Iain Rice

Model railway enthusiast (1947–2022)

Iain Alexander Rice (11 October 1947 – 8 October 2022) was a British model railway enthusiast, writer and illustrator who authored more than 20 books and 400 articles on model railways over five decades.^[1][2] Railway Modeller described Rice as one of the hobby's "most influential and prominent enthusiasts of the last fifty years".^[3]

Biography

Iain Alexander Rice was born 11 October 1947 in Crouch End, North London, and grew up in Chingford in East London.^[3][4] He constructed his first model railway when he was eight.^[1] Rice was educated at Parmiter's School in Bethnal Green followed by Chingford County High School, then Reigate College of Art in Surrey.^[3][4] In 1971 Rice began working as a firefighter in the Northamptonshire Fire Brigade, before moving to Devon in 1977 and subsequently serving 26 years as a retained firefighter with the Devon Fire Brigade.^[3][4]

Rice began contributing to the model railway press in the 1970s, with his first books published in the 1980s for Wild Swan Publications.^[3] His writings were often accompanied by his own artwork.^[5] In the 1990s Rice helped launch and edit Modelling Railways Illustrated followed by the short-lived periodical Rail Model Digest.^[3][6] In the 2000s he also wrote a series of books on model railroads for the American publisher Kalmbach Books.^[1]

Books

• Rice, Iain (1988). Plastic Structure Kits: Making the Most of the Wills Scenic Series. Wild Swan Publications. ISBN 978-0-90-686771-6.
• ———— (1989). Whitemetal Locos: A Kitbuilder's Guide. Wild Swan Publications. ISBN 978-0-90-686777-8.
• ———— (1990). An Approach to Model Railway Layout Design: Finescale in Small Spaces. Wild Swan Publications. ISBN 978-0-90-686785-3.
• ———— (1990). Etched Loco Construction. Wild Swan Publications. ISBN 978-0-90-686786-0.
• ———— (1991). An Approach to Building Finescale Track in 4mm. Wild Swan Publications. ISBN 978-1-87-410300-4.
• ———— (1991). Light Railway Layout Designs. Wild Swan Publications. ISBN 978-0-90-686794-5.
• ———— (1993). Detailing and Improving Ready to Run Wagons. Irwell Press. ISBN 978-1-87-160842-7.
• ———— (1993). Getting the Best from Plastic Wagon Kits. Irwell Press. ISBN 978-1-87-160856-4.
• ———— (1993). Locomotive Kit Chassis Construction in 4mm. Wild Swan Publications. ISBN 978-1-87-410310-3.
• ———— (1994). Detailing and Improving Ready to Run Locos. Irwell Press. ISBN 978-1-87-160854-0.
• ————, ed. (1995). An Introduction to 4mm Fine Scale Railway Modelling. Hawkshill Publishing. ISBN 978-1-90-034901-7.
• ————, ed. (1996). Newton Abbot: 150 Years a Railway Town. Hawkshill Publishing. ISBN 978-1-90-034908-6.
• ———— (1997). A Pragmatic Guide to Building, Wiring and Laying PCB Track. RailModel. ISBN 978-1-90-034909-3.
• ———— (2000). Small, Smart & Practical Track Plans. Kalmbach Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-89-024416-6.
• ———— (2000). Devon Firefighter: A Century of Courage and Service. Halsgrove. ISBN 978-1-85-522760-6.
• ———— (2002). Designs for Urban Layouts. Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN 978-1-90-287708-2.
• ———— (2002). The Book of Chagford: A Town Apart. Halsgrove. ISBN 978-1-84-114193-0.
• ———— (2003). Mainlines in Modest Spaces. Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN 978-1-90-282711-7.
• ———— (2003). Mid-Sized & Manageable Track Plans. Kalmbach Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-89-024623-8.
• ———— (2007). Railway Modelling: The Realistic Way. J. H. Haynes & Co. ISBN 978-1-84-425359-3.
• ———— (2009). Shelf Layouts for Model Railroads. Kalmbach Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-89-024690-0.
• ———— (2010). Realistic Railway Modelling: Layout Design. J. H. Haynes & Co. ISBN 978-1-84-425635-8.
• ———— (2013). Realistic Railway Modelling: Locomotives. J. H. Haynes & Co. ISBN 978-1-84-425636-5.
• ———— (2014). Modelling with Plastic Structure Kits: Getting the best from the Wills and Ratio Ranges. Wild Swan Publications. ISBN 978-1-90-876311-2.
• ———— (2015). Compact Layout Design. Kalmbach Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-89-024996-3.
• ———— (2016). Creating Cameo Layouts. Wild Swan Publications. ISBN 978-0-95-387717-1.

References

1. "In Memoriam: Iain Rice". Model Railroader. 11 October 2022. ISSN 0026-7341. Archived from the original on 25 July 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
2. Clifford, Jerry (2022). "The Bard of Finescale". Model Railway Journal (293): 201. ISSN 0267-3207.
3. "Iain Rice, 1947-2022". Railway Modeller. Vol. 73, no. 866. December 2022. p. 913. ISSN 0033-8931.
4. "Iain Alexander Rice: 1947–2022". Model Railway Journal (293): 237–241. 2022. ISSN 0267-3207.
5. Dent, George (November 2022). "Iain Rice – An Obituary". Model Rail. No. 306. p. 14. ISSN 1369-5118.
6. Carter, Ian (2008). British Railway Enthusiasm. Manchester University Press. p. 46. ISBN 978-0-7190-6566-8.

Further reading

• John, David (January 2023). "Iain Rice 1947-2022". Narrow Gauge & Industrial Railway Modelling Review. 17 (133): 231. ISSN 0958-0808.
• "Obituary: Iain Alexander Rice". Scalefour News (231). The Scalefour Society. February 2023.