Latest News

Product, publication and event news which we feel may be of interest to modellers of the Isle of Man Railway scene in 15mm scale.

Have we missed something? Please let us know by emailing admin@iom15milgroup.com. 

01-01-2024

New Year's Day Lecture

A happy New Year to all our members and the wider railway modelling community.

The annual New Year's Day Lecture by Curtis Devereau starts off our new modelling year with a broadening of knowledge and inspiration to attempt something a little different for Isle of Man Railway themed railways or model collections.

A perfect read to accompany those leftover mince pies and mulled wine.  Click here to view. 

06-02-2023

2023 National Garden Railway Show

We are very pleased to be attending the 2023 National Garden Railway Show hosted by the 16mm NGM Association at the Peterborough Arena on 15 April with our large display stand and demonstration layout.

We'll have on our stand a wide range of 15mm scale locomotives, railcars, carriages and wagons modelled on prototypes from the 3ft gauge Isle of Man Railway, Manx Northern Railway and Foxdale Railway.  Trains will hopefully run all day!

For full details of the show and to book advance tickets, visit the Show website

01-01-2023

New Year's Day Lecture

A happy New Year to all our members and the wider railway modelling community.

The annual New Year's Day Lecture by Curtis Devereau starts off our new modelling year with a broadening of knowledge and inspiration to attempt something a little different for Isle of Man Railway themed railways or model collections.

A perfect read to accompany those leftover mince pies and mulled wine.  Click here to view. 

01-12-2022

MER Ballaglass Halt - New Lasercut Kit 

Following on from their previous lineside building model of Ballabeg Halt on the Manx Electric Railway, Bole Laser Craft has recently released a lasercut kit of Ballaglass Halt.

Visit its website for more information, photos and how to order.

30-06-2022

Scale Drawings - Ballaugh Station

For those with a particular interest in modelling the Manx Northern Railway, updated drawings of the station building at Ballaugh have been added to our Scale Drawings page for personal use only.  The stations at Sulby Bridge, Kirk Michael and St Germains on the Northern line were built to similar design. 

26-06-2022

2022 National Garden Railway Show

Another enjoyable and successful attendance at the National Garden Railway Show on 25 June with our large stand / demonstration track and a very wide range of Manx railway models running and on static display.

A montage of photos has been added to our Exhibitions page. 

20-06-2022

Scale Drawings - Cattle Dock & Advert Hoarding

The archetypal IMR cattle dock and advert hoarding drawn by Ed More have been added to our Scale Drawings page for personal use only.

02-04-2022

2022 National Garden Railway Show

Tickets are now available online for the National Garden Railway Show, Peterborough, taking place on  Saturday 25th June.  The IOM15milgroup is planning to attend with its large display stand.

Click here to visit the show websiteClick here to pre-book tickets online.  

01-01-2022

New Year's Day Lecture

A happy New Year to all our members and the wider railway modelling community.

The annual New Year's Day Lecture by Curtis Devereau starts off our new modelling year with a broadening of knowledge and inspiration to attempt something a little different for Isle of Man Railway themed railways or model collections.

A perfect read to accompany those leftover mince pies and mulled wine.  Click here to view. 

10-11-2021

IMR 3-plank 'H' Wagon

The IMR 3-plank 'H' wagon under development by EMA Heritage / Metro-Ashbury Model Works has taken a step closer to release with images of its finescale cast resin body.  A limited issue production run is now under way.

The model will hopefully become available to order early in the New Year, both as a full kit and ready-to-run. It will be offered to customers who have already purchased the IMR 'L' Bolster Wagon in the same series, before the new wagon goes on general release.  Further information and prices to follow.        

29-06-2021

Scale Drawings - Ballabeg Station

The original Ballabeg Station building drawn by Ed More has been added to our Scale Drawings page for personal use only.

Although of similar design style to other third class station buildings along the South Line, Ballabeg did not have an open fronted passenger waiting area under its roof canopy and had sash windows. It will make for a rather attractive model in 15mm scale.

27-06-2021

2021 National Garden Railway Show

Our biggest IOM15milgroup exhibition stand to date was successfully erected and on display at the 2021 National Garden Railway Show held yesterday (26 June). Despite the Covid restrictions in place which impacted the number of exhibitors and visitors able to attend, we were very pleased to support one of the first indoor special interest events to take place in the UK since the pandemic.

Sincere thanks to Messrs Booth, Webster, P Taylor and More for helping set up and operate the stand. Also to them and Messrs Sheridan, Midgley and Hatton for bringing / lending the models for the display and running them throughout the day.

It was pleasing to see a fair number of group members in attendance, great to catch up face-to-face and discuss current and future projects with them.   

04-06-2021

2021 National Garden Railway Show

We are very pleased to be exhibiting again at the NGRS Peterborough and with our biggest stand yet, displaying a fantastic range of 15mm scale locomotives, railcars, carriages, wagons and lineside structures modelled on prototypes from the 3ft gauge Isle of Man Railway, Manx Northern Railway and Foxdale Railway.

Our stand also integrates a demonstration layout for visitors to see and appreciate 15mm scale Manx (and Irish) railway stock in action, including recent model releases from Accucraft UK, Bowaters Models and EMA Heritage.  

Find us on stand R04 in the Red Zone!  Saturday 26 June at the Peterborough Arena, East of England Showground. Pre-booked tickets are required, allowing access for the morning or afternoon session. Covid-19 indoor event restrictions will apply, visit the Show website for full details and to book tickets. 

04-05-2021

Accucraft 4-Wheel and 'Pairs' Bogie Carriages Production

Accucraft UK has announced further production of its popular 4 wheel Isle of Man Railway carriages as well as the 'Pairs' composite bogie carriage, adding to the existing retailer stocks of the E Brake Van and the 'Pairs' half-brake bogie carriage.

For liveries and recommended retail pricing, see their May 2021 Newsletter for more information.

01-04-2021

2021 National Garden Railway Show

Tickets are now available online for the National Garden Railway Show, Peterborough, planned for Saturday 26th June. This year is a morning OR afternoon session event for those wishing to attend, pre-booked tickets only.

Visit the 16mm NGM website for full details and to book tickets.   

22-03-2021

Scale Drawings - Santon Station

Santon Station building drawn by Dave Booth has been added to our Scale Drawings page for personal use only.  With minor variations, the 1874 design was also used for the original station buildings at Port Soderick, Ballasalla, Colby and Port St Mary.

A 15mm scale 'ready-to-plant' model of the building was produced by Brunel Models last year.  

19-03-2021

Workshop - Building a Bowaters Small F Carriage

Laser cut plywood / MDF kits for the small F carriage kits F.1 - F.12 were released by Bowaters Models last year.

IOM15milgroup member Pete Sheridan takes us through his kit build of Guard-Third F.8 in our latest workshop, highlighting a number of modifications and detail additions to produce a fine model.

23-02-2021

Midlands Garden Rail Show 2021 Cancelled

The Midlands Garden Rail Show scheduled for 22 & 23 May 2021 has been cancelled due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19.

For their full statement, visit the Meridienne Exhibitions website.  

17-02-2021

'E' Van Decal Sheets - Dry Rub

From The Train Department in New Jersey (USA), a limited number of dry-rub lettering / numbering sets for application onto early livery (purple lake and off-white) IMR or MNR 'E' Brake Vans. These sheets are screen printed in three colours (gold with light blue shading, black shadow).  Contact The Train Department for availability and pricing.

15-02-2021

'Foxdale Coach' Kit

Bowaters Models has released its 'Foxdale Coach' kit, another addition to its series of 15mm scale laser-cut wooden kits representative of IMR / MNR carriages.

Priced at £100 in MDF and £120 in plywood complete with bogies and couplings. Customers also have a choice of two different buffer beams to allow for prototypical and standard 16mm scale coupling heights. The bogies come with glass-filled resin wheels as standard.

For more details and ordering information, visit the Bowaters Models website.

19-01-2021

Scale Drawings - Castletown Goods Shed & Water Tank

For the garden railway or indoor layout, a selection of modellers drawings of Isle of Man Railway buildings and lineside structures are being published on the Drawings page of our website.

Castletown Goods Shed and original Water Tank drawn by Ed More have been added to the page, for personal use only.

03-12-2020

Isle of Man in the Garden - A Personal History

IOM15milgroup member Jonathan Lewis provides a most informative pre-history of modelling the Isle of Man Railway in 15mm scale starting in the early 1980s.  Follow the link to read Isle of Man in the Garden, A Personal History

22-11-2020

IMR 'L' Bolster Wagon Kit & RTR

A finescale model of the IMR Bolster Wagon in 15mm scale is being produced by Ed More (t/a EMA Heritage) as a limited edition first release of just 50 wagons. They're available to order now as kits or ready-to-run with the kit-build service offered.  For more information, photos, prices and how to order, visit the EMA Heritage website.

10-08-2020

Santon Station

Garden railway building and lineside structure specialists Brunel Models have produced a 15mm scale model of Santon Station building. Models are made to order and supplied 'ready to plant', some as bare unpainted kits.  For more information, visit the Brunel Models website.

18-03-2020

IMR Small 'F' Carriage Kits

Bowaters Models has introduced a new series of 15mm scale laser-cut wooden kits representative of the early small IMR bogie carriages F.1 through to F.12.  Visit its website for full details.

02-01-2020

2021 National Garden Railway Show

This annual show due to take place on 4 April 2020 has been POSTPONED, now until 26 June 2021. Live steam all day, 19 layouts and over 90 traders from around the World. It's the biggest for garden railway enthusiasts and the one not to miss.  Click here to visit website for details.  We hope to be exhibiting a wide range of ready-to-run, kit built and scratchbuilt models of IMR / MNR prototypes and 'might have beens'.

15-11-2019

IMR 'E' Van in Modified Livery - RTR

A new batch of the IMR Brake 'E' Vans has been produced by Accucraft and are now available from its UK dealers, sporting a subtle variation on the maroon & cream livery to match the existing four-wheel coaches. 

11-11-2019

IMR 'G' Goods Van - RTR 

A belated highlight of Accucraft's announcement that their models of the early IMR G Vans are now in production, with and without porthole variants. From the production sample photo, the wait looks to have been worth it. Read more here.

31-05-2019

IMR 'Half Brake' Pairs Carriage - RTR 

Accucraft have announced production of a new 'might have been' IMR "Pairs" carriage, using the bodies of a 4-wheel carriage and an 'E' van.  The livery matches the previous maroon and cream for those wanting to extend their bogie carriage rakes. A target £175 RRP is indicated. 

21-03-2019

Ex-CDR Diesel Railcar No.20 - RTR 

Accucraft's Isle of Man (ex-CDR) Railcar No.20 in 15mm scale has 'landed' on UK soil and should be with pre-order customers very shortly.  We expect to see a number on display and in operation at the forthcoming National Garden Railway Show taking place 6 April - see below.

19-02-2019

2019 National Garden Railway Show 

This annual show is taking place on Saturday 6 April 2019 at the Peterborough Arena, East of England Showground, 10am to 5pm. Live steam all day, 16 layouts and over 100 traders from around the World. It's the biggest for garden railway enthusiasts and the one not to miss.  Click here to visit website for details.

01-12-2018

IMR Engine No.5 MONA - RTR - Last Call for Orders

The 15mm scale models of Isle of Man 2-4-0 locomotive No.5 Mona are due for delivery shortly. Accucraft UK say in their December 2018 newsletter "We have now produced a fair cross-section of Isle of Man 2-4-0Ts and Mona is likely to be the last one we make. All the Indian Red ones are pre-sold (both live steam and electric) and there aren’t many Ailsa Green ones unspoken for so don’t miss out! This really is the last call for the Isle of Man 2-4-0T!

24-10-2018

Garden Rail magazine - Manx Magnificance

The November 2018 issue (No.291) of Garden Rail magazine has a six page article of Andy Taylor's Manx-themed Little Angel Light Railway, with a separate article on modelling Small Stations on the Isle of Man. Plus all the latest news, products and reviews from the UK garden rail scene.  Available now from many newsagents and model shops across the UK, RRP £4.75. 

12-03-2018

IMR 'E' Brake Vans Released - RTR

The new 15mm scale model of the IMR 'E' Van from Accucraft UK has arrived and is with retailers. Available in both red & cream and green & cream liveries. 

01-06-2017

Ex-CDR Diesel Railcar No.20 - RTR

Pre-production photographs of the re-tooled forthcoming IMR / ex-CDRJC Railcar No.20 have been released by Accucraft / TrackShack Ltd.  For more information about the model and to pre-order, please visit TrackShack's website.  

28-02-2017

2017 National Garden Railway Show

The 2017 NGRS, organised by the 16mm Narrow Gauge Modellers Association, will take place on Saturday 8 April at the Peterborough Arena, East of England Showground. The IOM15milgroup is very pleased to be exhibiting again, this year on stand B9.  We look forward to meeting members and non-members alike, discussing all aspects of modelling Isle of Man railways ... in any scale. For information about the show, please visit http://www.nationalgardenrailwayshow.org.uk/ 

05-09-2016

IMR 'E' Brake Van Sample - RTR

Accucraft UK unveiled the first production sample of its new 4-wheel IMR 'E' Brake Van at the recent Welshpool & Llanfair Railway Gala. For details, visit their website.

24-07-2016

IMR Engine No.16 MANNIN - RTR electric

The DC track-powered version of Accucraft's 'MANNIN' has now arrived in the UK and is on its way to pre-order customers.  

03-07-2016

Port Erin Model Railway Exhibition

The annual on-Island model display, organised by the IOM15milgroup in conjunction with Isle of Man Railways, will this year be taking place on 28th July in the Port Erin Bus Shed, halfway down the station platform. 

05-06-2016

IMR Engine No.16 MANNIN - RTR Live Steam

Accucraft's live steam production models of 'MANNIN' have now arrived in the UK, Indian Red and Holly Green liveries. The DC electric powered versions are expected a little later. 

14-03-2016

IMR Lineside Buildings & Structures

A number of IMR Lineside Buildings & Structures at Port Erin have been produced by Brunel Models, including the Engine Shed and Water Tank. Visit their website for more details. Further items will hopefully follow in due course if there is sufficient interest. 

14-03-2016

IMR Engine No.5 MONA - RTR

On the Accucraft stand at the March 2016 Large Scale Model Rail Exhibition was their live steam engineering sample of IMR Engine No.5 MONA in the popular Ailsa Green livery. It is hoped that the engine will go into production for 2017.  Also on view were CAD drawings for a ready-to-run 'E' Van to complement their IOM 4-wheel carriages. 

25-09-2015

Private Owner 'M' Asphalt Wagon - RTR

TrackShack IOM has released a limited edition private owner 'M' wagon carrying the name of the Mona Chemical Company, a Peel based firm who had their own wagons for a time. Available now via the website. 

01-09-2015

IMR 'M' Ballast Wagon - RTR

The new ready-to-run 'M' Wagons produced by Accucraft UK have arrived, available exclusively from TrackShack IOM . Visit the website to order. 

06-07-2015

IMR / MNR 'E' Brake Vans - Kits

The Train Department has released its comprehensive fine scale kit of the straight sided MNR version of the 'E' Brake Vans, later used by the IMR. Visit their website for more details and to place an order.