Updated by Adrian Cotterill, NGS Shop Manager, shop@ngaugesociety.com
24-May-23: Medifit is very fit.
The first batch of the new kit 80 LMS/BR 3 plank Medium Open (NGSK08000) is now available at the NGS Shop priced at £7.50 Kit 80 LMS/BR 3 plank Medium Open (ngsjoin.com) (more to come).
20-May-23: Into the 80s!
Coming to the NGS Shop soon – a new ‘old’ kit – Kit 80 LMS/BR 3 plank Medium Open (the ex-Parkwood Medifit kit) returned to production by the the NGS as NGSK0800. This will be accompanied by a new decal sheet NGST0800.
22-Apr-23: Kits on the way
News from the Kit Production Team of kits due to arrive at the NGS Shop:
Kits 1, 2 6, 28 and 70b are on their way. Kits 22, 26, 30 and 37 are under production. More news when I get them.
20-Apr-23: Hold on to your bogies!
A new NGS product released today – Bogie Pivots and Retaining Pins NGSB0101 4 pairs (ngsjoin.com) . A sprue of eight bogie pivots and eight retaining pins that will support the current range of NGS bogie kits. These available at £2.40 a pack.
07-Mar-2023: NGS Shop dispatch delays
We had a great time at Glasgow show meeting current and new members at the NGS display stand. Unfortunately, my wife and I picked a bug while there which has knocked us sideways for over a week. The upshot is that there is a backlog of orders which we are just now starting to clear. We have had Royal Mmail collect the first batch of ten parcels today and will continue in that vein daily until the backlog is cleared, or we are fit enough to take the rest to the depot ourselves.
As ever, you can check the progress of your orders at Recent Order Status – N Gauge Society
On behalf of the NGS, I apologise for any inconvenience caused.
22-Feb-2023: CU @ SEC?
If you are visiting the Model Rail Scotland show at the Scottish Event Campus, Glasgow, be sure to visit us at the NGS Display Stand B11 and say hello for for a bit of chat and ritual abuse. I’ll be there with Tim and the crew Friday 24th to Sunday 26th – and a couple of NGS layouts (B12 & 13).
02-Feb-2023: More Kits and Journal Folders back in stock
The following now available:
- Kit 11 BR Seacow Bogie Ballast Hopper NGSK0110 still at £19.75
- Kit 27b YSA/YWA Salmon post-1998 NGSK0271 still at £14.25
- Kit 37a TTA Chemical Tanker NGSK0371 still at £8.00
- Kit 37b Storage Tank NGSK0372 still at £1.90
- Journal Folder NGSM0175 now at £6.60
17-Jan-2023: Kits and Etches back in stock
Three kits and Fire Irons returned to stock:
- Kit 14 LNER/BR 8-plank Mineral Wagon NGSK0140 (ngsjoin.com) still at £5.10
- Kit 62 BR A & BD Type Containers one of each NGSK0620 (ngsjoin.com) still at £3.75
- Kit 75 BR VCA Van NGSK0750 (ngsjoin.com) still at £2.80 (note – no Chassis)
- NGSM0402 Fireirons Fireirons & Drain/Manhole Covers (ngsjoin.com) still at £1.00 a pair
14-Jan-2023: Important message for non-UK members (updated 29-Jan)
Due to a cyber-attack against the Royal Mail’s International services system, Royal Mail have requested that no mail destined for outside the UK should be posted at the present time. Currently this affects seven orders (USA, Canada, Japan, Australia, Germany, Netherlands).
Royal Mail have now resumed some of their international service – those requiring signature on delivery – but not Standard or Economy services.
- On 19-Jan Royal Mail state they are trialing operational workarounds, and have restored international letter traffic.
- On 20-Jan Royal Mail announced they have resumed international parcel delivery for those parcels they already have backlogged in the mail stream.
- On 26-Jan Royal Mail announced that they will now accept Internal Signed-for service parcels although these “may take slightly longer than usual and customers may notice different tracking information as items leave the UK”. They continue to ask customers not to submit any new Tracked or Untracked (Standard/Economy) export parcels just yet
- On 29-Jan all seven international parcels were placed with Royal Mail using signed-for services.
Please be aware that so far neither Royal Mail nor the Information Commissioner’s Office (the UK regulatory body) have made any statement about the type of data that has been accessed by the hackers. Payment card data is not provided to Royal Mail but, as a necessity, names and postal addresses are.
See International incidents update (royalmail.com) for updates from Royal Mail.
02-Jan-23: Happy new gear!
So pleased to announce that the NGS Shop is now opening and waiting for your orders.
28-Dec-22: Parcel backlog update #5
Today I posted those thirteen orders that members asked me to keep safe until after the December strikes and resulting backlogs.
It looks as though things are back to “normal” at the moment, long may it last.
Thanks to all for your patience over this tricky period.
22-Dec-22: Parcel backlog update #4
It now appears that all the parcels posted on 27th Nov how now arrived – except for one, marked as ‘In transit’
Likewise all those posted on 4th December have now been delivered – except one, due to be delivered today.
The four orders posted on 12th December appear to have all reached their destination.
Thanks to those members who sent me confirmation of arrivals. It looks as though Royal Mail have caught up with the backlog. There are two more strike days on 23rd and 24th of December, but none have yet been advised for 2023 so far.
Therefore, I intend to post out the orders for those members who requested I held them back before the new year.
When I have completed the annual stock take I will reopen the NGS Shop for new orders.
Thank you to all members for your patience and forbearance over this difficult period.
And a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!
15-Dec-22: Parcel backlog update #3
I did a trawl in the Royal Mail system of the orders posted on 27th November to find that 17 are reported as having been delivered. Hopefully, following today’s strike, the rest will soon be on their way. Thank you to those who sent me a confirmatory email about successful delivery, it helps build a picture.
Of those posted on 4th December only one is reported as having been delivered (to a Sheffield postcode), but the majority of the others show they are in transit, including one to a near-by Edinburgh postcode – so there doesn’t appear to be any logic behind the delays.
From tomorrow (Fri 16th Dec) there are only six delivery dates left in the Royal Mail calendar before Christmas.
12-Dec-22: Parcel backlog update #2
I visited the local Royal Mail Depot today (Mon. 12th). They say that they have cleared the backlog of parcels over the last two week. In fact, they say that the parcels were shipped to the Edinburgh Mail Centre some time ago but the latter had not updated their systems to show where the parcels were held.
Of the 30 posted on 27th November, 5 appear to have been delivered today, with another two due tomorrow. That’s a minimum 15 days delay.
There are further strikes on 14th, 15th, 23rd and 24th of December, so Royal Mail that there could be further backlogs ‘downstream’.
I posted six parcels today and will track their progression to gauge how things are improving (or not). Another 14 parcels are packed but in safe keeping with me at the request of members. When things return to normal I will start to post them off.
11-Dec-22: Parcel backlog update
At least some of the 30 parcels posted on 27th November have now made it down the motorway to the Edinburgh Mail Centre.
It is less than than twenty miles so perhaps they crawled.
Hopefully, their journeys should speed up now, but there are further strikes today (11th) , 14th, 15th, 23rd and 24th of December.
Orders posted on 10th December appear to be still at the local Royal Mail depot. I’ll report any updates when they happen.
09-Dec-22: Temporary closure of NGS Shop
I regret to announce that we have temporarily had to close the NGS Shop.
This is due to the delays in postal deliveries caused by the Royal Mail strikes.
Currently, there are 60 NGS members’ orders held in a backlog at the local Royal Mail depot, some of which have been there since 27th November.
Royal Mail have now revised their last posting date before Christmas to 12th December, so anything posted after that date will not arrive in at least the next three weeks. Today is another strike day and there are 5 more strike days planned before Christmas. If you were intending to order anything for Christmas delivery then I regret it is already too late.
My concerns with existing and further order dispatches are:
- Long term storage of posted parcels in unheated RM depots for periods of at least three weeks while suffering sub-zero temperatures. This is particularly worrying for Hunslets with their electronic components.
- Potential crush damage to parcels due to the mountains of parcels piling up in the backlog
- Potential loss/damage through theft/carelessness as often occurs when RM employs temporary agency staff to augment RM staff and in this case to replace striking workers.
I have emailed those 18 members who currently have orders being processed to ask whether they would prefer me to hold the parcels in safe-keeping until after Christmas, or risk a delayed delivery.
The NGS online shop continues to be available for making Membership purchases, Sundry payments and Crane contributions.
I am sorry for the disruption and inconvenience caused. I will keep the situation under review and update you as situations change.
Adrian Cotterill, NGS Shop Manager
08-Dec-22: Impact of planned Royal Mail Strike & pre-Christmas delivery.
Royal Mail workers are due to strike on 9th, 11th, 14th, 15th, 23rd and 24th Decmeber2022.
To avoid potential loss of parcels at this time the NGS Shop will not dispatch parcels that are likely to be delayed by strike action. These will be held over until the next available working day.
It is expected that the next posting-out date from the NGS Shop will be Monday 12th December. Ryal Mail have stated that parcels posted after that date will not arrive until after Christmas.
It appears that orders posted on 27th November have not yet arrived at their destinations. Therefore, members should be aware that it cannot be guaranteed that any orders submitted this month will arrive before Christmas.
I apologise for any inconvenience caused.
As usual, you can check the progress of your orders on the Recent Order Status – N Gauge Society page.
21-Nov-22: Military train-ing can resume.
Kit 58 Warflat (post 1976) NGSK0580 have now returned to stock. Recruit them at Kit 58 Warflat post 1976 NGSK0580 (ngsjoin.com)
03-Oct-22: The Yorkshire Packer strikes again!
Just gratefully received from our redoubtable kit packer in the North Riding: five boxes of kits, bogies and decals for your delight! Including a restock of:
Kit of the year – Kit 37b Storage tank (NGSK0372) scenic item;
Kit 74 BR China Clay Wagon (NGSK0740);
The ever popular Kit 6. GWR/BR ‘Loriot’ 4-wheel Wagon (NGSK0060);
Kit 70b. Grounded Van Body Twin Pack (NGSK0701) – much in demand following Richard’s article on P.13 of the 5/22 Journal;
8ft Southern Steam Bogies (NGSB0010);
English Steel ESC-1 bogies (NGSB0014) and
Gloucester GPS22 bogies (NGSB0011).
Buy, buy or bye-bye.
02-Oct-22: Impact of planned Royal Mail Strike
Sunday 2nd October – Fifty parcels deposited with Royal Mail following strike days.
Royal Mail workers are due to strike on Thursday 13 October 2022; Thursday 20 October 2022; Tuesday 25 October 2022 & Monday 28 November 2022.
To avoid potential loss of parcels at this time the NGS Shop will not dispatch parcels that are likely to be delayed by strike action. These will be held over until the next available working day.
As usual, you can check the progress of your orders on the Recent Order Status – N Gauge Society page.
14-Aug-22: If you are hot, sticky and dry – try a Waterslide!
Well, at least, try one of ours. Just had a big batch of NGS transfer sheets arrive providing decals for a range of kits – many of which were out of stock, including:
- NGST0030 Decals for kit 3 (NGSK0030)
- NGST0060 Decals for kit 6 (NGSK0060)
- NGST0080 Decals for kits 8 & 12d (NGSK0080 & 0123)
- NGST0220 Decals for kit 22 (NGSK0220)
- NGST0260 Decals for kit 26 (NGSK0260)
- NGST0360 Decals for kit 36 (NGSK0360)
- NGST0620 Decals for kit 62 (NGSK0620)
- NGST0660 Decals for kit 66 (NGSK0660)
- NGST0680 Decals for kits 68 & 69 (NGSK0680 & 0690)
- NGST0700 Decals for kit 70 (NGSK0700)
Go slide!
20-Jul-22: Slight delays on order fulfilment
Just had a short break catching up with family post-Covid. First break since 2018 so was very nice despite the heat. I have a bit of a backlog in order (25) and emails (58) but will get back on schedule soon.
07-Jul-22: One out, four in!
It’s departures from Downing Street that are capturing the headlines today, but the really important news is that four more liveries of Hunslet diesel shunters are now available for members to buy. These are:
- R0594 – Esso Red
- R0595 – BP White
- R0596 – BP Green
- R0597 – CEGB Orange
They can now be purchased via the NGS Shop at Hunslet Industrial Shunter for £82 each (plus P&P).
28-Jun-22: New kits on the block.
And these will have to stand on blocks! Following the success of the kit 37b Storage Tank (NGSK0372) scenic item, we are trialling a similar release of Kit 70 as a pair of Van bodies to be used as storage sheds on farms and goods yards. Many of these saw longer life as storage sheds than they did in railway revenue earning service – and some are still about today. These are now available as Kit 70b Grounded Van Body Twin Pack (NGSK0701) at £1.50. The kit has two van bodies – one with planked sides, one with plywood sides
21-Jun-22: Kit 50a war-well-come.
A welcome return to the NGS Shop for Kit 50a WD Warwell NGSK0500 back in stock and still priced at £11.05.
13-Jun-22: New kids on the block.
Today received the third shipment of Hunslets consisting of:
- R0594 – Esso Red
- R0595 – BP White
- R0596 – BP Green
- R0597 – CEGB Orange
- R0599 – PA blue/yellow (only a few so far)
As for previous shipments:
IF YOU HAVE PRE-ORDERED, but not yet paid the balance – The Membership Secretary is currently sending out balance payment requests and instructions.
IF YOU HAVE PRE-ORDERED, and have paid the balance – You models will be dispatched over the next few weeks.
IF YOU HAVE NOT PRE-ORDERED – These locos will go on sale to members when the pre-orders have been dealt with. There are 300 of each except for the R0599 Port Authority livery, the bulk of which will be delivered later, along with the undecorated models.
These are NOT AVAILABLE for sale from the NGS Shop just yet.
Watch the NGS Website for further information.
08-Jun-22: Our tanks aren’t going anywhere.
But then they are not meant to. The experimental Kit 37b Storage Tank (NGSK0372) – a grounded fuel/chemical storage tank with bund walls – has been popular. We have a new production run now available at Kit 37b Storage Tank NGSK0372 at a mere £1.90.
If you want a tanker on wheels, then Kit 37a TTA Chemical Tanker (NGSK0371) is still available at Kit 37a TTA Chemical Tanker NGSK0371 at £8.00
01-Jun-22: Folders back in the fold
Received today a big box of NGS Journal folders to keep your N Gauge Journals neat, tidy and win brownie points from domestic management. As usual these are bound in red with a gold NGS logo on the spine and can hold twelve editions – two years’ worth of the world’s best N gauge magazine. They come with a strip of gold date labels to apply to the spine. Available now from the NGS Shop at Journal Folder or Handbook Ringbinder for £6.40 each.
