3 Counties

The Three Counties group for G Scale Society members in Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Warwickshire. 3CAG for short!
The group was formed around 2005 from a loose association of friends who helped to construct and operate a giant privately owned permanent G gauge layout housed in a garden centre greenhouse located near the meeting point of Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Warwickshire. Hence the group name, “Three Counties”. However, the nursery business was sold complete with the working layout and stock, 3CAG access became ever more awkward, and the group’s activities diminished slightly. The layout has since been dismantled and sold.

We overcame this obstacle and managed to keep holding meetings at member’s gardens during warmer weather, but we really needed an indoor venue with our own layout to enable winter meetings. In 2016 our sectional 24 x 14 ft indoor layout was constructed and is semi permanently set up in a church hall, so we can meet regularly during the winter and have running sessions. It can be dismantled and taken to shows, it was at G Rail in 2017 and 2018, and has attended a few local shows. Work is continuing on the layout, mostly by improving smaller details. This large layout requires considerable effort to transport to a show, so quite recently a smaller much more portable layout has been constructed. During more favourable weather, generally April to October, we have a monthly garden railway visit programme in the 3 Counties area hosted by members, generally held on Sunday afternoons. Although we have sneaked outside our patch a couple of times….don’t tell anyone!

Over the past two or three years, about half of the 3CAG members layouts we visited were digital ( mostly Massoth/Piko ) which can run a single analogue loco, the remainder being analogue from either conventional track power or radio control, or live steam. It’s quite acceptable just to turn up and chat, even better if you bring something to run!

Like most clubs, we have a varied membership, with a core of very active members. We don’t have a membership charge, but there is a minimum donation of £3 at every meeting, which has funded construction of our group layouts with a contribution to the church. To be a 3CAG member, you must also be a current member of the G Scale Society. Please contact the group leader if you wish to join.

We have a regular newsletter, which is emailed out at no charge.

John Davidson

Group Leader