Ian_M

I'm looking forward to bringing the TrainTrax UK stand. This will be one of the biggest shows we've ever done - not sure how much stock to bring!

Prep underway for the TrainTrax stand. Let us know if there's anything Kato you want to see - we can't bring it all!

Can't help I'm afraid, but it's great to hear of a shop that's re-opened!

It looks like exactly one year ago that I advertised for some help with TrainTrax. Happily that resulted in @JSModels joining me for a couple of days each week which has worked really well. I'd now like to expand the work we're doing with our Model Railway Recycling programme, but have limited capacity to do so at the moment. So we're hunting for the right person to join our team and help us photograph, catalogue and pack second hand model railway items. It would be varied role as we'd like them to take a lead generally with our customer service (phone and email), and also assist with processing Train Trax UK orders. Training will be available but the right candidate is likely to have some existing interest and knowledge of model railways. Excellent IT skills and attention to detail are vital for this role. Other useful skills may include simple loco repairs and maintenance, and/or some digital marketing experience. All this happens at our York HQ, so the correct person would need to be within travelling distance or be willing to relocate. We could offer the job on a part-time or full-time basis to the right candidate. Salary dependent on experience but at least equivalent to the real living wage. Please share with anyone you know who might fit the bill.

There are/were some cracking products in Nick's range. I don't think I'm breaking a confidence to reveal that I was very interested in taking on his business and continuing it. Unfortunately the solicitors etc couldn't reach an agreement on the legal details. Although he never said as much, I think that he found it quite difficult to imagine passing on the reigns to someone relatively unknown and perhaps seeing things change. I would like to give him credit for advertising the business sale and looking for the possibility of continuation. I think it's really sad when folk just shut up shop without making an effort to pass things to the next generation. Having taken on TrainTrax in similar circumstances 2 years ago, I'm now looking for my next challenge. I

Not been officially announced yet, but GWR are coming later in the year, some time after the Paddington ones. I

UK pricing now available for the 9 Car LNER KATO Class 800 set as announced in Japan a week or so ago, but also the DCC and DCC Sound versions available here in the UK. DC RRP £399.95 DCC RRP £429.95 DCC-Sound RRP £499.95 To me these seem like great prices for a 9 car set, but they will be further discounted at Train Trax. Pre-orders are now open. Arrivals due in mid 2024. I

Some people take everything so literally 😁. I'm not leaving it behind - it took me a few hours to do:

We've begun preparing the TrainTrax stand. Mini candy canes will be involved, as well as the expected large range of Kato trains, unitrack accessories etc. We've also had some snow in York, so we might bring some of that along too. I

We're joining in the Black Friday fun: https://traintrax.co.uk/sale While our prices are competitive all year round, Black Friday/Cyber Monday allows us to offer special discounts on select models, particularly those that may not be in the spotlight as often. Only available until November 30th

I have it on good authority that the DCC will be the KATO EM13 chip as you might expect, and for Sound it will be a Zimo chip. I

A moan for the designers: I've noticed a gradual design change over the last few months to have more articles where the text goes all the way across the page, rather than use narrower columns. I don't like this and find it quite difficult to read. I'm sure someone somewhere told me that good, readable design should only have 7-9 words per line. I

I recently sent an enquiry to the email address listed on the contact page for the Exhibition Traders Manager. Do you know if this address is monitored? Thanks I

I'll be bringing along a full www.traintrax.co.uk stand packed with Kato goodies - first time this far south for the stand. I'm hoping not just to sell some trains but also meet folk around the model railway hobby/industry and expand my network a bit. Feel free to say come and say hello. Ian

Do they need to match or be new? I suspect you could get a load of older locos off eBay or the auction houses fairly easily. IM