Among the cars used on the "Thunderbird" limited express, the 683-4000 series is a nine-car fixed formation manufactured between 2009 and 2011. Unlike the 681 and 683-0 series, both leading cars feature a front-mounted through door (the Kuro 683 is in preparatory work) and a single-arm pantograph. Additionally, offset collision prevention structures have been adopted for improved safety, and these can be seen on the end panels. Renovations were carried out in 2015, changing the design from the previous gray-based color scheme to a black and blue-based color scheme.
Seat markings will be updated to reflect the current situation where all cars are reserved seats, and the accompanying stickers will be updated to reflect the time before and after the Hokuriku Shinkansen Tsuruga Line opened. Combine it with the 10-2149 681 Series "Thunderbird" (Renewed Car) Add-on Set, scheduled for release at the same time, and the 10-2144 683 Series-2000 "Noto Kagaribi" (Renewed Car), scheduled for release in February 2026, to create a 12-car train just like the real thing.
The Starter Set is an all-in-one set that includes the 683 Series-4000, the rolling stock, track (Unitrack), and control equipment (Power Pack) required for operation. To step up your game, add the Add-on Set or the 10-2149 681 Series "Thunderbird" (Renewed Car) Add-on Set, scheduled for release at the same time, to create a full train formation, or expand the track to allow passing trains operating in the same area.
Main Features
1. The B35 train set belonging to the Kyoto branch of the Suita General Rolling Stock Center is reproduced. 2. The black stripes around the windows, the blue stripes on the front and sides, and the symbol mark spanning the coupling surface are reproduced. 3. The mechanical pantograph area unique to AC/DC trains is reproduced with separate parts (white) for the insulators.
4. The shape of the underfloor equipment, which differs in part from the 0/2000 series, is reproduced. 5. The lightning arrester uses a new type seen in JR West vehicles in recent years. 6. Parts for the front through door in the open position are included. 7. The end face reproduces the appearance of the offset collision prevention structure. 8. The use of a slotless motor achieves smooth and quiet running. 9. The front of car No. 1 (Kuro 683-4500) is equipped with a dummy coupler that represents the coupler cover. This set reproduces the electric coupler cover with the JR mark seen on recent JR West trains.
⑩ The front of car No. 9 (KuMoHa 683-5500) and the intermediate couplings of each car are equipped with body-mounted close-coupling couplers (without hooks) as standard.
⑪ Headlights and taillights light up. KuMoHa 683 has a light-off switch.
⑫ Destination display stickers are included. Destinations before the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen in Tsuruga are also included, allowing you to recreate your favorite era. ⑬ DCC-Friendly
All being well, this weekend we’re off to Alexandra Palace for the London Festival of Railway Modelling, which means the usual mix of planning, packing, second-guessing what to take, and trying not to forget anything important.
TrainTrax and The Model Tree Shop will both be there, and we’re looking forward to seeing plenty of familiar faces as well as, hopefully, meeting some new ones too. At the shows coming up I’ll also be starting to quietly spread the word about a bigger idea I’ve been working on, and looking for the right person to help bring it to life.
A few practical notes if you’re ordering from us this week.
First, do come and see us if you’re visiting the show. We’ll have a carefully chosen range of Kato, scenery, trees and other favourites with us. If there’s something specific you’d like us to bring, just let us know. We’ve already had requests for particular bridge colours so people can see them in real life before deciding, and that’s absolutely fine with us.
You can also place an order on the website for collection at the show, which saves the postage and means you know you’ll go home with something good.
Finally, any orders placed on the website during the show period may take a little longer to dispatch than usual while the team is away exhibiting. We’ll still be keeping an eye on things and will get orders moving again as quickly as possible afterwards.
Thanks for your patience, and we hope to see some of you at Ally Pally.
If you’re not coming to London, we’ll also be at the York show over the Easter weekend, so perhaps we’ll see you there instead.
Newly announced by KATO
Announcements usually come on a Friday around the turn of the month. It takes us a little while to confirm UK pricing and get everything onto the website, but the latest batch is now live.
For many of our customers, the standout item this time will be the new RhB Allegra Revival Livery set, and I’d expect that to attract plenty of attention. Close behind it is a strong batch of Taiwan Railway items, with the E500 electric locomotive and PP Tze-Chiang coaches now listed. Beyond those, there are also some nice Japanese additions, including KiHa 52 railcars in two liveries, the E657 in revival orange, the Izukyu Resort 21 and the Ogaki Night Train, plus a few new HO EF510 electrics for HO modellers.
Every week we unpack something interesting, and this week’s batch has a bit of everything.
Our headline this week is the Kato 10-2144 683 Series 2000 "Noto Kagari" 3-Car Set, a striking limited express with plenty of character. Only two were in stock at the time of writing.
Also just landed:
Kato 10-2154 Aichi Loop Railway 2000 Series Blue Belt 2-Car Set and 10-2155 Green 2-Car Set Compact, colourful two-car sets that can be paired to make a four-car consist. Very limited at the time of writing: two blue and one green.
Kato 10-1837 321 Series JR Kyoto/Kobe/Tozai Line Basic Set (3 Cars) and 10-1838 Add-On Set (4 Cars) A strong everyday JR West urban EMU, with the option to build from a three-car starter set to a full seven-car formation.
And one for the collectors:
Kato 10-2100 Special Projects Nankai Electric Railway 6000 Series (Unpainted) 6-Car Set A distinctive special edition in bare stainless steel, and only one was available at the time of writing.
Stock is tight across all of these, particularly the Aichi Loop sets and the Nankai Special Project, so they’re worth a look sooner rather than later.
We’ve also been adding extra items to the sale page. Everything is new and unused. We’re simply clearing space and keeping things moving, so it’s worth another look even if you checked it recently.
You may also spot some new items on our eBay site for similar reasons.
As ever, thank you for your support. Good customers really do make a specialist business like ours possible, and we don’t take that for granted.
We’re looking forward to meeting plenty of you at Ally Pally this weekend and at York over Easter. If you’re coming along, do come and say hello, and take a read of our big red board.
All the best,
Ian (on behalf of the team)
More June 2025 news from Train Trax UK - latest 🚆announcements from KatoUSA and Kato in Japan
Get yourself a brew - it's a long email this time. New product announcements from Japan and the US.
I’ve always had a soft spot for trams, so I was pleased to see this month’s announcements from KATO Japan include three light rail items, plus a new starter set.
There are also new buildings, OUIGO España trains, E233 EMUs, trucks, containers, hopper wagons, locos, and more. Take a look at the posters above and the individual listings towards the bottom of the email. All except the OuiGo España trains are arriving towards the end of this year.
For those who 'favor' the North American railways, we've also listed some brand-new arrivals to Kato USA's ES44 GEVO line up! Look out for these, all arriving early next year:
CP #8757 in bright orange – the “Every Child Matters” tribute unit.
CP #8781 – the first to wear Hapag-Lloyd branding.
Fresh CSX designs inspired by the Seaboard System and Western Maryland Scenic.
UP #5395 – stars, stripes, and serious presence.
You can find these too by scrolling down to the pictures at the bottom of the email once you've read all the rest! In other news: Rolling Sale We've tweaked what's in our rolling sale. Some are overstock, some are end-of-line, and some are just because we like to keep things moving. The sale is constantly changing, so it’s worth checking back regularly — once something’s gone, it’s gone. Take a look: https://traintrax.co.uk/sale
Modular Monday We've restocked with our Hex-TRAK module kits! https://traintrax.co.uk/hex-trak-module-kits
Latest Arrivals in stock
We've had more deliveries from the USA and Japan. Locos, trains and more this time…
KatoUSA EMD SD80MAC Locos in Conrail and NS liveries
Kato Europe ICE4 in the special 'Federal Republic of Germany' livery ( and add-on sets)
Japanese Containers, for the 'Kangaroo Liner' Container train , pulled by the EF66 27 Freight loco.
Figure sets of various kinds For our little Japanese passengers there's
683 Series "Shirasagi" 6-Car Set,
JR Shikoku 8000 Series Limited Express "Shiokaze/Ishizuchi" 8 Car Set and the
E655 Series Nagomi (Japanese) 5-Car Set - with the special Imperial add-on car.
also the KatoUSA dash-nine's have arrived.
Price changes I'm sorry to announce that there's some KATO UK RRP prices changes happening. Most items are staying very similar, but a few of the pricier items are increasing.
We'll hold our current (discounted) pricing until we restock items, or the end of the month, whichever comes around fastest.
And finally… For those following the endless saga of our forthcoming new lease, we've still not moved, but we are getting closer. Stay tuned for more news.
Enjoy your weekend - we find the best way to stay cool is to shut the curtains and play trains.
Best wishes,
Ian & the Train Trax Team www.traintrax.co.uk www.model-railway-magic.co.uk www.themodeltreeshop.co.uk
January news from Train Trax UK - pre-order here for new KATO trains
I wanted to send you an email about the items that KATO announced earlier this year. I wanted it to be really clear and totally focused on that so you wouldn't get distracted from placing your pre-orders.However, there's a few other things I really need to mention first:
1. For a trial period we've switched to a new payment provider on our Train Trax website - Super. It’s free for businesses to accept payments with Super and in-return we’ll give you a 1% back in Cash Rewards every time you purchase with Super. These rewards act like instant discounts on future buys from us. The more you shop, the more you save. The system is still safe and secure, accepting all the same cards and more. Do drop us an email to let us know how you get on!
2. Well done for surviving the cull! We've cleaned up our email list, so if the system doesn't think you've read the previous emails or ordered for a while, you won't be reading this.
3. We have had lots of new arrivals, including some we've not yet unpacked. I'll say more about them in my next email but if you're interested you can always check the Just Arrived page.
So finally, to those exciting January announcements. Kato announced new items for their range of Japanese locomotives and rolling stock, as well as new Glacier Express sets and locos.
Included in the announcements are JR 50 series passenger cars, 381 Series "Shinano", 40ft K-LINE containers, E6 Series Shinkansen "Komachi", E3 Series 2000 Yamagata Shinkansen "Tsubasa", 683 Series "Shirasagi", the last remaining EF66 among the 0 series, Koki 102+103 "Kangaroo Liner SS60" (+ more containers) and multiple versions of the JR Shikoku 8000 Series Limited Express "Shiokaze/Ishizuchi".
We're most excited about new Glacier Express items. There's a set including an updated Ge4/4III loco (#647) and two coaches, one of which is the 'excellence class' coach. There's an add on set which has conventional first and second class passenger cars with updated interiors and seat colors, allowing you to enjoy the current Glacier Express. The Alpine locomotive Ge4/4-III 643 is also available, as is a starter set with a compact oval of track and controller.
Pre-order now! Browse our pre-order page or follow links below.
Best wishes, Ian Miller
PS we've had some lovely reviews recently. Thanks very much for letting us know that we're getting things right!
The 681 series started commercial operation in 1995 as a limited express AC / DC train connecting Osaka and Hokuriku. This is JR West's first new limited express train, and has a number of unique features such as unique styling and a formation with two faces, non-streamlined and streamlined.
It can be combined with the 683 series, and is active as a limited express "Thunderbird" with a maximum of 12 cars consisting of 6-car train + 3-car train + 3-car train, connecting Kansai and Hokuriku.
This is a reproduced model of the Series 681 with mostly unchanged specifications to its predecessor. However, the whistle accessory has been changed to a whistle cover.
Features
Detailed Exterior
All Wheel Pickup
Smooth Operating Motor with Flywheels
Finely Printed, Era Specific Details
Series 681 started commercial operation at <Thunderbird (Super Raijin)> in 1995 as a limited express direct current DC train that connects Osaka and Hokuriku. This is JR West's first new limited express train, and has a number of unique features such as unique styling and a non-penetrating and penetrating formation with two faces.
It can be combined with the 683 series, and it is active as a limited express "Thunderbird" with a maximum of 12 cars consisting of 6 cars + 3 cars + 3 cars, connecting Kansai to Hokuriku.
Series 287 is the latest DC express train developed by JR West Japan based on Series 683. In 2011 in the form to replace the traditional 183 series "Korokotori" began to be active as "Koroshio",
and started operating as "Kuroshio" from March 2012 . Following the all-electric vehicle system of 0.5M system adopted from the 321 series, we aim to become a standard DC-type express train of JR West Japan as a vehicle with enhanced safety, comfort and convenience.
Main features
JR West Japan's latest express vehicle 287 series. Accurately commercialize the innovative body style that further advanced safety.
The connector is standard equipped with a body-mounted KATO coupler telescopic dense serial type at the top and middle. Cognate formation can be reproduced easily.
The motive power is equipped with a proven power unit with a flywheel. You can enjoy stable driving.
A common design with the 683 series, the dark red band under the window on the side of the vehicle emphasizes the image of "Kototori" and "Kinosaki".
Head / tail light standard equipment on the leading car. Express the difference in color of headlights. The basic set Spiderha 287-8 is equipped with a light off switch so that you can enjoy addition and closing.
The side curtain is attached with a seal. Set nicknames, destinations and car displays corresponding to "Kototori", "Kinosaki", "Hijidate" and "Maizuru".
The basic set can be accommodated in the book case of this additional set. A set name indication sticker is attached.
While designing in common with "Kuroshio" and "Kototori", the ocean green band under the window on the side of the car emphasizes the image of "Kuroshio".
Kumoha 287 and Moha 287 make a new roof. Newly produced intermediate car 2 format (Moha 286-200, Moha 287-200) to reproduce "Kuroshio".
Head / tail light standard equipment on the top car of the basic set. The headlights on the cab express the difference between white and "Kototori".
A switch with a light off switch is attached to spiders 287 to which additional formation is connected. The spider set 286 in the add-on set has no head / tail light.
The direction curtain comes with a seal. Set "Kyoto" "Shin Osaka" "Ki Tanabe" "Shirahama" "Wakayama" corresponding to the destination of "Kuroshio".
The power is equipped with a proven power unit with flywheel. Achieves stable driving.
Head / tail light of the top car lights. The headlights on the cab are white. The light unit uses a white LED.
Side direction curtain seal attached.
The sleeve of the book case adopts a specially designed one.
Optional extras:
LED room light clear Part number: 11-211
LED room light clear (for 6 cars) Part number: 11-212
LED room light clear (warmer bulb color) part number: 11-213
This is the first time we've had a stand at this or its predecessor show, but we're looking forward to seeing how it all works, and of course meeting our customers face-to-face. Hopefully we'll get a moment to see some of the 60 layouts and other attractions!
It looks like the show plan has us as 'Model Railway Magic Ltd' on stand 12. We'll be bringing the bestselling Train Trax KATO stock as well as selected items from The Model Tree Shop.
To guarantee that we bring what you want – and enough of it – you can order from our website for collection by 3 pm on Thursday. No delivery charge. If you're a little unsure about something but want to take a look with no commitment, then drop us an email before the same deadline and we'll try to find room to pack it. We leave York early on Friday and sadly can't bring the whole of the KATO or tree ranges in full!
KATO Announcements
As promised in our last email, the latest announcements from KATO in Japan are now available to pre-order. All will be arriving during the next six months or so. Take a look below for details, but in summary we have:
• N: 683 “Thunderbird” starter set + renewed 681/683 add-ons • N: E259 “Narita Express” (renewed colours) – basic & add-on packs • N: E233 Saikyō Line 40th-anniversary 2-car top set • N: Tobu 8000 (Tōjō & Urban Park) 6-car sets • N: E4 Shinkansen “Max” & “Max Toki” 8-car sets • N: JR 50-series coaches + ED78 & EF71 electrics • N: SBB RAe II “Gottordo” set • HO: EF81 (Cassiopeia & general colours) + upgraded parts
We certainly weren't expecting the Gottordo set. This is a DCC friendly re-run, representing the preserved/refurbished version, featuring the iconic red-and-cream TEE livery!
Now in stock
Just Arrived at TrainTrax HQ🚄:
• NEW: Nagoya Rinkai Railway ND552 2-car loco set (special project) • EH800 (with/without JRF mark), EF210-300, EF64-1000, ED79 • “Kangaroo Liner” Koki 102+103 8-car freight set • Hoki2000 8-car cement hoppers • E233 Saikyō Line (4-car basic + 6-car add-on) • E233 Chūō Line with Green Car (basic, A/B expansions + special 2-car set) • Figures and accessories: People with Smartphones, flag-waving sets, shopper pack • Starter sets: F7 Freight (UP, Santa Fe Red/Blue) • North America highlights: VIA Rail P42, CPKC ES44AC w/ factory DCC + Sound
Whether or not you're coming to the show, I hope you all have a productive weekend modelling. I think it's going to be one of those weekends when you want to be indoors!
Best wishes, Ian & the Model Railway Magic team
PS. Now it's past my wife's birthday; I'm officially allowed to talk about Christmas. More next time, but in the meantime, don't forget to mention our vouchers to anyone asking for ideas!
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