April 2026 KATO train news from Train Trax UK - You're invited - we open our doors on the May Bank Holiday
Thank you to everyone who came to see us at the York show.
Most of the time, Train Trax and The Model Tree Shop exist for most people as a parcel arriving at the door, an email update like this, or just occasionally a stand at a show.
If you’ve ever wanted to see where your orders are packed, find out a bit more about who we are and what we do, or simply have a proper look at some of the things we sell before buying, this is your chance. It should be a relaxed, friendly sort of day, with trains running, plenty to look at, and tea, coffee and cake to keep things civilised.
We’ll be open from 11am to 5pm at our unit near York. Our office layout and test track will be running during the day, and we’ll also have Hex-TRAX and T-TRAK modules on display, along with Kato N gauge and HO gauge items. If there’s something specific you’d like to see working, we’ll do our best to show it if we have it in stock.
On The Model Tree Shop side, we’ll have a much wider range on display than we could ever take to an exhibition. If you’ve been trying to choose between sizes, colours or styles, this will be a good chance to compare them properly in person.
We’re also planning 10% off most stock for the day, so there’s a practical reason to visit as well as a nosy one.
And it won’t just be us. York Modelmaking, who are only two doors down, will also be opening at the same time, and our friends from the Yorkshire Area Group of the N Gauge Society will be bringing along a T-TRAK display as well. So there should be plenty going on.
Attendance is free, but we’d appreciate it if you could book a ticket in advance so we can keep an eye on numbers, parking, and the all-important cake situation.
We’d love to see some familiar faces, meet some new ones, and show you a little more of what goes on behind the scenes.
In other news, Kato’s latest announcements are now on the website and there is plenty to like this month.
The Japanese releases are led by the August Imperial Train items, including the C11 190, the Imperial Train 5-car set, and matching EF58 60 and EF81 81 locomotives. Also due around then are the new N700-6000 Kodama Shinkansen, 731 series Ishikari Liner, KiHa 201 Niseko Liner, container flats, My Tram Classic in red stripe, and the Hiroshima Electric Railway 200 Type 14-071-1.
The Pocket Line sets are in there too and I think those could be very popular.
For British N gauge, the Class 802/2 TransPennine Express and Class 803 Lumo are back on the list. These are not brand new announcements, but they do now have revised pricing and updated delivery dates.
There is Kato USA interest on the website as well, especially for anyone who likes North American passenger stock. The coaching stock is the bit to watch this time, with Amtrak Viewliner and Amfleet items now available to pre-order.
Pre-ordering is not just practical - it is part of the fun. It gives you the best chance of securing the models you really want, avoids the last-minute rush, and gives you that nice feeling of having something good to look forward to.
