I'd like to commend the N Gauge Society's upcoming show to you. It's due to be held at the National Railway Museum, York on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th May 2023. If you haven't heard about it can find out more on the NGS website. I'll be there as a volunteer steward.
Now there won't be a Train Trax stand at this show due to space constraints, but it is local to me in York. so to coincide with the weekend event, I'm planning informal open days at TrainTrax HQ which is just on the other side of the city centre. Think of it as a complimentary 'fringe' event to extend the fun. The idea would be to offer refreshments, cake etc on Friday afternoon and Monday morning for anyone making a long weekend of the event. There would of course be some trains running and time to chat about all things Unitrack. No purchases necessary!
Did I mention there would be cake?
Let me know if you're interested in coming by grabbing some free Eventbrite virtual tickets. Come at any time in the morning or afternoon, this just lets me plan the cake quantities.
This newsletter is a little later in the Month than I'd planned, as we had a busy (but very enjoyable) time at the York Show over the Easter weekend and needed some time to catch up with things. If you've subscribed recently then welcome, it's great to have you with us.
Demand for Untrack has never been higher so stock on some items is currently a little low. Please bear with us whilst we wait for new deliveries to clear customs etc.
The newest announcements from KATO Japan are now ready to pre-order, for delivery later this year. You can browse them all on the pre-order page.
Why pre-order? KATO models are generally produced in batches, so once a model has been produced it may not be available again for several years (if at all). Only a limited quantity of each KATO release makes it to the UK. During last year there have been instances where locomotive releases have completely sold out before arrival. A pre-order guarantees that the item is yours, but there is no need for you to make payment until the items are in the UK
The list includes new style Unitram packs, the all new EF55, more Taki 1000 wagons and a couple of interesting others.
As ever, if you can't see what you're looking for then please do get in touch.
I've also included direct links to pre-orders below.
Secondly, I'd like to commend the N Gauge Society's upcoming show to you. It's due to be held at the National Railway Museum, York on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th May 2023. If you haven't heard about it can find out more on the NGS website. I'll be there as a volunteer steward.
Now there won't be a Train Trax stand at this show due to space constraints, but it is local to me in York. so to coincide with the weekend event, I'm planning informal open days at TrainTrax HQ which is just on the other side of the city centre. Think of it as a complimentary 'fringe' event to extend the fun. The idea would be to offer refreshments, cake etc on Friday afternoon and Monday morning for anyone making a long weekend of the event. There would of course be some trains running and time to chat about all things Unitrack. No purchases necessary!
Did I mention there would be cake?
Let me know if you're interested in coming by grabbing some free Eventbrite virtual tickets. Come at any time in the morning or afternoon, this just lets me plan the cake quantities.
I've enjoyed talking to customers at the York Easter Show and over the phone recently. Do get in touch if you have any queries or comments. I also love to see pictures of your Kato Creations - feel free to send in your layout photos and I may include some here in my next email.
Best wishes.
Ian
Despite the drizzle, there's now tulips flowering in my garden so I think I can use the title 'spring' for this newsletter. It's been a long month.
A few things to say, with a bit of a North American theme this time.
Showtime:
I've started preparing for the York Model Railway Show, which is happening in just over a week over Saturday, Sunday and Monday of the Easter weekend. The Train Trax stand will be a bit bigger than I did at Leeds or Doncaster, so what would you like me to bring? If you've already started writing a shopping list then do let me know and I'll try and bring everything you want. If there's something that you'd just like to have a look at 'in the flesh' without any obligation to buy it, then again just drop me a note here or email to sales@traintrax.co.uk
York is a great show to visit - always a good variety of subjects modelled and always to an inspiring standard. In total circa 120 stands expected at the show. Catering isn't bad either once you've found it somewhere upstairs!
New KatoUSA UP FEF
One of the most recognizable and famous UP Steam Locomotives, the FEF (Four-Eight-Four) is returning for 'Fall' 2023 from Kato USA! Featuring a number of revolutionary design innovations, including a coreless motor with dual flywheels for silky-smooth side-rod operation at any speed. Inside bearing wheels (where appropriate), and a special articulated undercarriage features on the unique, 14-wheel Tender to allow the locomotive to navigate 11” (282mm) curves.
FEF-3 Steam Locomotive Union Pacific 844 (DCC-Fitted)
The Water Tenders are Kato's most recent design and will be sold as a two-pack for modellers to supplement their FEF-3 or other UP steam locomotives, such as the 4-8-8-4 Big Boy. Just like the prototype models, the two tenders are not identical, having (in addition to an externally mounted American Flag plate) different weld mark details which will be replicated on the models of the two cars, ensuring that their unique spirit is preserved when translated into model form. An optional DCC-friendly headlight PCB will be available to allow the tender’s lights to be illuminated as well!
Union Pacific Water Tender Set (2) - IN STOCK NOW but more to come in autumn.
The third component of this Union Pacific re-release will be the 7-car UP Excursion Train. This set features the latest tooling for the Power Car (a modified/rebuilt Baggage Dormitory car prototypically used for providing head end power to the trailing cars) and a UP Business car "Kenefick." These will form the form the head and tail of the excursion consist, which will also include notable cars like the vibrantly decorated Promontory Museum car, with its full-body American Flag wrap, and a pair of Dome cars.
Following feedback from Facebook followers, over the last week I've arranged a few tweaks to www.traintrax.co.uk
You can now find the ranges of KatoUSA DC, DCC and DCC Sound locomotives each in their own category. Once you've clicked the category you'll be able to narrow the list of locos down by using the filters on the right have side of the screen (or the little search icon if on mobile). Do have a browse and see if you can discover something extra to add to your collection. To encourage you all to give it a test there's 5% off locos in these categories (excluding pre-orders) with the coupon 'loco5' until Easter.
I expect I've got something wrong with the categorisation, as I'm no expert in North American stuff. If you can spot something that doesn't look right then let me know and I'll send a 10% coupon code just for you.
There's quite a few things I want to update you all on this month.
I got a great response to my 10% track offer on Tuesday morning, so I thought I'd experiment and send this update email in the morning too. If you want more frequent offers, then head to the Facebook page. You may be wondering why do Facebook followers get more offers than email subscribers? I know that not everyone gets on with it, but generally I find Facebook a more immediate and conservational media, so it's really useful for me to gauge interest in different things and ask questions of customers. The reward for this is more discounts and the very latest updates on arrivals and announcements.
Now I've settled into new premises, it has become more feasible to accept visitors to Train Trax HQ. If you're local to York and want to save on postage or see something in particular before purchase, just get in touch to make an appointment. Don't expect a 'proper shop' (facilities are basic), but it's great to meet customers in person sometimes.
It seems like it's been a busy couple of weeks for re-stocks and new arrivals. The latest trains from Japan arrived on Tuesday - very limited stocks so be quick!
See below for other recent arrivals - notable are the wagon sets to go with the great value Industrial start sets.
Announcement posters from Kato Japan were issued earlier in the month and many of these items are now available to pre-order:
Check the pre-orders page to look at the details, or do a search on the website if you're struggling to find things. It's always a juggling act deciding which of the KATO announcements to order in. Some of the Japanese items are very much of niche interest with limited sales potential so I don't include them. That said I probably get it wrong sometimes, so any Kato item not listed can be obtained to 'special' order, subject to availability, just let me know.
One more reminder that I'm listing a large collection of second hand KATO Japanese models on the Model Railway Magic ebay store. I'm keeping them separate from TrainTrax so no-one gets confused between the normal new stock and this second-hand stuff, but I also figured many readers would be interested. I'll be adding a few auctions per day for the next few weeks - I'd say I'm about half way through the collection now.
Last week, news from the UK distributer of KATO was that there would be changes to Recommended Retail Price across the many items in the range. Some items have gone up by quite a bit, but some have dropped. I've now updated most prices on the website to account for this, and also included a note including the normal price just above the price on all items. You'll see that the TrainTrax price is always below RRP.
I always look forward to getting responses and orders from these emails, but bear with me as I probably won't reply until sometime on Monday.
Do enjoy your weekend.
Ian
March 2023 already! How did that happen?
As mentioned at the end of the last email, there's some new liveries on the way from KatoUSA: The popular N scale SD70Ace with “Nose Headlights” is returning with a new roadname - “Montana Rail Link” and a rerun of Union Pacific’s #1943 “The Spirit”! Montana Rail Link (MRL) is a Class II regional railroad that operates over 900 route miles of track in Montana and Idaho, and works closely with BNSF Railway. For the BNSF modelers, the MRL’s rich deep blue locomotives will be a perfect addition for more variety in operations. Needless to say, UP #1943 “The Spirit” is a locomotive that everyone was waiting for as a rerun! Paired together with the new UP roadnumbers as well as our other UP Heritage units, you can enjoy the complete modern UP locomotive fleet!
New announcement posters from Kato Japan issued earlier today:
I'm still digesting these, but pre-orders for most of these will open shortly - take a look at the website towards the middle of next week. I'll put a link on social media as soon as UK pricing is confirmed. TrainTrax is on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram, although posting on the last two of these is a bit more sporadic!
I'm now listing a large collection of second hand KATO Japanese models on the Model Railway Magic ebay store. I'm keeping them separate from TrainTrax so no-one gets confused between the normal new stock and this second-hand stuff, but I also figured many readers would be interested. I'll be adding a few auctions per day for the next few weeks.
New arrivals of various rolling stock and buildings continue - and huge quantities of track re-stocks. I'm investing quite heavily in stock at the moment to take advantage of all the room in the new HQ. I've also started building some modules for my T-TRAK based layout. Watch this space for how it progresses!
It's probably worth a reminder that I'm always looking to get reviews on the site, so for anyone who posts a review (minimum 20 words), I'll send a voucher for 5% off your next 5 orders. Of course you'll also get that nice warm fuzzy feeling for helping other people! All you need to do is find the 'reviews' tab below the photo on any product page, and add a product review. Your details won't be used for anything else. (To ensure accuracy, reviews are limited to those who have purchased the items via Train Trax. Discount code will normally be sent within 5 days and is valid for 5% off all items except sale items and pre-orders and can be used up to 5 times for personal use.)
If you've read this far down the email then you must have some interest in what's going on here at TrainTrax HQ. In the next few months I'd really like to recruit someone else to assist with the next stages of the business's growth. If you'd like to know more and feel you have some useful skills, then please do get in touch. I'm very open to different ideas on how this could work.
In the meantime, happy modelling!
Ian
Just a quick update from the new Train Trax HQ this time. I've been away for a few days and have a lot to catch up on!
Firstly, the new announcement posters from Kato Japan issued at the end of January:
I'll definitely be getting in some of the E6 Shinkansen sets, the Seven Stars cruise train sets, and the tram expansion sets. You can pre-order here. If there's anything else on there that you're interested in then let me know and I can find out more details for you.
Secondly, am reminder that I took delivery of a large lot of second-hand Kato Japanese models a few weeks ago, from the estate of a collector. It's all in excellent condition and I haven't yet got around to listing it on the Model Railway Magic eBay page. If you want to take a look and make offers on any items before I do so, the list is here.
Thirdly, there have been too many recent arrivals to list, so take a look here. Many re-stocks have also arrived this week, with many more hopefully arriving on Monday. Apologies that some popular items have been out of stock recently - there have been some annoying delays with customs authorities which have slowed down a series of deliveries.
Lastly, thanks to everyone who said hello at the Doncaster Show. It was great to meet folks and help out with lots of Unitrack questions! Next show for Train Trax will be at Easter, and the local one for me - York MRS.
Have a great weekend!
Ian
STOP PRESS: I've just been sent some information about new releases from Kato USA. There will be new locos available to pre-order soon. Follow the Facebook page to find out more early next week, or wait until my next news email!
It feels like a lot has happened to Train Trax since I last sent an update email! The main thing has been a successful move across the trading estate to new larger premises. All contact details remain the same. I still have a few things to sort out, but it's going to be great having more room. I'll let you know when I get started on the testing layout I've got planned.
There have been several large deliveries of Unitrack and buildings over the last couple of days, with one more to come next week. Some new releases from Kato USA have also landed. See below for a few items where there's surplus after pre-orders have been despatched.
Next on the agenda is the 'Festival of British Railway modelling' at Doncaster Racecourse in a week or so. I'm booked to bring along a Train Trax stand, on Saturday 11th Feb and Sunday 12 Febreuary. I'll be roughly in the middle of the hall. I'm looking forward to meeting some more customers and chatting about all things Kato and Unitrack. It looks like a great show, and maybe I'll even sell a few things too.
Given the title of the event I probably won't be bringing along a whole load of US, Japanese or European models, instead I'll bring lots of Unitrack, T-TRAK modules, accessories, the Class 800s and a few 'freelance' trains. What would you like to see at the show? (I'm happy to accept requests for collection of website orders, and it anyone wants to see anything specific 'in the flesh' then let me know).
I will be taking a few days off during half term holidays, which corresponds with another planned Royal Mail strike, so any orders placed 14-16th February won't be despatched until the 17th February. Thank you for your patience - it's just me here so I need a short break from time to time!
Lastly, I took delivery of a large lot of second-hand Kato Japanese models today, from the estate of a collector. It's all in excellent condition and will be listed on the Model Railway Magic eBay page over the next few months. If you want to take a look and make offers on any items, the rough list is here.
Have a great weekend!
This week I've been making preparations for a big move for Train Trax HQ. I'm staying on the same site, but taking on a much bigger unit which comes unfurnished. It would have been easy to pop along to a Swedish furniture website and get everything I need, but instead I've been sourcing pre-owned shelving, tables and other bits and bobs to re-use. I know it's not the easy way, but in the long run I feel it's more sustainable, and certainly more full of character! After I've moved I'll have lots more room to hold more stock, both new Kato and pre-owned trains.
The Januaryclearance sale is still running - in fact I've added quite a lot of new items and increased reductions this week! Substantial discounts on all sorts of stuff - take a look. Less stock will make the move easier, and then I can spend the cash on re-stocking bigger and better than ever.
A few new arrivals have also trickled in over the last few weeks, including many of the new livery KatoUSA P42 locos. Pre-orders have been fulfilled, and on this occasion there's a few left. Check the 'Just Arrived!' page to see the range.
More stock from Japan should arrive sometime next week. If an item is showing as out of stock, remember to hit the 'Email me when available' button on the website and join the waiting list. When the item arrives you'll be sent an email and then it's first come first served for placing an order!
A new payment method 'Super' has been added to the website recently, which will give a 1% discount when you use it. You may have seen this on other sites. It won't be for everyone as it involves a bit of faff with a mobile app, but paying with the bank app through Super saves us money, so we can take 1% off the price. Give it a try and let me know how you get on. If people have trouble then I'll remove the option, but some folk might like it.
It's almost exactly one year since I took on Train Trax from the previous owner Keith. I've learnt so much along the way and after a slightly rocky transition I hope you agree everything is working smoothly. Thank you so much to everyone who has bought something over the last 12 months and supported this small business. I really enjoy hearing from (and sometimes meeting in person) my customers so do keep in touch.
Have a great weekend!
Ian
I send best wishes for 2023 to all email subscribers!
Two important things to note this time:
Firstly, the new and returning N gauge products from KATO Japan announced just before Christmas are now available to pre-order at Train Trax UK.
Note the return of the Turntable, and new station platform accessories as well as new versions of the high rise buildings which are sure to be popular - all due January/February 2023.
Coming around May/June 2023 there's re-runs of Series E353 "Azusa/Kaiji" and new Series 113-1000 Yokosuka Line/Soubu Express Line sets as well as the Kumoha 52 (2nd.) Iida Line 4-Car Set.
All available to pre-order in the usual place: https://traintrax.co.uk/preorders-reserve-them-here-c-51... Why pre-order? Only a limited quantity of each KATO release makes it to the UK. During last year there have been instances where a release has completely sold out before arrival. A pre-order guarantees that the item is yours, but there is no need for you to make payment until the items are in the UK. Unlike some retailers, I do try to keep pre-orders open until the item arrives if possible.
Secondly, I have launched a clearance sale today. Substantial discounts on all sorts of stuff - take a look. If you're interested there's two reasons why I'm doing this: primarily because such things are traditional around this time of year and also because I'm planning to move my store room to a much bigger unit (on the same site) in February. Less stock will make the move easier, and then I can spend the cash on re-stocking bigger and better than ever.
Clearance prices remain in place until the end of January, and there will be very limited re-stocking during this time across all lines. Get your orders in early! If you're looking for something in particular that shows as out of stock then please do get in touch.
It's very rare that anyone is disappointed with a KATO train, but just in case they are, I'm offering free returns for any items bought in December. I aim to make this as hassle free as possible - just let me know before Jan 15th by emailing sales@traintrax.co.uk and I'll sort it out!
Keep well and keep modelling.
I found myself going down an internet rabbit-hole and discovered this wonderful image on the New Zealand Archives Flickr site. [From a collection of 'Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot' scrapbook of cards, photographs, newspaper clippings and card greetings for Christmas/New Year from various railway stations in New Zealand.]
I like the sentiment and thought I’d share it with you all as a Christmas greeting.
To wish you a signal-ly Happy Christmas May you never be blocked by a Danger Signal but always find a Bright Light Ahead giving you a Straight and Clear Run to Prosperity in the New Year. THANK YOU to everyone who has supported this small business in 2022, whether your orders are large or small, its great to feel appreciated! I intend to continue to despatch parcels until 23rd December, then take a few days off and resume despatch on the 28th December. Please do follow the Train Trax Facebook page for further updates - there will be some exciting news at the end of the month, including the latest releases from Kato Japan. Happy Christmas, Ian Miller
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