Stove 'R's arrive!

Almost exactly one year ago the N Gauge Society announced that it was producing its first ready to run wagon - a Stove 'R'. As it was available in LMS livery (amongst several others) I paid my deposit for two like a good club member.

They arrived yesterday.

Worth the wait? Absolutely. They are splendid, great detail and (important) quite different to anything else you can get RTR in LMS.

According to the LMS Carriage Society (yes, there is one!) the Stove 'R' was "used on parcel, newspaper and milk trains, which often went attached to passenger trains." It was designated BGZ code in BR times, or CR in LMS days.

The N Gauge Society Stove 'R' was produced by Dapol. Produced in different running numbers in LMS livery: my wagons are 32975 and 32977.

Here are some photos:

  

  

These next two photos show the colour difference between the Stove R, produced by Dapol, and the Graham Farish Stanier coaches. Quite a difference and the roof colour is very light on the Stove R.

  

 

And the real thing is on the Bluebell Railway here.

Layout inspirations 4 - Moorcock

Moorcock by Andy Calvert
Viewed at the N Gauge Society 40th Anniversary show 2007

I'd heard all about this layout on the Yahoo! N Gauge forum as it has legendary status. Was it worth all the fuss? Yep. A great example of N Gauge modelling - full-length trains, sweeping curves and great scenery.

Moorcock is still on the exhibition circuit despite the demise of its builder Andy Calvert. It also being reburbished - it's quiet old. Anyway, I didn't have my camera with me in 2007 when I saw it, but here are some great photos and a video on the N Guage Society web site.

Pictures are here.

Video is here.

Enjoy.

My best investments to date

Without question, the best source of information on N gauge is… the Yahoo Groups n gauge forum. This must be most knowledgeable bunch of guys (and ladies), and they’re just gushing out useful tips and titbits from their vast experience. It costs me the grand some of zero pence to subscribe and read their secrets. They have some entertainingly silly arguments about the precise weight of a lump of coal and exactly how long is a fireman’s shovel. Keep it up chaps (and ladies). I've been lurking on the group for a while now but may enter the discussion actively when I've got some sensible questions to ask (and something to offer in return).

The second best investment to date is membership of the N Gauge Society. £23 including ring binder and joining fee. I’d been seesawing on whether or not to join – I’m not a great club joiner. But the first issue of the society journal arrived, and it featured an LMS layout – Springdale. Wow. Envy. And it was built 30 years ago. More please, editor.

The Society also seems a place to collate information on what products are available. It’s just a tad out of date. But the volunteers that run the society probably have better things to do than update lists…