Janes Trains

26/09/2026

It's a lovely sunny day and I will be in the shop as Saturday is my 'regular day, and I know that I will see some of our 'regular' Saturday customers. This has started me thinking (I know, a difficult process for me😃), we have regular weekly, monthly, when pay day comes round, as and when to pick up items, but also six monthly customers, like the irish gentleman this week who comes to London every six months, and also customers who call in to see us when they are visiting family and friends. Other customers maybe annual when they are buying Christmas or Birthday presents. All of these are 'regular' customers.
I do enjoy chatting to them and meeting the new customers, but unfortunately I do not always have the time.
So, I would love to hear what type of 'regular' you are, and what makes you take the time to come and visit Janes Trains.

25/09/2026

25/09/2026

Today's new announcement from Rapido is 6 different livered Thomas Hill 4W-DH (Sentinel Steam Loco Rebuilds all available with and without sound. These locos were used in a variety of industrial railways and could be found across the UK in an eclectic mix of different types of industries. Preserved operational examples can be found at the Foxfield Railway and Chasewater Railway.
Also announced 14 different London, Brighton and South Coast Railway D1 Tank again available with and without sound. Tooling differences throughout the range include different boilers, tanks, smokeboxes, chimneys, domes, safety valves, whistles, brake blocks, Westinghouse pumps, and many more. Certain versions are then equipped with push-pull equipment, condensing pipes, air reservoir tanks and more. Southern modellers will be spoilt for choice!!!! I know that I am going to be and these will sell out pretty quickly.
For full details of all these locos head over to the Rapido website.
We are taking orders with out usual 10% pre-order discount

23/09/2026

It's a lovely sunny day in South London. Although I am one year older today, it's good to dispute the fact that young people are not interested in Model Railway.
Although we had a busy day in the shop on Saturday, buying over 50 pre-owned locos and rolling stock; I managed to have a chat with Morgan and Miles from Boston who have just graduated and planning a OO gauge layout.

21/09/2026

We are hearing more and more about AI, and it is very difficult to spot these photos. Iman Arifin posted this photo of a garden layout, and I was completely taken in until I read some comments, and looked at his profile. Nevertheless, I thought it was a very good picture and thus I am sharing it. Would be very happy to see any other AI pictures and to hear your comments about this.

18/09/2026

Have you got a 'BUG'?
On Saturday I met Olly, originally from New Jersey, who came here to study and decided to stay. Olly decided to come to visit us with a friend who informed us that Olly now had a collecting bug. However Olly had a very eclectic taste and walked out with a working and static Locomotive and some modern and vintage die-cast assuring me that it would not be long before a further visit would be made to our shop.
Over the years I have had a few collecting bugs.
A collection of Lesney vehicles started when a Lesney jaguar and another car ~ I cannot remember which one, it was so long ago~. and I collected quite a few, but didn't like all of them, so never had too large a collection.
I also collected Smurfs, given away by McDonalds, buying at Boot Sales etc, but this was completely spoilt when a customer bought me in a whole tin of them, so my enthusiasm for searching was ended.
Also, I liked the Airfix old-timer Engines and managed to get three of the four, but going round swapmeets etc. I could never remember which one I had not got, so this bug ended.
A year or so ago we purchased a collection which had a large amount of Traction Engines which I immediately purloined, but realising that I would have far too many to put on a layout, and if I took them out of the boxes to put on display, they would need a lot of dusting, I have just kept a few to put on a layout.
My surviving bug is OO9, I have far far too many, but find it hard to part with them and also to resist some of the new ones coming out.
So, DO YOU HAVE A COLLECTING BUG? It doesn't have to be railway related.

18/09/2026

We can now supply Miniocity products a range of affordable scenery, figures, buildings and accessories for OO model railway layouts and miniature scenes. This is not a range that I know, but it is very reasonably priced and includes figures, animals, trees and station benches. card building kits, scenic flock and useful paint pens. Also, randomly, there are TT:120 Sun loungers and parasols, perhaps they are also considering producing other TT items. The full range can be seen on their website. Our usual 10% pre-order discount applies.
https://miniocity.co.uk/

16/09/2026

Please don't lead me into temptation. Just give me a reason to resist.
Kato have announced a characterful 0-4-0ST Emeslett locomotive OSCAR. and a matching RACHEL open coach. These have been inspired by the narrow gauge railway which runs round the Kato factory,
There will also be a mini diorama an 0-4-0ST chassis, and 009 track, all of which I will resist, but the track would be very useful to just setting up to run trains on the coffee table.
The more I look at the Loco and Coach, the harder I am finding it to resist them ~ ~ ~ please, I need help.

15/09/2026

A Perfect Arrangement.
On Saturday I was lucky enough to have the time to have a chat with Sam and Lucas from Wandsworth who are changing gauge from OO to N through lack of space. They have the perfect arrangement as Sam loves the trains and Lucas the scenery.
I know I have a few more couples that work together on their model railway, and I would love to hear of your 'Perfect Arrangement'. Also the arrangements where wives get control of the tv remote while husband is busy elsewhere working on a layout 😃