have gone down very well indeed and are already winning awards, picking up the "OO Gauge Locomotive of The Year" gong in the Hornby Magazine awards. Indeed, our first run proved so popular that they virtually sold out just after arrival direct and with retailers so we announced batch 2 which is now in production.
Batch two includes "Euro" Class 66 for the first time, featuring machines built for use on the Continent which have since been brought to the UK and modified for UK operations. Look out for their delivery next year!
Class 37 Run 2
Autumn saw the arrival of our second production run of our beloved Class 37s! We offered a variety of eras from BR Green through to current day operations and once again they sold out rather quickly indeed direct, and are becoming scarce on retailers shelves too.
Following on from delivery of this batch we announced run 3, which consists of the classic Class 37/4s and the Class 37/9s as mentioned earlier. Look forward to these in 2025!
Class 31
Autumn was really busy for us as it saw the long awaited arrival of the first batch of our Class 31s! Our BR Blue locos arrived to much fanfare and positive feedback, with favourable feedback on the performance, shape, sound and decoration.
Once again they have become scarce, but never fear! The second batch from the first run in BR Green and our 80S/90s era liveries such as Dutch and Railfreight land in about 2 weeks' time!
We will also see the announcement of an all-new production run after the final deliveries of our Exclusives and Retailer/Magazine limited editions in 2025.
Andrew Barclay Tank Locomotives
With the Andrew Barclay tanks already in production when we took on the project, we were able to deliver this production run in 2025.
It has come to our attention that the pre-existing inner packaging design was not adequate enough to protect some of these models, particularly the open-backed cab variants. We have also noted that there was a design flaw with the clip that holds the motor in place which can become dislodged if jolted in shipping.
We can now confirm that all the packaging clamshell casings and motor clips have been re-engineered and replaced on the remaining stock to rectify these issues and we will have replacements for both available to existing customers should they want them in the new year. Watch out for further updates.
Order Your Andrew Barclay Here!
Class 55 Deltics
Our final loco delivery of 2025 (not accounting for our P Class tank engines, which have arrived too!) was the second production run of our mighty Class 55 Deltics. They arrived just in time for Christmas and have been finding favour with modellers around the world.
Usually the first production run of any new model is the biggest, with subsequent deliveries always a bit smaller, but due to the popularity of Vulcan Foundry's favourite beasts, our second production was actually larger than the first. We are sold out direct, but you may still find the locos you desire with your local retailer.
We must do another run of these soon....
SR Banana Vans
Our major wagon arrival for 2024 was the SR D1478 and D1479 Diagram Banana Vans in OO/4mm. These distinctive vans were very much another "missing link" in the OO gauge ready-to-run wagon market so we are delighted to plug yet another gap!
We still have some available direct and via retailers, with all eras covered including departmental "Tadpole" variants. Another award winner for "Best OO wagon" in the wagon of the year voting with Hornby magazine! Thank you to everyone who voted for them.
Mark 2b Coaches
It was very much the year of the coach for us as we delivered our long awaited and highly anticipated Mark 2b coaches. From our exclusive RTC pack above to the bog standard Blue Grey and NSE variants, along with West Coast and Provincial, they have gone down a treat with modellers and plugged a much needed gap in the Mark 2 story. Sold out on arrival, we will be looking to do another production run soon, so keep an eye out for that.
Mark 1 Suburban Coaches
It's been a bit of an Eastern Region flavour to our arrivals in 2024, with Deltics and of course our Class 31s in Blue and the matching Mark 1 suburban coaches arriving in stock together.
Although a humdrum prototype, we have gone to town on the detail, with the interiors being a particular highlight, along with a fully diecast chassis to provide the smoothest running and of course, full interior lighting!
Some of our blue coaches have not sold out, and the others are shifting fast. The carmine variants have just arrived with us too, and will begin shipping out to customers in the new year.
OO Warwells
Our first arrival of 2024 was a surprise to many as we delivered the production run of Hattons warwell wagons in OO. These were finished production when we agreed to take on the production costs and tooling for these superb wagons and we then delivered them to Hattons pre-order customers.
They sold out rather quickly, so perhaps we need to consider another production run of them in the near future? Let us know!
IRM Bulleid Open Wagons
IRM saw delivery of a plethora of new wagon models built on the famously versatile Bulleid triangulated underframe. The first arrival was the iconic corrugated open wagons, which are a must for anyone modelling from the 1950s to the 1980s, particularly on beet traffic.
Order Your Bulleid Opens Here!
IRM Bulleid Flat Wagons
Hot on the heels of the Bulleid opens was their flat wagon counterparts. Perfect for mixed goods trains carrying anything from rails to cars, these wagons again were part of the Irish scene for decades.
Probably the quickest selling Irish wagons since we did our Bell Liner container wagon sets, these CIE tanks went in record time. Looking at them though, it's easy to see why as they turned out rather cute!
NIR "Enterprise" Mark 2 Coaches
Rolled in as part of our Mark 2 project, our Enterprise Mark 2 coaches did feature unique tooling to cover the generator, grille and driving cars which were ordered by NIR to form the premier train to Dublin. We did put the "cart before the horse" with these a little bit, releasing them before the NIR Hunslet locomotives in two liveries, but they proved so successful it made our Hunslet project a "no brainer". We now must get on with that iconic maroon and blue livery to match the early Hunslet liveries...
IR and IE Mark 2C Coaches
Our final arrival for 2024 for IRM was the first lot of our Mark 2c tooling in the iconic orange and black livery with IR and IE markings. Capturing the refurbished coaches bought from Vic Berry's scrap yard in exchange for withdrawn C Class locos. Once again, the exquisite detail and package of full interior detail, decoration and lighting, coupled to a museum quality finish, set the tone for 2025 arrivals such as the Park Royals and ICRs!
New Team Member
We made a further addition to our growing team in 2024 with Andrew Faulkner joining us as Operations and Logistics Manager. Andrew brings a wealth of experience with him and is familiar with him, having been our account manager in his previous job, and was tasked with bringing our models from the far east to the UK and Ireland. We have now brought that role in house, while Andrew also works to streamline and improve our warehousing and dispatching operations to customers.
And A Fond Farewell...
The end of 2024 sees the retirement of Graham Hubbard, who has been a Development Consultant to us for a number of years now. Graham's wealth of experience from building the Bachmann brand in the UK for over 25 years, and of course revitalising Graham Farish. Graham is now taking a well earned rest as he retires from the industry, but will still be present in the railway preservation scene as a member of the Heavy Tractor Group. We wish Graham all the very best for the future and thank him for all his help in our growth and development into the business we are today. It's been invaluable!
We're sure he will still keep in touch with ideas and assistance when we need it too!
And Finally...
If you've made it this far, then well done! We had a lot to pack in this year, and there is plenty we left out too! It's been our busiest yet, but 2025 is already shaping up to be even bigger for us. In the coming weeks alone we will see the arrival of our first O gauge loco, the Ruston 88DS (and our first loco delivered on time. See? We're learning!) the Mark 2c coaches, the Mark 1 subs in carmine livery, the second batch of the Class 31s, the 16 ton mineral wagons, the Wainwright P Class locos and the CDA wagons.
Just behind that little lot we have the Class 50s, the Class 89, The 3rd part of the Class 31 deliveries, The Class 60, The Buckjumpers, The Panniers and Class 66 run 2, NER hoppers and not to mention the blue HYAs and the grain wagons and H vans for IRM.
In fact, we are about to deliver so much stuff in the next few weeks and couple of months, that we wont have many outstanding announcements left to fulfil and our backlog will be cleared. With that in mind, expect to see some rather juicy announcements in 2025 as our record investment in new toolings made in 2023 and again this year begin to come on stream. We will be kicking off with a brand new wagon announcement in early January. Exciting times!
We will sign off by thanking you all so very much for your continued support and custom, as well as votes in awards and well wishes via social media, RMWeb or in person at shows. We could never do all this without your support, so thank you!
We would like to wish you all a very happy and peaceful new year and here's to a mega 2025 for us all.