Iain Rice Explained

Iain Rice
Birth Name:	Iain Alexander Rice
Birth Date:	11 October 1947
Birth Place:	Crouch End, London, England

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.^[4] He constructed his first model railway when he was eight. Rice was educated at Parmiter's School in Bethnal Green followed by Chingford County High School, then Reigate College of Art in Surrey. 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.

Rice began contributing to the model railway press in the 1970s, with his first books published in the 1980s for Wild Swan Publications. 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.^[6] In the 2000s he also wrote a series of books on model railroads for the American publisher Kalmbach Books.

Books

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

Further reading

• John . David . January 2023 . Iain Rice 1947-2022 . . 133 . 0958-0808 . 17 . 231.
• February 2023 . Obituary: Iain Alexander Rice . Scalefour News . The Scalefour Society . 231.

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2022-10-11 . In Memoriam: Iain Rice . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230725134000/https://www.trains.com/mrr/news-reviews/news/in-memoriam-iain-rice/ . 25 July 2023 . 2023-07-25 . . en-US . 0026-7341.
2. Clifford . Jerry . 2022 . The Bard of Finescale . Model Railway Journal . 293 . 201 . 0267-3207.
3. December 2022 . Iain Rice, 1947-2022 . . 73 . 866 . 913 . 0033-8931.
4. 2022 . Iain Alexander Rice: 1947–2022 . Model Railway Journal . 293 . 237–241 . 0267-3207.
5. Dent . George . November 2022 . Iain Rice – An Obituary . . 306 . 14 . 1369-5118.
6. Book: Carter, Ian . British Railway Enthusiasm . . 2008 . 978-0-7190-6566-8 . 46 . en.